The UK construction market has recovered from the downturn experienced between 2020 and 2023, but the growth outlook remains subdued and varied by sector, according to a new report published by leading sector consultancy McBains.
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A building business often needs more space before it needs larger premises in the conventional sense. Tools accumulate, materials need somewhere secure between jobs, and paperwork takes up space at home or in the van alongside equipment. There are three common routes when that happens: an industrial unit set up for trade use, container storage, or self-storage. Each suits a different stage and way of working, and many building firms end up using more than one. What matters is how the space will be used during a normal working week.
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Are you ready for October’s newest Employment Rights Act changes? This article sees Carl Johnson, UK Sales Director at construction asset finance providers Anglo Scottish, and Lisa Branker, Head of Employment Law at Beecham Peacock solicitors, explore the changes you should already be aware of, along with which are coming soon and how can you prepare and pre-empt your policies…
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating new opportunities for reinforcement steel suppliers and construction businesses to reduce costs, improve material efficiency and communicate more effectively with customers. Could smaller businesses be among the biggest beneficiaries?
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Decarbonisation and green energy measures can have a major effect on water safety in buildings. Although they reduce carbon emissions, they may also create serious unintended risks, including increased growth of Legionella and other opportunistic pathogens caused by system stagnation, lower water temperatures, and reduced disinfectant residuals. Andy Clews, Senior Consultant at the Water Hygiene Centre, writes the following article…
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Choosing a flooring supplier is one of those decisions that shapes every job that follows it. Get it right and you have consistent stock, trade pricing that actually moves the needle on margin, and a delivery schedule you can plan a fit around. Get it wrong and a single late pallet of LVT can push back a completion date by a week.
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Most small construction firms think trade shows are for the big players. They’ll wander around UK Construction Week Birmingham, grab some brochures, have a coffee with someone they half-know, and drive home with nothing concrete to show for the day.
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Sustained attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left millions of people facing disruption to electricity, heating and water. Alongside the urgent work to repair damaged infrastructure, Ukraine and its international partners are looking at how a more decentralised energy system could provide greater resilience in the face of Russian attacks. Here, Carl Everitt, Operations and Supply Chain Director at AirPlus Renewables, considers the role that smaller-scale renewable generation could play as part of that much wider effort.
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In a market where land value, density and viability are under constant scrutiny, it is understandable why open space is sometimes seen as a compromise, writes Joana Lideike at Ruskins, specialists in trees and soil…
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Nowadays, specifiers researching products for a new building don’t have manufacturers at the top of their list to contact. Instead, they head to Google to compare similar products and increasingly, they ask AI tools to act as their source of expertise and work out the differences between two specs before they’ve even spoken to a sales rep. By the time they call, the buyer has usually narrowed down their choices to two or three products. Julaine Speight, co-owner and marketing director of First Internet, has written the following guest article…
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