Building Weekly Digest: 10 June

Hope everyone enjoyed the welcome long weekend break - it's time to catch up on what's been happening since. In this week's digest we take a look at the latest trends in housebuilding numbers, consider a new report on the carbon savings from modular construction, explore the relationship between productivity and digitalisation, look at why professionals might need a new health & safety course and meet a nuclear specialist. We are also taking the opportunity to give you a little heads up on some of the other big things that are coming down the pipeline, so check it all out below.

Are we seeing the start of a housing development slowdown?

Lots has been written in the national press in recent weeks about a?supposed imminent crash in the UK housing market?in the face of the darkening economic climate. In fact, the latest S&P Global / CIPS UK Construction PMI report, which came out this week, found out that housebuilding was the main handbrake on output for construction. Tim Moore, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said the near stagnation of residential construction activity came amid “signs of softer demand and a headwind from low consumer confidence”. Meanwhile the RICS reported a drop in new buyer inquiries in May with stretched household finances being blamed for the fall. But many housebuilders are treating dire predictions with a degree of scepticism.?So, what is actually going on??In this piece, contributing editor Joey Gardiner?looks at what the data shows. The other big housing story of the week has been the Boris Johnson's attempts to revitalise his premiership with his speech extending the Right to Buy scheme. Housing industry groups have hit back at the plans saying that sales through the scheme would not raise enough money to build one-for-one replacements. (Picture credit: shutterstock.com)

Don't forget to enter our Top 150 Consultants 2022!

There's still time to take part in this year’s survey to find the industry's?Top 150 Consultants?– and you can find out all about it here!

You’ll need to answer questions on:

• The?number of staff?at your company, including staff number changes from 2021
• The?fee income?received in recent years as well as a fee breakdown by sector
• Your?views on the market conditions?and changes from the past year

Please return your completed form, no later than Friday 24 June 2022, to Hewes & Associates on?[email protected]

Modular homes cut embodied carbon by 45%

There's been a lot of LinkedIn responses to our posts about this story, and it's easy to see why it's attracted so much interest: a new study shows that factory-produced homes can produce up to 45% less carbon than traditional methods of residential construction. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Edinburgh Napier University found that two modular housing schemes designed by HTA Design and built by Tide Construction Limited using Vision Modular Systems saved a combined 28,000 tonnes of carbon. We hope to hear more about this research and other studies soon, there's a huge appetite for solid evidence to back up carbon claims. (Picture credit: HTA)

New course launched to plug 200,000-person health and safety gap on construction sites

A new course has been launched by the Construction Industry Council because it says an estimated 200,000 professionals who visit building sites do not currently hold adequate health and safety certification. The CIC course is for professionals such as architects, surveyors and engineers, who visit sites but don’t work on them for extended periods. (Picture credit: Shutterstock.com)

Just one week left to get your entries in!

It's heading toward that time of year again - there's just one week left to get your entries in for the Building Awards 2022. The awards will be taking place on 1 November at Grosvenor House Hotel in London - and will be an event that can't be missed. To check out the categories and get your entries in click here

Contractors update

There's been plenty going on with some of the country's biggest contractors this week. First of all, Tilbury Douglas has been separated out of parent Interserve Group to become a standalone business. The move comes months after Kier ended takeover talks for the business which in its last set of accounts filed at Companies House had a turnover of ￡480m in the year to December 2019 but racked up a ￡95m pre-tax loss. And speaking of Kier, the firm has scored a coup after pipping Sir Robert McAlpine to a ￡60m office and retail scheme on Tottenham Court Road for Derwent. We understand the contractor has been picked to build the Network Building - which will be Kier's first job for Derwent. Meanwhile, a fit-out boom has helped send ISG's profit north. In fact, fit-out was such a star performer at ISG last year the business accounted for more than half the group’s revenue in 2021, which improved 11% to ￡2.3bn.

Productivity: Perspectives on digitalisation with Alinea, AHMM and Lendlease

We all know that while construction has much to gain from digitalisation the process is happening more slowly than in many sectors. To that end and to identify the opportunities, obstacles and drawbacks to the digitalisation process, Alinea asked a designer, a cost consultant, a constructor, a developer and a technology specialist to offer their perspectives in this piece. And if issues around digital construction are of interest why not check out out Digital Construction programme, which houses all our written, CPD and on-demand webinar content on the topic! (Picture credit: Edmund Sumner)

Social Value Live is under two weeks away!

Our next big event, Social Value Live, is taking place in just under two weeks. Taking place across 22 & 23 June we will be exploring topics covering not only how social value is applied all stages of a construction project, but also how firms are integrating social value principles into their business. You can check out the full agenda here

5 minutes with Ruby Lowe

We chat to Ruby, a senior consultant in Hydrock’s nuclear management consultancy, about her passion for tackling climate change and her double life as a semi-professional sportswoman. Read our Q&A interview here.

Have a lovely weekend and keep your eyes peeled for our bumper June print edition next week!