Built environment event news

Opinion Pieces

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.

SDG success is within our reach

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

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The Construction Industry and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Decade of Progress or Missed Opportunities?

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

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Overcoming retrofit challenges and enhancing sustainable design

Overcoming retrofit challenges and enhancing sustainable design

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

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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.

Government’s imminently forthcoming Land Use Framework consultation and a discussion on what should happen once it is finally published

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,

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The future of sustainable construction

The future of sustainable construction

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

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What’s Needed for Retrofit: Beyond Energy Savings

What’s Needed for Retrofit: Beyond Energy Savings

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

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Help protect our mature urban trees – we need to ‘stop the chop’

Help protect our mature urban trees – we need to ‘stop the chop’

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,

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Passport to a circular future? Rethinking the value proposition of BIM and data collection across a building’s lifetime.

Passport to a circular future? Rethinking the value proposition of BIM and data collection across a building’s lifetime.

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

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Regenerating and Retrofitting our Cities and Regions

Regenerating and Retrofitting our Cities and Regions

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

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Navigating digital change for value driven growth

Navigating digital change for value driven growth

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

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Newsletter-2-Opinion piece (7)

Altruism, self-interest, and the future of sustainability reporting

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

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Newsletter-2-Opinion piece (6)

Information Management Initiative (IMI)

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

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Delivering a legacy of quality net zero homes

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

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Bridging the gap: advancing renewable heating in the UK

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

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Overcoming retrofit challenges and enhancing sustainable design

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

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Driving sustainable change in construction: A call to innovate and collaborate

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

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Addressing the Ever Evolving Role of Specification

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

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Sustainability Impact in Action

Sustainability Impact in Action

Opinion Piece Sustainability Impact in action 540 WORLD just won an LCA 2024 award. You might say, so what, and ask – how is this helpful for me? Well, if you are vaguely interested in building a better tomorrow or understanding materials that unlock residual financial value and circularity, or quantify low carbon, or other

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Mapping Climate Risk and Vulnerability in the West Midlands

Opinion Piece Mapping Climate Risk and Vulnerability in the West Midlands Climate change is here, and our urban areas are ill-prepared. In July 2022, the West Midlands experienced temperatures surpassing 38°C, leading to overheating in residences and care facilities, school shutdowns, travel disruptions, data server malfunctions, a rise in fire emergencies, and water safety issues,

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UNZCBS opinion piece

UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard

Opinion Piece UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard In May 2022, a cross-industry group comprising leading organisations BBP, BRE, the Carbon Trust, CIBSE, IStructE, LETI, RIBA, RICS, and UKGBC, joined together to develop a Standard to define the requirements for buildings in the UK to be Net Zero Carbon (NZC). The UK Net Zero Carbon

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The Challenge Ahead: CIBSE’s Role in Leading Industry Innovation

The Challenge Ahead: CIBSE’s Role in Leading Industry Innovation

Opinion Piece The challenge ahead: CIBSE’s role in leading industry innovation As we enter a transformative phase in the built environment, the stakes for our industry have never been higher. With the introduction of the Building Safety Act and the urgent push towards net zero, CIBSE is at the forefront, guiding and supporting its members

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Timber in Construction: Debunking Myths and Bridging the Gap between Construction and Forestry

Opinion Piece Timber in Construction: Debunking Myths and Bridging the Gap between Construction and Forestry At the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP), we are leading a unique research initiative called IMPACTT (Innovative Mapping and Processes to Advance Construction Timber Transparency). The project aims to bridge the gap between forestry and construction and raise awareness

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