Register to Attend
Stand Enquiry

Taking a stand for freedom of choice

Opinion Piece Taking a stand for freedom of choice An opinion piece by Ryan Sheppard, Commerical Director of KNX Ireland and a board member for KNX UK Association I am a firm advocate to the benefits of the KNX open protocol, primarily due to the nature of KNX as an open protocol technology and therefore […]

Reuse Now – Let’s Stop Being Wasteful With Construction Products and Materials

Opinion Piece Reuse Now – Let’s Stop Being Wasteful With Construction Products and Materials An opinion piece by Katherine Adams, Technical Director, Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) ASBP has launched the ‘Reuse Now’ campaign to encourage greater reuse of building materials within the construction industry. Our campaign is covering materials that come from building […]

Engaging with tomorrow – a Hub workshop

Opinion Piece Engaging with tomorrow – a Hub workshop An opinion piece by Dave Philip, Impact Director, The Hub Engaging with tomorrow – A Hub workshop As part of its legacy work, The Hub ) held an engagement workshop in Edinburgh earlier this month to determine strategic regional priorities. Participants joined from a variety of […]

Guilt-free Concrete?

Opinion Piece Guilt-free Concrete? An opinion piece by Mike Cook, Visiting Professor, Imperial College and Chairman, Seratech Ltd Guilt-free Concrete? Construction Materials must change We can no longer be in any doubt that global warming and climate change is a huge and growing challenge to humanity (Ref. 1 World on brink of five ‘disastrous’ tipping […]

TIME TO SEIZE THE MOMENT AND TAKE A STAND FOR A BETTER BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Opinion Piece TIME TO SEIZE THE MOMENT AND TAKE A STAND FOR A BETTER BUILT ENVIRONMENT An opinion piece by Martin Hurn, Event Director, Futurebuild It’s no secret that the construction sector is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions with the built environment responsible for almost 50% of the UK’s emissions. Futurebuild, the ‘industry […]

Where to find sustainable materials, products, brands and solutions for future proofing buildings

Opinion Piece Where to find sustainable materials, products, brands and solutions for future proofing buildings An opinion piece by Robynne Hammer, Chief Operating Officer, EDGE Showroom We started EDGE because we saw the enormous impact that the construction industry was having on the environment, both in building structures and in their lifelong footprint. We thought that there […]

Construction Innovation Hub launches the Construction Product Quality Planning (CPQP) framework-

Opinion Piece Construction Innovation Hub launches the Construction Product Quality Planning (CPQP) framework An opinion piece by Keith Waller, Programme Director, Construction Innovation Hub  Last week, the Construction Innovation Hub launched the Construction Product Quality Planning (CPQP) framework. This is new quality-assurance framework that sets out a best-practice approach for manufacturers to follow during the […]

Sustainable construction is a degenerative design option

Opinion piece Sustainable construction is a degenerative design option An opinion piece by Chaline Church, Founding Partner, 540 WORLD Fortunately, much of what I intended writing is in Futurebuild’s previous July newsletter by Dr Oliver Jones. This has allowed me to take a deeper dive into what is critically missing from many conversations around circularity, […]

Time to change

Opinion piece Time to change  An opinion piece by Dr Oliver Jones, Research Director, Ryder Architecture  I spoke recently at the Futurebuild launch event on innovating to achieve zero waste and the acute need to change traditional behaviours in the sector to benefit from the new business models offered by circularity. When it comes to […]

Driving the revolution in construction

Opinion piece Driving the revolution in construction  Landsec’s recently completed Forge building incorporates all the elements of transformed construction – digital, manufacturing and sustainability. (credit Bryden Wood) An opinion piece article by Sam Stacey, Challenging Director, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) When the UK’s Industrial Strategy was launched in 2017, Secretary of State Greg Clark proclaimed […]

Time to Reflect on the Standard of our Homes

Opinion piece Time to Reflect on the Standard of our Homes An opinion piece article by Gavin Dunn, Chief Executive, Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) This month (June 2022) saw the latest set of changes to England’s building regulations come into effect. Affecting all new build homes in England, the changes to Part F, […]

Investing for Change

Opinion piece Investing for Change An opinion piece article by Alexandra Notay, Placemaking and Investment Director, PfP Capital “Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose. To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.” Larry […]

A guide to: Smart Buildings, Asset Information Models and Digital Twins

Opinion piece A guide to: Smart Buildings, Asset Information Models and Digital Twins An opinion piece article by John Adams, Head of Product, Glider Technology Projects at their inception in 2022 have new and long lasting decisions to make about their digital futures and their related societal and environmental impacts. To understand more about these […]

Putting ConTech at the Heart of Evidencing Part L Compliance

Opinion piece Putting ConTech at the Heart of Evidencing Part L Compliance An opinion piece article by Sion Bellis, Chief Residential Officer, Zutec From 15th June 2022, all new homes registered in England and Wales must produce 31% less CO2 emissions on the current SAP model, to comply with the uplifted Part L standard (or Approved […]

Foundations for a Future, or Cementing our Fate? Construction and Climate Change

Opinion piece Foundations for a Future, or Cementing our Fate? Construction and Climate Change An opinion piece by Dr Hugh Montgomery, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine; Director, University College London’s Centre for Human Health and Performance Co-Chair Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change  Global heating is caused by human activity. Building and construction account […]

All Jobs Greener – workforce transformation for a sustainable future

Opinion piece All Jobs Greener – workforce transformation for a sustainable future An opinion piece article by Martin Baxter, Deputy CEO IEMA and Director of Policy and External Affairs The shift to a green economy will create green jobs within new and emerging sectors, while those working in existing sectors will have to gain the […]

Making Material Changes in Buildings

Opinion piece Making Material Changes in Buildings An opinion piece article by Will Arnold, Head of Climate Action, The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Carbon in buildings Buildings are a good thing. They bring people together, keep them warm, and give them places to be useful. But as we are all painfully aware, the construction, […]

Why Marketing is at the forefront of industry collaboration: A route to a safer future

Opinion piece Why Marketing is at the forefront of industry collaboration: A route to a safer future An opinion piece article by Peter Sumpton, Construction Marketing Consultant, Marketing Study Lab Competition is Healthy In any industry, competition is healthy. If there is no competition then a monopoly occurs which means a singular company can dictate […]

Modular Construction, High Risk Residential Buildings and the Ethics of Building Safety

Opinion piece Modular Construction, High Risk Residential Buildings and the Ethics of Building Safety An opinion piece article by the British Board of Agrément Building on Dame Judith Hackitt’s Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, the centre piece of this new regime is a requirement for higher risk buildings to have a Safety Case […]

When uncertainty becomes the main certainty

Opinion piece When uncertainty becomes the main certainty  Getting back to how things are designed and made. Redscape model by McCloy+ Muchemwa. Credit: Photograph by Sophie Percival. An opinion piece by Helen Castle, Publishing Director, RIBA Embracing uncertainty has become the new order. Over the last two years, a state of flux has been met with […]

Our time to Shine – the role of building services engineers in a decade of reckoning

Opinion piece Our time to Shine – the role of building services engineers in a decade of reckoning An opinion piece by Ruth Carter, CEO, Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) The 2020s have been termed ‘the Decisive Decade’ for mitigating the effects of climate, biodiversity and equity crises. In working with some of […]

Can Volumetric Manufactured Buildings Deliver a Net Zero Future?

Opinion piece Can Volumetric Manufactured Buildings Deliver a Net Zero Future? An opinion piece by Richard Hipkiss, Development Director, The Modular and Portable Building Association Is the road to a net zero future a well mapped out route or is there uncertainty along the way? Here Richard Hipkiss, Development Director of the Modular and Portable […]

Making a digital impact at Futurebuild 2022

Opinion piece Making a digital impact at Futurebuild 2022 An opinion piece by Marie Grieve, Managing Director, Costello Palmer Communications and Content Creator for the Digital Impact stages at Futurebuild Digital Impact made its return to Futurebuild 2022 as a spotlight area for digital construction and emerging technologies within the digital built environment. The wonders […]

Building new homes while meeting climate targets is possible

Opinion piece Building new homes while meeting climate targets is possible An opinion piece by Steward Dalgarno, Director of Innovation and Sustainability of Stewart Milne Group The end of the UN’s climate change conference COP26 marked the beginning of the hard work required to prevent global warming rising above 1.5C. For the UK to play […]

How devolution can help local authorities to ‘level up’ their net-zero carbon plans

Opinion piece How devolution can help local authorities to ‘level up’ their net-zero carbon plans An opinion piece by Sue Riddlestone OBE, Chief Executive and Co-founder of Bioregional As we face a climate and ecological emergency and a cost-of-living crisis, the need for action to end our dependency on fossil-fuels and transition to zero-carbon lifestyles […]

The Value Toolkit

Opinion piece The Value Toolkit: Mapping out how to translate tip into transformative action An opinion piece by Ellie Jenkins, Industry Project Lead for The Value Toolkit Published late last year, the Transforming Infrastructure Performance (TIP) Roadmap to 2030 has societal outcomes at its core. It is an exciting step forward to see a government […]

Why BPE in-use will inevitably make our lives better

Opinion piece Why BPE in-use will inevitably make our lives better An opinion piece by Fionn Stevenson, Professor of Sustainable Design, Building Performance Network (BLN) Performance challenges facing industry Currently, building activity in Europe is responsible for 36% of all carbon emissions, which is driving forward climate change at an alarming rate in terms of […]

Without Competence, can we deliver the Future?

Opinion piece Without Competence, can we deliver the Future? An opinion piece by Simon Forrester, CEO, Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) At the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, our vision for the next 10 years is to provide a safe and secure built environment for all our stakeholders through a holistic approach to how we think […]

NHS Scotland tie-up shows how digitalisation and data can transform built environment

Opinion piece NHS Scotland tie-up shows how digitalisation and data can transform built environment An opinion piece by Prof (Hon) David Philp, Impact Director, Construction Innovation Hub Digitalisation and more effective handling of data is at the heart of the Hub’s work to transform construction and the built environment. That’s why we are working with […]

2022 for healthy, circular resolutions in construction practice – here’s how!

2022 for healthy, circular resolutions in construction practice – here’s how! 06 January 2022 An opinion piece by Chaline Church Founding Director, Editor, 540 WORLD Thankfully, it’s 2022 and the A, B, C, D (Alpha, Brexit, Covid, Delta) words are finally moving toward recent history, leaving us all a bit bewildered and bruised, but at […]

Are graduates climate-aware built environment professionals of the future?

Are graduates climate-aware built environment professionals of the future? 10 December 2021 An opinion piece by Adam Endacott FRSA Creative & Communications Director, Editor, Architectural Technology Journal, Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists The skills of built environment professionals will need to evolve to reflect changing needs and contexts, becoming more diverse and specialised, with professionals […]

The value of digital asset information management

The value of digital asset information management 26 November 2021 An opinion piece by John Adams, Head of Product, Glider Asset management is the process by which data and information is collated and stored to obtain maximum value from the built asset itself, striking the right balance between performance improvement, risk reduction, cost optimisation and […]

Hub joins the global debate at COP summit in Glasgow

Hub joins the global debate at COP summit in Glasgow A COP26 review by Dave Philp 05 November 2021 COP26 is well underway and the Hub team are on the ground in Glasgow discussing sustainable legacies and the positive impact we can help make for a low-carbon built environment. This week, our Impact Director, Dave […]

The race against climate change: does net zero mark the finish line?

Stephen Good

The race against climate change: does net zero mark the finish line? 29 October 2021 An opinion piece by Stephen Good, CEO, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre The UK is gearing up for net zero, with the Government having published a landmark strategy last week to outline the actions needed to decarbonise the economy over the […]

How to ensure our wetlands are protected from urbanisation

How to ensure our wetlands are protected from urbanisation 22 October 2021 An opinion piece by Adam McKinnon, ACO Water Management, Regional Specification Manager Urban developments are having a detrimental impact on the environment and biodiversity. As such, urban runoff needs to be managed carefully, through stringent treatment processes, to ensure long-lasting – or even […]

What should net-zero homes look like?

What should net-zero homes look like? 13 October 2021 An opinion piece by Tom Dollard, Pollard Thomas Edwards, Head of Sustainable Design My work over the last four years has involved carrying out design and construction reviews of low carbon housing case studies for the Building for 2050 project. Our team has analysed the performance […]

‘My perceptions on hand-drawing’ by Simone de Gale

‘My perceptions on hand-drawing’ by Simone de Gale 07 October 2021 An opinion piece by Simone de Gale, SGA, Chief Executive/Chartered Architect ARB RIBA Given all the digital aids available, what is it with architects and the hand-drawn? We asked a number of practitioners to talk through a specific free-hand sketch of theirs and how […]

RIBA rolls up its sleeves

RIBA rolls up its sleeves 01 October 2021 An opinion piece by Simon Allford, RIBA Architecture, President Covid, climate change, Grenfell… a revitalised RIBA will be well placed to tackle today’s issues, says new president Simon Allford. After a very strange year for all, I took up office as president last week. Aside from continuing […]

The Landscape sector: paving the road to a low carbon future

The Landscape sector: paving the road to a low carbon future 16 September 2021 An opinion piece by Jane Findlay, Landscape Institute, President Context: Climate change, built environment and landscape professionals Climate change is one of the most pressing and urgent challenges for humanity today. Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global […]

FutureX: A future yet to be determined

Dr Oliver Jones

FutureX: A future yet to be determined https://futurexbyfuturebuild.podbean.com/27 August 2021 An opinion piece by Dr Oliver Jones, Research Director, Ryder Architecture The term sustainable development was first coined in Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report, published by the United Nations in 1987. The report defined the term as ‘the ability to meet […]

Why habitat matters more than before

Why habitat matters more than before, Adam Cane, Sustainability Lead, ACO Water Management 13 August 2021 An opinion piece by Adam Cane, Suatainability Lead, ACO Biodiversity in the UK is under threat. A report earlier this year by the RSPB found that the UK had lost the most amount of natural wildlife and wild spaces […]

The need for an honest approach to net zero

The need for an honest approach to net zero, Simon Corbey, Director, ASBP 05 August 2021 An opinion piece by Simon Corbey, Director, ASBP Much like Greta, I am finding the obsession with net zero as a target incredibly frustrating. We now have high impact industries like concrete and steel publishing their route maps to […]

Who is responsible for reaching net-zero ?

Who is responsible for reaching net-zero ? Martin Hurn, Event Director, Futurebuild 30 July 2021 Who is responsible for reaching net-zero ?  UK emissions fell by nearly 50 per cent of their 1990 levels during the 2020 lockdown. According to The Guardian, this positive change will be short-lived. Carbon dioxide emissions are forecast to jump […]

Encouraging Innovation

Encouraging Innovation, Paul Foulkes, President, KNX UK Association 22 July 2021 Encouraging Innovation Complex control projects can throw up complex issues,  leading to disputes that are costly and time consuming and, in turn, break what should ideally be long-term relationships. One way to avoid disputes is to play safe; another is to embrace innovation but […]

The future of the built environment

The future of the built environment, Martin Hurn, Event Director, Futurebuild 16 July 2021 The future of the built environment In 2019, the UK Government set an ambitious goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050. As one of the largest contributors to the UK’s carbon footprint, producing 42 per cent of carbon emissions, the […]

PAS 2035: A Roadmap to Industrial Scale, High-Quality Retrofit

Opinion Piece by David Pierpoint, CEO, The Retrofit Academy CIC 15 July 2021 PAS 2035: A Roadmap to Industrial Scale, High-Quality Retrofit Visit any retrofit installer at the minute and mention BSI PAS 2035, and there is a good chance you will be shown the door. And understandably so because change is uncomfortable. But give […]

Landlords. Do they want to help, or is it all Hot Air?

Opinion Piece by Peter Littlewood, iHowz and Steve Cox, Alan Boswell Group 08 July 2021 Landlords.  Do they want to help, or is it all Hot Air? Whilst the demand from income investors, in recent years, has led to build to rent projects these have been focussed on students or those on above-average incomes (typically […]