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What do you know about Japanese knotweed?

It has halted developments across the country, caused untold damage to existing housing stock and rendered some properties completely unsellable. How much do you know about Japanese knotweed? As the sun coaxes this nuisance from the ground, Joe Bradbury of buildingspecifier.com investigates: What is it? Japanese knotweed is a non-native outdoor plant which grows at […]

MMC: a solution for modern times

Our industry needs to change. To do this, we must cast a critical eye over our own behaviour and acknowledge our shortcomings; something many feel understandably hesitant to do. The bad news is that the UK construction industry is currently responsible for 45% of total UK carbon emissions, 32% of all landfill waste and is […]

Home or Away? Homebuyers increasingly look overseas

The mortgage market review in the UK has displayed how it is getting increasingly harder to obtain a mortgage in Britain. It seems that many investors are now turning their gaze a little further afield in order to get a little more bang for their buck. Joe Bradbury of Building Specifier investigates: Research undertaken by […]

Joe Bradbury explores the true potential of wood

As the built environment moves towards becoming eco-friendly, buildingspecifier Editor Joe Bradbury posits the question – are we not seeing the wood for the trees in the quest for a viable green alternative? The construction industry accounts for almost 7% of the economy in the UK and we hold a 10% share of total employment. […]

Construction projects starts upturn

Starts in the three months to April rose 7% against the preceding three months and were 4% higher than a year ago Residential starts were 4% lower than a year ago and unchanged on the preceding three months Non-residential project starts were 3% higher than a year ago, lifted by a rise in commercial work […]

Housing delivery will be hampered by skills shortage, warns experts

Small house builders predict that skills shortages in the building industry will hamper housing delivery and will eventually overtake access to finance as a bigger barrier to building new homes, according to recent research conducted by industry experts, the Federation of Master Builders. Key results from the FMB’s House Builders’ Survey, the only annual assessment […]

5 of the most expensive megaprojects in the World

A megaproject can be defined as a long term project that involves huge economic investment, vast complexity and precipitates a long-lasting impact on the economy, society and environment of the region in which it is being constructed. For profiles of five of the most startlingly expensive megaprojects currently in progress, see below: #5 – Dubailand, […]