without MMC                   Hamish Champ    Housing Today Housebuilding CrisisHamish Champ reports in Housing Today that without modern methods of construction UK housebuilders will need nearly 200,000 additional workers to meet the government’s mid-2020s target of building 300,000 new homes a year.CITB AnalysisAnalysis by the Construction Industry Training Board […]

  to the UK’s Housing Crisis                               Housing Today The Big QuestionWriting in Housing Today, Paul Smith managing director of  the Strategic Land Group, asks “Is self-build the answer to tackling the housing crisis?  He then explains that, with 6 million Britons interested in building their own home, initiatives are just starting to cater to this […]

 Bentley Systems Research Still ‘Drowning in Paper’The research conducted by Bentley Systems, the design, construction, and infrastructure software provider, of more than 720 construction professionals across the world has  found less than half (43.5%) of workers said they have no digital capabilities for collaboration or that their information is either paper-based or siloed.£19bn TabThe impact […]

 an alternative view? It’s a Function of …“Look, I don’t think there’s a housing bubble. I think housing prices have gone up… It’s a function of population growth, it’s a function of, you know, state governments not engaging in enough land release…” ~Josh Frydenberg, Assistant Treasurer (7 June 2015, source The Guardian Australia)The Myth of […]

Qualifications Wales Major Shake-UpA ground-breaking change to qualifications for people planning to work in the Construction and Built Environment sector in Wales has been announced. In the biggest shake-up to qualifications in the sector for a generation, a complex market with hundreds of existing qualifications will be simplified by eight new qualifications that will help […]

 McKinsey Analysis Save 50% time + 20% CostsModular construction could transform the construction market, offering possible savings of up to 20% while significantly reducing the construction time by up to 50%. The process would involve part of the building process being shifted to factories, offering the ability to create precision parts that offer a range […]

 UK Finance Data & ResearchThis week’s insight reproduces information produced by UK Finance, the collective voice for the banking and finance industry. They represent more than 250 firms across the industry and act to enhance competitiveness, support customers and facilitate innovation. Knowledge of Housing Finance is important for all housebuilders, agents, architects, renters, component  manufacturers […]

   … and always have a Plan B       RIBA Top 10 Tips for Improving the OddsPlanning consultants are thorough when it comes to managing planning applications. Drawing from a wealth of experience, they use every strategy to improve the odds for planning success.  Alan Divall, Planning Partner at architects, town planners and urban designers West […]

  RIBA New English PolicyPermitted development rights for the conversion of agricultural buildings to dwellings in England have been extended to allow more converted space and up to five new homes to be built from a single conversion.Conversion project in Weston, Northamptonshire by Clare Nash Architecture; the project arrived with prior approval, but then became […]

  Wood for Good Climate Change DriverGlobally, the threat of climate change and the struggle to manage non-recyclable products means sustainability needs to be at the forefront of everybody’s minds. Engineering, innovation and forward-thinking will each play their part in defining our future housing policies, in turn helping to design for inevitable climate change while […]