Building weekly digest | 20 December 2024
Building Magazine
The UK's leading magazine for construction professionals featuring the latest industry news, expertise and intelligence.
Welcome to the final Weekly Digest of 2024. It's the perfect opportunity to catch up on the latest industry news, reflect on the past year and look ahead to what 2025 has in store. Happy reading and happy holidays!
Repairing the urban fabric: How a historic city block was reinstated in Marylebone village
In this piece, Ben Flatman traces the evolution of Marylebone Square - a mixed-use development that has breathed new life into a long-vacant site in the centre of London. Previously a car park, the project, designed by E8 for Concord London, incorporates housing, retail, and community facilities. The site has a complex history, having been cleared in the 1960s and left undeveloped for decades. The development aims to restore the area's historic character while integrating sustainable building principles.
My route into construction … Shreya Aneja, architectural designer at White Arkitekter
The industry includes an impressive range and variety of roles – but unless you are on the inside it can be hard to know how to break in, let alone progress to the top. In this series, we talk to professionals about their often surprising career twists and turns.
In this edition, White Arkitekter 's Shreya Aneja discusses her work in sustainable environmental design, supporting a homebuilding charity for forcibly displaced people in Africa and India, and moving to the UK to start her career.
In 2025 we will see the economic consequences of 2024’s political decisions
With a relatively stable government in place, a plan to build 1.5 million houses, investment in green energy and a new infrastructure fund, we may well be viewed as a better bet by those who deserted us post Brexit, says Richard Steer FRICS, Hon FRIBA, FCIOB, FAPM of Gleeds .
"I personally think the incoming US president’s threats of huge tariffs are more bluster than reality. It is neither in his interest nor anyone else’s for him to crash the world economy. China and India are both struggling to maintain the stunning growth they have generated in the past and a tit for tat hissing contest will harm everyone," he writes.
The industry needs Lendlease to stick around because Mace and Multiplex can’t build everything
It is not good for anyone that some of the sector’s most high-profile projects are bid by just two firms, says David Rogers .
"Currently, jobs in London involving a tower and a big price tend to end up being bid by just [Mace and Multiplex].?Lendlease would normally bid?as well but, since May, its future has been less certain after the decision by its Australian parent to sell up.
"So, the fact that Lendlease is indeed the other firm on the shortlist for 18 Blackfriars is a good thing for Lendlease but also, as things stand, something of a worry.?Some clients have expressed reservations about asking Lendlease to price jobs because of the uncertainty about its future," he writes.
领英推荐
Act now and make the new year a time of real change
Bold leadership, greater diversity, a circular approach and a focus on cracking the housing crisis are all on my wishlist for 2025, says Akerlof 's Ellie Jenkins .
"Encouragingly, 2024 saw programmes like Mentoring Circle gain traction, helping to attract and retain underrepresented talent. In addition to these initiatives, we need new metrics beyond pay gaps and basic diversity figures.
"Mandated targets and transparent reporting must become the norm. In 2025, diversity in leadership should no longer be seen as a moral imperative – it’s the strategic advantage that can redefine our industry," she writes.
CPD highlights
Our top 3 most popular CPDs this year are still open for submissions—don’t miss out!
This latest CPD module, sponsored by Rockwool, considers the roof as a building’s fifth facade, examining its functional uses and its vital role in fire safety, and explaining the relevant regulations and what needs to be done to require to comply with them
Sponsored by MSA Safety, this CPD will explore the elements to consider when specifying a fall protection system and how best to integrate it within the building design in order to achieve compliance with the relevant standards and regulations
There is often confusion surrounding the relationship between warranties, building control and other insurances, making it difficult to know what is needed and when. Sponsored by LABC Warranty, this module will explore when a warranty comes into play, alongside the implications of housing defects left unchecked
Events
Building is pleased to announce the launch of our event: The Building Good Employer Guide: Live
6 March 2025 The Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BS
This CPD-accredited event features two debates on skills development and EDI issues, a keynote speech, networking drinks, the launch of Building's 2025 Good Employer Guide, and a Workforce of the Future report for Housing Today.
Join us to hear from companies with some of the most forward-thinking careers initiatives and find out more about what it takes to be a good employer in the built environment today.
A big thank you from Building to everyone who attended and participated in our events this year—we can’t wait to see you again in the new year!
From the newsdesk
Merry Christmas and a happy new year!