News

Contractual requirements are increasingly featuring sustainable outcomes, according to the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) Construction Contracts and Law Report 2022.

Industry groups have called on new Prime Minister Liz Truss to make energy efficiency and retrofitting homes a central tenet of its strategy to tackle the energy crisis.

A report that highlights the potential for grandstand decking boards to rot says that unchecked temporary grandstands could become unsafe for use.

A white paper by Aggregate Industries has revealed that 90% of people believe the construction sector is not delivering long-term sustainable solutions, while half do not believe it is committed to reducing carbon.

A survey by MakeMyHouseGreen.com, which uses smart data to calculate savings made by green technology, has shown households that have invested in solar panels increased their Energy Performance Certificate score by 15-22 points and jumped at least one band.

Engineers Without Borders UK has launched the 2022-23 cycle of the award-winning Engineering for People Design Challenge in partnership with Engineers Without Borders South Africa and the Govan Community project. Now in its 12th year, the Challenge has involved more than 60,000 undergraduate students across Cameroon, South Africa, UK, Ireland and the USA.
Visit bit.ly/EWB_DesignChallenge

Changes are happening to some of the key construction apprenticeship qualifications in Wales, with the aim of better meeting the needs of employers and students alike.

Mike Ward, Territory Director at Wavin UK & Ireland, says we need to rethink how we manage water. “Drought and climate change issues are taking hold of our towns and cities. It is important that designers, water management companies, utility providers and public bodies work together to proactively implement more measures that can combat the impacts of extreme weather patterns, to help prevent lasting damage and avoid devastation.

The Construction Innovation Hub has launched the Construction Product Quality Planning (CPQP) framework. This sets out best practice for manufacturers when creating new platform systems and off-site construction products, in line with regulatory standards such as BSI 99001 and the Building Safety Act.

Part L of the Building Regulations came into force in June in England and the respective regulations in Scotland and Wales will be changed later this year. A lack of clarity on how to carry out U-value calculations for multifoil insulation has been resolved by the BRE Group’s Conventions for U-value calculations, aka BR443 (2019 edition).

The review following the Grenfell Tower fire highlighted a lack of consistency in the competence of those working on buildings.

The government has launched a consultation covering the proposed changes to Building Regulations under Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022 for higher-risk buildings.

Marks & Spencer’s scheme to demolish its shop on London’s Oxford Street and build new is stirring the debate over retrofitting and refurbishing vs demolition and rebuilding.

According to the latest Boiler Upgrade Scheme figures, 2,000 heat pump installations each received a subsidy of £5,000 in July, costing the UK taxpayer £10m.

SocEnv have launched a brand-new website – socenv.org.uk – improving user experience, accessibility and engagement with the environmental professional community.

The Future Homes Standard will be in place in the UK by 2025, mandating the transition to low-carbon heating and future-proofing homes so they can become zero carbon.

At the time of writing, much of western Europe is bathed in sunshine.

Great Britain’s health and safety regulator has announced that an inspection programme of primary and secondary schools in England, Scotland and Wales will begin this month.

The UK government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has opened two consultations relating to proposed changes to the Building Safety Act 2022 in England.
The first consultation concerns the new safety regime for occupied higher-risk buildings – defined as those buildings which contain at least two residential units and are at least 18m in height or at least seven storeys – and covers proposed changes to building regulations under part 4 of the Building Safety Act.