A disused site on Weymouth’s coast could be transformed into a picturesque housing and industrial development in multi-million regeneration plans. The land at Newton’s Road off Newton’s Cove was formerly the base of defence research company QinetiQ Bincleaves up until its closure. The disused site has been subject to regeneration
Mitsubishi Electric has launched a residential range of Lossnay Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems to provide clean and healthy air for homes. The addition to the renowned Lossnay range is designed specifically for the UK housing market and makes energy efficient, super-quiet ventilation accessible to even more homes.
Aquaspira has delivered an innovative sustainable drainage strategy, designed to reduce 315 cubic metres of excavation and saving around 20 days of construction time, at a new housing project which is underway in Dalkeith. The Northwest drainage specialist was appointed by Cruden Building which is delivering the 79 home development
Housebuilder Harron Homes have officially joined Homes England’s Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). Homes England is the Government’s housing delivery agency and one of the largest vendors of residential land. Harron Homes will be joining 65 other developers, suppliers and housing associations in the new £20bn DPS. The Delivery
The construction sector is leading the way in helping the UK economy bounce back from the pandemic and the Construction Industry Training board (CITB) is now looking for industry leaders to join its board. In this voluntary role you will help shape the future of construction as the industry works
New research data from Cambashi reveals that digital transformation in the construction industry is accelerating the demand for BIM software. Cambashi’s latest BIM Observatory research data indicates that, while the construction industry’s use of software could be described as being in the ‘Stone Age’ compared with manufacturing’s deployment of digital engineering software,
The first two episodes of a new podcast have already caught the attention of construction bosses this month, exploring urgent issues around the skills shortages in construction and the best ways to train the new generation. The new ‘Construction Talk’ podcast interviewed Alasdair Reisner, chief executive of the Civil Engineering
The new courses will ensure employees are kept up to date with the latest health and safety legislation, improving an employee’s knowledge of safe working practices to create a safer working environment for all. The new health and safety courses include everything from electrical safety and accident reporting to driver
Speakers for the IPAF Summit in, London, UK, on 10 March 2022, have now been confirmed, and will present on the theme of “The Evolution of Safety” The speakers for this year’s Summit of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Kensington, London, on 10 March
Sustainable building materials, heat pump myth-busting and a tour of an energy efficient tenement will be among the shows at this year’s Green Home Festival, organisers have revealed. Alternative heat sources and exploring how we will live and travel in 2045 will also be high on the agenda at the
A disused site on Weymouth’s coast could be transformed into a picturesque housing and industrial development in multi-million regeneration plans. The land at Newton’s Road off Newton’s Cove was formerly the base of defence research company QinetiQ Bincleaves up until its closure. The disused site has been subject to regeneration developments after being earmarked for redevelopment in April 2008 to build a new hotel, takeaway restaurant and 110-residential apartment block but development never started. Read more: Inflatable park including 50ft obstacle course and huge slides is coming to Weymouth A separate application to build a care village of 195 supported living units, a 60-bed care home, 34 respite hotel suites, cafe and restaurant was approved in August 2016. Despite the existing premises being demolished, the new development was never built. Since then, the 12-acre site was sold to Juno Developments UK Ltd in 2021 as they unveiled their ambition to regenerate the disused site in a £70milllion project. The Pegasus Group, on behalf of Poole-based Juno Developments UK Ltd, has submitted outline planning permission to Dorset Council to construct a mixed-use development comprising up to 189 dwellings and 65-bed care home, with space for a gym, swimming pool and spa. The application also includes office/light industrial floorspace and a waterside restaurant with associated car parking, with vehicular and pedestrian access from Newton’s Road. The developers add they would carry out cliff stabilisation and sea defence works as well as create pedestrian paths and cycle lanes. The plans show the coastal Weymouth site will have five ‘character areas’, which comprise of a 119-flat residential block, 62-flat residential block, 65-bed care home, home zone comprising of eight townhouses and an employment block of six units. The residential flats will have 58 one-bedroom units, 108 two-bedroom units and 15 three-bedroom units. Developers feel the development would allow Dorset Council to “meet its housing needs and contribute to the vitality and viability of the economy and the social well being of the local residents.” Its design and access statement reads: “Overall, this statement has demonstrated that the siting, alignment, design, scale, mass, and materials used would complement and respect the character of the surrounding area and would actively reinforce the sense of place by ensuring that general design of the proposed buildings would be in harmony with each other whilst also making reference to the former industrial buildings which used to occupy the site. “In conclusion, this application represents an opportunity to contribute to the regeneration of Weymouth town centre with a comprehensive high-quality redevelopment proposal that will provide a sustainable mix of residential accommodation and employment-generating uses.” The application, which is in its public consultation stage, has already attracted one positive comment from a resident has he welcomed the plans for a new restaurant. Luke Brain wrote to Dorset Council: “(I) Love the plans for Newtons Cove. An area which has always looked a little bit drab can, at last, be appreciated. “It would be good to see a tourism aspect as part of the plans. I like the fact it will offer somewhere to grab food or a drink while walking around the Newtons Cove/ Nothe Area.”
Mitsubishi Electric has launched a residential range of Lossnay Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems to provide clean and healthy air for homes. The addition to the renowned Lossnay range is designed specifically for the UK housing market and makes energy efficient, super-quiet ventilation accessible to even more homes. The residential Lossnay is designed to extract stale air continuously and efficiently from spaces like bathrooms, kitchens, toilets, and utility rooms where air can become polluted with high humidity, fumes and chemicals. The system replaces indoor air with filtered fresh air from outside. It also minimises the amount of energy lost by recovering the heat from the extracted air and transferring it to the supply of fresh air, so that it is nearer to the required indoor temperature. “The quality of indoor air is an important factor for health and wellbeing and the new residential Lossnay can help to ensure there is a constant flow of fresh air in our homes, and that potentially harmful pollutants and chemicals are being removed” said Hern Yau, Product Manager for Ventilation at Mitsubishi Electric. “Designed with energy efficiency in mind, the heat recovery feature also ensures as much energy as possible is reused from the extracted air”. The system is designed to operate continuously at ultra-low noise levels, making it the ideal solution for residential homes and apartments where comfort is key. Occupants can enjoy all the super-quiet, fresh air benefits of effective ventilation, without wasting energy. The new residential range comes with optional NOx (nitrogen oxide) and particulate matter filtration, with a unique third filter pocket which can be used for additional filtration of NOx emissions. This means that buildings in even the most polluted environments can be supplied with clean, healthy air, and the inbuilt filter provides easy access for regular maintenance. “Ventilating our indoor spaces is more important than ever, but we also need to be as energy efficient as possible” adds Hern Yau, “This new Lossnay will deliver good indoor air whilst recovering energy to minimise waste.” A built-in automatic summer bypass also allows the units to bring in fresh air from outside without recovering heat, in order to reduce the risk of overheating. This provides the ideal solution for cooling down a dwelling that may have overheated during the day once the outside temperature has dropped in the evening. Using temperature sensors, the unit can automatically enter bypass mode when it detects the space is hotter than desired and the outside air is cool enough. A built-in LCD controller allows for easy control and commissioning of the unit, and offers a clear display showing normal, boost, and purge modes. Up to four speed settings can be commissioned digitally to ensure constant and accurate settings. Click here for more information on the Lossnay range.
Aquaspira has delivered an innovative sustainable drainage strategy, designed to reduce 315 cubic metres of excavation and saving around 20 days of construction time, at a new housing project which is underway in Dalkeith. The Northwest drainage specialist was appointed by Cruden Building which is delivering the 79 home development at Morris Road in Newtongrange. The scheme will provide a mix of two-storey energy-efficient homes and cottage flats, supporting Midlothian Council’s Local Housing Strategy which is designed to deliver a high priority and cost-efficient contribution to the local housing supply. Mark Stanway from Aquaspira explains: “We were able to rethink the entire approach to construction of the drainage at this site. Seven concrete manholes were original specified each requiring a four metre wide excavation. “By using a strong, compact steel reinforced push-fit solution we were able to reduce the number of vehicle movements to site by 60%, as well as cutting the amount of bedding and backfill by half. “Our access units also reduced the installation of each manhole from an average of four days to around an hour, delivering dramatic cost and timing savings to the job, as well as providing a far more environmentally friendly and safer solution.” Land utilisation was maximised by using the ground beneath the estate roads for all of the stormwater storage, and a simplified, safer, and accelerated strategy used these UK-manufactured push-fit, large diameter pipes with access units as an alternative to concrete. The pipes were installed by GBSS Civils and Plant Hire Ltd, talking about the ease of installation, Andy Paterson from GBSS said: “The 1800mm and 1200mm pipes were much easier to handle and install than similar size concrete pipes which, together with the rapid, very simple fitting of the prefabricated Access Units, made a massive difference to the job” The solution was in-keeping with Midlothian Council’s drive to deliver modern high-quality homes which incorporate energy efficient components within the homes as well as through eco-friendly construction solutions such as this. Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing Councillor Stephen Curran said: “This project demonstrates how innovative construction techniques can contribute to making developments more sustainable and are in line with the council’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030 as outlined in our Climate Change Strategy.” Aquaspira is on a mission to deliver low carbon construction solutions. The Lancashire-based company has been investing extensively in research and development which has seen the use of recycled materials in its products increased, as well as using solar power in the manufacturing process. The company is working with the University of Birmingham to develop a digital twin to improve design and to investigate the use of recycled materials for backfill to further reduce carbon usage in the construction sector and use sensors in pipes for long-term monitoring and maintenance. This research can make a huge step-change in helping the construction sector achieve Government de-carbonisation targets. Aquaspira’s unique light weight composite pipe already reduces the number of vehicle movements and fuel consumption when compared to traditional concrete products. A significant advantage with the current shortage of haulage drivers. All of these innovations help utility companies, housebuilders and the wider infrastructure and construction sectors reduce their impact on the environment.
Housebuilder Harron Homes have officially joined Homes England’s Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). Homes England is the Government’s housing delivery agency and one of the largest vendors of residential land. Harron Homes will be joining 65 other developers, suppliers and housing associations in the new £20bn DPS. The Delivery Partner DPS is one of Homes England’s main routes for land distribution and it gives house builders such as Harron Homes the ability to bid for these sites. Other public bodies may also use the DPS to procure developers, broadening housebuilders exposure to potential projects. It also allows for potential new members to join at any time – in contrast to the previous framework which renewed every four years. Nick Hague, Land Director at Harron Homes, said “After a rigorous application process, we are delighted that Homes England have accepted us onto its exciting new DPS system. “Being accepted enables us to work dynamically in identifying and procuring residential land. We are already planning on how to take maximum advantage of a framework that unlocks opportunities to be involved with projects which may have previously not come to our attention. “The new framework means benefits are passed onto both landowners and home buyers, new homes can be built quicker”. To find out more about current Harron Homes developments and the homes currently available, visit https://www.harronhomes.com/find-a-home/ or call the sales team on 01777 553390.
The construction sector is leading the way in helping the UK economy bounce back from the pandemic and the Construction Industry Training board (CITB) is now looking for industry leaders to join its board. In this voluntary role you will help shape the future of construction as the industry works to meet the skills gap and the drive to Net Zero whilst gaining high level public body experience first hand. As a Charity and Non-Departmental Public Body, CITB has supported the construction sector for over 50 years, helping to keep workers safe on site, supporting high quality training and giving young people a start in their career. CITB raises funds through an employer levy, and works closely with employers and the Government to ensure national construction skills needs across Great Britain are met. As a CITB trustee, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the work of CITB within a supportive team environment and be asked to ensure that CITB pursues its objectives for the benefit of the construction industry and work with fellow trustees to shape, drive and monitor CITB’s strategy. The post is a 4 year commitment, with the possibility of reappointment for an additional 4 year term. CITB CEO Tim Balcon said: “Having people sit around us on the board who are working in industry at senior level is of a huge benefit. They really have their fingers on the pulse and keep us grounded in providing a service the construction industry really needs. I look forward to welcoming the new tranche of board trustees.” Kevin McLoughlin, MD of construction SME, McLoughlin Group Holdings joined as a trustee in 2018. He is passionate about construction industry opportunities after leaving school himself at 15. “The reason I joined the CITB board was so I could give a voice for the SMEs within industry and give a focus on the skills needed in the industry whilst bringing my experience of a medium sized enterprise to the board.“It has been rewarding and stretching for me personally to be able to experience how the board works and contribute to the decisions of the board and CITB’s direction, and it has been rewarding to see CITB move to being more orientated towards skills than ever before.”Diana Garnham joined as a trustee over 7 years ago. She said: “My interest in skills is multi-levelled. I want to help individuals achieve their potential through access to skills and training to open up career and work opportunities. I see in the construction sector an environment that is keen to welcome talent from all abilities and help individuals particularly in finding their way on the first rungs of their careers. Construction has also worked with some of the hardest to reach communities. I also see construction as one of the key sectors of the UK economy and I understand how crucial skills are to ensuring its sustainability and productivity – so to be part of CITB is to also be working for the wider public benefit. She added: “Listening skills are crucial in an organisation with such a complex stakeholder environment. Understanding the role of governance, the role of the board and the need to support the executive to deliver and a collegiate approach working with fellow board members are all important. No one trustee stands alone – it’s about the Board working as a team.”Could you offer your expertise as a trustee of CITB? Find out more here.
New research data from Cambashi reveals that digital transformation in the construction industry is accelerating the demand for BIM software. Cambashi’s latest BIM Observatory research data indicates that, while the construction industry’s use of software could be described as being in the ‘Stone Age’ compared with manufacturing’s deployment of digital engineering software, evolution is definitely driving BIM software uptake. “Remote working trends resulting from the global pandemic, as well as government initiatives and regulations, are driving digital transformation in the construction industry,” said Petra Gartzen, Lead Analyst, Cambashi. “This in turn is accelerating a growth in demand for BIM software, enabling the construction industry to evolve from the ‘Stone Age’ to the ‘Digital Age’.” She added: “Overall, we estimate that $14bn was spent on BIM software in 2021. Despite disruptions caused by the global pandemic, the market growth has remained positive at 9% in 2020 and 11% in 2021. We forecast the BIM software market to continue with double digit growth CAGR of 12%, reaching $21bn by 2025.” Cambashi’s research data incorporates three categories of BIM:• BIM Design, which includes software used in the design stage of building and infrastructure projects. This includes five sub-segments – architectural design, structural engineering, civil engineering, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) and plant design.• BIM Construct, which covers software for collaboration on planning and building, such as data management, estimating and costing.• BIM Operate, which includes software for facilities management. According to Cambashi’s Employment dataset, currently around 200 million people work in a BIM-related profession, incorporating architecture and design, civil engineering and structural engineering services, as well as building owners/operators. Key trends covered by the research include Building Digital Twin/IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), Simulation and off-site manufacturing of prefabricated buildings. Visit the Cambashi website to download “BIM – evolution from Stone Age to Digital Age” 2022 Research Paper.
The first two episodes of a new podcast have already caught the attention of construction bosses this month, exploring urgent issues around the skills shortages in construction and the best ways to train the new generation. The new ‘Construction Talk’ podcast interviewed Alasdair Reisner, chief executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), for its first episode, taking a hard look at the skills crisis in construction and the impact of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) Skills Plan to support the recruitment and retention of talent in the industry in 2022. Alasdair Reisner talks on the podcast about how COVID-19 acted as a catalyst for a new collaborative approach to skills issues: “As an industry we’ve never been able to work collectively. But through the CLC, it’s been the first chance to say ‘look, we’re all facing a problem with talent’ – there’s not a single bit of industry saying no, we’ve got all the talent we need. Our whole industry really struggles to recruit the employees we need, to deliver what looks like a pretty good future,” he says. “It’s crazy that, until last year, there wasn’t a single plan for our industry about how we were going to do that. So I was delighted when we did publish the CLC’s Skills Plan. For the first time we’ve got a skills plan that covers the whole industry, including measures around the attractiveness and culture of the industry, the routes into the industry and the skills for the future.” The interview goes on to talk about the new Government-backed Construction Talent Retention Scheme and Talentview Construction which gets young people into apprenticeships, traineeships and entry roles, as well as exploring the huge impact of major infrastructure projects like HS2, creating 20-year careers and cutting-edge skills that can be exported around the world. “2022 is the year of recruitment,” says Alasdair Reisner. “The skills shortages have got worse. We really have to go out there and sell this industry. People won’t just come to us because we want them to – we have to go out there and market the brilliant opportunities that are opening up to everyone.” Episode 2 of Construction Talk tells the story of Nicola Bird, director of groundworks contractors K W Bell Group and founder of AccXel, the UK’s first industry-led education centre and a multimillion-pound facility established to tackle industry skills shortages. Nicola describes how she set out initially to develop an apprenticeship scheme to help safeguard the future of the family business, but then became motivated to pursue a much bigger project, funded by government and her local enterprise partnership, to build AccXel – the aspirational and high-tech construction skills accelerator centre based near the Forest of Dene. Nicola Bird also talks eloquently on the podcast about the importance of digital skills in construction and the expectations of young people curious about the sector. “They expect that technology to be in our industry,” she says. “The only way we are going to start getting people inspired by our industry is by a quicker introduction into digitalisation, and it will make us more efficient in the long run anyway.” The bi-weekly Construction Talk podcast forms part of a new community that Causeway Technologies is creating for its customers and the wider industry, including a monthly newsletter with six question quick-fire interviews with guest contributors, and plans for community events like roundtables, dinners and other networking opportunities later in the year. The podcast is hosted by Peter Haddock, a well-known voice in construction, and is freely available via both iTunes and Spotify. Peter Haddock says: “It’s great to be working with Causeway Technologies on creating a community that can share ideas, experiences and views on key topics impacting the construction sector now and in the future. Our podcast guests share their passion for how we improve skills development and technology integration, showing us how we can do things differently, collaborate properly and embrace change.” The most recent episode of the podcast features Mathew Ayres, group managing director at the Bennie Group, talking on the theme of “Winning the competitive edge with early technology adoption.” To listen to the first three episodes of the Construction Talk podcast, go to: https://www.causeway.com/construction-talk-podcast Causeway Technologies was established in 1999. Headquartered in Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom, it serves over 2,500 customers and has over 350 employees. Causeway provides enterprise and cloud software solutions to the construction and infrastructure maintenance industries and spans the full value and supply chain. www.causeway.com
The new courses will ensure employees are kept up to date with the latest health and safety legislation, improving an employee’s knowledge of safe working practices to create a safer working environment for all. The new health and safety courses include everything from electrical safety and accident reporting to driver awareness and food allergy awareness. Sontay, a leading manufacturer of sensing devices that can monitor and report on a building’s conditions, established its Academy in 2014. Since then, it has evolved to become more than just a specialist training academy for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Climate Control Industry. It now offers more than 130 courses in everything from Human Resources to Business Compliance, including, now of course, Health and Safety. Commercial & Marketing Director, Stacey Lucas said: “We are delighted to build on the success of the Academy by expanding the role that the Academy plays. We can only do this because we have worked hard to develop training partnerships and by talking to people in the industry, we were able to identify knowledge gaps. As a company we want to upskill not only our staff but those who want their staff to be able to understand and manage risk helping to keep everyone safe.” The Sontay Academy has partnered with a market-leading provider of online Health and Safety and Compliance Training. All courses are completed through an online Learner Management System. Candidates are issued with a certificate upon completion of the course.
Speakers for the IPAF Summit in, London, UK, on 10 March 2022, have now been confirmed, and will present on the theme of “The Evolution of Safety” The speakers for this year’s Summit of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Kensington, London, on 10 March 2022, have been confirmed, with presentations on a theme of “The Evolution of Safety”. The IPAF Summit 2022 will mark a return to in-person global events for IPAF and event partners KHL – and will be the first time the event has been held in the UK since 2017. In the evening of the summit, will be a gala dinner to celebrate the category winners in the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs). The Summit and IAPAs will both be hosted by Mark Durden-Smith, a TV presenter best known for work covering top-level English rugby. In the morning of the IPAF Summit, will be the IPAF AGM, during which the IPAF Annual Report will be published and new IPAF Presidential Team and Board members confirmed. The event is now almost fully booked. The theme of the Summit – The Evolution of Safety – will consider how, in the ten years since IPAF started its accident reporting project – our industry has witnessed advances in technology, training and regulation to provide a safer working environment for operators. The project has been central to many changes within the industry including influencing training programmes, guiding standards, and informing good practice guidance. However, accidents still happen. What is the future for safety within our industry and will we ever get to a time when there are no deaths while using powered access? IPAF Summit speakers are as follows: Welcome and introduction from Peter Douglas, IPAF CEO & MD, and Norty Turner outgoing IPAF President. Mark Keily, SHEQ Director at Sunbelt Rentals and Chair of the IPAF International Safety Committee, and Brian Parker, IPAF Head of Safety & Technical, present on the IPAF accident reporting project. Madeleine Abas, Senior Partner at Osborn Abas Hunt, presents a case study of an accident. Remi Heidelberger, Group Product Marketing Manager at Haulotte Group, and Jonathan Dawson, Managing Director of Power Towers, will discuss safety improvements in the industry. Dr Shaun Lundy, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Tetra Consulting, will present on safety and behaviour in “A changing workforce and what it means for safety”. Jim Waldron, Product Safety Manager of Skyjack UK and Chair of the IPAF Manufacturer’s Technical Committee, will cover the globalisation of industry safety standards. Oana Samoila, Key Accounts Sales Manager of AlmaCrawler, will present “Safety and Storytelling”. Paul Roddis, IPAF Training Manager, will cover developments in training. Martin Hall, Health & Environment Director at Morgan Sindall-Safety, will give a talk entitled “Safety: A contractor’s view.” Pedro Torres, CEO of Riwal; Andy Studdert, ex IPAF President and CEO; Paul Rankin, Powered Access Division, Chief Operating Officer at LOXAM; and Will Temple, Head of Powered Access, Sunbelt Rentals, will participate in a panel discussion about how rental companies can improve safety for customers, chaired by Murray Pollok, KHL. Dinolift’s Karin Nars, newly confirmed President of IPAF, will give final comments and close the conference. Peter Douglas, CEO & MD of IPAF, says: “Last year the IPAF Summit was held as a digital event, owing to the ongoing restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic; it was a successful format, but it is great to get back to in-person events and for the Summit & IAPAs to be back in the UK for the first time in five years. “Along with event partners KHL, we’ve worked hard to put together what we feel is a strong line-up of speakers, and we think this event – along with the evening event to toast the IAPAs winners – will be a memorable occasion. We really hope you are able to make it and urge you to book now if you want to join us in London in March.” Murray Pollok, Events Director at KHL, adds: “The confirmed line-up of IPAF Summit speakers is fascinating; it will be good to see everyone back in the room together for what promise to be quality presentations around the theme of the evolution of safety. It was a strong set of submissions to the IAPAs categories, with a record number of entries received this year, so we hope you’re able to join us to enjoy the IPAF Summit and to celebrate all the IAPAs winners, as well as for some long-overdue networking!” ● The IPAF Summit on 10 March, pre-event networking at the Science Museum on 9 March, and the Niftylift production plant site visit on 11 March are now almost completely booked up, while the IAPAs dinner is now fully booked with a waiting list in operation; please see more at www.iapa-summit.info
Sustainable building materials, heat pump myth-busting and a tour of an energy efficient tenement will be among the shows at this year’s Green Home Festival, organisers have revealed. Alternative heat sources and exploring how we will live and travel in 2045 will also be high on the agenda at the five-day hybrid event, which is being organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV). Running from 8-12 August as part of the official Edinburgh Festival Fringe and delivered via a mix of in-person and virtual presentations, the festival will deliver practical assistance and advice to help Scotland become a net zero nation. CICV organisers have narrowed down the itinerary to around 12 shows, which will be suitable for both the public and construction industry, with topics including: Building sustainable neighbourhoods Hydrogen as a potential future heat source Commercial buildings of the future Retrofitting traditional buildings and other house types Taking a fabric-first approach to energy efficient homes Sustainable construction and asset management Upskilling the workforce for sustainable construction Feasibility of electric vehicles and home charging points Carbon, nitrate and water capture through roofing Global case studies on successful low-carbon projects. A special Green Home Festival family day is also in the pipeline, featuring a series of interactive activities and games based around green energy and low-carbon living. Event organiser, John McKinney, Secretary of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, said: “We are extremely excited to reveal some of the topics for the inaugural Green Home Festival, which will deliver a wealth of demonstrations and hands-on guidance. “We are particularly excited about the planned tour of a tenement that has been made energy efficient, which will demonstrate how Scotland’s traditional buildings can be retrofitted to minimise carbon emissions. “We are also looking forward to demystifying the buzz around heat pumps and hydrogen, and exploring how the construction industry can work together in a variety of ways to mitigate climate change and build a greener Scotland for everyone.” Presenters at the show will include experts from the CICV and other organisations including the Scottish Futures Trust, Leeds Sustainability Institute and Scottish Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association, with venues, dates and booking details to be revealed later this year. Co-organiser Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, added: “We have been working very hard on the planned itinerary to find a balance and ensure that the events will be suitable for the public and the construction industry itself. “As well as shows the about the house of the future, electric vehicles and the truth about heat pumps, other sessions will take a professional perspective on the multi-disciplinary approach required to build a more sustainable and healthy environment. “Whatever the topic, every show will have the same mission – to engage audiences and help everyone reduce their carbon footprint and become more energy efficient.” Targeting homeowners, professionals, local authorities, housing associations and local authorities, the CICV is aiming to make the Green Home Festival an annual event that will build a long-term legacy. The event is the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the CICV since its creation as the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum in March 2020. Made up of 29 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, it has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing animations and posters, hosting webinars and maintaining close dialogue with Scottish Government ministers.
