Building Weekly Digest - 19 January 2024

It's been another huge week here at Building HQ, with the first print edition of the year dropping today. On top of that the #WA100 came out and we had a host of other big stories from the team. Check it all out below.

January edition is out

The first print issue of the year is out, with this month's project piece taking centre stage on the cover. We take a look at the South-west’s biggest music venue, which has cost nearly three times the original budget and opened three years late. Thomas Lane visits the Bristol Beacon (formerly the Colston Hall) to find out why – and whether it was worth it . There's plenty more to explore in this edition including the WA100 2024, a deep-dive into the government's biodiversity net gain policy , and a look ahead at what 2024 will hold for construction form a legal point of view . The digital edition is available here.

WA100 2024: The big list

The who's who of international architecture has returned for 2024. WA100 2024 ranks the top 100 architectural practices in the world by number of architects employed from a survey of over 1,000 firms. You can grab your copy here .

WA100 Live is also back in 2024 - join us on 6 February for three virtual webinar sessions exploring the biggest topics for the construction sector. You can explore the agenda here .

Red Sea crisis: how worried does construction really need to be?

With disruption to shipping being caused by Houthi rebels, industry leaders have spoken to Matilda Battersby , giving their views on the ramifications for the supply chain. They have answered the big questions around how exposed the industry is, what products might be at risk and what it means for prices. You can read the full piece here .

Why are contractors neglecting scope 3 emissions? It’s complicated…

Carbon emitted by materials and transport accounts for up to 98% of contractors’ emissions, but a new report by Akerlof has found an alarming lack of attention given to the issue by some of the UK’s biggest contractors. In this piece Tom Lowe takes a look at what that actually means and why.

From the archives: Rebuilding the House of Commons chamber, 1945

Charles Barry’s original mid-Victorian House of Commons chamber became one of the most high-profile casualties of the Blitz when it was destroyed in May 1941. Its reconstruction after the war would be an opportunity to modernise Britain’s parliamentary system for a post-war world. In this instalment of our #FromtheArchives series Tom Lowe has taken a look at reports from The Builder that show this as an opportunity largely missed .?

Thanks for reading and see you next week