With climate extremes increasing and urban drainage networks under growing stress, ACO Building Drainage has published the second volume of its Blue Roof Guide to help architects, engineers, specifiers and contractors design resilient, multi-functional roofscapes. The new guide explains how blue and blue-green roof systems can store and manage rainfall on site, reduce peak flows to overstretched sewers and support passive irrigation and biodiversity on roof areas. The guide, titled ‘ACO Blue Roof Guide – Vol 2’, follows the success of ACO’s first volume of its Blue Roof Guide, launched in October 2024, and builds on the criteria established for safe and sustainable drainage. Sustainability is a core principle of ACO’s work and this has been recognised in the company’s appointment as United Nations ambassador for Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. The second volume of the Blue Roof Guide is evidence of ACO’s commitment to clean water, sustainability, and supporting the construction industry in creating an eco-friendly future. Volume 2 sets out the principles of off-membrane storage and offers practical design and delivery advice for architects, engineers, specifiers and contractors. It highlights blue roofs as an increasingly important tool in urban developments by storing water temporarily and releasing it slowly to lessen flood risk while enabling green and biosolar roof functions to coexist without compromising waterproofing. Technical sections go into detail about ACO’s patented RoofBloxx system: a shallow, high-strength geocellular attenuation layer designed to sit independently of the roof membrane. Implementation and installation are also discussed, including together with the proper use of flow restrictors, access and diffuser units, capillary wicks and reservoir trays. When combined, these components manage run-off rates, support passive irrigation for sedum and planted systems, and reduce the need for heavy ballast by stabilising insulation. Neill Robinson-Welsh, who has led more than 750 blue roof projects during his 14 years with ACO, said: “Blue roofs are no longer an optional extra but a practical response to the twin pressures of heavier rainfall and growing water stress. Our approach uses ACO RoofBloxx to store water off the waterproofing layer, simplifying integration with green and biosolar elements and reducing the risk of membrane failure. The new guide reflects what we’ve learned on real projects and sets out design and maintenance steps that make blue roofs reliable.” Practical chapters focus on early-stage coordination, addressing outlet positioning, roof slope and structural implications, as well as maintenance-friendly design through permanent access chambers and twice-yearly inspections, and emphasising the importance of accurate hydraulic calculations to meet planning limits while preserving architectural constraints. ACO stresses that designers need to treat blue roofs as system integration exercises, and by coordinating landscape, photovoltaics and other services early it will help to avoid late, costly revisions. Volume 2 is positioned as a hands-on resource for teams planning multifunctional roofs where water management, ecology and service access must all be reconciled. To download the guide, see ACO.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Members can enjoy discount until March 2026  Members of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) across the UK can become Carbon Literate thanks to a 70% discount.  Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is offering its accredited training for the construction sector at a discounted price until the end of the 2025/26 financial year.  Spaces are available on pre-organised dates, or there is an option for organisations to commission a full cohort of exclusive training.  Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Carbon Literacy training for the Construction Sector will help upskill businesses, organisations and people involved with the sector, so they have the knowledge required to successfully respond to the climate emergency and help move towards net zero.   The training was developed in collaboration with constructor-sector professionals, and it is fully accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project.  Brian Rae, Operations Manager, Environment and Place Services at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We first offered this sector-based training back in 2021 after collaborating and delivering the course to some of the industry’s most respected names.  “In the years since we have improved and refreshed our module to make it relevant to the challenges and opportunities the construction industry is currently facing.  “This discounted price is a fantastic opportunity for people in the sector – at any level – to understand how the sector is impacted by climate change and how tackling emissions can lead to more efficient and cost-effective operations.”  To book spaces on training dates below, please contact your regional Customer Engagement Advisor at CITB. You can find this information on the CITB website here.   To commission a full cohort (or cohorts) of the training, exclusively for your organisation, please email climate@keepscotlandbeautiful.org using CITB discount as the subject line, and supply us with dates that could work for your organisation.  Keep Scotland Beautiful is the official partner in Scotland for the award-winning Carbon Literacy Project, the only Carbon Literate Training Organisation in Scotland, and the only Scottish organisation to have attained Platinum Carbon Literate Organisation status. The charity has trained more than 6,000 people to be Carbon Literate.  Learn more at https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/our-training/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Last week, VIVID welcomed Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service (H&IOWFS) to one of their tall tower buildings for a hands-on training exercise designed to help crews gain valuable experience in tackling high-rise fires. The event brought together around 40 fire service personnel, including senior command officers and frontline firefighters, supported by four fire engines, an aerial ladder platform (ALP), and several support vehicles. Over the course of four hours, crews worked through a realistic mock scenario involving a fire in the building. To make the exercise as true-to-life as possible, each flat was marked with scenario cards indicating potential challenges—such as customers with disabilities—giving crews a chance to think on their feet. A temporary evacuation control hub was set up in the garden area, staffed by eight team members who coordinated the response and kept communication flowing throughout. Members of VIVID’s Building and Fire Safety Team also took part in the role play, helping guide the fire service through the scenario and sharing key information. Tom Robinson, Executive Director of Assets and Sustainability, VIVID said, “We’re proud to support Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service and continue working together on future training exercises. Building strong partnerships like this helps move towards a safer environment for our customers—and that’s something we’re fully committed to.” Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service, Watch Manager, Sally Gould said, “My senior team are really happy with the opportunity, exercises like this are incredibly valuable—they give us the chance to put our policies and procedures into practice in a realistic setting, which is something we don’t often get to do. We’ve all learnt so much from being on-site and working through the scenario, and it’s helped build confidence across the team. It’s also been a great way to strengthen our working relationship with VIVID, and we’re really grateful for the time, expertise and support.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Inconsistency in the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regime, even among EU countries, means that a commercial building that receives the highest rating in one country could receive a grade up to four places lower in another, according to Savills in its Impacts research programme. The international real estate advisor says that the lack of standardisation in energy labelling can even vary within countries. In Belgium, the same energy performance (measured in kWh/m²/year) would receive a ‘C’ rating in Flanders but a ‘D’ or ‘F’ in Brussels, owing to stricter rating thresholds in the Brussels-Capital Region. Standards for primary energy consumption in ‘A’-rated offices across Europe also vary, resulting in buildings that would receive a grade of ‘A’ in some countries only receiving a ‘D’ or ‘E’ in others. Savills says that while the EU is implementing a revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) which should bring countries within its jurisdiction more into line, there are likely to still be discrepancies within individual countries as local political sensitivities, technical challenges, climate risks and the nature of existing building stock mean that sustainability standards vary considerably from one city to another. Legacy EU country/UK energy label comparison, by country: Chris Cummings, Director, Savills Earth, comments: “The lack of standardisation in energy labelling within the EU, and the UK which also uses EPC as its main measure of building performance, illustrates a wider global problem for cross-border investors and tenants in understanding what constitutes a ‘good’ building: if even within the same bloc there’s disparities, how can they compare across even wider geographies such as APAC or the US? Ideally, investors and occupiers should look beyond the headline EPC grade to examine a building’s actual energy data to get a true picture of its relative performance. If they don’t, they run the risk of excluding buildings which have received a lower rating in countries which exert a ‘tougher’ EPC regime, as they do not fulfil their sustainability objectives, only to go on to take a building in another country which has a higher grade, but ultimately is a poorer performer.” Sarah Brooks, Associate Director, Savills World Research, says: “City-level differences in sustainability standards can again present distinct challenges and opportunities for occupiers and investors. They must account for differences in local policy, market expectations and available incentives in their strategies. Gaining a competitive edge often means exceeding national requirements as well as aligning with city-level expectations and long-term local sustainability plans. Nuanced due diligence is vital.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals