Building Weekly Digest | 8 November 2024
Building Magazine
The UK's leading magazine for construction professionals featuring the latest industry news, expertise and intelligence.
Our long-awaited Building Awards finally arrived on Tuesday and what a night it was! We were so proud to host an evening where the industry's top talent and hard work were recognised and rewarded.
However, this week wasn't all glitz and glamour, as the industry continues to navigate the potential impacts of the chancellor's Autumn budget, with question marks around growth capacity for construction.
Labour’s tax-and-invest Budget fell flat with the OBR. But is there a brighter story for growth in the built environment?
Daniel Gayne asked experts from across the construction sector what levers the government still has to pull to boost growth.
Insight and expertise from the IPPR 's Carsten Jung , the Resolution Foundation 's James Smith , the Construction Products Association 's Noble Francis , Soben 's Scott Smyth , Drees & Sommer UK 's Neil Fyles , Arcadis 's Simon Rawlinson , Turner & Townsend 's Chris Sargent and 毕马威（英国） 's Holly Davis MBA MRICS help us understand when and how development is possible.
Mandating a minimum profit margin could solve construction’s profitability woes
ISG’s collapse was the latest in a long line of contractor failures. The industry’s low margins expose it to greater risk of corporate failure, and suck time and energy away from the push towards greater sustainability, higher standards and the delivery of much-needed built assets. It is time for change, says SCAPE 's deputy chief executive, Caroline Compton-James .
"Increasing margins to 5% would create a virtuous circle, shifting the focus from driving down costs through unsustainable profit margins, and onto delivering greater value through transparent procurement processes", says Compton-James.
As we reflect on the Grenfell report, we must realise we all have a role to play in reforming construction products
Changes to construction product regulation will form a key part of the industry’s ongoing reform, says Peter Caplehorn of the Construction Products Association .
“As an industry, we need to have certainty of performance, and confidence that the right product is being used in the right way. But we have had an opaque and diffused chain of ownership and accountability, which we are thankfully now starting to move away from”, says Caplehorn.
CPD highlights
Sponsored by Vandersanden, this module will explore the specification of carbon negative bricks, a recent innovation developed to offer a more sustainable alternative to clay brick in terms of carbon sequestration.
Deadline: Friday 13 December
Sponsored by Soprema, this CPD module delves into the rise of flat roofs, their?evolving nature, and the crucial fire testing standards that must be met in order?to achieve compliance with current building regulations.
Deadline: Friday 29 November
Events update
Hosted by comedian Tom Allen, the 30th Building Awards ceremony on Tuesday welcomed over 1,000 attendees, including top industry leaders celebrating the sector’s standout achievements.
Find out more:
Upcoming webinars
Join the free, CPD-accredited Net Zero Live webinars on 20-21 November 2024 to hear industry experts discuss sustainable fa?ades, green housebuilding, deep retrofits, and going beyond net zero.
Register now for these free, CPD-accredited webinars on 5 December! Join us at 11:00 am to explore strategies for enhancing affordable housing delivery, and at 2:00 pm to discuss the impacts of new housing policy changes and targets.
From the newsdesk
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