This month’s construction industry gossip: All the fun of the forum
The latest chatter around the industry
What the Future Homes Standard really means for Britain’s housebuilders
The biggest shift in energy and carbon regulations for new homes in a decade is substantial but manageable, writes David Ross
Where does the human experience fit in Hospital 2.0?
Success of the government’s New Hospital Programme will not be judged on delivery alone but on how these hospitals serve the people who use them every day, writes Gonzalo Vargas del Carpio
Rising costs, mountains of red tape and the prospect of being hit for millions in liabilities: Ardmore’s woes hold a mirror to the industry
As the firm’s construction business goes into administration, the industry is left asking whether the burden of regulation, historic claims and low margins is making contracting an increasingly impossible business, writes Dave Rogers
Is the government jumping the gun on steel imports?
The government’s plan to tighten steel import quotas may be intended to back domestic producers, but for construction firms it risks higher costs, weaker supply resilience and fresh uncertainty at a difficult moment, says David Crosthwaite
Building biodiversity in: Why construction must confront the hidden impacts in its supply chains
By taking supply‑chain biodiversity seriously and adopting robust tools and frameworks, the industry can shift from reactive compliance to proactive stewardship Brogan MacDonald and Robert Nussey write
Tackling viability. How does the industry do better?
Current market conditions make it more vital than ever to be on top of a project’s build costs to ensure its commercial success, writes Iain Parker
The infrastructure gap that nobody wants to price properly
Hien Nguyen considers what the current state of development in and around Cambridge reveals about the future of housing delivery in Britain
Construction won’t fix productivity just by trying harder. It will fix it by building differently
Industrialised construction through standardised systems and platform solutions can double productivity but only if the industry adopts fairer commercial models, says Mark Reynolds
Planning application fees should only go up if the process improves
Simply charging more for a broken system doesn’t fix it. Here’s what ministers should do instead to improve planning, writes Paul Smith
Milburn Review should be a catalyst for youth recruitment in the construction sector
Industry needs to apply models for skills training at scale, argues Kevin O’Connor
For the UK to deliver its ambitious infrastructure pipeline, it needs a workforce plan to match
The 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy and UK Infrastructure Pipeline have been a huge step in the right direction and must be matched by a long-term system wide approach to sustainable skills development, argues Alex Vaughan
Energy security remains one of the UK’s key priorities
The UK government’s hopes of regeneration-led initiatives to revive the economy will be seriously hampered without proper energy security. Upgrading transmission and distribution networks is now essential, writes John Wilkinson
Lifting the cap on grant funding for regeneration can help meet the Government’s housing targets
Strategic partnership bids outside London are subject to a 10% cap on applications for regeneration. Mel Barrett calls for greater flexibility
The push and pull factors behind building new homes in the UK
Clients engaging firms early on in the development process will unlock much needed housing, says Paul Woodhams
What will the construction products reform white paper mean for you?
Paul Scott, Avita Rajoo and Sandra Kortus explain the impact of the planned reforms contained in the construction products reform white paper
The residential occupier exemption and pay less notices
A new ruling has clarified the scope of the residential occupier exception to adjudication and what makes a pay less notice effective
Payment reform proposals: government must try harder
Rudi Klein awards the government an average mark of just 4/10 on its recently published proposals for legislation on payment reform
On overnice distinctions in expert witness qualifications
Tony Bingham unpicks the lessons of a recent ruling on the niceties around the qualifications required of specific expert witnesses
Strategic land controls go public
Carolyn Milligan and Gabrielle Coppack explain the new registration regime for contractual land rights
AI-assisted adjudication nears
UK construction disputes may be particularly well suited to AI facilitation
Why adjudicators need freedom from disciplinary threat
Tony Bingham explains how fear of institutional sanctions can lead to justice being compromised, and tells a cautionary tale
The contract administration skills gap
Peter Hibberd on why action is needed to address the skills gap in construction contract administration among industry professionals
