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Opinion Pieces

Thank you to all our Industry Insider Newsletter guest editors.
See below their Opinion Pieces on key and topical issues facing the built environment now. Register for the Industry Insider newsletter to see opinion pieces and news stories from our upcoming guest editors.

Overcoming retrofit challenges and enhancing sustainable design

Opinion Piece Overcoming retrofit challenges and enhancing sustainable design By Rachael Owens, Co-director at the National Retrofit Hub and Head of Sustainability at Buckley Gray Yeoman As the co-director of the National Retrofit Hub and head of sustainability at Buckley Gray Yeoman, I have been engaging with a wide number of stakeholders on the pressing

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Driving sustainable change in construction: A call to innovate and collaborate

Opinion Piece Driving sustainable change in construction: A call to innovate and collaborate By Martin Townsend, Director for BSI’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainability The construction industry is facing mounting pressure to meet net-zero targets, meaning we must navigate the complex challenge of balancing sustainability with tight margins. The path to greener practices is filled

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Addressing the Ever Evolving Role of Specification

Opinion Piece Addressing the Ever Evolving Role of Specification By David Ing, Managing Director at Fabrick The role of specification has changed considerably over the past few years with a larger number of people having influence and decision-making powers. A number of different consultants and engineers now have increasing input into specifications, such as façade

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Sustainability Impact in Action

Sustainability Impact in Action

Opinion Piece Sustainability Impact in action 540 WORLD just won an LCA 2024 award. You might say, so what, and ask – how is this helpful for me? Well, if you are vaguely interested in building a better tomorrow or understanding materials that unlock residual financial value and circularity, or quantify low carbon, or other

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Mapping Climate Risk and Vulnerability in the West Midlands

Opinion Piece Mapping Climate Risk and Vulnerability in the West Midlands Climate change is here, and our urban areas are ill-prepared. In July 2022, the West Midlands experienced temperatures surpassing 38°C, leading to overheating in residences and care facilities, school shutdowns, travel disruptions, data server malfunctions, a rise in fire emergencies, and water safety issues,

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UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard

Opinion Piece UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard In May 2022, a cross-industry group comprising leading organisations BBP, BRE, the Carbon Trust, CIBSE, IStructE, LETI, RIBA, RICS, and UKGBC, joined together to develop a Standard to define the requirements for buildings in the UK to be Net Zero Carbon (NZC). The UK Net Zero Carbon

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The Challenge Ahead: CIBSE’s Role in Leading Industry Innovation

The Challenge Ahead: CIBSE’s Role in Leading Industry Innovation

Opinion Piece The challenge ahead: CIBSE’s role in leading industry innovation As we enter a transformative phase in the built environment, the stakes for our industry have never been higher. With the introduction of the Building Safety Act and the urgent push towards net zero, CIBSE is at the forefront, guiding and supporting its members

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Timber in Construction: Debunking Myths and Bridging the Gap between Construction and Forestry

Opinion Piece Timber in Construction: Debunking Myths and Bridging the Gap between Construction and Forestry At the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP), we are leading a unique research initiative called IMPACTT (Innovative Mapping and Processes to Advance Construction Timber Transparency). The project aims to bridge the gap between forestry and construction and raise awareness

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Opinion Piece

Towards Regenerative Architecture

Opinion Piece Towards Regenerative Architecture Co-founder of UK Architects Declare, Michael Pawlyn explains the thinking behind the Regenerative Architecture Index and explains why why need a paradigm shift to move from conventional sustainability towards regenerative design.  The idea for the Index emerged from discussions in the Architects Declare Steering Group. Our strategy for change has

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The Legacy of Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management: Transforming the UK’s Heating Landscape

Opinion Piece The Legacy of Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management: Transforming the UK’s Heating Landscape As the Programme Director for two major heat network funding schemes over the past six years, I have had the unique privilege of witnessing firsthand how effective collaboration, sheer hard work, and innovative solutions can bring about transformational change.

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Why the Construction Industry Needs to Adopt Radical Transparency in Environmental Communications

Opinion Piece Why the construction industry needs to adopt radical transparency in environmental communications The construction industry is at a pivotal moment where sustainability has transitioned from being a buzzword to an imperative. With increasing scrutiny from regulators, clients, and the general public, the industry faces a unique challenge: how to communicate its environmental efforts

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The future of the built environment: embracing a purpose-driven, technological revolution

Opinion Piece The future of the built environment: embracing a purpose-driven, technological revolution I remember my first Futurebuild—then called Ecobuild—like it was yesterday. The lively conversations and visionary presentations back in 2009 set the trajectory for my career. Since then, the construction industry has made strides in ways we couldn’t have imagined, but we seem

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Five initiatives to achieve major change for people and the environment

Opinion Piece Five initiatives to achieve major change for people and the environment We have a new Government, with new beliefs, policies and plans, even if with an inherited and deeply constraining budget. Much ink has already been spent trying to predict what Labour will do in power given its focus on economic growth, building

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Opinion Piece

Becoming the change

Opinion Piece Becoming the change Opinion piece by Dr Olli Jones, Associate Director Sustainability & Innovation, Cundall. As the planet warms past 1.5 degrees for its 12th consecutive month, murmurings of change appear to be afoot. A new government is welcome, to slowly begin restoring the flow of public sector projects and private sector confidence that

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Liverpool Green Lanes: place shaping a new urban critical path

Opinion Piece Liverpool Green Lanes: place shaping a new urban critical path Opinion piece by Dr Graham Kelly, Managing Director, Okana In many cities, large parts of the built environment are comprised of outdated urban assets and infrastructure that are not yet future ready. The challenge is to make these urban neighbourhoods more liveable, resilient,

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No home left behind

Opinion Piece No home left behind Opinion piece by Derek Horrocks, Chair of the National Home Decarbonisation Group The national housing crisis and worldwide sustainability mission are inextricably linked, but not how you may think at first. Much of the housing discussion is focused on new homes, but as anyone involved in retrofit will appreciate

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Harnessing digital innovation for landscape-led solutions

Opinion Piece Harnessing digital innovation for landscape-led solutions Opinion piece by Carolin Göhler FLI, President-Elect, Landscape Institute Advances in digital technology are changing the way we operate across both the built and natural environment, and providing increasingly impactful landscape solutions to the challenges we as a sector face. Digital innovation in the landscape sector is

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Futurebuild Hasman Speaking

Revolutionising the Construction Industry: Embracing an Iterative and Integrated Future

Opinion Piece Revolutionising the Construction Industry: Embracing an Iterative and Integrated Future Opinion piece by Mina Hasman ARB, RIBA,  FRSA, LEED, BREEAM, WELL AP TIME 100 Climate Leader, Sustainability Director, SOM | Founder, Climate Framework The construction and buildings sector, a powerhouse of the global economy, is at a critical juncture. Despite its significant contributions

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It’s time to act now.

Opinion Piece It’s time to act now People’s Pavilion unpacked! by bureau SLA & Overtreders W with Arup ©Jeroen van der Wielen Opinion piece by Duncan Baker Brown, Architect, Academic & Environmental Activist, Founder at BakerBrown I want to thank Futurebuild for giving me the opportunity to write an opinion piece. I’ve been a big

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NABERS UK partners with CIBSE as new UK scheme administrator

Opinion Piece NABERS UK partners with CIBSE as new UK scheme administrator Opinion piece by Kieran O’Brien – Director of CIBSE Certification ltd CIBSE has recently been appointed as the new scheme administrator for NABERS UK, and this is widely viewed as an essential and welcome step in both the re-energization of the NABERS scheme

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Digitally connected buildings

What does digital transformation mean for construction?

Opinion Piece WHAT DOES DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MEAN FOR CONSTRUCTION? by Marie Grieve, Founder and Managing Director of Costello Palmer Communications & Global Vice Chair of Women in BIM Digital transformation typically means harnessing the power of digital technologies to make operations more efficient, productive and safe. However the definition of digital transformation differs from person to

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IF WE HAVE THE ABILITY, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY

Opinion Piece IF WE HAVE THE ABILITY, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY Opinion piece by David Ing, Managing Director, Fabrick It feels like the industry is in the middle of a perfect storm of skills shortages, changes in regulations, increasing costs, increased scrutiny and complexity, and a lack of decision-making from the Government. The Building Safety

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