Technology

Will new regulations be enough to reduce the fire-safety risk posed by cavities in modular built structures? Ian Weinfass reports More than eight months have passed since fire-service bosses published a five-page document outlining a litany of concerns about modular buildings. Their warning came a year after structural safety-reporting body…

The 2022 Building Safety Act introduced the concept of the ‘golden thread’. Owners and managers of buildings are required to hold a comprehensive set of information showing how a building was designed and built. The aim is simple – to reduce the severity of the consequences of fire spread or…

Will imminent reforms boost or hinder take-up among construction firms of HMRC’s research and development tax credits scheme? David Prosser investigates Will construction companies miss out on valuable incentives designed to encourage innovation under a shake-up of the research and development (R&D) tax credits scheme? His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs…

It’s widely accepted that more standardisation and better use of digital solutions could help construction become a more efficient industry, but there are barriers standing in the way. Construction News and IFS gathered a panel of experts to examine what’s stopping us On the panel 1 Scott Tacchi, head of…

The digital marketplace is hard to navigate, so how are construction firms ensuring they invest wisely in technology? Construction companies, faced with the need to adopt digital technologies to keep pace in a fast-changing world, will inevitably come up against a vast range of options. AI, drones, wearables… it’s a…

Are high upfront costs and a lack of clarity on work pipelines behind a recent spate of high-profile setbacks in the modular construction sector?  In the 1989 Hollywood movie Field of Dreams, a ghostly voice whispering “If you build it, they will come” inspired Kevin Costner’s character to turn his…

Rotating the UK’s biggest tunnel-borer 180 degrees is no mean feat – but it means only one machine is needed and the job will get done a lot quicker. Joshua Stein reports on the Silvertown Tunnel project Rotating the UK’s biggest tunnel-boring machine (TBM) 180 degrees may seem like a…

Early collaboration among construction-sector partners would give clients, contractors and suppliers a better chance of decarbonising their operations, a recent roundtable discussion heard. But while innovative technology can play an important part in meeting net-zero targets, getting better at the basics is crucial, too. Mike Walter reports On the panel…

David Morris is legal director and construction specialist at law firm Shakespeare Martineau Although the technology behind 3D-printed homes has been around for a number of years, there has been a recent uplift in the creation of and interest in 3D-printed developments. As the construction industry tries to keep up…

Emerging technologies are transforming asset management, leading to a digital disruption of how they are managed. These technologies are constantly changing how our world is being designed, built and supported, with asset management being radically altered by innovations that were once unimaginable. Smart asset management is the latest digital disruption,…