Opinion

Katie Pinder is the emerging talent lead at Mace In all walks of life, a truly inclusive and diverse environment can see immeasurable benefits, such as new perspectives and skillsets. Historically, the construction industry’s workforce has been dominated by men. However, a noticeable shift is occurring in the UK construction…

 Katy Harris is director of preconstruction for property services at Seddon As we stood at the midpoint of 2023, the construction industry celebrated a notable milestone: 15.8 per cent of its workforce were women, a rise from 12.8 per cent pre-pandemic. This progress, though modest, is a beacon of change…

Stuart Green is a professor of construction management at the University of Reading. The large panel system (LPS) has recently been in the news, sparking much nostalgia among those of a certain age. Concerns are growing about the safety of high-rise housing blocks built during the 1950s and 1960s using…

Neil Hargreaves is managing director of Knauf Insulation Northern Europe Change doesn’t happen quickly in construction. Ours is an industry that tends to value the steady march of progress above riskier leaps into the future. But for those responsible for compliance within their respective organisations, 2023 will not have felt…

Paul Young is underwriting manager at Markel The green revolution is with us, and is being touted as a way to be more energy efficient and save money as the cost-of-living crisis impacts the UK. However, the shift to greater energy efficiency for domestic and commercial properties has increased the…

Matthew Baldwin is a project director at McBains, a property and construction consultancy The delayed requirements on construction companies to meet new biodiversity net gain (BNG) rules – where they are required to deliver a net positive for the local environment, for example by creating new habitats and green spaces…

Manus Quigg is a partner and Claire Rice is a senior associate at law firm Brodies A recent Scottish case over a building project in Edinburgh has shone a spotlight on prescription and third-party rights in the context of delivery of collateral warranties. Allenbuild was the design-and-build contractor and the…

Simon Toplass is group CEO of Pagabo and The 55 Group The move into a new year is always a time for reflection, but equally for a look to the future, and 2024 is shaping up to have a great deal of changes impacting the construction sector through political, economic…

Anthony Brown is sales and marketing director at BW: Workplace Experts Reverse mentoring is a learning and development concept aimed at connecting different levels of experience across a team. A twist on traditional mentoring, it places the junior team member as the mentor to a senior mentee, who is poised…

David Llewellyn is head of construction and infrastructure at Pagabo With a solution to the housing crisis looking as far away as ever, contractors, developers and local authorities are increasingly working in partnership to find ways to deliver the homes needed for a growing population. Brownfield sites are often cited…