The Building Envelope

The recently announced Warm Homes Plan represents a major opportunity to accelerate improvements in the energy efficiency of UK homes, including across the social housing sector.

With significant funding now confirmed, housing associations have the financial firepower to fast-track retrofit programmes that support tenants, cut carbon and deliver long-term value through solutions such as heat pumps, insulation and solar PV.

Roofing, and particularly the installation of solar panels, has been highlighted as a key contributor to effective energy-efficiency upgrades. As Daniel Redfern, Head of Marketing Communications at Marley, explains, success will depend not only on funding, but on selecting quality products and building a skilled, resilient workforce capable of delivering at scale.

Valcan are proud to announce that that they have successfully completed our Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) reassessment.

This verification confirms that Valcan organisation continues to ensure that their product information meets the industry’s highest standards for clarity, accuracy, and transparency. It reflects Valcan’s ongoing commitment to supporting safer and more accountable construction practices.
 

Local authorities and housing associations across the UK face mounting pressure to deliver safe, compliant refurbishment and new build programmes, often within severely constrained budgets and challenging timescales.

Nowhere is this more evident than in high-rise projects, where replacing windows at height has traditionally meant extensive scaffolding, increased risk and significant disruption to residents.

One of the largest recladding programmes outside of London has recently been completed at the West Point residential complex in central Leeds. The transformative £24.5 million redevelopment represents a significant milestone in delivering safer, compliant, and future‑proofed façades for high‑rise buildings across the UK.

Marley has launched a new Technical Tools platform, providing architects and specifiers with a faster, clearer, and more transparent route to roofing specification.

Howard Trotter, Business Manager at Shelforce, has worked closely with local authorities for many years, explains why full-system testing and demonstrable test evidence are now essential for local-authority refurbishments.

As local authorities and housing associations continue to navigate one of the most tightly regulated eras our sector has ever seen, one principle is becoming non-negotiable; products going into people’s homes must be proven to perform, not assumed to perform.

Housing associations can strengthen their supply chain by partnering with roof system manufacturers who go further.

The provision of proven product systems, a wide-ranging product portfolio and accessible technical support are roof manufacturing ‘must haves’. It helps the housing association sector balance cost, efficiency and sustainability considerations when it comes to developing low carbon, energy efficient homes for tenants.

Imparting best practice specification, encouraging design skills and sharing essential product knowledge so the next generation of professionals deliver well designed, warm and sustainable future homes for the housing association sector, highlights the importance of manufacturers taking a wider view.