News

The government has launched a consultation covering the proposed changes to Building Regulations under Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022 for higher-risk buildings.

Marks & Spencer’s scheme to demolish its shop on London’s Oxford Street and build new is stirring the debate over retrofitting and refurbishing vs demolition and rebuilding.

According to the latest Boiler Upgrade Scheme figures, 2,000 heat pump installations each received a subsidy of £5,000 in July, costing the UK taxpayer £10m.

SocEnv have launched a brand-new website – socenv.org.uk – improving user experience, accessibility and engagement with the environmental professional community.

The Future Homes Standard will be in place in the UK by 2025, mandating the transition to low-carbon heating and future-proofing homes so they can become zero carbon.

At the time of writing, much of western Europe is bathed in sunshine.

Great Britain’s health and safety regulator has announced that an inspection programme of primary and secondary schools in England, Scotland and Wales will begin this month.

The UK government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has opened two consultations relating to proposed changes to the Building Safety Act 2022 in England.
The first consultation concerns the new safety regime for occupied higher-risk buildings – defined as those buildings which contain at least two residential units and are at least 18m in height or at least seven storeys – and covers proposed changes to building regulations under part 4 of the Building Safety Act.

A new resource book celebrating design and best practice has been published by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) for anyone involved in specifying or designing with architectural ironmongery and hardware.

The King’s Cross estate in London has achieved In-Use certification to the SABRE security risk management standard – the first facility to do so since the scheme became a partnership-led initiative between the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and The Security Institute.

Working Group 7 invites the industry to take part in a consultation on the new Competence Framework for designers in the Built Environment industries.

DLUCH has published two new consultations, which form part of a series of consultations that will provide further detail on how the Building Safety Act 2022 (England) will work in practice.

A new resource book celebrating design and best practice has been published by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) for anyone involved in specifying or designing with architectural ironmongery and hardware.

The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) has launched new industry update courses focusing on the changes to Approved Documents F, L, O, and S in England.

Window specifiers in the local authority sector are urged to pay close attention to the Future Homes Standard as the first changes came into force on 15 June 2022.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) is correct to highlight that the lack of a Government retrofit strategy remains a barrier to greening the nation’s homes and upskilling the UKʼs workforce in order to deliver a truly sustainable built environment, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said in response to the EAC’s recent Building to Net Zero report.

As the government announced £650m investment to upgrade public buildings with low carbon heating and energy efficiency measures Gillian Charlesworth, CEO, Building Research Establishment (BRE) commented: “The UK has one of the oldest and least energy-efficient building stocks in Europe, which unnecessarily inflates demand for natural gas.

Construction body Constructing Excellence has recently released its report ‘Comparing Value Across England and Wales’, which looks at regional value priorities and, it is hoped, will help give the industry a better appreciation for local concerns.

Engineers Without Borders UK and Jacobs have announced a new partnership to deliver a global training initiative to upskill 30 advocates with the principles of globally responsible engineering.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has released a report including recommendations for how the construction industry can meet climate change challenges and including a call for embodied carbon regulation.