Sustainability

Michael Murphy is head of information management and data analytics at Bam Imagine if your local hospital or school could sense when it’s too hot, adjust the temperature and even schedule its own maintenance. That future isn’t decades away. It’s already here. “This isn’t just about cutting costs or going…

Damien Clifford is a partner and co-owner of EthosEQ, a chartered quantity surveying practice I see the commercial realities of delivering sustainable buildings every day. The industry is being asked to meet ambitious Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) and energy performance certificate (EPC) targets at a time when almost every…

Tom Garrigan is executive director at the Building Services Research and Intelligence Association The UK’s retrofit ambitions risk collapse under the weight of misplaced priorities. Current policy focuses heavily on installation targets, yet the reality on the ground tells a very different story.  “The fallout from failed work isn’t abstract…

Will Hunnam is managing director of Forza Doors The construction industry is undergoing its most significant environmental transformation in decades.  “For teams managing thousands of products, EPDs make identifying low-carbon options faster and more reliable” As regulatory pressure and client demand for low-carbon buildings rise, embodied carbon is expected to…

Claire Atkins is a partner in the construction team at law firm Broadfield Like many, I would feel a moment of joy on seeing nesting falcons or bats in their natural habitat. However, the thought of protected wildlife on a construction site makes my heart sink for the developer.  Under…

Robert Lemming is managing director for public sector and life sciences at Mace Group Life sciences construction has emerged as one of the UK’s fastest-growing specialist sectors. Development is booming across the Golden Triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge, as well as emerging clusters in Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Cardiff.…

Amy Dickinson is director of environmental, social and governance for Europe and Africa at consulting and engineering firm Egis The UK is considering a significant policy shift. From November this year, nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) are expected to be mandated to deliver a minimum 10 per cent biodiversity net…

Graham Rothwell is the owner of Rothwell Plumbing Services Group and is part of Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Retrofit Task Force Support is growing to decarbonise homes, but accelerating retrofitting needs to go hand in hand with improving installer skills and educating residents. “We are increasingly having to rectify basic…

Duncan Rudall, chief executive of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors When thinking of sustainability in construction, retrofitting is often the topic that is first to mind. The argument is simple: keeping rather than replacing buildings reduces carbon emissions and minimises waste. But, while well-intentioned, retrofitting isn’t always the most…

Mark Topping is director of design at consultancy Lanpro The requirement for a minimum 10 per cent biodiversity net gain (BNG) came into force for small sites in February last year. The requirement was introduced under Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as inserted by Schedule…