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A Fire Door Framework: Why Every Component Counts

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Contents October 2026 Costain awarded contract to

Thames Water treatment 04 upgrade sites

Sky Secures Approval for Major

Campus Investment 06 Livingston in Scotland Choosing the Right Emergency

for Your Building - By 14 Lighting Louise Frost, Door Controls Direct

14 18

A Fire Door Framework: Why

Component Counts - By 18 Every Iain Banks, Allegion UK Protecting Your Assets: Combating

22 Tools, Plant, and Equipment Theft in Construction

800,000 MBH Group bricks deliver one of the UK’s most technically demanding brick facade towers

Heads of the Valleys: from

42 ‘road from hell’ to modern dual carriageway

The Road Ahead: Why Highways

58 UK 2026 is Essential for Construction Leaders

Housebuilder inspires next generation of construction workers through education programmes

SPATEX 2027: The UK’s only

66 dedicated water leisure show, 2nd - 4th February 2027

Cover Image by Wolfgang Weiser

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Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 03

Latest News

SKY SECURES APPROVAL FOR MAJOR LIVINGSTON CAMPUS INVESTMENT, REINFORCING LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO SCOTLAND Planning permission has been granted for Sky’s new Livingston Campus, unlocking a major investment in Scotland and reinforcing Sky’s longterm commitment to the country. This approval marks a significant milestone in the delivery of a major new workplace development in West Lothian. The approval will enable the delivery of a new campus designed with sustainability in mind, bringing together Sky’s existing operations into a modern workplace for around 3,000 employees. The project will replace four existing buildings at Kirkton Campus and leased space on the Alba Campus, creating a new site spanning 15 acres and more than 21,000 m², with enhanced green areas and modern, flexible workspaces. The investment represents a significant vote of confidence in West Lothian and Scotland’s economy, supporting hundreds of jobs and creating opportunities for local suppliers, SMEs and businesses to play a role in both the delivery and ongoing operation of the campus. For more than three decades, Sky has been part of the Livingston community, with the site playing a critical role in the company’s UK operations and serving as one of Sky’s most important employment centres in the UK. The expanded campus will provide a future-ready home for Sky’s workforce while supporting the company’s long-term growth ambitions in Scotland.

workplace for our teams while delivering lasting economic benefits for the local community and wider region.” Gregor Poynton, MP for Livingston said:

Sky’s decision to invest in a new Livingston campus is a major vote of confidence in our highly-skilled workforce, our local economy and West Lothian’s future as a place to do business. For more than 30 years, Sky has been part of the fabric of Livingston and West Lothian, providing thousands of high-quality jobs and making an enormous contribution to our local economy. “This investment in a new, state-of-the-art campus demonstrates Sky’s long-term commitment to Livingston and recognises the incredible talent, skills and dedication of the people who work here. It will also create opportunities for local businesses and suppliers as the development progresses, bringing wider economic benefits across West Lothian. “This development will help secure Sky’s presence in Livingston for decades to come while reinforcing West Lothian’s reputation as one of Scotland’s leading locations for

Sophia Ahmad, CEO of UK Consumer, Sky, said: “Securing planning approval for our Livingston Campus is a significant milestone and a vote of confidence in Scotland. The new campus will create a fantastic

06 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

investment, innovation and high-quality employment.” Angela Constance, MSP for Almond Valley said: “I am delighted to see Sky’s ambitious development in Livingston move forward. This approval represents a major boost for West Lothian, bringing modern, sustainable facilities that will strengthen local employment and enhance opportunities for skills, training and wellbeing. “The plans for improved green space, active travel routes and high-quality amenities show a clear commitment to creating a campus that benefits both staff and the wider community. Alongside this the focus on sustainability, including on-site solar panels and renewable energy, demonstrates real leadership in building for the future. Through its strong focus on local supply chains and its decision to embed its longterm future here, Sky is reaffirming its commitment to West Lothian, helping to sustain jobs and drive inclusive economic growth across the region.” The project forms part of Sky’s continued presence in Scotland. Recent relocations of the company’s Glasgow and Dunfermline offices have created modern, versatile workspaces designed to bring teams together and support collaboration, underlining the important role Sky’s Scottish sites - and the people who work in them - play in its future growth.

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Company News

EDGE STRENGTHENS HIGHER EDUCATION PORTFOLIO WITH UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS FRAMEWORK APPOINTMENTS EDGE, a leading multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy, has been appointed to the University of Leeds’ new Construction Professional Services Framework, securing a place across four lots to support the University’s estate investment programme. EDGE can now be procured by the University of Leeds – a Top 100 university in the world – to deliver project management, quantity surveyor, cost consultant, building surveying and multidisciplinary services. The Framework Agreement will initially operate for four years, with the option to extend to a maximum duration of eight years. The agreement provides the University with a route to procure professional services across a broad and evolving pipeline of estate projects including refurbishment and reconfiguration, space upgrades across science and research, net-zero and MEP infrastructure, improvements to studentexperience and public-realm and building fabric, compliance and accessibility works.

“The University’s estate ambitions, from research and teaching space to net-zero infrastructure, align closely with our expertise as Higher Education specialists and with the landmark projects we’ve delivered across the region. “We look forward to supporting the University’s investment programme over the coming years.” David Oldroyd, Head of Capital Programme Deliver and Design at the University of Leeds, said: “Our new Construction Professional Services Framework has been established to support the continued development of our world-class estate. EDGE’s appointment across four lots provides us with access to a range of services that will help underpin future projects. We look forward to working

together to create spaces that support our University community for years to come.” Strengthening its position as a trusted partner in the higher education sector, EDGE’s appointment to the Framework reflects its proven expertise and strong track record in delivering complex, landmark projects. This includes major regional schemes such as the Leeds Bradford Airport regeneration programme, encompassing both the terminal extension and refurbishment of the existing terminal. The appointment also recognises EDGE’s direct experience working within the University of Leeds estate, having previously supported a range of projects including the Health Sciences Library, Baines Wing and the Cheney Accelerator.

This appointment builds on EDGE’s wellestablished presence in Leeds and will be led by Ben Small, Sam Bird and Sophie Barrow from the Leeds’ team. Sophie Barrow, Framework Lead at EDGE, said: “We’re delighted to be appointed to the University of Leeds’ Construction Professional Services Framework.

KEYLINE REOPENS BRAINTREE BRANCH FOLLOWING £700K REFURBISHMENT The UK’s leading civils and drainage specialist, Keyline, has officially reopened its Braintree, Essex branch following a £700,000 investment. Keyline customers and suppliers joined the branch team in celebrating the reopening and looked around the expanded branch. Keyline’s Managing Director, Huw Jenkins took part in the ribbon-cutting to reopen the branch, alongside Keyline’s

Regional Director for the South, Christina Dell, and Branch Manager Kirk Mason. Huw said: “It’s fantastic to see so many of our customers coming out to support the reopening of this branch. I’d like to thank all of our brilliant customers for their patience while we’ve completed the investment, and hope that following the refurbishment, it will be even easier for them to find everything they need at this branch, regardless of the size of the job. As the UK’s leading civils and drainage specialist,

08 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

it’s really important to us that all of our branches are set up to meet the evolving needs of our customers and I’m immensely proud of the work that has gone into our Braintree branch.” The investment has enabled the branch to carry a greatly expanded range of products and is able to hold more stock on site. The branch also has an expanded fleet, offering a range of vehicles from 32-tonne crane lorries to 12-tonne flatbeds.

Company News

MORGAN SINDALL APPOINTED TO PLYMOUTH CIVIC CENTRE REGENERATION Following approval by Plymouth City Council’s Cabinet, Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed to deliver the £6.49 million Phase 1 works package for the Civic Centre regeneration project, a major regeneration project in the heart of Plymouth city centre, with works on site due to commence at the end of September. Procured through the Southern Construction Framework (SCF), the project focuses on the refurbishment of the Civic Centre, a Grade II listed building constructed in 1962 that formed a central component of Plymouth’s post-war regeneration. Formerly serving as council offices, the Civic Centre comprises a 14-storey tower above a two-storey podium and a basement. Vacated in 2015 following a period of deterioration, the building has stood dormant at the heart of the city since. From September until the end of the year, the commencement of works will see scaffolding and netting erected to envelop the building. Once constructed, the scaffold will allow for the removal of cladding on the exterior to enable external structural surveys, and the removal of all remaining asbestos. Internal and external demolition works will also take place, including the demolition of the 1970s extension.

The regeneration of the building is one of the most ambitious in recent years. It is one of very few high-rise regeneration schemes in the UK and one of the first to comply with the new Building Safety Act which was introduced post Grenfell. Following completion of the restoration works, Plymouth City Council will enter into a 125-year lease with City College Plymouth to enable a significant investment by the college. The College intends to occupy the lower floors and basement as a new Blue Green Skills Hub, providing training for

up to 2,000 students each year across more than 60 courses. The Civic Centre tower will be repurposed to deliver 144 new homes, securing a sustainable long-term future for one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks. Externally, the scheme includes the refurbishment of the existing reflection pool alongside extensive hard and soft landscaping works that will connect seamlessly with the wider Armada Way and Royal Parade urban regeneration programmes, previous major Morgan Sindall projects in the city. Graham Kingdon, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the South West, said:

Christina Dell, Huw Jenkins, & Kirk Mason

This is a complex and highly significant project for Plymouth. The Civic Centre building is instantly recognisable and has stood empty for far too long, so being trusted by Plymouth City Council to bring it back to life is something we’re incredibly proud of. Through close collaboration and careful planning, our aim is to preserve the building’s unique character while creating spaces that serve the city for generations to come.

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 09

Company News business, hiring more people and taking on increasingly ambitious development projects, including our landmark Finnieston site.” The latest Westpoint Homes development, The 945 recently launched. Located in the sought-after neighbourhood of Finnieston, Glasgow, the project comprises 62 apartments and 6 commercial spaces. The 945 represents one of the largest single facilities provided by Close Brothers to Westpoint Homes to date, at £18.75m and is testament to the evolution of facility size and complexity that the lender is now offering borrowers.

WESTPOINT HOMES ANNOUNCES PLANS TO DELIVER 750 NEW HOMES IN SCOTLAND SUPPORTED BY CLOSE BROTHERS PROPERTY FINANCE Leading Scottish housebuilder Westpoint Homes has announced plans to deliver 750 new homes over the next five years across the country, supported by long-standing lending partner, Close Brothers Property Finance, part of the Close Brothers Group. Headquartered in Renfrewshire, Westpoint Homes has over 250 homes currently under construction across 4 sites in Scotland, alongside an existing pipeline which will bring forward a total of 750 over the next five years. Close Brothers Property Finance, one of the largest specialist development finance providers in the UK, has committed to supporting the pipeline, giving the housebuilder much-needed financial certainty in an uncertain market. Over the last 14 years, Close Brothers Property Finance has supported Westpoint Homes in the delivery of over 900 new homes with a combined Gross Development Value of £377 million. Ian Rigby, Managing Director at Westpoint Homes says:

Close Brothers Property Finance’s willingness to take the time to properly understand our business needs and provide bespoke facilities has been central to our ability to deliver the highquality, crafted homes we have been building across the country for 40 years. Knowing we have the team at Close Brothers supporting us gives us the confidence to invest in our business and bid for sites. “Their support has allowed us to unlock equity from completed projects and recycle that capital into the next one which means we can keep scaling our

10 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Close Brothers Property Finance has been active in the Scottish market since 2009 and has supported the development of 1,786 new homes in the last decade. The commitment comes as Scottish new-build completions fell to 17,268 in the year to March 2026, down 10 per cent year on year, with the country now in the third year of a declared national housing emergency. Gary Ferris, Business Development Director at Close Brothers Property Finance says: “Scotland is building fewer homes than at almost any point in the past decade. “SME housebuilders have the sites, the skills and the appetite, but too often they are constrained by the shape of the funding available to them. Westpoint’s 750-home pipeline shows what becomes possible when a developer has certainty over five years rather than one scheme at a time.” Traditionally Close Brothers Property Finance has offered facilities in the range of £1 million to £5 million and remains committed to that core SME housebuilder market. In tandem to that lending stream, the bank is now extending its maximum facility size up to £70 million, considering larger, more complex structured finance deals for established customers. These facilities include revolving credit facilities, large-scale Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and Build to Rent (BTR), and are a response to the evolving demand for specialist, flexible funding solutions to meet the needs of customers in Scotland. The expansion follows sustained investment in the Edinburgh team, most recently the appointment of Stuart Scott, as Director, Real Estate Finance, who joined the team from Investec this month.

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Fire Safety & Security Nicola John, Managing Director of Fire Door Maintenance (FDM) Training and Development

SECTION 35: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EXCELLENCE As the call for demonstrable competency continues, Nicola John, Managing Director of Fire Door Maintenance (FDM) Training and Development, discusses what this means for the fire door industry, how we must stop working in silos and how, with Section 35 of the Building Safety Act, the government is offering us all an opportunity to rise to excellence. The Building Safety Act (BSA) has raised the bar on competency and operational and professional standards; yet much confusion around what this looks like in practice continues throughout the industry.

that many industry professionals misunderstand the legislation. This current ambiguity offers an opportunity to promote better understanding and encourage shared accountability across the industry.

Safer Environments Through Shared Commitment

The fact is, everyone involved in a building project has an essential role to play in upholding compliance and safety. Regulators also now have new means to sustain these standards, signalling a shift from simply meeting minimum requirements to embracing a culture of proactive safety leadership. By embedding safety as a core value, businesses can transform operations in ways that help protect people and improve reputations.

Eight years after Dame Judith Hackitt’s pioneering report and amid the ongoing implementation of the BSA, the construction sector stands at a key moment of opportunity, as many professionals have yet to fully understand how the BSA shapes their responsibilities. 85% of respondents in a recent Constructionline survey revealed

12 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Together, the construction sector can turn this moment into lasting progress, building safer environments through shared values and innovation.

Building Industry Values Much of the lack of clarity and current confusion around the BSA comes from the fact that it doesn’t provide prescriptive, step-by-step instructions and instead offers a goal-setting framework. And while this approach may allow for uncertainty, we need to view it as an invitation. Rather than waiting for a regulator to hand us a checklist, we have the opportunity to help write the rules.

Fire Safety & Security Untangling the Thread

Section 35 asks us to think about buildings as complex, interconnected systems rather than a series of isolated trades and insists that our buildings are safe and that we can prove it. Rather than rigid guidelines stifling innovation, we can help create the standards as experts and professionals in the industry. Section 35 asks us to think about buildings as complex, interconnected systems rather than a series of isolated trades and insists that our buildings are safe and that we can prove it. Dame Judith Hackitt referenced other high-risk sectors as the model to follow. In oil and gas, it was industry that led the charge, not government. ‘They sorted themselves out and then went back to government,’ she said. ‘That’s how systemic change happens.’ The construction and fire safety sectors should learn from the post-Piper Alpha reforms and adapt those principles to the sector’s fragmentation and existing building regulation regimes. This is our chance to build a commercial environment where quality wins contracts, making competency a distinct competitive advantage.

The continued call for demonstrable competency offers a powerful leadership opportunity for large contractors, who have the ability to steer substantial change and establish new standards for the entire supply chain.

For fire doors, this requires provable competence and confidence around specification, installation, and maintenance. Not only installers, everyone involved in the lifecycle of a fire door holds a piece of the puzzle, and competency must start at the very beginning. The BSA requires a ‘golden thread’ of digital information, which creates an accurate, up-to-date, and secure record of a building’s safety data across its entire lifecycle. With fire doors, the building owner needs to know exactly what the door is, who installed it, what components it uses, and how to maintain it. Unfortunately, the golden thread is currently tangled, as the market remains fragmented and disconnected. This working in silos was part of Dame Judith Hackitt’s criticism of the pre-Grenfell construction landscape, and it must change to allow the golden thread of information to become the brilliant safety concept it was intended to be.

Creating a Legacy of Safety To achieve industry excellence, we must stop operating in silos. Manufacturers, specifiers, and installers should work together in a way that proves competence, helping ensure that everyone who walks onto a site knows exactly who’s accountable and can trust they have the necessary skills to do the job right. If we take the lead with this now, we’ll help to shape the future of our sector and start building a legacy of genuine safety. Individuals and organisations now have a duty to demonstrate competence across the construction supply chain. This means having the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours needed for the role, and organisations must ensure their teams have the right support, capacity, skills and resources to meet the requirements of the BSA. For the fire door industry, demonstrable competence is required from everyone involved in the lifecycle of the door, from specifiers and buyers to installers and responsible persons. The British Standards Institution (BSI) has a defined framework to outline what competency looks like through its four core pillars of skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours (SKEBs), demonstrating how each can be evidenced in practice. However, published in February this year, the Government’s Construction Products Reform Whitepaper stated there’s still a widespread lack of competence across

the supply chain from product design through to installation, highlighting a continued lack of clarity around what competency actually means.

Demonstrable Competence is Key For fire door installers, maintainers and responsible persons, competency must come from practical, hands-on learning and assessments, along with vital up-to-date theory. While installation qualifications can be gained from online or exclusively classroom-based courses with no product-handling element at all, let alone the real-world experience of installing or inspecting a fire door in actual site conditions, we need to ask: does this really deliver the competence the BSA demands? Being competent to fit a life-saving piece of engineering simply can’t be achieved by clicking through a multiple-choice test on a tablet. A computer can’t teach a fitter or maintenance worker how to deal with a warped frame, an uneven floor, or a non-standard wall structure. Real competency requires practical proof, and those who deal with fire doors need to get their hands on the materials. They need to feel the tolerances, understand the hardware, and physically work with the systems they are signing off on. Unfortunately, theoretical knowledge doesn’t stop fires.

A Driver for Change The continued call for demonstrable competency offers a powerful leadership opportunity for large contractors, who have the ability to steer substantial change and establish new standards for the entire supply chain. By advocating accredited practical training and regulated qualifications, industry leaders can establish a culture of safety in which every site requires provable expertise. As this new benchmark ripples throughout the sector, professionalism, quality and trust will be strengthened across the industry. With Section 35 of the BSA, the government is giving us the space to help define what excellence looks like, and the industry needs to take on this task as true experts and thought leaders. We have an important chance as a collective to set standards high for the built environment of the future and an opportunity to rise to excellence.

For more information visit: www.fdmltd.co.uk

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 13

Fire Safety & Security

CHOOSING THE RIGHT EMERGENCY LIGHTING FOR YOUR BUILDING Emergency lighting isn’t given a second thought until there’s a power failure. In that moment, they become one of the most critical safety features in a building, guiding occupants along escape routes to the final exit.

Signage and Mounting Accessories Some emergency lights feature directional arrows and pictograms to indicate the escape route and guide occupants towards a safe exit. These signs help people quickly identify the direction of the nearest escape route.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, responsible persons must ensure adequate emergency lighting is in place for emergency routes and exits in case of the failure of their normal lighting.

Selecting the correct mounting accessories also ensures signs are clearly visible. Choose recessed kits for flush ceiling mounting, flag kits for perpendicular wall mounting, and hanging kits for high ceilings or open spaces.

The challenge isn’t just installing a onesize-fits-all system, it’s choosing the right types of emergency lighting for the building’s layout, use, and regulatory requirements. Louise Frost from Door Controls Direct explains how emergency exit lights works, the different types, and testing options available.

stairwells, and well-lit areas. Many installations use a mix of units depending on how each area is used.

How Emergency Lighting Works

Matching the Type to the Building

Each fitting contains a built-in battery or backup power source. Rechargeable batteries charge continuously while mains power is available. If the power cuts out, the unit detects the outage and switches to battery power. They usually provide effective backup safety lighting for at least three hours - enough time for a safe evacuation. Once power is restored, the battery recharges automatically.

• Bulkhead lights are durable and

Maintained or Non-Maintained One of the first decisions is between maintained or non-maintained fittings. Maintained emergency lighting is continuously illuminated. It suits areas and venues where lights are already dimmed, corridors, and public areas.

versatile, suited to corridors, stairwells, and industrial settings.

• Blade exit signs use a slim, double-

sided design visible from multiple angles. Fit them in large open spaces such as shopping centres and offices.

• Box lights offer a compact solution for standard commercial installations.

• Recessed downlights sit flush within

the ceiling so are a go-to choice for hotels, retail spaces, reception areas – anywhere where aesthetics are important, but they’re not a substitute for other types of emergency lighting.

Non-maintained fittings activate only when the power fails. They’re the common choice for offices, corridors,

14 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Testing Emergency Lights Regular emergency lighting tests are a legal requirement, not an optional extra. Manual testing requires someone to interrupt the mains power supply to confirm the battery functions correctly. Self-test systems handle this automatically, monitoring battery condition and charging status, then flagging faults via a visual indicator, reducing maintenance time on larger sites.

Getting the Specification Right There isn’t a universal solution as the right system depends on individual building layout, escape route design, and compliance requirements. Take time at the design stage to avoid costly rework and potential safety issues postinstallation.

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Fire Safety & Security

ALL-ELECTRIC ROOFING EQUIPMENT RECOMMENDED IN LANDMARK FIRE SAFETY GROUP GUIDANCE Imperial Thermal Engineering (ITE), the Essex-based manufacturer behind the pioneering Eseries range of all-electric roofing equipment, has welcomed its inclusion in the newly published Safer Choices for Hot Work: FlameFree Construction guidance from the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) Fire Safety Working Group.

Jonathan ForbesBrown

Produced by industry experts in collaboration with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the guidance encourages the construction industry to adopt safer, flame-free alternatives to traditional hot works, helping to reduce fire risk while supporting better health and safety outcomes across construction sites. ITE features in the independent guidance as an example of innovation already helping to eliminate the need for LPG gas during roofing operations. Founded and led by Jonathan ForbesBrown, Imperial Thermal Engineering has spent more than a decade developing practical electric alternatives that improve safety, productivity and performance on site. Alongside manufacturing, the family-run business

7 FIRE SAFETY MYTHS THAT COULD PUT YOUR BUSINESS AT RISK Fire safety is one of those responsibilities that often doesn’t receive the attention it deserves - until something goes wrong, that is.

Triton Security explores the seven most common misconceptions around fire safety that businesses should be challenging.

For many businesses, compliance has fallen into the trap of being a tick-box exercise that’s centred around annual inspections, manual training exercises, and having the right paperwork in place. And although these are still important, they also provide organisations with a false sense of security when it’s assumed that compliance alone is enough.

Myth #1: “We’ve passed our fire risk assessment, so everything is ok!”

The reality is that fire safety is an ongoing process that’s never quite complete, as opposed to a one-off task. Teams grow, buildings change, operations adapt, and layouts evolve and so do the risks alongside them. However, many organisations continue to operate under outdated assumptions. This leaves them exposed to not only enforcement action, but to unnecessary risks for employees, customers, visitors and beyond.

While important, a fire risk assessment is only a snapshot in time. All it shows is that risks that have been considered based on the building, its usage, and the people inside it at that point in time. However, workplaces are constantly changing - whether it’s day-to-day or over the course of a few weeks. That could be the introduction of new equipment, office refurbishments or redesigns, storage changes, or different ways of working altogether - all of which can alter the level of risk involved. Rather than a one-and-done, your fire risk assessment should be viewed as a living document that gets reviewed regularly - not filed away until the next inspection.

16 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Myth #2: “Fire safety sits with one person.” While a single person or facilities manager is often awarded responsibility, truly effective fire safety relies on a collective approach. Employees will need to have a thorough understanding of evacuation procedures, visitors will need to follow all site protocols, managers will need to know how to properly respond if an incident occurs, and leadership will have the responsibility of ensuring that fire safety is always a priority. Being fully prepared for fire-related emergencies cannot sit with one person alone.

Myth #3: “We have fire extinguishers so we’re fully prepared!” Fire extinguishers are key, but only if they’re the appropriate kind, properly maintained, and people know when and when not - to use them. If someone

Fire Safety & Security also provides equipment hire, servicing, repairs and specialist training to support contractors transitioning away from gas-powered roofing systems. Jonathan Forbes-Brown (pictured), Founder and Managing Director of Imperial Thermal Engineering, said: “To see flame-free construction formally recognised within this industry guidance is a significant milestone. We’ve always believed the safest fire is the one that can never start, and our mission has been to remove LPG gas from rooftops by providing practical, high-performance electric alternatives. “Being featured in this guidance validates the work we’ve been doing for many years and reflects the wider industry’s commitment to changing the way roofing is delivered.” Designed and manufactured in the UK, the Eseries provides a complete all-electric suite of roofing equipment, including the Etorch range for drying substrates, activating adhesives and seaming, and the Epot range for melting bitumen-based roofing compounds. By replacing traditional gas-powered

attempts to tackle a fire without the proper training, then it can put everyone within the building at risk.

Myth #4: “We’ve never had a fire, so our risk is low.” Unfortunately, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future risk. Even the most serious fire incidents can occur in a building or organisation that has never experienced one in the past, making complacency a huge risk. The most effective fire safety strategy is about being prepared for low-frequency and high-impact events - rather than assuming that it’ll never happen to you.

equipment with flameless electric technology, the systems remove the fire risks associated with LPG while also eliminating gas-related carbon emissions from the roofing process. ITE’s commitment to innovation has been recognised nationally, winning Construction News Best Product Innovation category for the Etorch3 in 2023, and again for the Epot Series 8 in 2025. The company is also working with major contractors, including Willmott Dixon, Sir Robert McAlpine and Wates, as they look to reduce reliance on traditional hot works and adopt safer construction methods. Gary Walpole, Chair of the CONIAC Fire Safety Working Group, highlights the importance of this industry shift in the guidance: “The increasing adoption of flame-free methods demonstrates that eliminating the cause of fires is not only possible, but achievable at scale. Every project should begin by asking one simple question - can we remove the ignition source entirely?” Jonathan concluded: “The industry is reaching a tipping point.

Clients and principal contractors are increasingly looking beyond managing the risks of hot works to eliminating those risks altogether. That’s exactly where the future lies. As we’ve always said at Imperial Thermal Engineering - the future is all electric. For more information and to arrange a demonstration, visit www.imperialthermal.co.uk

becomes an investment in resilience, rather than a regulatory obligation.

Myth #6: “Evacuation plans only matter in an emergency.” Whether or not your evacuation plan will be successful and effective is determined long before the fire alarm sounds. Holding regular drills, ensuring clear communication, having updated procedures, and a complete understanding of how the most vulnerable in your building will be supported are all factors that contribute to a response that’s calm and effective.

Myth #5: “Fire safety is all about compliance.”

Myth #7: “Fire safety doesn’t need reviewing unless regulations change.”

Does compliance matter? Absolutely. But hitting the minimum legal requirements is the bare minimum; organisations need to aim higher. Having strong fire safety in place not only protects people and property, but also supports business continuity, safeguards reputation, and reduces disruption should - despite all efforts an incident occur.

If legislation hasn’t changed, then neither have your risks - right? Wrong. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is assuming that their operations aren’t constantly changing, because they are. Hybrid and flexible working, new tech, rising and falling occupancy levels, and building modifications can all have subtle yet significant implications when it comes to fire safety planning.

When seen in this way - as opposed to a box-ticking exercise - fire safety

Holding regular reviews of the systems you have in place can ensure that your

safety measures remain practical, proportionate, and highly effective. Organisations that have the strongest fire safety cultures are rarely those that skate by doing the bare minimum; but rather the ones who see fire safety as a wider commitment that involves protecting people and property, maintaining operational resilience, and building confidence across the board. At the end of the day, good fire safety isn’t about passing inspections; it’s about making sure that - should the unexpected happen - everyone knows what to do, how to respond, and the systems work as they should. Fire safety should never be viewed as a standalone compliance access, but rather a key part of responsible business management.

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 17

Fire Safety & Security

Iain Banks

A FIRE DOOR FRAMEWORK:

WHY EVERY COMPONENT COUNTS Iain Banks of Allegion UK provides a detailed guide on the functional hardware behind fire doors, exploring how each component plays a vital role in protecting people, property and compliance.

Typically fixed to the top face of the door leaf, concealed inside a mortised pocket or built into the floor beneath the door pivot point, door closers provide the controlled closing action that ensures a fire door has reliably closed after every use.

Passive fire protection and fire door hardware are intrinsically linked. Fire doors are tested as a complete assembly of certified hardware components, with performance relying on the coordination of each individual ironmongery product. Hinges, door closers, locks, latches, handles, seals and signage all have a role to play, and their ability to work in tandem is what often determines whether a fire door can perform as intended. This crucial partnership is designed to contain fire and smoke when it matters most. However, even a seemingly minor fault - whether a loose hinge, damaged seal or an incorrectly adjusted door closer - can compromise the performance of an entire fire door assembly. If one element fails, the safety of a building and its occupants is put at risk. With this in mind, careful attention must be given to the specification, installation and ongoing maintenance of fire door hardware. Iain Banks of Allegion UK explains more:

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Door Furniture “An appropriate handle is fundamental to the safe operation of a fire door. Where decorative hardware may suit an aesthetically driven application, fire doors are functional, and as such, door furniture should prioritise durability, practicality and ease of operation. There are two common handle types found on fire doors. Lever handles are typically fixed to latched fire doors, providing intuitive operation from either side of the door. Pull handles on the other hand, are generally used on unlatched doors and are particularly useful on larger, heavier fire doors where they are often paired with push plates. “Specification aside, door furniture must always remain securely fixed, with handles operating smoothly and returning freely to a horizontal position after use. Loose, damaged or missing handles can prevent the latch from engaging correctly, compromising

Fire Safety & Security fixings secured using the correct screws supplied or specified by the manufacturer. Should a fire door become difficult to operate, it’s important to check hinges for loose screws, signs of metal fragments or excessive oil leakage, all of which may indicate signs of wear. When damaged hinges are identified, they must be replaced with like-for-like certified products, with CE, UKCA or BS EN 1935 marks present and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.”

Door Closers

the door’s ability to provide effective compartmentalisation. To improve the durability of handles, bolt-through fixings are recommended as they secure the furniture through the door and the lock or latch case, reducing the likelihood of screws moving or loosening over time. Always remember, by securing installations this way, the door leaf is penetrated, and so, each fixing and component must be suitably fire-rated and compatible with the certified door assembly to maintain performance.”

Hinges “Fire door hinges perform one of the most demanding roles within the assembly by facilitating the necessary pivot action that provides movement to the door. To support the height and weight of a standard fire door, most timber assemblies require the installation of at least three certified hinges, with each positioned on the vertical edge of the door leaf and frame. For larger, heavier doors standing over 2.2 metres tall, a fourth hinge may be necessary.

“Door closers also play a central role in the movement of fire doors and are often regarded as one of most critical lifesaving devices in passive fire protection. Typically fixed to the top face of the door leaf, concealed inside a mortised pocket or built into the floor beneath the door pivot point, door closers provide the controlled closing action that ensures a fire door has reliably closed after every use. Controlled opening speeds also help to minimise a fire door’s misuse by reducing impact damage. Such is their importance to fire door safety, closers are required on all flat entrance doors and fire doors located on escape routes. “Should a fire door fail to close and engage with the latch successfully, it may be that the closer has been incorrectly installed or damaged and, therefore, needs correcting or replacing. In some cases, a door closer may have been inappropriately adjusted or even mistakenly - or purposely - disconnected, completely invalidating the reliability and fire rating of the door assembly. Routine inspections should confirm that the door closer is present, is securely fixed and shows no signs of damage that may be stopping the door from closing from any open position. When checking the condition of a door closer, the door should

close and engage the latch as intended when released from an approximate angle of 5° or 75mm.”

Locks, Latches and Cylinders “Where door closers are responsible for returning the door to its closed position, locks and latches make sure it remains securely closed. This is critical in a fire situation, where certified fire doors can keep fire and smoke at bay for 30 or 60 minutes - when rated FD30 or FD60 respectively. Both locks and latches should always be fire tested as part of the complete door assembly. In fact, removing latches or replacing them with products that have not been tested can invalidate certification and compromise fire door integrity. “When it comes to routine maintenance, it’s important to check for sticking mechanisms, misaligned strike plates and metal dust deposits, which are typically located on the latch bolt or strike plate, and could represent high levels of wear or damage. The latch must engage fully into the strike plate and hold the door firmly in place every time it closes. Where a lock incorporates a cylinder, that too must be compatible with the tested lockcase and operate smoothly without excessive resistance. A cylinder should be considered part of the fire door assembly, with incompatible hardware potentially affecting both fire performance and security, and as such, replacements should always be supported by suitable test evidence.”

Hold-open and exit devices “Hold-open and exit devices are specialised hardware components that provide safe, single-action egress on fire doors.”

Continued >>>

“In order to withstand frequent opening and closing cycles, accurate installation and regular maintenance is essential here. Each hinge must be present with all

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 19

Fire Safety & Security Only when every component is recognised for its role, and subsequently specified, installed and maintained correctly, can a fire door assembly perform as intended.

correctly at all times to ensure reliable operation at any given moment. Poor maintenance and unsuitable hardware replacements are common issues and can affect the mechanical operation of a system, and therefore the door. Emergency exit devices and panic exit devices must comply with BS EN 179 and BS EN 1125 respectively, together with appropriate UKCA and CE marking. This way, fire doors can efficiently maintain the balance of rapid evacuation when open and dependable protection against fire and smoke when closed.

Intumescent and smoke seals “An electromagnetic hold-open device can legally hold open fire doors, allowing for a greater flow of movement in high traffic areas, whilst being primed to automatically release the door when its connected fire alarm system is activated. These devices should be tested to BS EN 1155. It’s also important to recognise that using wedges or other improvised methods to hold open a fire door is unlawful and dangerous. Should an electromagnetic hold-open device not release the door when a fire alarm is activated, a problem may have occurred, such as the door straining against its selfclosing device upon operation. “Panic and emergency exit devices are designed to provide safe and rapid escape with minimum effort. As such, devices must be securely fitted and functioning

“Intumescent seals are concealed around the frame or door leaf and whilst going largely unnoticed during the operation of a door, they spring into immediate, critical action during a fire. When exposed to the high temperatures of fire, intumescent seals will expand significantly, and in doing so, they close the gap between the door leaf and frame, creating an effective barrier against smoke and fire. “Smoke seals provide additional protection by restricting the passage of smoke before temperatures become high enough for intumescent seals to activate. The inhaling of smoke is one of greatest risks to life in the event of a fire and so, over time, seals should be regularly inspected for damage. Excessive gaps between the side of the door and the frame could remove any

20 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

compartmentalisation efforts. With this in mind, a maximum gap of 3mm is recommended around all fire doors, whilst ensuring both intumescent and smoke seals remain intact and undamaged. Simply put, seals are an essential element of fire door safety.”

Fire Door Signage “Fire door signage is often the final piece of the compliance puzzle. ‘Fire Door Keep Shut’, ‘Automatic Fire Door Keep Clear’ and ‘Fire Exit Keep Clear’ signs are mandatory on all fire doors in the UK as per the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. They provide clear instructions to a building’s occupants and visitors and as a result, must remain present, legible, undamaged and appropriate for the door’s function.” Each of these hardware components performs its own specific function, though, no single ironmongery product can compensate for the failure of another. In truth, the true strength of a fire door lies in how each piece of hardware works together and for that reason, fire door hardware should never be viewed in isolation. Only when every component is recognised for its role, and subsequently specified, installed and maintained correctly, can a fire door assembly perform as intended. When the hardware is right, lives are better protected, damage is limited and compliance is achieved.

Construction Insurance Built for You Construction is complex. Managing risk shouldn’t be. Gallagher supports construction businesses across the UK with specialist insurance and risk management solutions. Our teams work with contractors, developers and consultants to help identify and manage risks across the construction lifecycle, from planning and procurement through to completion. Discover how we can support your business.

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Insurance

PROTECTING YOUR ASSETS: COMBATING TOOLS, PLANT, AND EQUIPMENT THEFT IN CONSTRUCTION The construction industry is a cornerstone of infrastructure development, but it faces a persistent and costly challenge: the theft of tools, plant, and equipment. This issue costs the UK construction sector over £800 million annually, encompassing not only the direct expense of replacing stolen items but also the indirect costs of project delays, increased insurance premiums, and lost productivity. The high resale value of construction equipment and the ease with which stolen items can be sold on the black market make this a lucrative crime, often perpetrated by organised groups. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly vulnerable, but even large firms are not immune to these risks.

The impact of such theft on construction projects can be devastating. Missing equipment often leads to significant delays, which in turn can result in missed deadlines, strained client relationships, and financial penalties. For tradespeople, the loss of personal tools can be especially damaging, as many invest heavily in their own equipment. Without these tools, their ability to work and earn a living is severely compromised. The ripple effects of theft can be felt across the entire project, affecting timelines, budgets, and the quality of work delivered. While the risks are significant, there are proactive steps that construction companies can take to protect their assets. Five immediate actions to

22 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

In many cases, GPS tracking technology can be the difference between a temporary disruption and a sixfigure uninsured loss. The most effective defence combines physical security, asset tracking, clear site procedures and employee vigilance. reduce plant theft include registering equipment on the CESAR scheme, fitting GPS tracking to critical assets, installing monitored CCTV, removing keys and immobilising plant overnight, and recording serial numbers while maintaining an up-to-date asset register. These measures, when combined, create a layered security approach that significantly reduces the likelihood of theft and increases the chances of recovery.

Insurance

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in combating theft in the construction industry. GPS tracking devices, for example, allow companies to monitor the location of their equipment in real time. In one recent case, a civil engineering contractor discovered that a 13-tonne excavator worth approximately £65,000 had been stolen from a secured compound. Thanks to a covert GPS tracking device, the equipment was located 40 miles away and recovered the same day, avoiding a substantial property claim and additional hire costs. This incident underscores the importance of layered security, rapid incident reporting, and accurate asset records. As Matthew Currie, Regional Claims Leader at Gallagher, explains, “We’re increasingly seeing organised criminal groups targeting construction plant and equipment due to its high resale value and the relative speed with which assets can be moved. In many cases, GPS tracking technology can be the difference between a temporary disruption and a six-figure uninsured loss. The most effective defence combines physical security, asset tracking, clear site procedures and employee vigilance.” Gallagher, in association with Crawford, has developed a Plant & Tool Theft Claims Proposition to address the challenges faced by contractors. Conventional claims processes often suffer from unclear intake channels, delays in instruction allocation, and handling by adjusters who lack expertise in plant and tool claims. These inefficiencies can lead to prolonged

settlement periods, increased hire costs, missed salvage opportunities, and suboptimal customer outcomes. This proposition can transform this experience by offering a tailored gateway for new instructions, director-led triage and allocation, and handling by dedicated specialist adjusters. The valuation function offers accurate reserving and early settlements, while proactive investigation techniques drive efficient outcomes. Claims are closely monitored with rolling three- and five-day action reviews, and unresolved claims are escalated to regional managers or directors within 20 days. This approach helps ensure claims can be concluded within 28 days.

impact of theft on their operations. At Gallagher, by understanding the unique risks faced by the construction industry and our commitment to providing tailored insurance solutions and risk management strategies, we are helping to build a more secure and resilient future for the sector.

The advantages of this proposition is designed to condense claim lifecycles, create accurate reserving and settlement values, maximise salvage returns, and offer excellent customer outcomes. By combining Gallagher’s insurance specialism with Crawford’s claims management capabilities, contractors can benefit from a streamlined process that minimises disruption for a swift resolution. Ultimately, tools, plant, and equipment theft is a challenge that requires a multifaceted approach. By investing in robust security measures, leveraging the latest technology, and fostering a culture of vigilance, construction companies can protect their assets and minimise the

For more information on how Gallagher can support your construction projects, scan the QR code above.

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 23

Opinion Piece

CONSTRUCTION NEEDS APPRENTICESHIP PLACES, NOT JUST APPRENTICES Andy Burnham wants Britain to value technical careers as highly as academic ones. Nicola Hodkinson, owner and director of Seddon, argues that construction must now make sure opportunity keeps pace with ambition. Andy Burnham’s promise to give technical education greater prominence in schools is good news for construction. Giving young people earlier exposure to technical subjects, employers and real workplaces could help more of them understand the breadth of careers our industry offers. But we should be careful about assuming that construction’s skills shortage is simply the result of too few young people wanting to join us.

Demand isn’t the problem There is already strong demand for good apprenticeships. The problem we face is whether the industry can create enough of them. An apprenticeship is not simply an entrylevel job. A construction apprentice needs supervision from experienced colleagues, practical learning, continuity of work and several years of support to become genuinely skilled. That learning often has to span several sites and projects, giving apprentices exposure to a wider range

of work than one workplace alone can provide. Employers therefore make a significant investment every time they take someone on.

If clients want contractors to train the workforce the country needs, procurement must create the conditions for that investment rather than simply measure the outcome. Contracts need to recognise that providing high-quality training requires time, supervision and money, while giving businesses enough certainty to plan beyond the immediate project.

For businesses operating on tight margins and short-term project pipelines, that can be difficult. The challenge is even greater for smaller firms, while the industry’s reliance on subcontracting means responsibility for developing the next generation can easily become fragmented.

This is particularly important for the SME supply chain. Across the industry, smaller businesses employ more apprentices than Tier 1 contractors, yet they often have less visibility of future workloads. Their experience needs to inform decisions about skills, while main contractors should give supply-chain partners earlier and clearer sight of forthcoming work so that they can plan and recruit with confidence.

If the Government wants more young people to choose technical careers, we therefore need to make it easier for employers to create the opportunities they will need.

Otherwise, there is a huge onus on the industry to solve a long-term skills shortage solely through short-term commercial decisions, which is virtually impossible in reality.

Skills come at a cost – we have to accept that reality

Give young people somewhere to go

Funding is a key part of the puzzle. The apprenticeship system needs the flexibility to reflect the realities of construction, while SMEs need support with the cost and administration involved in training someone properly.

The Government’s focus on technical education gives construction an opportunity. Our industry offers routes into trades, engineering, digital roles, sustainability, management and many other careers, and we should be making those opportunities visible to young people much earlier.

The structure of apprenticeships must evolve too. As construction delivery becomes more specialised, individual employers are less likely to cover every element included in an existing standard. Programmes should make it easier for apprentices to build strong expertise with one business while gaining broader experience elsewhere in the industry. A more modular model would make training more relevant and enable more employers to offer places without compromising its quality. There is a role for clients, too.

Nicola Hodkinson

requirements are short-term or confined to one location, they can hinder rather than help because the commitment to an apprentice lasts well beyond a single contract. A longer project may provide some stability, but employers ultimately need visibility of a continuing pipeline of work.

Construction businesses are frequently asked to commit to apprenticeships and employment outcomes through procurement. But targets attached to individual projects are not the same as long-term apprenticeship capacity. When

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But raising aspirations cannot be the end point. Every successful conversation in a classroom needs somewhere to lead. Every young person inspired to consider construction needs a realistic route into the industry. That means apprenticeships with employers that have the capacity, pipeline and support to train people properly. The Government is right to raise the standing of technical education. The industry, its clients and policymakers must now work with employers, especially SMEs, to tackle the other half of the equation: making sure there is a real opportunity waiting for the young people who respond.

Opinion Piece

DELIVERABILITY, NOT ASPIRATION, WILL DEFINE THE FUTURE PIPELINE By Michael Holloway, Director of planning and development consultancy Urbana The UK construction sector has become familiar with testing market conditions over the last decade. And despite the challenges of Brexit, Covid-19, inflationary pressures, supply chain disruption and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, there is no shortage of development ambition across the country. However, with a widening viability gap emerging between the schemes being planned and those that can progress to construction, across the built environment, the pressing question right now is one of project deliverability. Much attention is focused on housing targets, planning reform and economic growth, but the industry faces a growing risk that many projects will secure support in principle and never reach site.

A perfect storm of cost and complexity The development process has become significantly more demanding. Rising planning costs, extended determination periods and increasing levels of uncertainty have all contributed to higher pre-construction risk. For major projects, particularly strategic developments and regeneration schemes, substantial investment is often required before there is any certainty of approval. Delays not only increase costs but can also undermine the original viability predictions for projects. The impact of the Building Safety Act has added a further layer of complexity. While the legislation plays an essential role in improving standards and accountability, the additional compliance requirements, gateway approvals and design obligations have inevitably extended programmes and increased costs across the project lifecycle.

While infrastructure investment is critical, there is a growing need to balance policy aspirations with commercial realities. The challenge is not a lack of opportunities. Across residential development, town centre regeneration and infrastructure-led growth areas, there remains significant demand for investment and construction activity. The difficulty lies in creating enough certainty for projects to move forward. Funders continue to view property as an attractive long-term investment, but their confidence is linked to predictability. Uncertainty around planning outcomes, build costs, programme durations and regulatory requirements can make investment decisions harder to justify, even where demand remains strong.

Shifting the focus to deliverability If the industry is to accelerate delivery, there needs to be greater emphasis on what can realistically be achieved. Earlier engagement, greater collaboration and more transparent discussion around viability can help identify challenges before these become barriers to delivery.

Equally important is a willingness to be pragmatic. In some cases, that may mean phasing development, simplifying design approaches or accepting that changing market conditions may require adjustments to be made to the original vision. A project that delivers most of its intended benefits is invariably preferable to one that remains stalled indefinitely.

Turning consent into construction The UK needs a planning and delivery environment that consistently converts proposals into delivery. The conversation must move beyond simply securing approvals and towards ensuring that viable schemes are built. Deliverability, not aspiration alone, will determine whether projects create jobs, support communities and contribute to long-term economic growth. Achieving that will require realism, transparency and a collective focus on one simple objective: getting more projects built. Michael Holloway

Dedicated officer resources for strategic schemes and earlier coordination between planning teams, statutory consultees and applicants could help improve certainty and reduce delays.

At the same time, developer contributions through Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy continue to place considerable pressure on projects.

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 25

Technology & Software

ONE DRAWING, ONE SOURCE OF TRUTH: HOW OKTRA REDUCED PROJECT RISK Oktra standardised its process using Bluebeam, establishing one comprehensive markup set as the authoritative source for each drawing. Rather than recreating comments for different audiences, designers now produce a single review that can support technical coordination, cost enquiries and subcontractor instructions.

In fast-moving workplace fit-out and refurbishment projects, drawing reviews are more than an administrative step. They influence pricing, procurement, coordination and, ultimately, what is installed on site. When comments are scattered across emails, meeting notes and multiple PDF versions, ambiguity can quickly translate into delay, rework and additional cost. For workplace design and build company Oktra, the challenge was to create a consistent review process that could support multiple projects without slowing its designers down. A typical drawing pack may contain around 60 drawings and can exceed 100 once subcontractor information is included. With as many as eight review rounds on a project, repeating markups for design, commercial and delivery teams created unnecessary risk.

“If we’re going to review something, we do it properly once, not three different times for three different audiences,” explains Jenny Edwards, Creative Director at Oktra. Discipline-specific colours make responsibilities easier to identify, while custom approval stamps record who reviewed a drawing and when. Markedup PDFs are saved in controlled folders, providing an audit trail that teams can refer to if questions arise. As designs change, comments can be amended directly within the PDF instead of being crossed out, rescanned or rewritten, keeping information clear through successive revisions. Oktra also uses Bluebeam Studio Sessions to structure client reviews. Drawing sets can be shared within a defined review period, with stakeholders assigned designated markup colours. Comments are attributed and datestamped in one location, giving the project team a consolidated record before page-turn meetings. This is particularly useful when stakeholders work across different locations or time zones. The benefits extend beyond the design team. Cost managers receive clearer information when preparing comparable enquiries, while suppliers and subcontractors can see dimensions, finishes and instructions without

26 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Oktra standardised its process using Bluebeam, establishing one comprehensive markup set as the authoritative source for each drawing.

relying on separate explanations. This helps reduce clarification loops and the likelihood of something being priced, fabricated or installed incorrectly. Bluebeam has consequently become an everyday tool at Oktra, whose user base has grown from around 30 people to nearly 70. While Oktra does not currently quantify the impact through a single time-saving metric, it sees standardisation as the foundation for clearer accountability, stronger design control and confident project delivery at every stage. See how Bluebeam can support clearer, more efficient project workflows. Scan the QR code to start your free trial.

Try Bluebeam for free www.bluebeam.com/uk/trials

Technology & Software

5-STAR HOUSEBUILDER CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF AFTERCARE EXCELLENCE The Hill Group is celebrating a decade of partnership with aftercare and defect management platform clixifix®, marking 10 years of working together to support the housebuilder’s customer care strategy and commitment to delivering an exceptional homeowner experience long after the keys have been handed over. The partnership began in September 2016 and has grown alongside Hill’s continued expansion across London, the South and the Home Counties. The milestone was recently marked at Hill’s headquarters in Waltham Abbey, where members of the customer service team were presented with the clixifix® Customer Care Award 2026 in recognition of their long-standing commitment to aftercare, customer satisfaction and continuous improvement. Over the past decade, Hill has managed more than 27,600 plots and over 381,000 defects through the clixifix® platform. Of those, almost 374,000 defects have been successfully resolved, representing a closure rate of more than 98%. The figures highlight not only the scale of Hill’s aftercare operation but also the importance of effective processes, communication and visibility in maintaining service standards as the business continues to grow. The scale of activity extends far beyond defect volumes alone. More than three million defect-related comments have been recorded within Hill’s clixifix® account, creating an extensive record of communication between customer care teams, contractors and homeowners. By keeping updates, actions and conversations connected directly to individual defects, the platform provides a clear audit trail and supports transparency throughout the aftercare journey.

The platform has become an important part of the way we manage aftercare and we would have no hesitation recommending it.

Today, Hill has 5,950 active plots being managed through clixifix®, with the platform supporting a busy customer care operation where responsiveness, collaboration, accurate reporting and visibility are essential to delivering a consistent homeowner experience. Amelia Sellek, Customer Service Director at The Hill Group, said: “clixifix® made what had previously been a disjointed process much simpler and easier to manage. It gives our team the visibility we need to react quickly, report against KPIs and provide homeowners with a better experience. Over the years, the clixifix® team have always been approachable, supportive and open to our suggestions and ideas. The platform has become an important part of the way we manage aftercare and we would have no hesitation recommending it.” Hill’s focus on customer service sits alongside a wider reputation for quality and excellence across the industry. The business is recognised as a five-star HBF housebuilder and a three-time winner of the prestigious WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year award, reflecting a long-term commitment to delivering quality homes and thriving communities. The 10-year milestone also carries personal significance for Clair Currie, Head of Customer Success at clixifix® and Hill’s account manager, who celebrates

her own 10-year anniversary with the business in September 2026. Clair said: “There’s something particularly special about celebrating 10 years of working with Hill in the same month that I reach my own 10-year milestone with clixifix®. I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand how Hill’s approach to customer care has continued to evolve, while their commitment to giving homeowners the best possible experience has remained constant. The scale of what the team manages today is incredible, but what has always stood out is their willingness to keep improving and to work collaboratively with us. We’re incredibly proud of the relationship we’ve built, and it was a real pleasure to recognise the team with our Customer Care Award.” Throughout the partnership, the two organisations have worked closely together to adapt processes, support changing customer expectations and introduce improvements that help customer care teams operate more efficiently. As defect management and homeowner communication become increasingly important areas of focus for the housebuilding industry, both teams continue to explore new ways of improving visibility, reporting and operational performance. The partnership continues to evolve, with recent conversations between Hill and clixifix® focusing on areas including reporting and KPI visibility, commercial insight, mobile working capabilities and future developments within the clixifix® platform. These discussions reflect a shared commitment to continuous improvement and ensuring customer care teams have access to the information and tools they need to deliver outstanding post-handover experiences.

Visit: www.clixifix.com

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 27

Technology & Software

REMOTE ACCESS MAKES MODERN LIVING MORE CONVENIENT Couriers, service technicians and visitors do not always arrive when residents are at home. With the My2N App, residents can let them into the building remotely or send them a timelimited PIN or QR code in advance. For developers, this is more than an added convenience. It is a practical feature designed around everyday situations in residential buildings. Residents do not have to hand over a physical key, ask a neighbour for help or change their plans because someone is coming. When a visitor calls from the entrance intercom, the call appears on the resident’s phone. They can see and speak to the visitor before deciding whether to unlock the entrance door and, if required, another door further inside the building. Access can also be arranged in advance and limited to exactly when it is needed. Developers are therefore choosing more than an intercom or access unit. They are also shaping how access to the building will work in practice, from residents returning home each day to those occasions when they are away. A well-designed access solution becomes part of the user experience offered by the development and can help set it apart in the market.

Residents remain in control even when they are away The My2N App brings mobile access and intercom communication together on a smartphone. The phone can replace an access card while also receiving video calls from the intercom. When a visitor rings, the resident can see who is there, speak to them and unlock the door remotely, whether they are at work, travelling or on holiday. Residents can create a time-limited PIN or QR code for visitors, couriers or service technicians and send it to them in advance. The access credential remains valid only for the specified period and can be revoked if necessary. Residents retain control over who can enter the building and when, without having to give anyone their own key or access card.

A mobile phone instead of a card. Sometimes a watch is all it takes The convenience extends beyond unlocking doors remotely. As residents move around the building in their daily lives, they can unlock doors using their phone and, depending on the solution

selected, their Apple Watch. This removes the need to carry an additional access card and makes entry a more natural part of their everyday routine. Depending on the requirements of the project, a 2N solution can include an IP intercom at the main entrance, access units at other doors, mobile access via the My2N App and integration with a supported lift system for access to designated floors.

The scope of the solution always reflects the layout and operation of the individual building. Home automation is a separate thirdparty system. Selected 2N products can be integrated with it where the particular system supports the integration. For developers, this offers a further advantage: connections to other technologies within the development can be considered from the outset when planning access and movement through the building.

The benefits are clearest when residents are on holiday A holiday is a particularly good example of the value of remote access. A courier may arrive with an important delivery, a service technician may need to enter the building or someone may be coming to water the plants. The resident does not need to be there. They can verify the visitor over a video call and unlock the door, or send them a time-limited PIN or QR code in advance. The same convenience is useful throughout the rest of the year. Remote access is therefore not simply a “holiday feature”, but a clear example of how a modern access solution can make everyday life easier. For developers, it is also a straightforward point of differentiation: the benefit is easy to demonstrate through a real-life situation and something customers will experience in their daily lives.

Planning a residential development? Find out how 2N solutions can bring mobile access, video communication and temporary visitor access together in a single user environment. Explore 2N solutions for residential developments at www.2N.com.

28 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Technology & Software

HOW SUBCONTRACTORS ARE PROVING WORK ON DEMAND, NOT RECONSTRUCTING IT, WITH ONETRACE Six months after the job’s finished, a Tier 1 contractor calls. They want proof a specific area was signed off, dated, and done to spec. You know the work was right. Proving it is another matter.

That gap between doing the work and proving it is what Onetrace was built to close. Onetrace is construction management software built specifically for subcontractors, not adapted from a main contractor’s project system or a generic QA tool. It’s used by fire protection, fire stopping, drylining, roofing, façade, M&E, plumbing, electrical and specialist maintenance contractors across the UK, from single-site SMEs to multi-trade enterprises.

Most construction platforms are built for main contractors or adapted from generic job management tools, then retrofitted for subcontractors. Onetrace starts from the opposite direction: it is built around how subcontractors actually work on site.

Proof in the field

For most subcontractors, that means going back through text threads, paper sign-off sheets and undated photos, trying to piece together a timeline from memory and whatever scraps survived. The work was done properly. The record just isn’t built to answer the question fast, and a simple query starts to look like a dispute.

Built for subcontractors, not adapted for them

operatives move between sites, and every change creates its own admin: updating schedules, chasing timesheets, confirming the right documents are signed before work can even start. Onetrace’s Planner lets contracts managers assign jobs and adjust schedules in seconds, so plans stay live instead of running off an outdated tracker. GPS-verified clock-ins and geofencing remove the guesswork over who was on site and when, automatic clock in and out stops missed entries becoming a payroll dispute, and mandatory documents such as RAMS and toolbox talks get signed as part of the job itself, not chased afterwards. The result is the same principle applied to people as to evidence: a live, accurate record of who did what, where and when, without adding a coordination job on top of the work itself.

The problem it solves is a familiar one: site records that are fragmented across systems and people, reconstructed after the fact instead of captured as work happens. That reconstruction is where admin hours disappear, reporting slows down, and a client’s routine question turns into a costly back-and-forth.

A record that builds itself, on site Onetrace works differently. Site teams work directly from the drawings, pinning photos, forms and approvals to the exact location as the job progresses. The result is a timestamped, connected record that builds itself, ready the moment anyone asks for it, rather than something the office has to assemble under pressure. One click turns that record into a branded, client-ready report, no digging through folders or old messages required. The same pressure shows up on the workforce side. Plans change,

Trail Group, a Swanley-based contractor working across fire protection, construction, electrical, security and maintenance, used Onetrace during a tender and went on to win a multimillion-pound, multi-year London contract. As managing director Jon Crosby put it: “As a growing business, we needed a system that could keep up with us, one that would help us scale efficiently without adding unnecessary overheads.” That’s the double benefit worth noting. An evidenced, structured record doesn’t only satisfy the compliance obligation when a client or Tier 1 asks. It becomes proof of professionalism in its own right, the kind that helps win the next tender and hold on to bigger clients, built from the same day-to-day record-keeping rather than a separate exercise. For subcontractors under pressure to look, and be, more credible to larger clients, that’s a meaningful shift: one record, doing two jobs.

Visit onetrace.com to see how subcontractors are turning site records into audit-ready evidence and commercial advantage, without the admin burden of reconstructing it after the fact.

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 29

Technology & Software

HOW DRIVERLESS TRACTORS REFLECTS A MUCH BIGGER SHIFT IN TECHNOLOGY Driverless tractors and autonomous robots have become unlikely stars of the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm. Perhaps the clearest demonstration in modern media that autonomous heavy machinery has moved beyond theory and prototype. But the farm is not the only workplace being transformed - as pressure grows to build housing, upgrade infrastructure and deliver projects faster, automation is the key to increasing productivity with less fuel, lowered emissions and fewer resources. Driverless tractors are just one example of how automation is taking timeconsuming work out of the equation. Ian De Dobbelaere, Commercial Project Manager at Komatsu Smart Construction offers his insight into how autonomous technology is transforming productivity – and why making machines more intelligent could have implications far beyond the industries in which they operate.

The challenge – doing more with less For years, construction machines have been becoming progressively smarter excavators and bulldozers can already use digital designs to help operators dig, grade and shape the ground more accurately. Newer systems are automating more of those movements, while manufacturers including Komatsu are also developing autonomous machines that could eventually carry out certain tasks with far less human input.

at large sites for years, moving huge quantities of material without a driver sitting in the cab. For construction, the challenge is particularly significant. The world needs more homes and infrastructure, while projects are under pressure to become faster, more affordable and less carbon intensive. At the same time, a shortage of skilled workers and rising operating costs are making it harder for businesses to simply throw more people and machinery at the problem. This is where automation becomes more than a futuristic idea - if a machine can carry out a task more accurately, with fewer unnecessary movements and less downtime, the impact isn’t simply that a contractor saves a few hours. Across a major project, those small efficiencies can translate into less fuel consumed, fewer resources wasted and projects completed weeks earlier and much of the technology needed to achieve this already exists. Machine control, digital surveying, connected machinery and drone technology have been building the foundations for increasingly automated operations for years. What’s really stopping construction sites is the environment in which they work. Machines can already dig and steer without a hand on the controls, but a construction site changes every day, with

Mining gives us a glimpse of where that journey can lead, and autonomous haul trucks have already been operating

30 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

different trades, ground conditions and logistics from one job to the next.

Connectivity on large or remote sites adds another layer, but the bigger issue is that the technology is usually ready before the environment is. For autonomous machines to work effectively alongside people and other machines, the entire site needs to become more connected. The solution – making the whole site smarter Digital solutions that address these challenges already exist - for example, Komatsu’s Intelligent Machine Control (iMC) provides contractors with direct access to survey-grade jobsite information without requiring external surveying services, allowing time to be saved on site. The environmental benefit is also key when machinery knows exactly where material needs to be moved or how deeply to excavate, there is less scope for unnecessary passes, rework or material movement. That means the same job

Technology & Software can potentially be completed using less machine time and less fuel. The productivity gains can also change the role of the people operating and managing machinery. Technology isn’t necessarily removing humans from the equation, but instead it allows them to spend less time carrying out repetitive physical tasks and more time making decisions, solving problems and overseeing increasingly complex operations.

Putting automation into practice On a recent Yorkshire Water project delivered by Mott MacDonald Bentley, digital construction technology backed by AI was used to plan and monitor the movement of tens of thousands of cubic metres of earth. The project reduced the need for engineers to work alongside operating machinery and ultimately finished three weeks earlier than first predicted, with a reported £350,000 cost saving. With 85 percent of large-scale construction projects delivered late in the UK, the ability to save time and improve cost efficiency can have a significant impact. By reducing the time machinery needs to operate on site, this technology can help lower operating costs and fuel consumption, while freeing up people and equipment to move onto the next project sooner. Scale that across thousands of infrastructure projects and the potential becomes much bigger - technology could help industries deliver more of the infrastructure the world needs, without requiring a proportional increase in time, people, fuel and resources. This is why the driverless tractor is perhaps only the most visible part of the automation story. For more information on how technology can help automate the site, please visit smartconstruction.io

FRESH PROJECTS LAUNCHES FRESH MEMORY, THE FIRST AI-POWERED PROJECT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PLATFORM BUILT FOR AEC FIRMS Fresh Projects, the practice performance software company serving architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms worldwide, today announced the launch of Fresh Memory - the first AI-powered Project Information Management platform built specifically for the AEC industry. Starting with email, Fresh Memory provides intelligent filing and retrieval, transforming project correspondence into a secure, searchable knowledge base that spans the entire practice. Every day, thousands of critical project decisions, approvals and client conversations disappear into individual inboxes, making valuable knowledge difficult to find and often impossible to share. Using advanced AI, Fresh Memory simplifies the filing of project correspondence as well as giving visibility into what has and hasn’t been filed, helping teams reduce blind spots and manage risk. Then, instead of manually searching through countless email threads, architects, engineers and construction professionals can simply ask questions in plain English, such as “Which finishes did the client sign off for the lobby?”, “Why did we change the cladding specification?” or “When was the variation approved, and by whom?” Fresh Memory searches the complete history of project communications and returns smart, context-relevant answers in seconds, even inferring emotions in the correspondence. Fresh Projects already helps hundreds of firms improve profitability by bringing together project timesheets, costs, resourcing and financial performance in a single platform. With the addition of Fresh Memory, firms can now unlock the knowledge hidden within years of project correspondence, connecting operational data with the conversations behind every decision.

The result is faster answers, stronger collaboration, fewer duplicated efforts and reduced risk when key staff leave or projects change hands. Rather than knowledge remaining trapped in personal inboxes, it becomes shared, collective intelligence that benefits the entire organisation. “Every practice is sitting on years of hardwon project knowledge, and almost all of it is locked away in individual inboxes and virtual filing drawers,” said Simon Berry, founder of Fresh Projects.

The interesting thing here is not that there is AI involved. It is that a firm can finally reach that collective memory, the decisions, the commitments, the reasons behind a choice, without depending on the one person who happens to remember. It stays with the practice, not the person. Fresh Memory is available both as an addition to the Fresh Projects platform and as a standalone product. It works with Microsoft 365. Firms do not need to be Fresh Projects customers to use it, meaning any AEC practice can adopt it alongside their existing systems. The product is launching through the second half of 2026, beginning with a limited group of early adopter firms. A small number of practices will be able to join in the opening period, with wider availability to follow. Firms interested in being among the first to use Fresh Memory are invited to contact Fresh Projects to join the early interest list. Visit: www.gofreshprojects.com

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 31

Technology & Software

THE BEST SOFTWARE IS THE ONE YOUR TEAM ACTUALLY USES ON SITE Every construction project tells a story. Who was on site. What work was completed. What changed. What caused a delay. Which subcontractors attended. What was delivered. What issues arose, and what evidence exists to prove it. The challenge is that this story is often scattered across notebooks, spreadsheets, emails, photos and individual memories. the friction between what happens on site and what gets recorded.

As expectations around construction records continue to grow, reliable information is becoming increasingly important. The Building Safety Act and the “golden thread” have brought renewed attention to the way project information is captured, maintained and retrieved. But there is another, more practical challenge: the quality of a project record depends on the people on site actually recording the information.

When better adoption delivers better reporting Construction businesses today have access to increasingly powerful project management platforms. Yet more functionalities do not necessarily result in better information from the field. For a Site Manager or Supervisor, every extra step matters. If reporting requires hours of training, complex workflows, or too much time away from the job, adoption can quickly suffer. And when a system is not used consistently, gaps inevitably appear in the project’s record. This is where Site Diary takes a different approach. Site Diary is a construction and civil engineering project management solution, backed by more than 15 years of industry expertise. Rather than trying to manage every aspect of a construction business, Site Diary focuses on making one essential process easier to use: capturing what happens on site, as it happens. From a mobile device or web browser, teams can quickly record progress, labour, plant, subcontractors, weather, delays, photos, and other key site events

By making everyday reporting intuitive and quick to complete, Site Diary helps teams capture information consistently, while events are still fresh. Progress, delays, labour, plant, subcontractors, photos and key site events are recorded at source rather than reconstructed days later.

Proof from the field The experience of Site Diary customers supports that principle. At Alun Griffiths, supervisors were comfortable using the platform from their first diary entries, while digitising the process has delivered significant time savings. Costain found that the intuitive interface made it easier to onboard changing project teams. And at UB Civils, the ability to work both from mobile on remote Scottish sites and from a browser in the office helped Site Diary become part of the team’s everyday workflow. The value of those records often becomes clear when something goes wrong. For Hammond Homes, consistent daily records captured through Site Diary helped establish the timeline and evidence needed to successfully support a delay claim.

Designed to make reporting easier For Site Diary, ease of use is not about reducing capability. It is about removing

32 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

This gives Project Managers and commercial teams more timely visibility, helps them identify issues earlier and supports better decisions based on current site data. And months later, when someone needs to understand what really happened on site, those records provide the evidence to support the story. For more information, please visit www.sitediary.com or contact us at hi@sitediary.com

10 0 + AWA R D-W I N N ING CL AY B R I CKS Fin d yo u r per fect br ick today. sales@mbhplc.co.uk

0844 931 0022

www.mbhplc.co.uk

Bricks & Blocks

800,000 MBH GROUP BRICKS DELIVER ONE OF THE UK’S MOST TECHNICALLY DEMANDING BRICK FACADE TOWERS Skinner Street is a 30-storey residential tower in Leeds city centre, designed by Leach Rhodes Walker Architects and delivered by main contractor Keady Construction. Comprising around 400 apartments, it’s one of the most technically demanding brick-facade high-rises completed in the UK in recent years. The building’s curves come from its setting. The site sits on an exposed westerly frontage on an arterial route into the city, where wind crossing the Pennines creates a difficult microclimate. Curved facades and generous window openings were worked into the design early on, easing wind impact, reducing low-pressure vortices on the leeward side of the building, and improving its aerodynamic performance. The design team avoided complex special units and worked with minimum curve radii and full brick reveals to model the façade. They achieved the look of continuous, flowing curves using standard brick modules, an approach that kept the build costconscious while remaining architecturally ambitious. Setting out the building was a project in itself. The ground floor was established conventionally, with the site engineer working from datums and grid lines. From there, the upper levels were set

Photography: Mark Higgins

34 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

out internally from the steel frame and weatherboard, with reference points fixed at roughly 1200mm centres to track the external wall build-up. Window openings were used as additional reference points wherever possible, and at every second floor, the slab edge was used to position the masonry support and bed the pistol brick course to the correct radius, with further checks made by sighting through window positions and aligning the reveals. “We were delighted to be involved in the award-winning Skinner Street development, working closely with the project team to help deliver its distinctive curved brick façades. Through early design collaboration, Leviat developed a bespoke masonry support solution that addressed the project’s structural and architectural challenges while supporting efficient installation on site. The completed scheme is a fantastic example of how collaborative engineering can help bring ambitious design concepts to life.” - Sara Dawes, Regional Technical Sales Manager, Masonry, Leviat UK “In my opinion Skinner Street demonstrates that brick can be specified in many varied circumstances, and it destroys the myth that we do not have skilled bricklayers in our industry” - Geoff Irvine, Project Director

Bricks & Blocks Skinner Street is a powerful example of what can be achieved when architectural ambition, technical collaboration and skilled craftsmanship come together. The brickwork itself runs to thirteen separate radii, some varying by as little as 2mm over a two-metre length. Bespoke plastic templates, manufactured at 1.35m in length to reflect each radius variation, kept the work consistent floor by floor. The masonry support system behind this was designed and manufactured by Leviat Ancon. The design brought its own challenges, given how many radii were incorporated across the project and how they changed as the building rose through its floor levels. Leviat coordinated the masonry support packages closely to manage this, delivering each level in individually labelled crates by elevation and radius so the support system would align accurately with the brickwork being built from the floor below. The 800,000-brick façade is a blend of 50% Michelmersh Synthesis 01, 40% Wrekin Berkshire, 6% Wrekin Dark Red and 4% Black Smooth. The black brick running through the predominantly red mix adds depth and breaks up what would otherwise read as a flat surface, and nods to Leeds’ own history as a brick city. This final blend was reached through

close collaboration between Keady, the planning team, and MBH. “Skinner Street is a powerful example of what can be achieved when architectural ambition, technical collaboration and skilled craftsmanship come together. Developing the final four-brick blend through extensive on-site sampling gave the façade real depth and character, while creating a strong connection to Leeds’ brick-built heritage. Delivering 800,000 bricks across thirteen subtly different radii also demonstrates the remarkable versatility of traditional brickwork on a highly complex 30-storey form. We are immensely proud that Michelmersh products and support have contributed to a landmark building that combines design ambition with the durability, quality and lasting appeal of clay brick.” - Sarah Le Gresley, Group Innovation and Sustainability Director, Michelmersh Brick Holdings PLC Maintaining that consistency across the façade meant on-site mixing throughout the project. Dedicated areas were set up on the floor plates at various levels, where operatives blended the bricks by hand to keep the proportion of Black Smooth correct against the Michelmersh Synthesis 01, Wrekin Berkshire, and Wrekin Dark Red. It was a process central to achieving the visual effect across the elevation. Beyond the brickwork, bespoke stainless steel, non-combustible cavity trays were designed and installed to follow the facade’s varying curves without sealants, tapes or thermal bridging. Nearly 2,000 metres of support angle and 5,500 metres of cavity tray were installed in the building, and the mortar specification was upgraded from CPI to M6 to cope with the elevated wind loadings on the structure. Quality control was thorough throughout, with over 3,000 individual inspections logged, covering every critical part of the building envelope.

On site, the project called for between 20 and 25 skilled craftsmen working in a confined city-centre location on a just-in-time delivery schedule. Specialist training supported the installation of the cavity trays and fire barriers throughout the build. Skinner Street was completed ahead of schedule and within budget, built by skilled bricklayers using materials capable of carrying real architectural weight when backed up with incredible design talent.

For more information on how Michelmersh can help with you next project, please contact: sales@mbhplc.co.uk

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 35

Opinion Piece

PUTTING EMBODIED CARBON FIRST: LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR RESPONSIBLE WHOLE-LIFE CARBON REPORTING By Dr Lee Jones, Head of Sustainability at Hubexo NBS Recently, the whole-life carbon story has been facing a credibility gap. It’s true, the construction industry has made real progress on operational carbon over the past decade. Buildings are better insulated. Heat pump specifications are no longer unusual. Energy use is tracked more carefully and clients ask harder questions about in-use performance than they did five years ago. That progress is genuine, and it matters. But whole-life carbon reporting, which is where regulation is heading, tells a different kind of story. It asks not just how a building performs once it is occupied, but what was the ecological cost behind the building’s construction in the first place? That space is where the credibility gap opens up. Whole-life carbon figures that include unreliable or inconsistent embodied carbon data are not necessarily trustworthy figures. They may appear complete on paper with the right layout and apparently plausible totals. But if the upfront embodied half of the equation has been calculated loosely, or with a methodology that nobody else uses, the whole-life number it produces is built on uncertain foundations. You cannot tell a credible whole-life carbon story without getting the embodied carbon piece right first.

The consistency gap is more serious than the measurement gap Here is what is often missed in discussions about embodied carbon. The problem is not primarily that people are

failing to measure it. Measurement has improved substantially. According to the NBS Digital Construction Report 2025, three in five construction professionals now use digital technology to measure embodied carbon, up from two in five in 2023. The direction of travel is clear. The more serious problem is that people are using different approaches to achieve their reported measurements. Research by AECOM has found up to 70% variation in embodied carbon calculations for identical designs, depending on the methodology used. Think about what that means in practice. Two project teams working to the same brief, specifying the same materials, can produce wholelife carbon assessments that differ by nearly three quarters. Neither team is necessarily doing anything wrong. They are simply using different assumptions, different data sources, different scopes. That kind of variation makes benchmarking meaningless. It makes client comparisons unreliable. And as

The built environment accounts for twofifths of global carbon emissions, and in the UK, construction generates around three-fifths of all waste.

mandatory carbon reporting approaches, it will make regulatory compliance deeply difficult to navigate and ultimately demonstrate. The industry does not simply need more measurement; it needs consistent measurement. This is particularly significant because, for many building types, upfront embodied carbon is not a minor footnote in the whole-life picture. For a typical UK office building, over a 60-year lifespan, it accounts for around 35% of wholelife carbon. For highly energy-efficient structures, where operational emissions have been driven down, that proportion can reach as much as 75%. The upfront figure is not a supporting statistic. For some buildings, it is the dominant one.

What has changed in the past twelve months Many of us working in this field will remember the days when the main challenge was persuading people that embodied carbon mattered at all. That conversation has largely been won. What is different now, and what has genuinely changed, is that the practical infrastructure to do this well has caught up with the ambition. Three connected developments have happened in the past year that, taken together, change what is now possible. Initially, NBS and Circular Ecology published a practical guide to embodied carbon calculations, specifically covering how to embed carbon values into BIM objects. It follows lifecycle stages A1 to A5 as defined by BS EN 15804, uses a geometry-led approach, and sets out a clear framework for four distinct object types: layered items, layered assemblies, items and composite assemblies.

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Opinion Piece

This goes much further than a policy document, it is a working methodology that any project team can apply, providing the kind of standardised approach the industry needs if embodied carbon figures are to be comparable across projects. Then, NBS launched a Lifecycle Carbon Assessment (LCA) cloud-based platform designed for practical use on everyday UK construction projects. It draws on over 500 materials from Circular Ecology’s Inventory of Carbon and Energy database, and includes more than 12,500 specification-ready products with Environmental Product Declarations from NBS Source and ECO Portal. The intent was to help architects, engineers and sustainability specialists understand, quantify and report on the carbon impact of building materials, products and systems as projects, at any scale, develop. In addition, NBS and BDP together developed over 1,300 pre-calculated generic assemblies for common building elements: walls, floors, roofs, concrete structures, steel structures – a key feature on the NBS LCA platform. These assemblies draw on real project data and give design teams reliable whole-element carbon figures from the earliest concept stages, without having to manually build up material layers before a design is even confirmed. For the first time, a team can easily get a credible carbon picture at the point when design decisions actually have room to move.

work within a consistent calculation framework, draw on a trusted data set, and apply pre-validated assemblies to real design problems without needing to be a specialist in carbon accounting. That has not been easily feasible before, at least not in a way that was affordable and accessible for typical project work.

What the near future looks like The UK government’s Carbon Budget 5 commitments, which take effect from 2028, notes that carbon assessments will be fundamental in helping to achieve the country’s Net Zero goals. The direction has been set. The EU has already moved further ahead with mandates already locked in. What is worth thinking about now is what will this mean in practice for clients, planners and investors. Going forward, it will not be enough to only demonstrate good operational performance. The upfront embodied figure will likely also be assessed alongside it. A building that is highly efficient in use but was carbon-

intensive to construct will not score well on a whole-life basis. Both numbers will be on the table. The firms that will navigate that environment with confidence are the ones building consistent methodologies for their embodied carbon capability now, before it is required. Not because of a deadline, but because whole-life carbon reporting only holds together if the embodied carbon figure underpinning it is rigorous. The built environment accounts for two-fifths of global carbon emissions, and in the UK, construction generates around three-fifths of all waste. Clients, regulators and investors are paying increasing attention to those numbers, and they will not accept figures that cannot be explained or compared. Getting embodied carbon right is the foundation on which any serious wholelife carbon position rests. The tools to do it properly are now in place. The methodology is standardised. The data is accessible. The work needed now is to start using them.

These developments form a connected chain from methodology to data to workflow. A practitioner can now

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 37

Lifts & Stairs

STANNAH DELIVERS FULL LIFT REPLACEMENT FOR CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC SECTOR BUILDING Endeavour House, in Ipswich, Suffolk, has undergone a significant lift replacement, with the installation of five Stannah lifts designed to improve performance, reliability and overall user experience.

The aim was to provide an energyefficient solution that complements the building’s modern appearance and ensures the safety of occupants and service engineers when carrying out maintenance work.

Home to a mix of municipal offices and meeting rooms, the five-storey public building serves as a meeting point for Suffolk County Council, Babergh District Council and Mid Suffolk District Council. With high levels of footfall placing increasing demand on the existing lifts, a full replacement was required to deliver consistent reliability and performance. The new lift solution is designed to meet current usage demands while also ensuring seamless, step-free access throughout the building.

The challenge A key challenge was carrying out a complete turnkey solution in a live environment. As the building remained fully occupied throughout the works, constant coordination was needed to ensure successful planning and execution. To ensure the building remained safe for occupants, hoarding was installed to segregate work areas.

Following a competitive tender process, Stannah Lifts was awarded the contract to deliver the lift replacement project at Endeavour House on behalf of Suffolk City Council, working with Concertus, Design and Property Consultants, and main contractors Dalkia.

The works Stannah’s comprehensive lift replacement plan included the complete removal of five existing lifts, full refurbishment and preparation of the lift shafts, and the installation of four highperformance passenger lifts and one firefighting lift.

Once installed, Stannah progressed with the full removal of existing lifts and the installation of scaffolding to facilitate safe access within the lift shafts. Each lift shaft was thoroughly cleaned and prepared before installing bespoke Stannah lifts to ensure a clear foundation for the equipment. The project spanned over 12 months, but each lift installation involved working to a tight schedule, and to support the needs of a live environment, the project was delivered in a phased approach. This ensured that at least two lifts remained operational at all times to maintain stepfree access between floors.

The solution Stannah designed two sets of bespoke duplex lift systems, consisting of four passenger MRL (Motor Room Less) traction lifts. The MRL lifts are equipped with gearless variable voltage drives, which offer a smooth and energyefficient operation and provide reliable performance over time. These passenger lifts carry up to 13 people and operate at a speed of 1.6m/s to significantly improve passenger flow and reduce waiting times. The duplex design was chosen to enhance service reliability, allowing for one lift to remain operational if the other undergoes maintenance. The lift car finishes and wide vision panels were carefully chosen to complement the modern interior design. The incorporation of panoramic glazed panels creates a more open and spacious environment for passengers, allowing natural light to flow through the space while seamlessly integrating with the building’s glazed aesthetic. Grey expo flooring was also chosen due to its durability, low maintenance and consistent fine-grained aesthetic, providing a modern finish that withstands heavy foot traffic. All lift shafts were designed with LED lighting to improve visibility and safety for lift engineers. Pit and entrance fascias also help to protect the shaft structure and surrounding finishes from damage. In addition to the passenger lifts, a bespoke simplex firefighting lift in brushed stainless steel was installed to meet stringent safety requirements, while maintaining ease of use for emergency services. The new firefighting lift complies with EN81-73 standards, which ensure safe shutdown in the event of a fire and includes firefighting controls for enhanced occupant safety. The lift is

38 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Lifts & Stairs The results

also equipped with a car preference key switch, allowing it to ignore external landing calls during an emergency and respond solely to commands from firefighters within the lift car. All five passenger lifts are designed in compliance with EN81:21 standards and incorporate a CTV mechanical package. For better connectivity and to ensure continual operation during power outages, a GSM unit was installed, futureproofing the lifts ready for the digital phone line switchover due by 2027.

solutions that blend harmoniously with the building’s aesthetics.”

The new duplex passenger lifts successfully provide reliable and efficient movement throughout the building, delivering a future-proofed, resilient solution for long-term use. The new firefighting lift better equips the building to handle emergency situations, instilling confidence in the event of emergencies and ensuring safe and quick access for emergency services. James Gregory, Main Contractor at Dalkia UK, said: “Working in a live environment necessitates strong coordination from all onsite teams to deliver this project successfully and smoothly. Stannah were very cooperative and worked closely with our on-site teams to create the best practical solution, whilst also delivering bespoke lift

Lifts at Endeavour House were handed over with ‘open protocol’, which gives Suffolk County Council complete freedom to choose any maintenance provider for easy part replacement.

Gavin Satchell, Project Manager at Stannah, adds: “The combination of the passenger and firefighting lifts provides a practical solution for Suffolk County Council. Working together, the lifts transform the building into a safe, desirable space with step-free access to all floors. We are currently working with Suffolk County Council on a 12-month maintenance plan, ensuring the lifts continue to perform reliably.” Stannah Lifts is proud to continue supporting Suffolk County Council with ongoing lift maintenance and repair services. With a twelve-month warranty and servicing, including 24/7 emergency callout, Suffolk County Council can be confident that their lifts will remain in great condition, leading to fewer breakdowns, lower running costs and a reliable service overall.

Explore Stannah’s comprehensive range of lift products and services at www.stannahlifts.co.uk

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Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 39

Case Study Isolation design TACKLING ROOFTOP VIBRATION IN MODERN DEVELOPMENTS Rooftop plant can pose significant acoustic and vibration challenges, particularly when heavy mechanical equipment is installed above occupied commercial premises. At 25 Baker Street, a major mixed-use development in Marylebone delivered by Derwent London, this challenge formed part of a wider scheme combining office, retail and residential space in the heart of London’s West End. To address this, vibration isolation specialist Mason UK was appointed to design, supply and install a bespoke inertia base for a rooftop standby generator serving PIMCO Europe. Working alongside principal contractor BW: Workplace Experts, Mason UK developed a solution centred around a concrete-filled inertia base supported on high-performance spring mounts. Rooftop generators can introduce significant levels of structure-borne vibration, which can travel through the building frame and into occupied spaces if not properly controlled. In a mixed-use development such as 25 Baker Street, this can impact both occupant comfort and the performance of sensitive environments. Inertia bases add mass and stability beneath mechanical equipment, helping to control movement and reduce vibration. When combined with spring isolation, they allow plant to operate on a “floating” system, significantly limiting the transfer of vibration into the building structure.

The system incorporates Mason Industries SLR restrained spring mounts, designed with housings to allow safe access to all adjusting points while maintaining stability during operation. Each mount uses highdeflection springs, with a minimum deflection of 50 mm, in line with the project’s acoustic requirements, specified by Applied Acoustic Design. Higher spring deflection results in a lower natural frequency, which is key to achieving effective vibration isolation. By reducing the system’s natural frequency, the mounts isolate both the generator’s operating frequency and any vibration associated with the supporting structure.

Mason UK designed the system at 25 Baker Street to not only support the weight of the standby generator but also align with the roof’s structural hard points a nd the constraints of a fixed crane-lift installation. Mason UK installed the spring mounts in conjunction with the base, fixing them to the building’s structural supports before the standby generator was lowered directly onto the inertia base. This staged installation allowed the team to position the system safely while enabling follow-up works to be completed on schedule.

Mason UK designed the system at 25 Baker Street to not only support the weight of the standby generator but also align with the roof’s structural hard points and the constraints of a fixed crane-lift installation. Therefore, careful coordination was needed to ensure the base could be delivered, lifted and installed within a tight programme.

Design and installation The inertia base was designed, fabricated and delivered to meet a fixed crane-lift deadline, before being lifted into position on the roof and set down onto temporary support blocks.

40 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

This is particularly important for rooftop plant, where vibration can otherwise travel through structural elements and into occupied spaces below. Therefore, Mason UK recommended a system that would help protect occupant comfort while maintaining the performance of critical building services.

Final commissioning With the inertia base and generator in position, the system was initially supported on temporary blocks, with the spring mounts installed but not yet carrying the load. This allowed the system’s entire operational weight to be applied before the springs were finally adjusted. Mason UK subsequently returned to site to complete the commissioning process, carefully winding down each of the eight spring mounts. As the adjustment bolts were tightened, the springs began to compress under the load, gradually transferring the weight of the inertia base and generator from the temporary supports onto the mounts. As the process continued, the inertia base incrementally lifted clear of the support blocks. Once the load was fully transferred, the blocks were released, leaving the entire assembly supported solely on the spring mounts. With the springs set, the system now operates as a fully floating installation, effectively isolating the standby generator from the building structure and minimising vibration transmission throughout the development. mason-uk.co.uk/mason-uk-projects

Sustainability

optimise subsequent investment in heating and hot water systems. Depending on the project, reducing demand first may enable the size – and therefore cost – of capital-intensive equipment to be reduced.

COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS URGED TO TACKLE THE ENERGY LITERALLY GOING DOWN THE DRAIN Hotels, leisure operators and other commercial buildings with high levels of shower use are being urged to consider Waste Water Heat Recovery (WWHR) as a simple way to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions – with the technology capable of delivering a rapid return on investment in high-use settings.

Alex Parkinson, Sales Director at Showersave, said: “When businesses think about decarbonisation, the conversation often jumps straight to technologies such as heat pumps or solar panels. But before investing in new ways to generate heat, it makes sense to look at how you can reduce the amount of energy the building needs.

Showersave, whose WWHR systems recovers heat from used shower water to pre-heat incoming cold water, says the measure is often overlooked by businesses investing in energy efficiency and decarbonisation, despite the potential financial benefits.

“We naturally think about insulation and windows when reducing heat loss, but the energy used to produce hot water can be overlooked. If you’re paying to heat water and then sending that energy straight down the drain, that’s an opportunity lost to recover energy and reduce costs.”

With businesses facing increasing pressure to improve energy efficiency while keeping control of operating and capital costs, Showersave is encouraging commercial building owners, facilities managers and finance directors to consider reducing energy demand before investing in new energy generation and heating technologies.

Showersave’s systems are particularly suited to buildings with high and consistent levels of shower use, including hotels, gyms, spas, leisure centres, student accommodation, care homes and healthcare facilities. The potential return on investment increases with shower use. In one example calculated using Showersave’s energy savings tool, a commercial installation serving 100 daily 10-minute showers was estimated to deliver annual savings in excess of £8,000 across the fuel types assessed, with a rate of return on investment of less than six months. Reducing hot water energy demand at the outset could also help businesses

Showersave is a passive technology that operates automatically whenever a shower is used, requiring no change in behaviour from guests, residents or other building occupants. With no moving parts, it also has minimal maintenance requirements. “Energy efficiency and commercial return don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” added Alex. “Showersave is a simple technology that many commercial building owners may not even realise is available to them, but the more showers being used, the greater the opportunity to recover energy that would otherwise be wasted. “For finance directors in particular, that’s an important conversation. It’s about identifying measures that can reduce operating costs now while also supporting the organisation’s wider sustainability and decarbonisation objectives.” Showersave technology can be considered for both new-build and retrofit projects, although the suitability of retrofit installations will depend on the individual building and its existing plumbing infrastructure. Showersave can undertake a site assessment to establish whether a property is suitable and identify the most appropriate installation approach.

For more information, call 028 9334 4488, email sales@showersave.com or visit www.showersave.com.

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 41

Sustainability

HEADS OF THE VALLEYS: FROM ‘ROAD FROM HELL’ TO MODERN DUAL CARRIAGEWAY In May 2025, 23 years of continuous roadworks came to an end as the A465 Heads of the Valleys road, which links Swansea to Monmouthshire, fully reopened.

cut journey times between west Wales and the Midlands, as well as relieving pressure on the M4, by upgrading the single carriageway road to a full dual carriageway.

The £2 billion scheme, which began in 2002, aimed to bring prosperity to one of the UK’s most deprived areas and

The final phase (sections five and six) of the project – one of the UK’s biggest road upgrade projects in recent history – began in mid-2021 and covered the 17-kilometre stretch of road linking Dowlais Top, Merthyr Tydfil and Hirwaun. Working with main contractor FCC Construcción, Polypipe Civils & Green

Ridgidrain was the first twinwall surface drainage system in the UK to receive Highways Authority Product Approval Scheme (HAPAS) status... Urbanisation (Polypipe CGU) proudly supplied a range of products - including drainage, ducting and duct chambers – for the final two sections of the scheme. James Haddon, Regional Sales Director – South at Polypipe CGU, said: “We’ve worked extremely closely with the team at FCC over the course of this project, very much turning our relationship from simply transactional to truly collaborative. “We were chosen to supply the materials for this project because of our reputation as a trusted brand known for our experience and expertise in helping to deliver infrastructure projects across the whole of the UK. We could keep up with the delivery schedule and deliver everything on time, in full, and functioned almost as an extension of their team, having set up a working group to ensure consistent communication with all parties – from internal planning and transport teams to the merchant and contractors.”

42 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Sustainability

the Ridgiduct. These boxes act as the access point for pulling and maintaining cables or working on the network. “We’re proud to play our part in tackling climate change for our customers and have a full suite of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for our range of products,” James said, “We also hold the PAS 2080 certification for carbon management in buildings and infrastructure, demonstrating our commitment to truly making a difference – not only in our industry but for the planet more generally.”

Throughout the section five and six construction period, 28,998 metres of Ridgidrain were supplied for surface and sub-surface water management on the road. “Ridgidrain was the first twinwall surface drainage system in the UK to receive Highways Authority Product Approval Scheme (HAPAS) status and, with its high strength-to-weight ratio and flexibility to resist heavy traffic loadings, it was perfect for this project,” James said. “It’s also manufactured from up to 100% recycled material, making it an ideal choice, especially because sustainability

plays such a central role in infrastructure development now, but the benefits span much further. Ridgidrain pipes are 94% lighter than traditional concrete alternatives which significantly reduces transport and installation costs, all while enhancing health and safety on site – something that’s consistently proven to be of utmost importance on projects of this scale.” Alongside Ridgidrain, the Polypipe CGU team supplied 86,454 metres of Ridgiduct, which carries telecoms cables, power cables and data cables from gantry to gantry along the side of the highway. SubTerra duct access boxes were also supplied to be used in conjunction with

“During my career, I’ve dealt with Polypipe for going on 15-years,” Jonathan Roberts, Buyer at FCC Construcción, said, “having worked with them before, I knew the extent of the technical support available to us, and the service provided to us by way of confirmation of deliveries and the planning of deliveries worked out really well. “Polypipe are great at a number of things across the whole group. On this particular project, they’ve been really good at helping us out, and it has been excellent service. I’d definitely recommend Polypipe for future projects.” The A465 Heads of the Valleys road fully re-opened on 30th May 2025 as a 70mph dual carriageway with six junctions, compared to its previous existence as a three-lane single carriageway.

Find out more about how Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation are supporting the development of sustainable infrastructure: www.polypipecivils.com

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 43

Latest News

crime – with cloning or hacking of digital access credentials (23.1 per cent) and the use of drones for surveillance (24.4 per cent) both above the European benchmark

NEW SURVEY LAYS BARE HUMAN COST OF CONSTRUCTION SITE CRIME BauWatch Crime Report 2026 reveals significant increase in construction staff left out of pocket or out of work The changing face of construction site crime is leaving a growing number of staff out of pocket or out of work altogether, a new survey has revealed. The BauWatch Crime Report 2026 shows more than a third – 38.7 per cent – of construction site workers have suffered financial losses due to crime, up from 33 per cent last year and nearly 15 percentage points above the EU average. Job losses linked to criminal incidents have also increased significantly to 27.7 per cent, up from 22.8 per cent in 2025, in a sector the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says employs more than 2.1 million people. Despite this, 76 per cent of respondents admitted budget pressures had led to corners being cut on site security, with the use of fixed CCTV systems down 7.2 per cent and CCTV towers down 6.8 per cent yearon-year. The human cost of crime and security cuts were two of six key trends

• A growing impact on project

continuity and supply chain stability, with 26.4 per cent of projects needing subcontractor replacement due to crime-related scheduling issues – up from 22.6 per cent in 2025

BauWatch say the results present a number of challenges for the industry, including recognising security as a critical workforce issue which protects people as well as assets. Mim Mogul, BauWatch UK&I managing director, said firms’ security strategies must evolve in line with changing criminal tactics.

identified by the report commissioned by BauWatch, Europe’s leading provider of mobile security solutions. It shows crime is not necessarily becoming more widespread in the UK, but it is becoming more severe, more targeted and more disruptive.

He said: “The findings highlight that construction site crime in the United Kingdom is becoming a structural challenge for the industry. While overall perception of crime has stabilised slightly, the underlying risks are becoming more complex.

Other key findings highlighted by the report included:

“Crime is increasingly affecting workers directly, shifting towards more mobile and opportunistic targets, and evolving through digital and seasonal patterns. At the same time, declining security measures and growing budget pressure are creating additional vulnerabilities.

• A drop in thefts of traditional high-

value materials such as copper and timber being offset by a sharp rise in the theft of more mobile assets, as criminals adapt by targeting items that are easier to access, transport and resell

• UK tool theft increasing to 57 per cent, the highest level across all surveyed markets and more than 10 percentage points above the European average

• Nearly three quarters of

respondents (71.3 per cent) reporting that thefts occur more frequently during autumn and winter

• The UK becoming a hotspot for

more advanced forms of digital

44 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

“For construction companies in the United Kingdom, security is no longer a secondary operational issue. It is becoming a central factor influencing project performance, workforce stability and financial outcomes. Addressing these challenges requires a coordinated and forwardlooking approach. Companies that rely on reactive or fragmented approaches risk falling behind.” Visit the BauWatch website to download the full BauWatch Crime Report 2026.

Doors & Security

MORE THAN JUST A DOOR INTERCOM DoorBird Launches the New D22x Series for Modern Building Requirements

Sustainable Modernization of Existing Installations Modern buildings place increasingly complex demands on door communication systems. Property owners, operators, and residents require solutions that support different user groups, enable flexible access methods, and meet high standards for security, connectivity, and integration. With the new D22x Series, DoorBird introduces a new generation of IP video door intercoms. Developed based on customer requirements, the series combines advanced technology, flexibility, premium design, and Made in Germany quality. As part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, DoorBird combines IP-based door communication with expertise in access and security solutions.

network or through DoorBird Cloud Pro. The audio system ensures clear communication between visitors and residents. Depending on the model, users can choose from app access, dual-frequency RFID, Bluetooth, PIN code, QR code, and fingerprint recognition. Security is enhanced by a radar-based 4D motion sensor and an integrated tamper sensor.

Simplified Installation and Broad Integration Capabilities

Security and Control at a New Level

The D22x Series has been designed to streamline installation. Thanks to the integrated power output for electric door openers, many installations no longer require a separate power supply for the door release mechanism, helping reduce cabling and installation effort.

The D22x Series comprises more than 30 models and succeeds the globally successful D21x Series. New versions with digital nameplates can be managed centrally and remotely, offering advantages for property managers and building operators.

Open interfaces including SIP, OSDP, RS485, and Wiegand, together with DoorBird’s documented LAN and Cloud APIs, enable integration with more than 100 smart home, access control, video surveillance, and building management systems.

All models feature a 5 MP HDR camera with a Sony image sensor and a 180° ultra-wide-angle lens. Video is transmitted in HD quality via the local

The platform supports up to 3,000 residential or office units. In addition to traditional call buttons, models with digital nameplates and resident directories are available. Accessibility features such as an integrated hearing loop, pictograms, and acoustic dooropening confirmation signals can be added to every model. As an ISO/IEC 27001-certified company, DoorBird integrates privacy and information security measures throughout the development process according to the Security by Design principle.

The D22x Series offers a cost-effective upgrade path for existing DoorBird D21x installations. During modernization projects, only the main electronic unit needs to be replaced, while existing housings, front panels, and other components can continue to be used. Existing settings can also be retained.

Design Tailored to Architectural Requirements Design remains a key element of the D22x Series. More than 50 finishes and color options allow seamless integration into a wide range of architectural environments. Using the DoorBird 3D Configurator, customers can adapt the system to project-specific requirements, including front panel dimensions, engravings, mailboxes, and the integration of thirdparty reader units. “Modern buildings require solutions that can adapt flexibly while remaining easy to integrate,” says Sascha Keller, Founder and CEO of DoorBird. “With the D22x Series, we provide a future-proof platform that combines powerful door communication, flexible access solutions, and sophisticated design Made in Germany.” The DoorBird D22x Series is available now.

For more information, visit: www.doorbird.com/shop/d22

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 45

Kent Construction Expo Preview

DECIMO PROJECT ENGINEERING RETURNS TO KENT CONSTRUCTION EXPO 2026 Decimo Project Engineering Ltd, specialist mechanical and electrical contractor, is returning to the Kent Construction Expo on 1 October 2026 in Detling, Kent, bringing its growing team, industry expertise, and extensive portfolio of successful projects to Stand C17. With a strong track record delivering mechanical and electrical works across commercial, education, public sector and refurbishment projects throughout London and the South East, Decimo continues to build on its reputation for quality, collaboration and reliable project delivery. This year’s show comes at an exciting time for the business, following a period of continued growth and development – including a move to its new office designed to provide a better working environment for the Decimo team and a more welcoming space in which to meet clients, consultants, contractors and supply chain partners. Decimo’s new office reflects the company’s wider approach to the business: creating the right environment for its people to collaborate, while strengthening relationships with clients and partners. As the company continues to grow, maintaining strong communication and a hands-on approach

remains central to the way Decimo Project Engineering delivers its projects. Sustainability also remains an important part of Decimo’s project portfolio. The company has delivered a number of projects focused on improving the energy performance of existing buildings, from heating system upgrades and air source heat pumps to solar PV, LED lighting and associated electrical infrastructure, and continues to support clients in improving ageing building services while working towards wider energy and carbon reduction objectives. Visitors to Stand C17 will have the opportunity to meet long-standing members of the team and explore their capabilities across mechanical

and electrical engineering. The team will be showcasing recent projects and discussing how Decimo works alongside clients, consultants and main contractors to deliver technically challenging refurbishment, fit-out and building services projects. “We’re really pleased to be returning to the Kent Construction Expo this year,” says Ben Martin, Managing Director at Decimo Project Engineering. “It’s an important event for us because it gives us the chance to meet people face-to-face, strengthen existing relationships and make new connections across the Kent construction industry. “The last year has been an exciting one for Decimo. Moving into our new office is an important milestone for the business and reflects our continued growth, while also giving us a better space to bring our team and clients together. We’re looking forward to sharing some of the work we’ve been involved in and talking to visitors about how we can support their upcoming projects.” Founded in 2018, Decimo Project Engineering has developed strong regional connections and continues to work with clients and partners across Kent, London and the wider South East region.

Visit Decimo Project Engineering at Stand C17 at the Kent Construction Expo on 1 October 2026 to meet the team and find out more about its latest projects and capabilities.

46 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Events & Awards News

DAME JUDITH HACKITT, ACTING CEO AT BUILDING SAFETY REGULATOR AND LONDON FIRE BRIGADE TO JOIN 250 PROFESSIONALS AT SERTUSLIVE 3 Dame Judith Hackitt DBE, Charlie Pugsley KFSM, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, and London Fire Brigade are among the leading voices confirmed for SertusLive 3, a one-day forum bringing together 250–300 building safety professionals from across the built environment to explore the practical challenges of delivering safer buildings through the lens of smoke ventilation. The free, one-day event taking place on 22nd October 2026 at Plexal, Here East, in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will feature talks from some of the leading figures in building safety from around the UK. SertusLive 3 will bring together delegates from various industries, with main contractors and developers, architects and design teams, fire engineers, M&E consultants, building control professionals, building safety and compliance teams, and fire and rescue services all confirmed to be attending the event. Headline speakers and panel chairs confirmed for SertusLive 3 include:

• Dame Judith Hackitt DBE — Chair,

Building Control Independent Panel, and author of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety following Grenfell Tower

• Charlie Pugsley KFSM — Acting Chief Executive Officer, Building Safety Regulator

• Emma Henderson MBE — former

airline captain, TEDx speaker, and leadership and human factors expert

• Paul Nash MSc PPCIOB HonFCABE

— building safety expert and former President of the Chartered Institute of Building

• Nick Coombe MBE EngTech

FIFireE FIFSM — Head of Service Improvement, Prevention & Protection, London Fire Brigade

• Gary Cass — Chief Executive,

Hertfordshire Building Control

Further speakers are due to be announced ahead of the event. Live smoke control product demonstrations and dedicated demo zones will run throughout the day, alongside networking opportunities for attendees across the building safety supply chain, with an optional drinks reception to close the event. Shane White, Managing Director at Sertus said: “SertusLive 3 is about bringing the whole building safety supply chain into one room to have the honest conversations that genuinely matter – through the lens of smoke ventilation.

“As a manufacturer, we still see too many parts of the supply chain working in silos. Regulation has changed significantly, but safer buildings ultimately depend on breaking down those barriers, collaborating earlier, demonstrating competence and turning requirements into practice.

Our mission at Sertus is to safeguard lives and property, and that sits at the heart of why we created SertusLive. We want people to leave with different perspectives, practical insight and a greater understanding of how we can work together to deliver safer buildings. Since the Building Safety Act came into force, the industry has faced a fundamental shift in expectations around competence, accountability and evidencing compliance throughout a building’s lifecycle. SertusLive 3 will examine what that shift means in practice, across five core themes:

• Navigating the Gateways - what

‘good’ looks like at Gateway 2 and Gateway 3

• Compliance in practice - bringing

regulation, competence and accountability into real-world project delivery

• Safety culture and human factors - lessons for building safety from other high-risk industries

• Occupied buildings and fire safety - ensuring safety is maintained beyond completion and handover

• Smoke control in practice - the cost

and consequences of late-stage fire safety decisions

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 47

Workwear

OVER HALF OF WORKERS EXPERIENCE FOOT PAIN WITH PPE FOOTWEAR, SURVEY FINDS BW ROLLS OUT RASPBERRY HI-VIS TO STRENGTHEN SITE VISIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY BW: Workplace Experts (BW) is introducing mandatory raspberry hi-vis for subcontractor operatives across all its new fit out projects, creating a standardised identification system which is currently spanning 14 live sites and 137 supply chain partners. The London-based fit out contractor is implementing the raspberry hi-vis for all subcontractor operatives working across its new project sites, forming part of a three-colour identification system. BW project teams wear black hi-vis, visitors wear white, and subcontractor operatives wear raspberry. In the past 30 days alone, more than 1,660 operatives from 137 partner companies have signed in across BW sites, accounting for almost 19,000 individual site entries by its supply chain. On active fit out and refurbishment projects, where multiple trades and subcontractors often work simultaneously, clear identification plays an important role in supporting day-to-day coordination, emergency response and workforce wellbeing. BW’s colour-coded system gives site teams an immediate reference point to understand who is on site and their relationship to the project.

Lorna Killick, Head of Business Transformation at BW: Workplace Experts, said: “On a busy site, you can have dozens of people from different companies working in the same space. Knowing who is on site, who they work for and whether they’re supposed to be there is an important part of running a safe, well-managed project. We wanted a system that reinforced our commitment to Defect Free project journeys by enhancing the full site experience from day one. Where safety messages sometimes blend into the background, particularly in environments where people are exposed to the same visual cues every day, raspberry is an unmistakeable signal of a BW site member. It stands out. This isn’t about changing hi-vis for the sake of it. It’s about creating consistency across our projects and supply chain. The colour is becoming a shorthand for accountability, familiarity and looking out for each other.” Unlike project-specific branded PPE, which is commonplace in the industry, the standardised raspberry hi-vis can be used by operatives as they move between BW projects. This creates a consistent experience for returning supply chain partners while reducing the waste associated with single-project PPE that cannot be used elsewhere.

48 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Over half of workers experience foot pain or poor fit with their PPE footwear a new survey has found. The research, conducted by safety footwear specialist, HAIX with a select sample group*, investigates the problems faced by poor-fitting PPE, what workers look for in PPE footwear, how often they purchase replacements and the cost to do so, and the prevalence of online marketplaces over registered retailers. Despite comfort being cited as the top purchase driver (80.6%), comfort-related issues are widespread among respondents. When asked what problems workers experienced with PPE footwear, the most commonly identified issues were poor fit (58%) and foot pain (58%), followed by poor durability (45%) and blisters (35.4%). Almost half of respondents identified three or more problems with their current PPE footwear. Despite these issues, nearly two-thirds (64.5%) of workers continue to wear unsuitable PPE due to cost and lack of alternative. The survey found over half claim they would typically spend £120 or more. When faced with inadequate PPE, the primary concern of respondents was long-term health issues (71%), well ahead of immediate injury (12.9%). The results also found that replacing safety footwear is a regular commitment, with over half of respondents (54.8%) replacing their work footwear once a year, and 67.7% replacing them at least once annually. Evaluating where workers purchase their PPE product from, there was almost a 50:50 split in those who would consider purchasing PPE from online marketplaces or social media outlets vs traditional platforms. This is despite warnings from authorities around the risks of unregulated products. When purchasing new PPE footwear, over 81% of respondents chose comfort as a standout priority, with 54.8% selecting durability and almost 42% selecting fit. On the other side of the scale, style/appearance was

Workwear only selected by 16% of respondents as an important factor and waterproofness just 9.7%. Simon Ash, UK & Ireland Sales Manager at HAIX said:

These survey results show that we must continue to innovate to ensure PPE footwear provides the comfort and fit that workers clearly need to protect their long-term health. No worker should have to compromise their safety and comfort while on the job. These insights from customers and those on the ground are valuable as we continue to develop our footwear to ensure we are delivering the highest standards of durability and support for those on their feet all day. For more information about HAIX, visit: haix.co.uk

TROJAN WORKWEAR SECURES LANDMARK NAMING RIGHTS PARTNERSHIP WITH HULL SEAHAWKS TROJAN, the ultimate performance workwear brand launched by industryleading health and safety experts, Arco, has announced headline sponsorship and a landmark naming rights partnership with ice hockey club, Hull Seahawks. This exciting announcement comes as the brand moves to connect more closely with its core audience through one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports. The multi-year partnership will see the team rebranded as the TROJAN Hull Seahawks, marking a significant step for the brand as it expands its presence beyond the building site and into the communities and spaces its customers are already passionate about, beyond their nine-to-five grind. The announcement aligns with a period of sustained growth for UK ice hockey, with more than 1.3 million spectators attending games annually, and recordbreaking crowds reported across the

UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League in recent seasons.

ensuring those wearing TROJAN deliver peak performance, wherever they are.

By joining forces with the Hull Seahawks, TROJAN is seeking to strengthen its already meaningful connection with tradespeople across the country, many of whom are passionate, engaged sports fans, while positioning the brand within an environment that authentically reflects its core values of performance, resilience and reliability.

As part of the sponsorship deal, TROJAN branding will be integrated across the club and will also feature proudly as an emblem on the ice throughout the season, which runs from the end of August until the end of April. With an exciting programme of matchday activations, TROJAN’s content and campaigns will bring the partnership to life throughout the season.

The partnership also builds on TROJAN’s laser focus on producing robust, high-quality workwear that is meticulously designed to perform in a range of demanding environments, without compromising on comfort or style. From high-pressure construction sites to the dynamic intensity of competitive sport, TROJAN’s emphasis on durability and consistency mirrors the qualities required of players on the ice –

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 49

Project News

MAINMARK STRENGTHENS GROUND BENEATH NEW PLATFORMS AT TOTTENHAM HALE STATION Critical ground improvement works at one of London’s busiest transport interchanges were completed over a bank holiday weekend recently, with specialist ground engineering Mainmark UK helping to keep the Tottenham Hale Station refurbishment project on track. The company delivered complex ground improvement supporting refurbishments at the station, which serves National Rail’s Greater Anglia and Stansted Express services alongside the London Underground’s Victoria line.

and could become unsafe. The supporting structures beneath the precast concrete platforms had deteriorated over time, raising concerns about long-term stability.

There were concerns that the station’s Platforms 3 and 4, made of precast concrete, had begun to deteriorate

Working for CML, a Tier One Principal Contractor for Network Rail and other infrastructure clients, Mainmark used

While temporary supports had previously been installed to prevent potential collapse, it was decided that the old platforms would be replaced with new, lower-maintenance glass-reinforced polymer (GRP) platforms. But to ensure the ground could safely support the platforms, ground conditions beneath 77 new foundation locations needed strengthening.

Dynamic Containment and the Capacity Market.

FARRANS COMMENCES CONSTRUCTION ON BERKSWELL BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE FOR BW ESS Leading civil engineering and building contractor, Farrans, a Sisk Company, has commenced construction on Berkswell Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in the West Midlands of England for client BW ESS. The 200 MW / 857 MWh project located close to Solihull is beginning to take shape, with early works progressing across the site.

Once operational, Berkswell will have capacity to power over 500,000 homes for 4 hours. Projects such as Berkswell play an important role in supporting a more flexible and reliable electricity system. Battery storage can respond quickly to changes in supply and demand, helping to balance the grid and support vital services such as frequency response,

50 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

BW ESS is a global energy storage developer, owner and operator, moving with speed to deliver market-leading projects. Berkswell Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) forms an important part of BW ESS’s UK portfolio of larger, strategically located storage assets. It will support grid flexibility and strengthen energy resilience in a region close to major electricity demand centres, helping the wider system accommodate growing renewable generation and changing patterns of demand. It is co-owned with leading energy and decarbonisation investor AIP Management. Farrans was selected for this project for its specialism in innovative and sustainable solutions for the energy, water, aviation, transportation, marine, public sector, industrial and commercial sectors.

Project News its Teretek® engineered resin injection solution to rapidly strengthen the existing ground, avoiding excavation, minimising disruption to the wider construction programme and completing the works in just three shifts.

foundation works at Tottenham Hale Station. Their ability to deliver safely, on programme, and with minimal disruption under challenging conditions was critical to the project’s success. We would gladly engage Mainmark UK on future works.”

The successful delivery demonstrates the type of specialist ground engineering expertise Mainmark will bring to future rail projects, including work delivered through the recently awarded Balfour Beatty CP7 Framework.

David Hedley, Infrastructure Lead at Mainmark UK, said:

The project, worth more than £150,000, was part of a wider station upgrade, and all works had to be completed within tightly controlled rail possession windows, with multiple contractors operating simultaneously across the site.

The company will support the delivery of key rail infrastructure works across Network Rail’s latest five-year investment programme. The programme focuses on maintaining, renewing and modernising the rail network to deliver a safer, more reliable and more sustainable railway.

The successful delivery at Tottenham Hale Station demonstrates how engineered resin injection can deliver precise, measurable ground improvement under extreme time and environmental constraints, supporting modern rail upgrades without compromising programme or performance. The existing ground conditions presented several engineering challenges, including variable-made ground and granular soils requiring densification. Mainmark’s solution delivered targeted ground improvement to a depth of two metres beneath each foundation using precision resin injection through small-diameter access points, eliminating the need for excavation and minimising disruption to the wider construction programme. Raj Sharma, Contracts Manager at CML said: “Mainmark UK demonstrated a high level of technical expertise and professionalism during the platform

GLENCAR STARTS PILING ON FINAL BUILD PHASE OF PURE DC’S £1BN+ BRENT CROSS DATA CENTRE CAMPUS Glencar has commenced piling works for the West Shell of Pure Data Centres’ (Pure DC) 70MW LON01B2 facility, marking the start of the final major build phase at its £1bn+ Brent Cross campus in North London. The development will extend the campus by more than 23,000 sq. m and, once complete, bring total

capacity to 90MW. Completion of B2 is scheduled for Q2 2029. Glencar’s scope includes delivery of the West Cold Shell, incorporating piling and foundations, underground services and associated works, structural frame and connections to the adjacent East Cold Shell, concrete and slab works, stair cores, building envelope and roofing. The project is being delivered within a live operational data centre campus, requiring close coordination between Glencar, Pure DC and the wider project team as multiple construction and fitout activities progress simultaneously across the development. LON01 is being developed as a nextgeneration, closed-loop, liquid-cooled

data centre capable of supporting high-density AI inference and cloud workloads. Designed for long-term resilience, the campus incorporates sustainability measures including recycled steel and low-carbon components. Following completion of B2, the site will also be home to one of the world’s largest living walls. More than 750,000 plants will wrap around the building, helping to reduce noise and air pollution while creating habitat for insects and birds adjacent to the Brent Reservoir Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Representatives from Pure DC and Glencar joined the project team on site to mark commencement of piling and the transition into the structural phase of the programme.

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 51

Company News

‘TRANSFORMATIONAL INVESTMENT’ IN HISTORIC STEELWORKS TOWN STRENGTHENS BRITISH BRIDGE-BUILDING CAPABILITY Award-winning bridge builder Beaver Bridges is breathing new life into Irlam, Greater Manchester, which was once home to the Partington Steel & Iron Company, and later British Steel, with steelmaking continuing there until 1979. Although steel production ended decades ago, the town’s industrial heritage remains visible in its substantial infrastructure, which has provided an ideal foundation for Beaver Bridges as it enters its next phase of growth with a flagship fabrication facility for the next generation of manufacturing. The company’s new Forge 44 facility takes its name from both its manufacturing focus and its M44 postcode, with the development also receiving recognition from Made in Britain, the trade organisation representing more than 2,250 British manufacturers. Its trademark is prominently displayed as a 5m mural inside the new Forge 44 facility,

celebrating the site’s continued role in British manufacturing. John Pearce, CEO of Made in Britain, said: “This is what ‘good growth’ in every industrial postcode looks like. The new Beaver Bridges facility is an embodiment of the future-facing British manufacturing story, connecting optimism, skilled, meaningful work in a vibrant and dynamic business that’s built on foundations that are centuries strong. It proves that manufacturing is as vital to our collective future as it was to our industrial past. This company has doubled its manufacturing capacity while continuing to invest in people, facilities and innovation, demonstrating that unwavering confidence and long-term thinking can help strengthen Britain’s infrastructure and building base for years to come. A new era of British industry is being forged by great British manufacturers like this.” Work to modernise the facility began in March 2026 and was completed in June, ready for Beaver Bridges to move in right away. Rather than constructing a new factory from scratch, the company recognised the engineering potential of an existing industrial facility. The renovation installed new cranes and renewed floors while the building was reclad and modern welfare facilities were fitted. The result is a manufacturing environment that visitors frequently mistake for a new-build while preserving the characteristics that made the site ideally suited to heavy fabrication. The investment has doubled the company’s UK fabrication capacity from 20,000 sq ft to 40,000 sq ft, while

introducing a dedicated trial erection area where complete or partial bridge structures can be assembled before delivery. By identifying fabrication, construction and finish issues before components leave the factory, the facility reduces installation risk on site while allowing clients to inspect finishes, colours and connections before manufacture is signed off. Richard Hinckley, Business Director at Beaver Bridges, said:

Forge 44 represents far more than additional manufacturing space. It gives us the capacity to take on larger and more technically demanding projects while giving clients the opportunity to see their bridge assembled before it ever reaches site. Originally developed for heavy engineering, the refurbished facility combines high-clearance fabrication space with extensive external yards and direct access to the strategic road network. The site enables Beaver Bridges to manufacture, assemble and transport increasingly large and complex bridge structures across the UK and overseas. Located just minutes from the A57, with direct connections to the M60 and M6, Forge 44 offers efficient access to the UK’s motorway network, helping the company transport oversized bridge components and strengthen its ability to deliver major infrastructure projects. The expansion follows another successful year for Beaver Bridges, which was named UK Bridge Contractor of the Year 2026 at the New Civil Engineer Bridge Awards, the company’s second win in the category in three years. The business, which was established by a team of just six people a decade ago, now employs more than 120 people across multiple UK locations. Annual turnover has grown to more than £30 million, with the company targeting £50 million by 2028. For more information on Beaver Bridges, visit beaverbridges.co.uk. To learn more about the Made in Britain campaign, visit madeinbritain.org.

52 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Opinion Piece

HOW FIELD SERVICES CAN SET THE STANDARD FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF WORKERS By Billy Price, Managing Director of Field Services at ClearCourse Field services is short on people. Screwfix reckons the industry needs 250,000 extra workers by 2030, and if trades like electricians, plumbers, heating engineers and carpenters can’t fill that gap, it’s expected to cost the UK economy £98 billion in lost growth by the same year. With 35% of the construction workforce over 50 and heading towards retirement, that gap isn’t going away on its own. The industry is investing in training facilities to help fix the skills shortage, and rightly so. But new facilities alone won’t attract or keep people if the day-to-day job doesn’t change too. The right technology, built for field services specifically, has a big part to play in that.

Reaching the next generation The Milburn Review found nearly one million 16-to-25-year-olds are currently not in education, employment or training. At the same time, more young people are choosing hands-on, practical work over an office job. That’s an opportunity field services should be grabbing with both hands. To reach them, the sector needs to look and feel like a modern career choice. Using the same kind of technology this generation already expects in their everyday lives helps field services businesses look like a serious, forwardthinking option, one that can hold its own against other careers when it comes to attracting and keeping young talent.

Passing on the knowledge With a quarter of tradespeople considering retirement in the next five years, passing on decades of hands-on knowledge matters now, before that experience walks out the door and takes housing, infrastructure and wider economic growth with it. The government has recently announced that secondary schools in

Billy Price

to installation to invoice, all from their phone or tablet. That keeps the day running smoothly and helps a growing business keep its service feeling professional and consistent.

Making the most of AI, without losing the craft Today’s young tradespeople have grown up with technology, and expect it to be part of how they work, alongside the hands-on skills they’re there to learn. To attract and keep them, the sector needs to show that technology and craftsmanship go hand in hand, not that one is replacing the other.

England will offer technical training to pupils as young as fourteen, alongside their usual lessons. That’s a chance the sector can’t afford to miss. More young people are having second thoughts about university, weighing up the time and cost against what they’ll get from it. Field services has a real opportunity here with apprenticeships that offer a genuine, practical alternative. Local employers should be building relationships with secondary schools to introduce students to a career in field services early, showing them the skills and training on offer. But none of this works without time. Experienced workers need the space to actually mentor the people coming up behind them. Digital tools that handle admin, like checking timesheets, free up that time. When mentors aren’t stuck doing paperwork, they can properly support the next generation and build the kind of working relationships that make someone want to stay in the trade for good. Outside of training, mobile job management software lets tradespeople manage a job from quote

With over a third of the construction workforce over 50, digital tools give younger workers instant access to knowledge that used to take years to build up, helping them fix problems first time, more often. And because this generation is already comfortable with technology, learning new tools isn’t a hurdle, it means more time spent honing the actual craft. Junior workers should be spending their time getting good at the job, not chasing unpaid invoices. The government’s Late Payment Bill should help more businesses get paid on time, but it’s technology that will actually make that happen day to day. The average business loses 86 hours a year chasing unpaid bills, time and cash flow that businesses need to pay staff and suppliers. Automating invoicing and follow-ups takes that admin off people’s plates and protects the cash flow that keeps the business running, so teams can focus on the job in front of them.

Setting the standard There’s no single fix for the future of field services. Training facilities build the foundation of trade skills, but it’s putting the right technology into the hands of growing field services businesses, tools that were once out of reach, that will actually let them compete for the next generation and set the standard for what a modern trade career looks like.

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 53

Tools, Plant & Equipment

BEATING DUST WITH AN ELECTRIC E-AIR V1100 COMPRESSOR In an environment where carbon fiber dust moves as relentlessly as the work itself, you need a reliable air compressor. Hexcel, a global leader in advanced composite materials, needed an air solution that could outsmart the conditions around it. With an aging diesel unit on its last breath and a temporary rental filling the gap, the search began for a tougher and more dependable source of standby air. Hexcel, a global producer of advanced composite materials, recently strengthened their plant’s compressed air system with a new stationary compressor. While this energy-efficient unit covered their daily production needs, their backup setup was a growing concern. The old diesel unit that once provided emergency air no longer operated, leaving them vulnerable to sudden downtime. Their main goal was ensuring a reliable and contamination-resistant backup air solution for their continuous manufacturing processes.

Uncovering the real risk during a site visit During an on-site evaluation, it became clear how critical the situation was. Hexcel had been relying on a rented standard air compressor, a solution that was neither cost-effective nor dependable for their high-demand environment.

With fine carbon fiber dust circulating throughout the facility, it was evident that any new compressor would need to withstand harsh airborne contaminants without sacrificing performance. In conditions like these, sealed enclosures and robust filtration are essential to keeping equipment protected and production running. After reviewing their options, Hexcel identified the electric E-Air V1100 as the ideal fit: a reliable and durable solution engineered to perform in tough, non-clean industrial environments.

Addressing contamination concerns with a sealed electric design Over the past years, carbon-fiber particles inside the production area had entered and damaged the previous electric compressors from different suppliers. So the company was skeptical in selecting a new one. Once they understood how the E-Air V1100 is built and engineered with fully sealed components to prevent particle intrusion, they got convinced to go for an electric back-up air solution again. And it turned out to be a great decision, since the compressor is working flawless.

The electric air compressor offered the contamination protection they needed while eliminating the operational downtime associated with diesel refueling and maintenance. The result was a more reliable and efficient solution, without local exhaust gases

A future-proof backup solution for tough industrial conditions Today, Hexcel benefits from a robust and energy-efficient backup air system designed for tough manufacturing conditions where reliability cannot be compromised. By replacing an aging diesel unit with a sealed electric air compressor, the plant now operates with greater predictability and lower operating costs. The E-Air V1100 compressor ensures that their production remains protected, even in environments where airborne particles make high-performance compressed air a challenging requirement.

CES POWER ANNOUNCES LANDMARK CAT AGREEMENT TO EXPAND CLEANER, RELIABLE TEMPORARY POWER ACROSS THE UK AND IRELAND CES Power (“CES”) has signed a landmark multi-year agreement with Caterpillar Sarl (“Caterpillar”), marking a major expansion of its temporary power capability across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Under the agreement - the first of its kind for Caterpillar in the UK and Ireland - CES intends to significantly expand its Stage V generator sets to its rental fleet over the next four years, primarily in the 20–300 kVA segment. The investment will help meet growing demand for dependable, loweremission temporary power across live events, film and TV, construction, infrastructure and industrial projects.

“This is a major step forward for CES Power in the UK and Ireland as we continue to grow,” said Jordan Reber, CEO of CES Power. “Adding Cat power to our fleet gives customers greater scale, trusted reliability and the responsive service they depend on when power is critical.” “This collaboration reflects the continued focus of Caterpillar and CES on meeting evolving customer needs across the UK and Ireland,” said Melissa Busen, Senior Vice President, Electric Power Division at Caterpillar. “Working with providers like CES Power extends the reach of our broad energy solutions portfolio to customers throughout the region.”

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“Customers need power partners who can move fast, perform under pressure and support cleaner ways of working,” said Ailsa Webb, President Europe at CES Power. “Caterpillar’s reputation for durability, efficiency and reliability makes it the right fit for the markets we serve.”

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Health & Safety

HOW MATERIAL INNOVATION IS REDUCING RISK ON CONSTRUCTION SITES By Phil Sutton, Founder, Duraproducts Health and safety have always been important to the construction industry, but the conversation around safety is changing. Projects are becoming more complex with growing pressure to deliver infrastructure faster and more sustainably. Today, protecting workers is no longer about procedures and personal protective equipment, increasingly it is about the materials we choose and the way they influence every stage of construction. Traditionally, decisions around specification have focused on structural performance, durability and cost. While these remain critical, designers and contractors are recognising that material choice can also have a significant impact on the safety of the people installing, maintaining and eventually replacing infrastructure. The result is a growing appreciation that innovation in materials can reduce risk while simultaneously helping projects achieve their environmental objectives.

Designing around risk Construction continues to experience some of the UK’s highest rates of workrelated musculoskeletal disorders, with around 52% linked to manual handling. Repeated lifting, carrying and positioning of heavy materials place considerable strain on workers. Kerbs, drainage channels and other highways products have traditionally been manufactured from concrete, which creates robust solutions but also introduces practical

challenges during installation. Their weight often requires mechanical equipment or multiple operatives for lifting, heightening the potential for injury. However, designing lighter solutions helps to eliminate this problem. Duraproducts originally developed its recycled polymer systems to address the challenge of plastic waste, transforming discarded plastics into durable civil engineering products. However, one of the most immediate benefits of these materials has been the way they improve working conditions on site. Durakerb, for example, weighs up to 90% less than a traditional concrete kerb. That substantial reduction in weight makes components easier to transport around site, simpler to position accurately and less physically demanding to install. Reduced reliance on heavy lifting equipment can also improve logistics on-site while allowing installation teams to work more efficiently. For contractors facing mounting pressure to deliver schemes safely and on programme, these practical improvements can have a real impact.

A healthier working environment Health and safety extend beyond lifting and handling, with more attention also

being paid to occupational health risks that develop gradually throughout a construction career. Exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS), generated when cutting, breaking or grinding concrete products, has become an area of focus. Around 600,000 UK workers are estimated to be exposed to RCS every year, with construction accounting for the largest proportion of those at risk. Controlling airborne dust requires careful planning, appropriate equipment and robust site management. Material innovation can play an important role in mitigating this risk. By reducing the need for extensive cutting and simplifying installation processes, lightweight modular systems have the potential to reduce dust-generation activities associated with traditional concrete products. While dust control measures remain essential, designing products that are easier to install can help create cleaner, safer working environments. This reflects a broader principle now influencing modern construction: wherever possible, risk should be designed out rather than managed after it has been introduced.

Safety and sustainability working together Perhaps the most significant development is that improvements in health and safety no longer need to come at the expense of environmental performance. Increasingly, the same innovations that reduce risk also deliver measurable sustainability benefits. Duraproducts manufactures its kerbing and drainage systems using recycled polymers sourced from everyday waste streams, creating long-life infrastructure products while diverting material that might otherwise end up in landfill or lower-value recycling applications.

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Health & Safety Choosing products with high recycled content immediately supports the circular economy, by creating sustained demand for recycled materials and encouraging further innovation in recycling technologies. It also demonstrates that waste can become a valuable resource rather than an environmental liability. The environmental benefits continue throughout the product lifecycle as lightweight products require less energy during transportation, reducing fuel consumption both on the journey to site and when materials are moved around construction environments. Installation typically requires fewer plant movements and less mechanical lifting, helping to lower emissions while simplifying site operations. Importantly, the products themselves are fully recyclable at the end of their service life, supporting a genuinely circular approach to infrastructure rather than simply delaying disposal.

manufacture, transportation, installation, maintenance and eventual replacement.

Supporting modern infrastructure

For Duraproducts, this philosophy has informed product development from the beginning. For over 20 years, its systems have been designed to recycle waste plastics into durable infrastructure and also to minimise risk during installation and maximise opportunities for future reuse, recycling or carbon recovery. Reducing environmental impact and improving worker wellbeing should not be viewed as separate objectives because in many cases they are closely linked.

Changing transport priorities are also influencing the design of highways and public spaces. Across the UK, local authorities are creating streets that encourage walking, cycling, wheelchair access and public transport while improving resilience to intense rainfall. Combined kerb and drainage systems have become an established solution within highway drainage, providing efficient surface water management while defining carriageways and pedestrian areas. Duraproducts’ Duradrain and Durachannel systems demonstrate how these functions can be integrated with lightweight recycled materials. Their shallow-profile designs provide engineers with greater flexibility when designing inclusive streetscapes, allowing for reduced kerb upstands that improve accessibility while maintaining effective drainage performance.

The combined kerb and drainage arrangement can also provide clear physical and visual separation between different transport users, supporting safer environments for pedestrians and cyclists alongside efficient management of surface water. This demonstrates how safety, functionality and sustainability are closely linked rather than competing priorities.

Looking beyond compliance

Material innovation alone will not eliminate workplace risk and training; planning and good site management will always remain essential.

The construction industry has made enormous progress in improving health and safety over recent decades, but the next stage of that journey is likely to be driven as much by design decisions as site procedures. Manufacturers increasingly have an opportunity and a responsibility to consider the health and safety implications of products throughout their entire lifecycle. That means looking beyond compliance and asking how products affect operatives during

As infrastructure projects face growing expectations around carbon reduction, resource efficiency and workforce welfare, specifying materials that address multiple challenges simultaneously will become even more valuable. The construction industry often talks about building a more sustainable future, but it is equally important to ensure that future projects are built more safely. Material innovation alone will not eliminate workplace risk and training; planning and good site management will always remain essential. But by selecting products that reduce manual handling, minimise dust-generating activities, simplify installation and support circular resource use, designers and contractors can take another meaningful step towards healthier, safer and more sustainable construction.

Find out more about Duraproducts’ recycled and recyclable civil engineering solutions here: www.duraproducts.co.uk

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Highways UK 2026

THE ROAD AHEAD: WHY HIGHWAYS UK 2026 IS ESSENTIAL FOR CONSTRUCTION LEADERS How does the UK’s transport network adapt when tightening public budgets, severe climate events, and rapid digital transformation collide? For main contractors, civil engineers, and specialist sub-contractors, the answer lies in modernizing project delivery, scaling sustainable materials, and building resilient commercial pipelines. Returning to the NEC in Birmingham on 14–15 October 2026, Highways UK serves as the definitive, free-to-attend national meeting place for the surface transport infrastructure sector. Delivered in long-standing Lead Partnership with National Highways, the event acts as the central hub for national policy, major asset investment, and project procurement roadmaps. Crucially, 2026 marks a major milestone with the official launch of Asphalt World UK, a brand-new, co-located event bringing dedicated focus to surfacing, bio-binders, recycled aggregates, and pavement preservation under the same roof.

A Complete Infrastructure Showcase Highways UK 2026 brings together every tier of the supply chain to address the operational and commercial realities facing today’s contractors:

• 7 Dedicated Conference Theatres:

Access two days of CPD-accredited content covering digital twins, decarbonisation, local authority funding, and major project delivery.

• 350+ Global Exhibitors: Discover civil

engineering solutions, site safety technology, and software from leaders including Ringway, Arcadis, FYLD, Telent, and Capgemini.

• 250+ Industry Speakers: Hear directly

from executive leaders driving national policy, commercial procurement, and technical delivery.

• Asphalt World Procurement

Zone: Connect directly with Tier 1 contractors, material suppliers, and sub-contractors offering live contract opportunities across the pavement engineering supply chain.

• Vehicle Display Zone: Inspect

connected fleet technology, site machinery, and winter maintenance vehicles operating on lower-emission fuels.

Direct Access to National Highways & Major Clients

Tier 1 contractors (Balfour Beatty, Amey, Costain, Kier), and specialist supply chain partners across dedicated feature areas, including the Client Zone, Local Authority Hub, and Partner Networking Lounge.

For construction firms looking to win work or grow an existing pipeline, faceto-face engagement remains unmatched. With National Highways returning as Lead Partner, attendees gain direct exposure to future investment roadmaps, carbon reduction benchmarks, and network safety targets.

Whether your focus is benchmarking digital construction tools, evaluating low-carbon asphalt, or securing subcontracting packages, Highways UK 2026 provides the commercial and technical blueprint for the sector’s future.

Beyond the strategic road network, the event unites regional local authorities,

One free pass unlocks complete access to both Highways UK and Asphalt World UK. See what’s on: www.terrapinn. com/HUK26/ConstructionUK Register your free pass: www.terrapinn.com/HWUK26/ ConstructionUK

58 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

Co-located with:

14th-15th October 2026 The NEC, Birmingham

The UK’s dedicated roads and highways trade show Bringing together the people responsible for planning, developing, maintaining, and future-proofing the UK’s major roads, local roads networks, cities and towns.

Case Study

LANDMARK CLEAN-UP GIVES FORMER MARGATE CHEMICAL SITE GREEN LIGHT FOR REDEVELOPMENT An intensive soil and groundwater remediation programme at a former chemical manufacturing facility has reduced contamination by 99%, paving the way for the site to be redeveloped and brought back into use. The site, owned by Thor Group, was home to a chemical production facility from 1973 to 2005, when it ceased manufacturing. Since then, Thor Group carried out voluntary remediation on the site, designed and implemented by RSK Group company Ecologia. Ecologia Project Manager Lucy Allen said: “A site-specific remediation strategy followed by a close monitoring regime confirmed more than 99% reduction in contamination from the 2020–2021 baseline. Biodegradation of residual contaminant in groundwater was also significantly accelerated following thermal treatment, resolving a long-standing contamination challenge. “With this information, the permit for the site was successfully surrendered to the Environment Agency, formally confirming that contamination risks have been reduced to acceptable levels. This decision opens the door for the brownfield land to be redeveloped for commercial and/or residential use.” She explained that the remediation was carried out in two main stages. During the first remediation stage from 2005 to 2018, traditional in situ techniques were used, such as long-term pumpand-treat methods for the groundwater. This significantly reduced contaminant levels across the site and provided key information for the second, more targeted phase to address both soil and groundwater contamination, which began in 2020 following extensive monitoring.

contaminant modelling and improved the site model. We identified the remaining contaminant sources in the unsaturated soil and groundwater and then designed a targeted system to tackle these contaminants and meet the permit requirements that would satisfy the conditions for redevelopment of the site.

and groundwater – was used to create a predominantly aerobic environment, thus naturally enhancing microbial degradation.

“The second phase began in 2023, using in situ thermal treatment to target residual sources in the ground. Steam injection – pumping steam into the ground through lances – heated and mobilised the contaminants in the aquifer, which were removed through soil vapour and groundwater extraction. Hydraulic control measures prevented the contaminants from migrating off-site from the treatment area.

Giacomo said: “Groundwater was monitored through boreholes both on the site and nearby for about 2 years, with samples analysed by an accredited laboratory. Additional drilling works and geophysical logging – lowering specialised instruments into a borehole to measure the physical and chemical properties of the surrounding rock and fluids – were also carried out as part of the rebound monitoring to obtain more detailed information and to validate the predictive modelling analysis.

“Contamination in shallow hotspots in the soil was excavated and the hotspots were capped with a low-permeability system to minimise rainfall infiltration and to prevent future leaching, providing long-term protection for both future site users and the underlying aquifer.” Giacomo added that the temperature, pressure, vapour and groundwater data were monitored continuously, allowing optimisation of steam and energy input and ensuring that the target treatment volumes reached the required thermal conditions. As a final post-thermal-remediation step to encourage residual bioremediation in the aquifer, air sparging – the injection of pressurised air into the subsurface soils

Dr Giacomo Maini, Ecologia Managing Director, said: “During 2020–2021, cone penetration testing and further intrusive ground investigations enhanced our

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To ensure that the remediation was successful, monitoring was carried out for 24 months.

“The evidence shows a reduction in contaminants of more than 99% in soils compared with the 2020–2021 baseline, with no contaminant compounds detected within groundwater in off-site boreholes during the 2-year period. Conservative modelling over a 30-year timescale suggests that residual concentrations in groundwater are not considered to be a risk to the surrounding aquifer and that further active remediation is unnecessary. This satisfied the Environment Agency expectations, allowing the site permit to be surrendered by Thor Group.” The group is now considering divesting the site for future development.

e l b a w Rene le b a l c y Rec le b i s n o Resp

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People On The Move

PULSE CONSULT BOLSTERS EAST MIDLANDS HUB WITH DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT Ian Williams

IAN WILLIAMS PROMOTED TO CONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR AT LANGSTONE CONSTRUCTION Langstone Construction has promoted Ian Williams to Construction Director after only five months with the Cardiffbased contractor. Ian joined Langstone Construction as Head of Construction in April, after working at major contractors such as Taylor Woodrow, BAM, and Kier, and has quickly been promoted at the company that specialises in residential, education, health and commercial building. Neil Phillpott, founder and Managing Director of Langstone Construction, said of Ian’s promotion: “Ian has made a big impression since he’s joined us at Langstone. His management of the multiple projects that we have underway, as well as the relationships he has and maintains with our clients has really made a difference to the business.

This promotion is a real testament and it has been great to see how he has thrown himself into the role since he started with us in April, so the promotion to Construction Director made complete sense. Ian Williams said of his new role: “It’s been a whirlwind five months since I’ve joined Langstone, but I have loved every minute. For Neil and the senior team to now trust me with this director role is really gratifying and I can’t wait to get my teeth properly stuck into the new role and take Langstone Construction to the next level.”

Independent construction consultancy Pulse Consult has strengthened its senior leadership team, appointing Billie Wallace-Moth as director in its East Midlands Hub amid expanding residential services. Billie joins Pulse following over a decade at AtkinsRéalis (formerly Faithful+Gould), where she successfully delivered major, awardwinning schemes across the private residential and Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) sectors. A specialist in complex project delivery, Billie’s experience spans the East Midlands and London, leading the ongoing delivery of two major projects for Fusion Group, as well as the RICS award winning iQ Sneinton Market scheme. She is also a recognised industry voice, regularly taking part in panel discussions and networking events focused on the Building Safety Act 2022, high-risk buildings and navigating the Gateway 2 submission process. Operating as director at Pulse, Billie will spearhead the expansion of the firm’s residential capability across the East Midlands, with a focus on winning new work in Build-to-Rent (BTR) apartments, PBSA and private sector homes. She will also lead the development and mentoring of junior staff, guiding them toward professional chartership while supporting Pulse’s strategic ambitions to grow its regional delivery team.

Billie said: “Moving to a dedicated project management consultancy like Pulse Consult allows me to get right back to the core of what I love doing. Pulse’s agility, vision and focus on delivering high-quality residential environments create the perfect platform for this next stage in my career.

My focus will be on expanding our market footprint, driving high standards on the delivery of high-risk buildings, and mentoring the next generation of talented project managers. I’m thrilled to join the East Midlands team at such a dynamic time. The appointment aligns with Pulse Consult’s rapidly expanding national footprint in the student living sector. The firm’s recent portfolio includes landmark projects such as the newly completed £20m, 185-bed Kennington Lane PBSA development in London, a £20m, 184-bed student scheme in Bristol, and a growing £300m pipeline of high-density living and regeneration developments nationwide. Jonathan Aldworth, board director at Pulse Consult, said: “Strategically, we have been looking for some time for the person who is the right fit for our growth plans and culture, and I am absolutely delighted that Billie shared in this vision and agreed to join us. “Billie is an exciting talent who will further strengthen our senior leadership team, bringing a wealth of experience developed over the past decade as she progressed through the ranks at AtkinsRéalis.

Billie Wallace-Moth

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“She is highly regarded for her strong relationship-management skills and has built an impressive client base across the region.

Training & Education opportunities available. By collaborating with local schools and colleges, we are able to help students prepare for the world of work. These partnerships allow Keepmoat to offer tailored opportunities where students can visit live sites and gain hands-on experience in a real-world setting.” Keepmoat has also worked alongside NHBC to connect prospective apprentices and members of the local community with employers.

HOUSEBUILDER INSPIRES NEXT GENERATION OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS THROUGH EDUCATION PROGRAMMES Top 10 UK housebuilder, Keepmoat, is helping to address the construction industry’s skills shortage by investing in the next generation of talent through a programme of careers events and practical skills workshops across the North East.

The training hub has also welcomed groundwork apprentices from Wearmouth Construction and Applebridge, who visited The Rise development to enhance their knowledge and understanding of their vocation.

Throughout the academic year, Keepmoat’s North East social value team, based in Newcastle, has worked with local schools, colleges, apprentices and prospective employees, engaging more than 900 young people across the region and providing opportunities to gain practical insight into careers in construction.

Geoff Scott, Social Value Manager at Keepmoat North East, explains: “At Keepmoat, we’re proud to support the next generation of young talent across the North East in preparing for long-term career opportunities they’re passionate about. We also understand the construction industry faces a skills shortage, which is why it’s so important that we empower students early and help them understand the breadth of

A key part of the programme has been delivered through Keepmoat’s National House Building Council (NHBC) Training Hub at New Tyne West Development Company’s The Rise development in Scotswood.

At a recent recruitment day, members of the public, prospective apprentices and supply chain employers visited the hub to learn more about opportunities in construction and see current Keepmoat apprentices put their developing bricklaying skills into practice. Darryl Stewart, Head of Commercial Services at NHBC added: “We’re committed to helping the home-building industry bridge the skills gap and believe strongly in working in partnership with developers to deliver training. “The UK faces a housing crisis and it’s essential we build more quality homes at pace – that’s why we’re investing £100 million to train up to 3,000 new apprentices every year and are creating 12 new multi skill training hubs across the UK. “The NHBC Training Hub at The Rise development in Scotswood is an effective, collaborative partnership with Keepmoat designed to immerse apprentices in a realistic working environment. This initiative is equipping the next generation of skilled site workers with hands-on experience to meet the growing demand in the home-building industry.”

The facility provides a dedicated space for apprenticeships, construction careers days, recruitment events and practical training, giving participants the opportunity to see how the skills they are developing translate into realworld construction projects. A new cohort of bricklaying apprentices recently began their careers with an intensive block of training at the hub, covering the fundamentals of bricklaying, health and safety and the process of obtaining Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards.

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Training & Education

PLT TRAINING REACHES NEW HEIGHTS AFTER £200,000 INVESTMENT LEADS TO PASMA ACCREDITATION One of the UK’s leading health and safety training providers is targeting a major ‘scaffolding’ opportunity after it invested more than £200,000 into a new dedicated area and the recruitment of three new instructors.

The company, which already works with Omega Scaffolding, Pro Scaff and Midland Metro, believes there could now be up to £500,000 of new contracts available over the next twelve months as it offers all the solutions under one roof.

The new facilities and expertise have helped PLT Training secure the PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers’ and Manufacturers’ Association)’s internationally recognised accreditation, meaning it can now offer accredited courses on the safe assembly, use, inspection and dismantling of aluminium scaffold towers.

Kath Lang, Operations Director at PLT Training explained: “Relocation to our new training centre has been fundamental in the PASMA accreditation, giving us access to hi-spec classrooms, the latest equipment and additional space to run the courses.

This works alongside IPAF training for Mobile Elevated Work Platforms and allows the Oldbury-based firm to deliver training for two major areas of working at height, the leading cause of workplace fatalities in the UK.

“To secure the internationally recognised standard, we had to be approved by a panel of associate members and had to successfully complete a full audit of our premises whilst demonstrating we have the industry knowledge in place.” She continued: “We have created three new roles for specialist PASMA instructors

HIGH WAGES AND ‘PITIFUL’ EMPLOYER FUNDING ARE MAIN REASONS FOR NOT TAKING ON AN ELECTRICAL APPRENTICE, CONTRACTORS TELL NEW SELECT SURVEY High wages and lack of employer funding are the biggest obstacles to Scotland’s electrical businesses recruiting apprentices, a new survey by the country’s construction largest trade association has revealed. Some 52% of respondents to the poll by SELECT said that the financial doublewhammy was the main reason for them not taking on an apprentice or adult trainee. A massive 87% claimed that current government support was inadequate or very poor, with 21% saying that they don’t plan to employ an apprentice over the next three years, and 53% saying only increased funding support would encourage them to recruit again. One member told the survey: “The employer funding we get compared to

other construction trades is pitiful, despite the high amounts we contribute.”

• 67% claiming that the cost of funding

Another said: “This is the first time in 13 years that we won’t be taking on an apprentice due to the combined impact of wage increases, National Insurance and pensions.”

• 65% disclosing that they would

And a third added: “More help with employer funding is essential. With wages increasing and the time apprentices spend away at college, it’s a massive outlay for any business.” The association’s survey was undertaken to collate member views and help it paint an accurate picture of the current Modern Apprenticeship in Electrical Installation. Answered by electrical businesses of all sizes across Scotland, its key findings included:

64 Construction UK Magazine - October 2026

should be shared equally between the employer and government

support the introduction of a training levy to support electrical installation apprenticeships

• 56% saying they would be willing to

engage with local politicians to raise awareness of apprenticeship issues faced by employers.

On the positive side, 78% of respondents said their experience of working with the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) was good to excellent, with 79% giving the same verdict on the quality of education provided by colleges and training centres. When it came to training itself, 86% said they thought the current four-year

Training & Education already and expect this to double as existing clients and new customers take advantage of our comprehensive, underone-roof offer.” PLT Training can now deliver low-level access training (shorter podiums), towers for users (covering single bay structures with four legs and wheels that can reach heights of 8m outdoors and 12m indoors) and a combination course that covers both.

confined spaces course that includes working through a series of tunnels and fitting breathing apparatus.” She concluded: “It has been a real gamechanger for what we can offer and will help us continue to deliver the very best training to clients, ranging from SMEs and sub-contractors to major employers like Assa Abloy, Arvato SCM, AO Recycling, Williams F1 and Red Bull Racing.”

It is great news and comes hot on the heels of our move into the new training centre, which supports more than 10,000 learners every year.

The aim is to add several other courses over the next twelve months, including towers for stairs, towers with bridges and linked towers. This should appeal to scaffolding companies and other businesses that have operatives working at height, not to mention educational and sporting organisations. Kath continued: “It is great news and comes hot on the heels of our move into the new training centre, which supports more than 10,000 learners every year. “From here, we have high quality classrooms and six purpose-built zones for forklifts, advanced working at height, manual handling, first aid and a unique

apprenticeship model was the correct length, while 57% said that the existing Modern Apprenticeship should be the sole route into the industry. One respondent said: “The current route is the only one that has any value in producing trained electricians. Too many people are doing online or six-month courses and then calling themselves an electrician.” Another member agreed, adding: “There should be only one training body. The new private training centres churning out fast-track ‘electricians’ are destroying the quality in the industry.” The survey invited respondents to provide honest feedback on other aspects of the current apprenticeship set-up in Scotland, along with suggestions of how to improve any issues. One contractor said: “Apart from sorting wage rates, a requirement should be introduced that an apprentice has to remain with an employer for two years after qualifying.” Another respondent told the poll: “Contracts should require commitment on both sides, i.e. an apprentice can’t just leave

and go to another employer before their training ends.” And a third said: “My main problem with apprentices is trying to get them to listen and learn – the mobile phone seems to be the main priority.” Sharon Miller, SELECT Managing Director, said: “These findings echo our own warnings and ongoing feedback from members that the cost of recruiting apprentices and adult trainees is becoming a big disincentive for employers. Industry already makes a significant cost contribution to apprenticeships in Scotland, employing and paying apprentices from day one. “Upskilling the next generation is more crucial than ever and workplace apprenticeships are a vital part of ensuring we produce excellence in skills. It is really worrying to see contractors say they are unlikely to employ a learner solely due to the outlay involved. “Without apprentices coming through the ranks and being comprehensively trained, there simply would be no electrical industry in the future, with all the implications that would have for our wider society. We know that the Scottish Government is currently reviewing training provider contribution

rates, so there is a clear opportunity to create a win-win. By increasing apprenticeship numbers and funding for the next five years, government could tackle both youth unemployment and the construction skills crisis, which in turn will increase economic growth across Scotland. “We will therefore continue to work hard behind the scenes on our Members’ behalf, speaking to government to drive a more positive approach to employer funding which is crucial if businesses are not to be discouraged from investing in our future skills base.” A full copy of the SELECT survey can be download here.

Construction UK Magazine - October 2026 65

SPATEX 2027 in the design and construction of water leisure facilities, big or small, commercial, or domestic.

Photo courtesy of Whitewaters

Innovations - exhibitors use SPATEX as a launch platform for a host of never seen before products, many offering special introductory prices exclusive to visitors. A New Product Zone (sponsored by Swimming Pool News) is a useful summary of the products that look set to make headlines in the pool season ahead. Saving energy and sustainability are at the top of the agenda. Minimising energy usage is a consideration that is more economical to factor in at the design stage. From heat retention covers and LED lighting to air source heat pumps and super insulated one-piece pools, there is a wide range to suit all applications.

SPATEX 2027 – WATER LEISURE DECONSTRUCTED Water leisure is the sum of many parts and SPATEX 2027, the UK’s only dedicated water leisure show, has the lot – from spas, wellness suites, swimming pools and steam rooms to saunas, water features, ice baths, enclosures, and all their ancillary equipment. All the latest innovations and trends will be revealed

at SPATEX 2027, Tuesday 2nd to Thursday 4th February at the Coventry Building Society Arena. FREE to attend, and open to all. Whether you’re starting from scratch, refurbishing or simply looking for ideas SPATEX 2027 is your starting point.

From the foundations up! Unique showcase - With well over a hundred exhibiting companies, including all the leading manufacturers and suppliers from around the world, this is a must-attend event for all those involved

Photo courtesy of Centurion Leisure

A powerhouse of knowledge: Energy saving will also feature in SPATEX’s freeto-attend, double seminar programme, along with the design and build of commercial and domestic pools. Across the two seminar arenas there’s 40 plus sessions given by esteemed leaders of industry. ISPE (Institute of Swimming Pool Engineers), has curated a diverse workshop programme in Arena 1 and CPD points and certificates of attendance are issued to all attendees. The Industry Hub - a highly successful initiative introduced this year will be returning in 2027 with five of the industry’s leading associations all conveniently grouped on one stand to offer free advice. This includes the BSPF (the British Swimming Pool Federation) which hosts the British Pool & Hot Tub Awards, showcasing the best examples of design. Photos of the winning projects will be displayed, providing excellent design inspiration. Expertise on tap - Bring your plans with you – there’s no better place to seek impartial advice from a variety of specialists, and all for free.

Easy to get to The centrally located Coventry Building Society Arena has over 2,000 car parking spaces and SPATEX is committed to providing free parking for its visitors. We look forward to welcoming you.

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