The construction sector has just got back into its stride, but now faces more uncertainty, as rising energy and material prices set to put a dent in the sector’s efforts to return to normal.
The construction industry lags many other sectors when it comes to adopting technology. Could robotics be the answer to the sector’s skill shortage and help deliver faster, better-quality buildings?
Homes have been created underground since prehistoric times, but with the climate emergency getting worse and the issue of land availability becoming more pressing, could we see the construction of more subterranean homes?
Working on a job that requires numerous PDF files to be collated into one manageable document? It’s easy with Bluebeam Stapler.
The construction industry needs to attract new talent to thrive in the years to come. This is part of the inspiration for the Chartered Institute of Building’s annual competition, the COIB Global Student Challenge, which sees students from around the world run a virtual construction company for a few weeks, with tasks and job performance being scored by an expert panel of judges.
Contractors undertaking a building project need to know who can supply them with the materials to complete the job, at what price and when. This is where a request for information (RFI) comes in.
Construction work in the UK is regulated by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. Introduced in 1994 and most recently revised in 2015, the regulations set out what is expected of those involved in the delivery of a building project
Working out how much a construction project is going to cost is the foundation of any scheme and is the responsibility of the estimator or quantity surveyor. Getting it right means contractors and developers can make a decent margin, while the owner gets a fit-for-purpose building. Get it wrong and all bets are off.
Property developers deliver our homes, offices and the facilities we regularly use. However, these organizations often gain a reputation for dodgy behaviour, shoddy practices and poor quality. How can the sector ditch its tag of being unethical and embrace better working methods?
Rising tidal activity, in part driven by climate change, increasingly threatens coastal communities. Officials are assessing shore defences around the country, including considering seawalls. But are such structures the answer, or are there more effective alternatives?
Thanks to Brexit and the covid pandemic-related supply chain issues the cost of building materials – everything from bricks to timber and steel – soared during 2020 and 2021. Just as this situation began to ease, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine piled yet more cost pressures on a number of key products. How can the industry mitigate these and meet the demand for new homes, infrastructure schemes and other projects?
The collapse of contracting giant Carillion offered a lesson for the construction sector. It reminded the industry of the need to carry out jobs for the right amount of money and to maintain good cash flow. It has also led to the sector looking at new technologies such as cryptocurrency to smooth out cash flow issues.
Engineers have a crucial role to play in making the built environment greener, particularly when it comes to delivering infrastructure that impacts the world around us. In an interview with Bluebeam, expert Tim Chapman of Arup and the Institution of Civil Engineers spells out what needs to be done.
It’s imperative that the construction sector is representative of the society it serves
With a population of nearly 600,000 people, the English county of Cornwall is one of the UK’s top holiday destinations, thanks to its warm climate, beautiful countryside and stunning beaches. Located at the western end of the Cornish peninsula, which also encompasses Devon and parts of Somerset, Cornwall attracts around 4 million visitors a year…
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