82% of UK builders experience mental health problems due to work-related issues, a new study has found.  The research was commissioned for Mental Health Awareness Week (15th-21st May) by IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect, and the results have been published in the third edition of their annual industry report.  It found that 73% of builders experience some form of mental health problem, such as stress, anxiety or depression, every month, and sadly, 45% feel symptoms every single week. Furthermore, 92% say they do not feel comfortable talking about their mental health with others, and only 10% have spoken about it with their friends or family. Across all trades, while financial worries remain among the leading causes of stress, the wider Cost of Living crisis is now the number one concern, with almost two in five (39%) saying it’s affecting their mental health. Almost two in five (39%) workers are now doing extra shifts as a result, risking burnout.   The rising cost of materials is now also amongst the main stressors (36%), and tradespeople recently ranked the issue as the biggest challenge facing the industry in 2023.  In 2023, the most common cause of stress for builders is the cost of living crisis (44%). The top 10 most common causes of stress for tradespeople are:  Unfortunately, despite the benefits of doing so, more than four in five (84%) tradespeople don’t feel comfortable talking to others about their feelings. Just one in six (17%) have spoken to friends or family about their mental health.  Furthermore, one in ten (10%) worry what their colleagues would think if they told them what they were going through, and more than a quarter (27%) feel they can’t take time off work for mental health reasons.  Builders are the most likely tradespeople to feel stressed or anxious on a daily basis (16%), but overall, mental health problems are most common amongst surveyors. Almost all of those surveyed (98%) say they experience issues at least once a year.  The trades that are most and least likely to experience mental health issues at least once a year are:  As part of their campaign to raise awareness of mental health amongst tradespeople, IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect are partnering with Basildon Mind, the mental health charity, and is donating over £5,000 to support its vital services.  Emma Mamo, Head of Workspace Wellbeing at Mind, said: “In male-dominated industries such as construction, employees are often less willing and able to open up about their mental health and ask for support. This can be problematic because mental health problems often become worse if left untreated, and the consequences can be fatal.   “We urge employers to create cultures where employees can speak openly and honestly about their mental health.”  Dominick Sandford, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect, said: “It’s been an incredibly difficult few years for the country, and the current Cost of Living crisis is certainly taking its toll on many people. Our research shows that the trade industry and its brilliant people have been hit hard, and mental health problems are common.  “As difficult as it might seem at first, it’s incredibly important that you talk to someone about your feelings, whether that’s your partner, a friend or family member, a colleague, or a professional. This can open the door to getting help and starting to address the problems you’re facing.”  To read IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect’s Mental Health in the Trades: 2023 Report, visit: https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/research/mental-health-in-the-trades/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and its network of over 75 Green Building Councils are launching the Circular Built Environment Playbook — a critical guide for the building and construction sector around the world to accelerate the adoption of circular economy and resource efficiency principles. The principles of the circular economy can help us to achieve global climate targets: from minimising the extraction of materials and using more efficient designs, to optimising nature-based solutions and closing material loops at the end of a building’s lifecycle. This report presents strategies for the built environment to reduce its resource consumption and features market leadership and solutions from across WorldGBC’s global network. The use and waste of materials and products is trending in a dangerously unsustainable direction, with latest estimates showing that the world is only 7.2% circular, meaning over 90% of everything we make is discarded after use. Furthermore, in 2022, a year’s worth of biological resources were used in just seven months — that means currently we consume 75% more than the earth is able to replenish each year [1]. With our cities producing an estimated 70% of all global greenhouse gas emissions [2], and consuming almost half the resources extracted globally, our sector holds a significant portion of the responsibility. In ‘The Circular Built Environment Playbook’ WorldGBC acknowledges the essential role of the circular economy in tackling the global environmental crisis; whilst providing an unparalleled opportunity to regenerate resources and accelerate socio-economic development.  Circularity is fundamental for humanity to thrive alongside the natural environment, and within planetary boundaries. Through this playbook we hope to make the complex principles of the circular economy easy to understand for every actor in the built environment. We have mapped out more than 20 strategies of implementing circular design, construction and operation for the built environment, illustrated with best practice case studies from all over the world. All stakeholders must be ‘circular ready’ and lead the sector towards circularity becoming the new business-as-usual. Every actor in the building and construction supply chain must take action and help the transition — cross-sector collaboration will be key to overcome barriers towards a circular future. WorldGBC’s network aspires to see leadership from all governments and businesses. A circular economy is an essential part of the sustainability solution providing a foundation for future policy change and business innovation. Cristina Gamboa, CEO, WorldGBC, said:  “It is clear that if we want to secure a future for our planet and people, then we cannot keep going on this path of consumption and waste. That’s why our network is taking action to increase awareness and accessibility of circular economy solutions, by guiding all stakeholders towards sustainable, circular decision-making. The need for a circular built environment has never been more important and our Circularity Accelerator programme is shining a light on the solutions available.” Jona Byskata, Head of EU Public Affairs, Kingspan, said: “Circularity in the buildings sector is a very broad topic, and requires collaboration across all stakeholders. The Accelerator partnership allows such discussions to develop to help set future priorities where the environmental impacts matter most.” Dorota Bacal, Sustainability and Innovation Lead, VinZero, said: “You can only improve what you measure” has become the mantra of our industry. Data-driven decision making completely revolutionises the sustainability outcomes for the companies we work with. Data insights can significantly boost operational efficiencies, improve processes and reduce waste, whilst delivering cost, raw material consumption and carbon savings.”  Chris Trott, Partner Head of Sustainability, Foster + Partners, said: “Adopting circularity in the built environment is essential to achieve a regenerative balance, by facilitating the decarbonisation of the industry, limiting finite raw materials extraction and waste production all while staying within planetary boundaries.” Thank you to our global programme partners: Brightworks Sustainability, Foster + Partners, Vinzero and Kingspan and our technical partners, WSP, CBRE. We also thank our steering committee, expert panel, designers and dedicated team at WorldGBC for their support in developing the Circular Built Environment Playbook. References: [1] Circle Economy, 2022 Circularity Gap Report, January 2022 [2] United Nations (2018)  Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

SCAPE has become the first public sector body following publication of Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 03/23 to adopt the Common Assessment Standard for its pre-qualification requirements, joining a growing list of major contractors and clients specifying the standard for their supply chains. PPN 03/23, which was issued by the Cabinet Office in response to calls from Build UK and its members, updates the pre-qualification requirement for central Government departments and wider public sector bodies, meaning they can now use the Common Assessment Standard to pre-qualify suppliers for construction works contracts, rather than PAS 91. The Common Assessment Standard was developed by Build UK to raise the bar in assessing the competence of the construction supply chain. It has two levels – desktop and site-based – allowing companies to apply for the appropriate level dependent upon their trade, size and the requirements of their public and private sector clients. Currently available from any one of the Recognised Assessment Bodies, the Common Assessment Standard delivers on the commitment in the Construction Sector Deal for a standardised pre-qualification process and was recommended for use in the public sector by Professor David Mosey as part of his independent review of frameworks to “reduce waste and duplication [and] creat[e] efficiency savings for clients and industry”. The Common Assessment Standard will help to streamline public sector procurement as suppliers that hold certification from a Recognised Assessment Body will have already been assessed for stage 1 pre-qualification, meaning contracting authorities can focus on project specific requirements. SCAPE Group Procurement Director John Simons said: “Being able to use the Common Assessment Standard is a significant step forward in the simplification of the selection process for the public sector. Its use will not only de-risk elements of the process, but also enable public sector organisations to focus on project specific requirements for those firms who have already met the standard. The Common Assessment Standard will effectively standardise the selection process for the construction supply chain as only one annual assessment will be required in order to gain access to valuable opportunities.” Build UK Deputy Chief Executive Jo Fautley said: “We are delighted that SCAPE has joined organisations across the industry using the Common Assessment Standard. With pre-qualification costing the industry up to £1 billion each year, the efficiency savings offered by the Common Assessment Standard are more important than ever in the current market, and PPN 03/23 means that projects and programmes across the public sector can also now benefit from a reduction in duplication of time, effort and resources.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

Environmental Product Declarations offer facts for environmental and climate protection The building sector is responsible for over 30 percent of global CO2 emissions. In the fight against climate change and for an environmentally friendly future, it is therefore particularly important to build in a sustainable and resource-saving way. But how to find the most climate-friendly among all the products? How is sustainable planning and building possible? The best way is with measurable data and transparency. This can be found in the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Environmental Product Declarations are a method for the standardised presentation of the environmental impacts of products or services. EPDs provide a data basis that maps the entire life cycle of a building product or parts thereof and quantifies its environmental impacts. Environmental Product Declarations are based on the international standard ISO 14025, which applies to all sectors, but the construction industry is the pioneer in its application. The idea is that the standardised collection of environmental data on building products creates a comparable basis for sustainable construction planning. Planners, architects and builders then use this information to make an informed decision when making their selection. They use the EPD to determine which building products will minimise the environmental impact of their project. This supports sustainable construction and advances climate protection. At the same time, a sustainable way of doing business is also supported, which aims to conserve resources and reduce environmental pollution. In addition, customers can use them as evidence for various building certification systems such as LEED, BREEAM or DGNB. The most important contents of an EPD In an EPD, the environmental impacts of a product are recorded along the entire life cycle or in parts, including raw material extraction, production, transport, use, disposal and recycling, among others. For each area, various environmental criteria such as greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption are recorded and evaluated. These results or environmental indicators flow into the EPD and enable comparability between building products. An important component of an Environmental Product Declaration is the assignment of the product to a specific product category. This classification in the Product Category Rules (PCR) is necessary to establish comparability between similar products. In each product category, the relevant environmental factors are recorded and included in the EPD. Environmental Product Declarations and Life Cycle Assessments – two that belong together Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) are two key elements of sustainability in the construction industry that are closely linked. Simplified, one can say that the EPD is a standardised summary of the results of a LCA. The LCA is carried out in four phases. First the purpose and scope of the LCA is defined. This is followed by a life cycle inventory, which records data collection and calculation methods to quantify relevant inputs and outputs of a product system. In the impact assessment phase, potential impacts on the environment are analysed with the help of the results of the life cycle inventory. In the final evaluation, the results of the life cycle inventory and the impact assessment are considered together. Depending on the building product, there are different approaches to assessing environmental impacts. All start from cradle and differ over the further life cycle of the product. The concept “cradle to grave” covers all phases of a product’s life, from raw material extraction to production, transport, use and disposal. It shows the complete ecological footprint from beginning to end. The approach “cradle to gate” records the ecological footprint of a product until it leaves the factory gate and before it is transported to the consumer. It does not take into account further environmental impacts during use and disposal. “Cradle to cradle” is the most comprehensive consideration. It is based on the principle of the circular economy, where products are designed so that they can either be fully recycled or composted at the end of their life cycle. It avoids the generation of waste and promotes the conservation of resources. How does aquatherm support its customers and partners with the LCA? aquatherm has had an ISO-compliant LCA carried out for four product families, which has been verified by an independent institute. Based on these Life Cycle Assessments, aquatherm provides customers with the corresponding EPDs for their projects. The results show that aquatherm piping solutions made of polypropylene have clear advantages compared to other materials such as copper or steel with regard to energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and the amount of waste. The aquatherm environmental product declarations can be found at https://www.aquatherm.de/sustainability-2/?lang=en. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

Your construction company’s efficiency relies on many aspects of doing business in 2023. The world changes all the time, and you need to change with it. Fortunately, you don’t need to make huge changes. And you only need to make minor changes to how you manage your business. Of course, any changes must be handled correctly. So, here are some good starting tips. Better HR and Staff Management From the smallest freelance or self-employed role to the larger multinational corporations, your employees are your bread and butter. Yet with so many things to do on a day-to-day basis, managing staff can slip away from you. But don’t worry, since you can get help from expert HR consulting companies and recruitment agencies. When you use services like these, you are rewarded with more time to focus on your business and leave the complex work to others. Outsource Where You Need To Like using HR companies, you can get immediate access to qualified, certified, and expert staff using outsourcing agencies. You can use outsourced services for pretty much anything. And over 90% of businesses do for at least one core service. These typically include services such as IT management, virtual assistants and receptionists, and even logistics services. Outsource services are often tiered and priced according to your needs, so they are affordable. Invest In Tech for Construction Company Efficiency Technology moves at such a rapid pace it can be hard to keep up. The modern expansion of artificial intelligence systems is a perfect example. But even lesser technologies, such as the way we use the web and cloud systems, have now become a core part of life and business. And in construction specifically, you can use improved technologies like these to improve your services, manage efficiency and collaborate on existing projects from anywhere in the world. Upgrade Existing Equipment Construction equipment is expensive. So you must do all you can to maintain it. This keeps costs low and also ensures your projects are as safe as possible. But the time comes when you need to invest in equipment and upgrade certain parts as required. Alternatively, you can hire or outsource equipment. When you do this, you are not responsible for upgrades, you don’t need to worry about insurance, and you can replace items when needed, or you require an upgrade. Manage Your Projects Effectively Effective project management is key to the successful completion of a construction contract. You need a clear plan in place before starting. This should include a realistic timeline, budget allocations and constraints, and continuous monitoring. This used to be more challenging. But today, you can use project management and collaboration apps such as Autodesk BIM, Revisto, and Co-Construct. All of these apps have pros and cons, taking time to find what you need. Summary You can improve construction company efficiency this year with some minor adjustments. You can use HR and outsourced teams, invest in your technology and manage projects using mobile apps. These will help bring your business into the digital age to meet customer expectations.

Consumers keen to see progress, with 73% willing to spend more with greener organisations Progress towards a sustainable world risks being held back as UK businesses grapple with increasing costs and a lack of clarity around a credible path to net zero, despite a tripling of awareness of the importance of reducing emissions and the potential commercial opportunity amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to research published by BSI. BSI, the UK National Standards Body, today publishes the third annual Net Zero Barometer. The research, drawn from interviews, a survey of 1,000 senior decision makers at UK SMEs and another of 1,000 UK consumers, finds that awareness of the importance of achieving net zero targets has almost tripled to 82% in two years[1], highlighting the opportunity for organizations to partner across their supply chains to accelerate progress. With many SMEs now also identifying the resulting cost benefits as a major reason to increase efforts in this area, it also suggests there’s a competitive edge to be gained by those that collaborate to pursue their net zero goals. Currently, only a third of SMEs are extremely confident[2] as to how to reach net zero, suggesting more clarity about doing so is needed. The report recommends that SMEs: While many SMEs have already delivered on ‘quick wins’, such as reducing waste (44%) or switching to LED bulbs (38%), the research finds there is more to be done on strategic thinking. 52% of those questioned had a net zero policy, while 17% – some 929,900 organizations[3] – have still to take key actions on becoming more sustainable, meaning they may risk falling short of  realizing their ambitions without further action. SMEs contribute over £2 trillion to the UK economy, giving them a critical role in progressing its net zero transition. Yet while Covid-19 pressures have somewhat subsided, the current geopolitical context means cost remains a vital obstacle. Nearly two thirds (63%) cited the cost-of-living crisis as the biggest inhibiting factor, followed by the energy crisis (50%). Many are calling for extra financial support: Over half believe that clean energy subsidies (56%) and government grants for new projects (52%) would help them meet targets. The barriers to progress come despite a separate survey showing that three quarters (73%) of consumers would pay more for an item or service from a company with good environmental credentials and a real commitment to hit net zero, with 93% of those in Gen Z[4] likely to be loyal to a climate friendly brand. Although value for money and factoring in inflation came top, in the same survey 48% of people noted environmental concerns as a consideration when they purchase goods or services. Notably, SMEs are increasingly recognizing the financial value of accelerating progress towards net zero. Two fifths cited the prospect of reduced costs as one of the main benefits, while 31% believed that doing so would be positive because it would enhance their image and reputation. Equally, with organizations looking at not only their own emissions but Scope 3 emissions in their supply chain, the report notes that for those organizations who supply others, transparency and clarity of carbon accounting is set to become an asset in winning contracts and growing the bottom line. The research emphasizes the importance of verifying environmental claims, with 94% of consumers saying that proper verification was important to them. Two-thirds of these said verification mattered because it demonstrates organizations aren’t just greenwashing, while 32% said verifying against best practice standards can provide a benchmark by which they can compare one business with another. The 2023 Net Zero Barometer also found that: Scott Steedman, Director-General, Standards at BSI said: “This year’s barometer gives me cause for optimism. With 82% of business leaders telling us that sustainability and achieving net zero is important to their business practice, we are seeing a growing commitment to decarbonizing by 2050, along with confidence that it is meaningful to turn long term ambition into immediate action. “At a time where the attention of many SME leaders is being diverted by economic pressures, they want help to navigate a path that is both credible and realistic. SMEs want to understand both where they are on this journey, and what that transition means for them and their stakeholders. They can benefit from having a clear roadmap  to how they’re going to achieve net zero, not only in their own operations, but also in their supply chains. Our research shows that with the right guidance – including the use of standards – SMEs are more than able to rise to this moment.” “Small businesses contribute more than £2 trillion in turnover to the UK economy. The collective impact they can have if they pull together and collaborate to meet net zero goals and ultimately accelerate progress to a sustainable world is significant.” [1] 82% of business leaders told us that sustainability and net zero was important, up from three in ten who believed their business had a responsibility to remove or reduce direct carbon emissions in 2021 [2] Question asked whether leaders were confident or extremely confident [3] Business population estimates for the UK and regions 2022, Gov.UK [4] Those born between the late 1990s and the late 2010s Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Professionals (ALEP) has written to the Government to call for an urgent amendment to the Building Safety Act 2022 (‘BSA’), which it says is currently causing doubt and uncertainty for leaseholders and the professionals trying to advise them.  ALEP’s letter to Rachel Maclean, Minister of State (Housing and Planning) highlights a key concern over the definition of a ‘qualifying lease’ under Section 119 of the Building Safety Act, which states that the lease needs to have been granted before 14 February 2022 in order to qualify.     Mark Chick, Director at ALEP, said: “As worded, the definition raises the question of whether a new lease granted on or after 14 February 2022 will be a ‘qualifying lease’, in circumstances where the existing lease is a ‘qualifying lease’.   “This issue is causing doubt and uncertainty for leaseholders, which advisors are now obliged to address in each individual case. The issue was compounded by unclear guidance on the matter published by the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities.   “ALEP contacted the Minister to clarify the definition with the aim of getting clarity for our members and their clients and, subsequently the guidance note has been further amended. Government clearly acknowledges that there is a problem here as the renewed guidance states:  ‘9. If you are a qualifying leaseholder and you extend or vary your lease, you may surrender your existing lease and be granted a new lease. As the new lease will not have been granted before 14 February 2022, the statutory leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act 2022 will not apply. We are looking to legislate to resolve this issue as soon as Parliamentary time allows. In the meantime, before seeking a new extended or varied lease, leaseholders should seek legal advice and seek to come to agreements with landlords to apply the same protections as contractual terms.’  “Though this revision to the guidance note is helpful, it simply acknowledges that there is now a significant lacuna for anyone with a qualifying lease with BSA protection who wants to extend this. Whilst most leases in affected properties will be ‘long’ leaseholders they may also face issues with ground rents / RPI reviews that they would normally wish to address by a statutory renewal of the lease. The current situation means that this cannot be done without losing the qualifying leaseholder protection.”   “As the updated guidance note acknowledges, the Government now needs to address the deficiencies in the current wording of the Building Safety Act legislation to clarify the definition of a ‘qualifying lease’.”   He continues:  “Whilst the policy objective and overarching goal for leasehold reform has been to make the process ‘simpler, quicker and cheaper for leaseholders,’ the definition of ‘qualifying lease’ contained in Section 119 of the BSA fails on all three counts.  “It has not made the process simpler because the issue of whether the new lease is protected under the Act has been made far more complex. It has not made the process quicker, because the uncertainty caused gives rise to a whole area of specialist enquiry to be undertaken before a claim can be made.   “And it has not made the process cheaper, both because it raises the question of whether the removal of protected status gives rise to any valuation issues, and because the extra work involved necessarily incurs additional professional fees.   “I cannot believe that it was the Government’s intention to create doubt and uncertainty. However, if the goal is to ensure that a new lease granted under the 1993 Act can be a ‘qualifying lease’, then the absence of any express provision to that effect in the Building Safety Act is surprising and confusing.  “The Government urgently needs to resolve this problem, and as they now acknowledge a simple amendment to the legislation is required to make it clear that statutory and other renewals of leases will not lose qualifying leaseholder protection. I hope the Government will move swiftly to rectify this problem, which will provide far greater certainty to leaseholders and the professionals advising them.”  For more information please visit https://www.alep.org.uk/  Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals