Energy, Infrastructure and refurbishment
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FeaturesWhy the industry needs another net zero carbon building standard
David Partridge has been tasked with bringing together construction’s many and varied definitions of net zero. He tells Thomas Lane why setting a recognised and easily understood benchmark for whole-life carbon emissions is so important
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FeaturesFrom the archives: The world’s first nuclear power station, 1956-57
The Builder makes a badly timed recommendation to build nuclear power stations in urban areas, two months before the UK’s worst ever nuclear accident
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Features‘It’s an amalgamation of everything we have’ – Richard Robinson and the AtkinsRéalis rebrand
The Canadian engineering services giant which owns Atkins and Faithful+Gould has completely rebranded as it seeks to put past problems behind it and focus on growth. The group’s UK president tells Carl Brown about his strategy for success
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FeaturesHow robust management of ‘forever chemicals’ can help developers bring forward brownfield regeneration sites
PFAS contamination is impacting brownfield projects, but robust risk management can help developers bring forward sites even as regulations are tightened up
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FeaturesWho would back a ‘retrofit only’ mandate? RICS debate airs range of industry views
Industry experts met last week at RICS’ Parliament Square headquarters to discuss how much weight should be given to retrofit schemes by the planners and regulators. Tom Lowe reports
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FeaturesWhat does the High Court’s ruling mean for M&S’s Oxford Street plans? Lawyers give their views
Developers offered “welcome reset” on planning policy, but full clarity is some way off, writes Tom Lowe
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FeaturesVictoria House: from life insurance to the sciences of life
The grand former headquarters of the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society is being converted into a state-of-the-art life sciences laboratory. Thomas Lane reports on an unlikely reinvention
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FeaturesBuilding The Future Commmission: Take a long-term view to give UK the infrastructure it needs
After a year of consultation and careful consideration, the Building the Future Commission has published its final report. In this chapter, Dave Rogers explains why the country’s economic welfare depends on efficient planning and a clear and stable pipeline
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FeaturesHow new satellite data is changing our understanding of London’s overheating problem
A new report by Arup for the mayor of London has highlighted the worsening issue of heat risk in our city centres as summers get steadily hotter. Tom Lowe reports.
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FeaturesBuilding the Future Commission: Powering down the road to net zero
After a year of consultation and consideration, last week the Building the Future commission published its final report. In this chapter, Thomas Lane considers how the industry can reduce its carbon emissions and implement greener methods of energy use and production
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FeaturesWhat the Future Homes Standard means for net zero
Proposed 2025 energy regulations focus on PV and services rather than building fabric to reduce emissions. Will this be enough to help meet the UK’s 2050 target?
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FeaturesWhy 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 has found an alarming lack of attention given to the issue by some of the UK’s biggest contractors
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FeaturesInfrastructure and speeding up the planning system
The UK’s infrastructure planning system has been misfiring for years, but efforts are ongoing to speed up crucial planning decisions
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FeaturesEverything must go: The HS2 land fire sale and what it means for the future of rail
After cancelling the northern leg of HS2 last month, the government has moved quickly to start selling the land it had acquired to build the route. Will the process “salt the earth” for alternative rail plans?
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FeaturesFive key takeaways from the second National Infrastructure Assessment
With a total of 46 recommendations across 222 pages, it’s no surprise the report took two years to compile. Building sifts through the key points
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FeaturesCost model: Low-carbon office developments – new-build vs refurbishment
Multiple pathways are emerging to support the development of low-carbon offices, whether through new-build or, increasingly, reuse and adaptation
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FeaturesHow Westminster council is rewriting the rules for council housing and urban regeneration
In a London borough once beset by council housing controversy, a quiet revolution is underway
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FeaturesThe battle SMEs face in reducing their emissions - and proving it
What is holding back small firms that want to reduce their carbon emissions? Tom Lowe reports for the Building the Future Commission.
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FeaturesHow do we fix England’s crumbling school estate?
Building has been writing about concerns about the conditions of schools long before the RAAC crisis hit the spotlight. Here we republish a piece we published on the need for refurbishment back in July.
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FeaturesRebooting the New Hospital Programme: Is this the solution to the NHS backlog?
The government has unveiled a £20bn programme to save England’s NHS estate. Here’s how it will work