News

Pritzker-winning Japanese architect Arata Isozaki has died at the age of 91. Isozaki was seen as a postmodern giant who combined influences from Asian and western culture and history in his designs, at a time when US and European styles dominated global architecture.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has launched its new Engineering Kids’ Futures report, which follows a year of work and roundtables with experts from industry, academia, education, government and STEM providers from across the UK.

A £135m public sector framework is seeking building maintenance and compliance experts for public sector asset management support.

The UK government has two months to respond to a House of Commons Committee report on energy security.

An equivalent MOT system for homes could help Scotland achieve zero-carbon goals and save energy, according to Scottish architect Christina Gaiger, former President of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) and Trustee of the Edinburgh Architectural Association.

The Hanson team, based at its Ribblesdale cement works in Clitheroe, Lancashire, has proved that enforced carbonation of recycled concrete paste (RCP) within the plant’s existing wet scrubber allows for a high CO2 uptake within 30 minutes, preventing emissions.

A number of organisations providing climate solutions have been highlighted at charity Ashden’s annual awards.

On 8 February, PBC Today Webinar will discuss ‘Future Homes Standard: Next Steps on the Road to 2025’.

The Welsh government has launched a consultation on Building Regulations to include the requirement for automatic fire suppression systems in children’s homes, and to replicate provisions within the measure, so that reference can be made to a single piece of legislation.

In November 2022, the Irish Minister of State with responsibility for Planning and Local Government signed Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 608 of 2022). These make provisions for a changing places toilet in certain buildings. The regulations came into action in January 2023.

In November, British architect Peter Barber won the 2022 Soane Medal for having “devoted his life” to helping resolve the UK’s housing crisis, and was hailed by the jury for his work in social and affordable housing.

The Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) has launched a new fluctuations information hub as a resource to help the construction sector respond to growing economic uncertainty and volatility in the market.

An inquiry has been launched to uncover the reasons behind a drop in the number of young people starting engineering, manufacturing and technology apprenticeships since 2014/15.

The Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has offered free accreditation upgrades on its industrial and garage door safety courses this month.

The Department for Education’s announcement in December 2022 of £500m for schools to reduce their energy use falls far short of the funding needed for a nationwide retrofit programme to reduce costs and emissions, says schools climate campaign Let’s Go Zero.

Thinking of applying for Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) status in 2023? Here’s what you need to know

Following the Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps’ announcement in November 2022 of funding of an extra £1bn for energy efficiency, Simon Brammer, Head of Cities at climate solutions charity Ashden, said: “This covers just a few hundred thousand homes over the next three years, compared to 19 million homes that must be insulated by 2035 to hit the government’s own net-zero targets.

This time of the year, we look forward to the year ahead. It is also a good time to reflect and report on the Association’s activities for the previous year.

NatWest research shows that 76% of large UK businesses are urgently searching for more efficient, low-carbon energy sources in 2023 in response to rising energy costs.

The Department for Education’s latest apprenticeships data has shown engineering-related apprenticeship starts have increased at a greater rate than all sector subject areas, increasing by 25.8% in 2020/21.