Thank you to all our Industry Insider Newsletter guest editors.
See below their Opinion Pieces on key and topical issues facing the built environment now. Register for the Industry Insider newsletter to see opinion pieces and news stories from our upcoming guest editors.
Opinion Piece Making an impact in tackling fuel poverty Written by Jade Lewis, Chief Executive of Jade Advocacy Government figures show that an estimated 3.17 million households live in fuel poverty in England, that’s 13% of households across the country. This means that they have a low residual income, after accounting for their fuel bills,
Opinion Piece Embracing change in an evolving market Today’s construction and manufacturing sectors face unprecedented challenges: reducing waste, lowering carbon emissions, and meeting strict environmental regulations. These challenges have ignited a wave of innovation, particularly in the way we view plastics. No longer is plastics production a zero-sum game between performance and environmental responsibility. Instead,
Opinion Piece UKNZCBS Technical Steering Group and RIBA Sustainability Lead by Jess Hrivnak Join Jess Hrivnak, UKNZCBS Technical Steering Group member and RIBA Sustainability Lead, at Futurebuild 2025 for an in-depth exploration of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (UKNZCBS). On 6th March, Jess will lead a session at the Futurebuild Arena, ExCel, London—Lessons
Opinion Piece The climate adaptation challenge and why it is a vital component of climate action Polly Turton, Head of Climate Action and Public Health at Shade the UK. Futurebuild is taking place from 4 – 6 March at the Excel, London, a venue fittingly close to two vital assets for climate adaptation and resilience
Opinion Piece ACAN response to ARB Code Of Conduct Consultation In response to the Architects Registration Board’s (ARB) recent consultation on the proposed changes to the Code of Conduct for registered architects in the UK, ACANs Professional Standards Group offered the following response. ACAN believes that the natural environment should be a key stakeholder in
Opinion Piece SDG success is within our reach Piece by Cressida Curtis, Group Sustainability Director, Wates Group Arriving on the coat tails of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the SDGs had the hardest act to follow. The MDGs had broadly halved global poverty, tripled the middle class and driven a vast improvement in health and
Opinion Piece The Construction Industry and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Decade of Progress or Missed Opportunities? Join Professor Saul Humphrey at 12pm on Wednesday 5th March at the Futurebuild Arena for an insightful session in the Futurebuild Knowledge Programme. In “10 years on from their adoption to deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goals by
Opinion Piece The SDGs, Goal 12 & construction materials – we can’t meet our carbon or nature commitments without changing how we build Opinion piece by Sue Riddlestone OBECEO & co-founder, Bioregional, NED, Future Homes Hub The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were announced in New York with some fanfare involving Angelina Jolie and a
Opinion Piece Overcoming retrofit challenges and enhancing sustainable design As the co-director of the National Retrofit Hub and head of sustainability at Buckley Gray Yeoman, I have been engaging with a wide number of stakeholders on the pressing issues facing the retrofit sector in the UK. Our mission at the hub is to co-create solutions
Opinion Piece Government’s imminently forthcoming Land Use Framework consultation and a discussion on what should happen once it is finally published Land Economist Stephen Hill sets the scene for the Edge’s Futurebuild session on the Government’s imminently forthcoming Land Use Framework consultation and a discussion on what should happen once it is finally published. Futurebuild,
Opinion Piece The future of sustainable construction The world needs smart, sustainable and resilient infrastructure but challenges like climate change and limited resources mean that the production and use of heavy building materials must evolve. Ready-mixed concrete is the most widely used building material in the world and is essential to society as a cornerstone
Opinion Piece What’s Needed for Retrofit: Beyond Energy Savings By Rachael Owens and Sara Edmonds – National Retrofit Hub Co-Directors Retrofit is often framed as a technical challenge: installing heat pumps, improving insulation, and hitting energy performance targets. While these are important, they only scratch the surface of what retrofit is truly about. At its
Opinion Piece Help protect our mature urban trees – we need to ‘stop the chop’ We are losing far too many of our mature urban trees. While tree planting initiatives are valuable, they cannot compensate for the loss of established trees, which provide the greatest environmental, social, and economic benefits. Mature trees reduce urban heat,
Opinion Piece Passport to a circular future? Rethinking the value proposition of BIM and data collection across a building’s lifetime. Ever more resource hungry, the UK’s built environment is the largest materials-consumer and waste-generator in the economy, accounting for 50% of all materials used and 60% of waste. The impact of this continuous process of
Opinion Piece Regenerating and Retrofitting our Cities and Regions Article by David Pierpoint, curator, National Retrofit Conference and Founder, The Retrofit Academy This year’s National Retrofit Conference will be the fifth time we at The Retrofit Academy CIC have curated the retrofit content at Futurebuild. Looking back at the early programmes, there was clearly a
Opinion Piece Resolving our polycrisis requires all sectors to collaborate and act five times faster 5 years ago Futurebuild produced a timeline in advance of what was to be COP 26 in Glasgow. (later postponed a year due to the Covid outbreak). Since then we have had COP27 in Sharm El Sheik, COP28 in the
Opinion Piece Navigating digital change for value driven growth Rebecca De Cicco FCIOB Chair and Founder of Women in BIM I Director Digital Engineering, DBM Vircon Navigating digital change for value-driven growth means actively managing the transition to new digital technologies and practices within a company, with the primary goal of creating significant and sustainable business
Opinion Piece Altruism, self-interest, and the future of sustainability reporting Adam Smith and Spinoza, two profound thinkers from different eras, explored the intricate relationship between altruism and self-interest. They posited that protecting others is often the smartest form of self-preservation. A baker, for example, improves his own success by ensuring his customers are satisfied with
Opinion Piece Information Management Initiative (IMI) The ‘Information Management Initiative’ (IMI) aims to transform information management practices across the built and natural environment sector. Led by hugely commendable volunteer efforts across the Construction Leadership Council and nima (formerly the UK BIM Alliance), the IMI: • sets out a sector-wide directive to industry, including some over-arching principles
Opinion Piece Delivering a legacy of quality net zero homes The government has committed to delivering the most ambitious housebuilding programme in two generations. This is a welcome and important initiative. However, in constructing 1.5 million new homes, we must ensure that this new generation of properties deliver homes which embed the necessary performance to
Opinion Piece Bridging the gap: advancing renewable heating in the UK By Stephen Bielby, Operations Manager, Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA) As the UK intensifies its commitment to a sustainable energy future, the focus on renewable heating solutions has never been more critical. Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) and district heating networks stand at
Opinion Piece Building a Better World: How Biophilic Design Can Transform Lives and Sustain Our Planet Why is it important that we care about how we design our workplaces, our hospitals, our schools or our cities? Why should we care about what materials we source, and how we position them in the buildings we create?
Opinion Piece Overcoming retrofit challenges and enhancing sustainable design By Rachael Owens, Co-director at the National Retrofit Hub and Head of Sustainability at Buckley Gray Yeoman As the co-director of the National Retrofit Hub and head of sustainability at Buckley Gray Yeoman, I have been engaging with a wide number of stakeholders on the pressing
Opinion Piece Driving sustainable change in construction: A call to innovate and collaborate By Martin Townsend, Director for BSI’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainability The construction industry is facing mounting pressure to meet net-zero targets, meaning we must navigate the complex challenge of balancing sustainability with tight margins. The path to greener practices is filled
Opinion Piece Addressing the Ever Evolving Role of Specification By David Ing, Managing Director at Fabrick The role of specification has changed considerably over the past few years with a larger number of people having influence and decision-making powers. A number of different consultants and engineers now have increasing input into specifications, such as façade
Opinion Piece Don’t wait for change, lead it — diversity and sustainability in construction By Funmbi Adeagbo, keynote speaker at BE-ST Fest 2024 Driving change in construction and the built environment is not about waiting for others to take the lead – it’s about stepping up, being visible, and inspiring others to follow. That’s where
