Building Insights

This is a special episode of Building Insights which captures some of the key highlights from our October 2023 industry round table, ‘Solutions for Stormwater Management.’ The sponsored event held at the Building Centre in London saw a multi-disciplinary group sharing vital knowledge on best practice for achieving SuDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems) in new housing. Chaired by James Parker, editor managing editor of Housebuilder and Developer and Architects’ Datafile, it was a well-timed gathering, with SuDS about to become a mandatory legal requirement in all new developments.

This episode of Building Insights (in association with Samsung Climate Solutions) features a genuinely inspiring UK talent in the low carbon heating sector. As business development manager at Samsung Climate Solutions, Aimee Holloran is accelerating heat pump installations and apprenticeships across the country, however she cut her teeth as a plumber, winning the Young Plumber of the Year Award in 2010. With gender diversity still a major challenge, she’s a powerful role model for any young woman considering plumbing as a career.

Sam Eden, director of the FMB’s London Hub, has been in touch with dozens of SME builders grappling with the new Ultra Low Emissions Zone in their day to day business. He tells James Parker why ULEZ could ruin plans to deliver the capital’s energy retrofit goals by penalising such firms, and how the FMB is pushing for an urgent rethink.

Getting a building fabric’s design up to the demands of a Passivhaus is all about meticulous attention to detail. However achieving an air-tight but breathable envelope that benefits both the occupants and the building need not be overly complicated – even in high-rises. James and Iain of Proctor explain all the ins and outs to James Parker.

In this episode of Building Insights, which is again sponsored by AkzoNobel, Laura Shadwell from netMAGmedia speaks to Duncan Lochhead, commercial sustainability manager at AkzoNobel. They explore how important air quality and VOCs are in the social housing sector, and best practice tips for specifying the increasing ranges of low-VOC paints.

Rita Singh is head of public affairs at Kingspan Insulation. She’s also a passionate advocate for sustainability and is key to the company’s efforts to roll out greener approaches across the organisation. She discusses with James Parker how a fabric first approach works in practice, why retrofit first should be the overriding aim, and how supply chain rigour is creating better products.

This episode of Building Insights, in association with Samsung Climate Solutions, we are joined by architectural designer and TV star Charlie Luxton, who looks at how our lower energy house designs will naturally be better places to live, and tackles head on some of the common myths about their ‘liveability.’

In this episode of Building Insights, James Parker hears from Jeremy Gray, head of policy and public affairs at the Federation of Master Builders on the FMB’s new industry survey findings, and how firms are negotiating tough times. He shares some stark truths about the realities of construction for SMEs in 2023, as RMI joins the housebuilding and commercial sectors’ downward trajectory.

James Parker speaks to Kevin Smith, director at Nottingham-based architectural practice Marchini Curran, and finds out how this versatile studio has gone from strength to strength in challenging times, following a management buy out.

In our latest episode, sponsored by A.Proctor Group, James Parker, editor of Architects’ Datafile magazine discusses specialist membranes for high rise building design with James Johnston, head of facades at A.Proctor Group and Will Jones, business development manager at A.Proctor Group. The in-depth discussion looks at why we need air-tight high-rises, how specifying the right membrane is key to fire safety, and how the performance gap can be avoided.