Author Archives: Contributor

Kirsteen Milne is a partner at Brodies LLP For the past few years the insurance and bonds market has been hardening, but the headlines in mid-June that QBE Europe has pulled out of the construction market is a blow to contractors. This follows other big surety providers pulling out of…

Simon Richards is sustainability director at Sir Robert McAlpine The scale of change needed and timescales involved in a green transition supports the argument that a depoliticisation of sustainability is necessary in order to make our ambitions a reality. Carbon continues to hog the limelight for sustainability – and while…

Nathan Hooper is a senior associate at consultancy Hollis Updated guidance to the Building Regulations will see all residential buildings that are taller than 18 metres needing to be built with at least one additional staircase and additional evacuation shafts from 2026. How quickly should the industry be reacting to…

John Wallace is managing director and head of real estate at solicitors Ridgemont The UK may still be hurting from Brexit, but the Pacific trade deal is a step in the right direction. Member states benefit from free trade, consistent trade rules and the recognition of each other’s local qualifications.…

Caroline Watkins is a partner in the construction team at Thomson Snell & Passmore The benefits of getting the allocation of risk correct in a construction contract are invaluable, with external and sometimes internal influences posing considerable risk. “The effort put in at the start can offset a considerable amount…

Kelly Boorman is national head of construction and a partner at RSM UK One of the construction industry’s biggest challenges, particularly in the past four years, has been managing rising costs and shortages of materials and labour. This has been further exacerbated by the industry’s data capture practices, which are…

Tim Danson is director of sustainability and energy at consultancy Pick Everard Construction has a pivotal role to play in the circular economy. The industry remains heavily reliant on the use of materials, products and technologies, and is a significant contributor to the 100 billion tonnes of resources consumed globally…

Darren Brooks is head of technical and design at offsite manufacturer Premier Modular The national picture of mental health remains concerning, with one in six people in England experiencing a common mental health problem in any given week. Increasingly, the impact of the built environment on mental health is becoming…

Andy Heath is a senior building surveyor at property services firm Re:volve Real Estates Having worked for both major and specialised property firms, on commercial properties of all sizes, the recurring issue of faulty Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessments has been impossible to ignore. “We often work on projects assessed…

Lisa Kerford is managing director of Aptus Our industry is an inherently dangerous one, which means adhering to the highest possible health and safety standards is of paramount importance. Every day, organisations across our sector are dealing with sites, schemes and projects that require rigorous protocols to ensure tasks are…