This month’s construction industry gossip: What’s new, pussycat?
The latest chatter around the industry
On hold: what Assent’s collapse and waiting for the Budget reveal about the state of construction
November has dealt a double blow to the sector – here’s what would help
Assent collapse: Are we ready to cope in the face of a chain reaction?
The sudden failure of building control specialist Assent raises some awkward questions about construction industry resilience. Do we understand our process and how vulnerable it is to disruption, asks Simon Rawlinson of Arcadis
Small housebuilders are being pushed to the brink. What would the late Duncan Davidson do in this market?
Persimmon’s founder once embodied the bold spirit of the industry - a spirit Denise Chevin argues is now being stifled by rising costs, red tape and planning inflexibility
AI could force us to re-imagine how public consultation in planning works
Residents are increasingly using AI tools to craft letters of objection to schemes en masse. We need to think about how technology could help us create a better planning system, writes Paul Smith
What the construction sector needs from this month’s Budget
The chancellor has rolled the pitch ahead of her much-anticipated Budget with an unprecedented ‘emergency’ press event in Downing Street. Richard Steer considers her options for the main event on 26 November
What if part of the answer to our building problem is actually to build less?
‘No-build’ and ‘low-build’ solutions are a relatively cheap and simple way to reduce the size of the housing waiting list and shrink the size of the infrastructure pipeline, writes Beth West
Raising a new town: Lessons from delivering new communities in the UK
Some key ingredients are required if the government’s new towns programme is to be a success, writes Charles Hill
Designing cities for play: Why child-friendly spaces matter
Children are the benchmark of an area’s liveability. They tell us whether it is healthy and inclusive. If it does not work for them, it is failing, writes Lendlease’s Nick Watson
Why windows will have to work harder than ever
Andrew Mellor considers the considerable technical, social and environmental pressures driving the next stage in window design
The elephant in the lecture theatre: Why universities must rethink space, community and culture
The way teachers teach and students learn has changed and empty buildings and outdated facilities are draining resources. A culture shift is required if HE institutions are to avoid a slow decline into irrelevance, says Philip Watson
Regeneration of overlooked communities alongside new towns will be vital if UK is to hit homebuilding target
Only by adopting an ambitious, long-term mindset and working in partnership will we manage to build those 1.5 million homes, writes Sir Michael Lyons, chair of the New Towns Taskforce
Modularisation in data centre development must begin with the supply chain
Demand for cloud storage is only going to increase, so the sustainability and efficiency benefits of embracing offsite construction are clear, says Derek McNamara at Linesight
University challenge: how estate teams are investing and innovating despite financial pressures
In the face of ever-increasing budgetary strain, universities are shifting their focus from expansive projects towards schemes that deliver operational savings, environmental performance and an all-round better student experience, writes Mike Borkowski
Why Industry Foundation Classes is the future of construction collaboration
Andrew Norrie makes the case for open data standards, and argues Industry Foundation Classes has a vital role to play in data sharing, workflow streamlining and the shift to automated, model-driven 4D planning
Let’s extend 28-day adjudication to buyers of new homes
Tony Bingham makes a plea to housing secretary Steve Reed to ditch a Construction Act exclusion that ill serves new home buyers
Adjudicators should aim for an ‘industry result’
Adjudication’s rough-and-readiness is partly about getting a result that makes sense in industry terms – that just works
What will the Employment Rights Bill mean for construction?
Construction employers must prepare for the significant impact of this legislation
Will the CLC building control approval guidance be a gateway to success?
These short guidance notes aim to reduce rejections and delays by providing more clarity on what information to include in gateway 2 applications
