Why climate risk is rising in 2026
By Emily Alexander, senior associate scientist at Tunley Environmental
The evidence is difficult to ignore. 2023, 2024, and 2025 were the three hottest years on...
Cladding our future towards net zero
By Ellen Delph, project manager, KR Group (Scotland)
THE days of us living our lives within, what might be termed a linear production model -...
Retentions have been a source of conflict in the construction industry for too long
By Calum Melville, CEO of Edison Capital
Is there a strategy within the construction industry in Britain to drive contractors out of business? This is...
Maintaining drainage to prevent flooding
As Scotland experiences increasingly volatile weather conditions, it is more important than ever precautions are in place to prevent them causing havoc to infrastructure....
Heat decarbonisation: the woolly mammoth in the room?
Charlie Drysdale, associate director, smart energy and sustainability at Hydrock, discusses the opportunity for district heating networks to solve the heat decarbonisation challenge...
The lowdown on low U-value fenestration
Whether you are considering a ‘fabric first’ approach to a new build project or looking at ways to retrofit energy saving measures into an...
Advances in Scottish timber can support net zero efforts
By Sam Hart, innovation manager, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC)
IN the tale of the Three Little Pigs, only the house made of bricks survived...
Construction during a crisis: making people the priority
By David Shearer, managing director, HFD Construction
OVER the past weeks, construction has, like many other sectors, come under the spotlight as the world comes to...
Adding colour to facades could be a bright idea
Colour is in vogue in lieu of recent research into colour psychology. Ben Warren, managing director at Baumit, provides five points to illustrate how...
How real-time data is vital in groundworks scheme design
The role of monitoring can be fundamental to the success of groundworks projects. Taking advantage of all available data can help to ensure that...
Will we see a rise in self builders?
In Austria, 80% of homes are self-built, whereas the number in the UK barely exceeds 10%. However, with the UK Government’s recent announcement that...
Visible discolouration of water from building sites can attract the attention of more than...
By Simon Knott, managing director of environmental consultancy Naturally Compliant.
BUILDING sites can be challenging places but contractors and other construction professionals have a duty...
Sentencing guidelines to impact on Scottish firms
By Clare Bone, Partner and Criminal Solicitor Advocate, bto solicitors
THE Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 has UK wide application and Scottish courts...
Constructing a resilient future by building to withstand floods
Building flood resilience requires communities to prepare for and mitigate the effects of climate change. Lee Davison, head of submissions – civils at McLaughlin...
Governments must be ready to help construction sector go green
By Scott Brewster, MD of Brewster Bros, a resource management business which specialises in recycling construction waste and creating high quality recycled aggregates based...
Architects and designers must embrace the circular economy
By Alasdair Rankin, managing director, Aitken Turnbull Architects
Recently, I read an article about how academic innovation was helping to spearhead a transition to reduce waste...
New rules designed to further reduce fatalities
By Jacqueline Cursiter, Senior Associate at law firm CMS
Given the ever present threat of injury and, potentially, loss of life for construction workers, health...
Good ventilation takes on extra air of importance in education buildings
From removing pollutants to boosting concentration levels, improving indoor air quality is one of the most important considerations when creating educational facilities that are...
Mental Health Awareness Week: going beyond the default
The Lighthouse Charity provides 24/7 free and confidential holistic emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to the construction community in the UK and Ireland....
Passivhaus clarification required for improved compliance
New build housing will need to meet the Scottish equivalent of the Passivhaus standard within two years. But is there enough understanding of the...
