construction

With growing focus on sustainability, Daniel Weait, National Accounts Manager and CCPI Project Lead at Marley, highlights how the new Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) means housing associations can have total confidence in the construction product choices they make.

The need for new homes continues to rise, with an average of 240,000 new houses being built each year. This increase has resulted in added pressure being placed on construction companies and their supply chains to keep up with demand.

One solution which is aiding the industry and enabling houses to be built more quickly is the off-site manufacture of prefabricated building component products. Chris Pearce, Sales Director at Stormking, a UK-based manufacturer of Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) prefabricated products for the construction industry, explains how building off-site can benefit the new home construction supply chain and keep projects on track:

As 2022 draws to a close, what mentality must we adopt to achieve success as we fearlessly transition into the New Year? Housing Association Magazine's Joe Bradbury discusses:

New national data analysis has revealed the top 10 homelessness spots* in England, with Cornwall at the top of the list.

The research was commissioned by HAAUUSS, a spin off from Velocity RDT – a company which designs and manufactures affordable, technologically advanced temporary housing – to discover the extent of homelessness across local authorities in England. 

Michelmersh has announced its successful bid to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) UK Government, Industrial Fuel Switching competition to conduct a feasibility study to replace natural gas with hydrogen in the brick making process. The programme is part of the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) which aims to provide funding for low-carbon technologies to decreasing the costs of decarbonisation.

The project represents a global flagship physical study to replace natural gas with hydrogen in brick manufacturing. Phase 1 of the project will demonstrate the viability of fuel switching and will see hydrogen used in the clay brick production process at Michelmersh’s Freshfield Lane site. The project aims to inspire radical change across the sector and present opportunities and evidence-based research to support manufacturers on their journey to heavily decarbonise the production processes.

TV presenter and architect, George Clarke looks at the lessons we can all learn from the UK’s intrepid self-builders

I love self-build housing. I love self-build housing for a number of very important, but simple reasons.

If someone has the opportunity to self-build their own home, a place they want to live for many years rather than build-to-sell to make a quick profit, then they put their hearts and souls into it.

They care about it so much that they are willing to build something very, very good.

It may even be of a design that is unique and a welcome reaction to the sterile, repetitive blandness often associated with some of the big house builders.

UK manufacturing is at a seven month high, accounts for around 10% of economic output and employs around 2.6million workers, whilst construction accounts for around 7% of economic output and employs approximately 1.4million workers.

Increased labour rates and shortage of skilled labour is going to be an issue in traditional construction and it will drive prices up and cause project programmes to lengthen.

I hear every day from roofing contractors across the UK and other areas of construction, of how less and less trades people are now available.