A LITTLE IRISH CHEER ON ST. PATRICKS DAY

 

 

 

Combilift is the largest global manufacturer of multi-directional forklifts and an acknowledged leader in long load handling solutions. More than 50,000 units have been sold in over 85 countries since Combilift was established in 1998. Innovation, Flexibility and Service is the ethos on which Combilift’s success is built and has seen us become the world’s fastest-growing forklift manufacturer, exporting to more than 85 countries and with more than 52,000 trucks in use worldwide. No other manufacturer in the world can deliver the same level of customisation and adaptability, or cater so effectively to the diverse needs of every individual customer, whether their enterprise is large or small.

 

COMBILIFT

Annahagh,  Monaghan, Co. Monaghan H18 VP65 Ireland

Phone: +353 47 80500

web: combilift.com

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THE CHURCH – BUILDING WITH VALUES

The Church could use its vast landholdings to transform the construction industry for the better as well as helping ease the housing crisis, the chair of the C of E’s housing commission told Building Design.

By taking a long-term view of its assets and requiring development partners including architects and contractors to sign up to the five values in the commission’s report, it could become a much more influential player in housing development, said Charlie Arbuthnot. The specialist in social housing financing led the Commission on Housing, Church and Community whose report, Coming Home, was launched last month.

It sets out a vision of housing that is sustainable, safe, stable, sociable and satisfying – and includes a series of detailed recommendations for government and society as well as for the Church itself.

If the Church insisted on working only with partners that shared these values, said Arbuthnot, “we start setting a benchmark for a very different ethos. That’s exciting. As soon as that becomes normative we have transformed an industry”.

He gives the example of a housebuilder with a bad reputation. “They build stuff and in six months when things start going wrong they don’t answer the phones,” he said. “That doesn’t fit with safe, stable or satisfying housing. If that housebuilder is pitching for a piece of work we’d say, ‘Your history suggests our five values aren’t important to you. I don’t mind if you do it cheaper than the others – our five values are more important.”

He admits the values are impossible to police but says they make a “healthy baseline” and if a contractor commits but doesn’t deliver, “the next contract becomes harder to win”. He also points to the much more enforceable Stewardship Kitemark which is currently in draft form.

It would allow a congregation with no experience of building projects to go to their local authority and say, “We have this land which could help address local housing need but we don’t want to release it unless what is built meets the five values. Can we talk about how we steward this well for the common good?”

The Church has nearly 200,000 acres of land, about half of it owned by a patchwork of parishes and dioceses and the rest owned by the Church Commissioners, the Church’s investment arm. They have built 3,820 homes in the last five years, just 21% of them affordable.

The Church Commissioners argue their hands are tied by charity law, but moves are now afoot to change the Church’s internal regulations which could free them to sell land below market price. Arbuthnot is hopeful this could be completed this year and he and his fellow commissioners are encouraging the Church to aim for a far more ambitious proportion of affordable housing.

They would also like to see the Church choosing not to sell its land but remain long-term stewards, reinvesting rents in further developments. Arbuthnot believes this would result in projects being better designed and built.

“We are absolutely saying that. We want to position the Church to build community really well – and I don’t do that if I sell my field to someone who builds the maximum number of units on it for the cheapest price,” he said. “If instead I choose to steward it, I’ll want to reflect Christ in the way I run it.”

The report also listed demands for the government, urging it to create a 20-year, cross-party strategy to transform housing and solve issues from affordability to dangerous cladding. It should include a specific target for the number of homes which are truly affordable, and seek to improve the quality and environmental sustainability of existing housing stock.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, who commissioned the report, said it came as the country faced a “Beveridge moment”, linking the current pandemic and the landmark 1942 report that led to the creation of the NHS and benefits system.

Speaking at a launch event for Coming Home, Helen Barnard, director of the anti-poverty think tank Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “A lot of people can get behind this in the sector and more broadly and this is the moment to do it. The importance of a safe, warm home you can afford has been brought home to us in an incredible way and we need that economic stimulus.”

She added: “There’s a focus in the report on listening to tenants but we should go further and put co-design – working with people to design solutions – at the heart of everything we do.”

 

Source: Building Design

 

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CLADDING, PROPERTY TRAP

Cladding and other fire safety issues for flats in high-rise buildings could affect roughly 1.5 million flat owners in the UK, many of which will face significant hurdles when trying to sell these flats or obtain a mortgage on them. Insurance premiums may also increase for flat owners, and some will have to pay for safety patrols until the safety issues are resolved.

Analysis from the financial consultant, DBRS Morning Star, based on a sample of 670,000 mortgage loans, found that:

Hotspots for flats are London (28.5%), Glasgow (3.7%), and Edinburgh (3.2%). East London has the most flats, accounting for nearly 7.5% of all UK-wide flats.

House prices would need to decline by more than 20% of their current value for a meaningful number of mortgage borrowers to end up in negative equity.

Fire safety repair bills (even after accounting for differences in labour costs) may not be proportional to the property value. This means that borrowers in the northern UK where property values are cheaper could have repair bills which, relative to their property value, are higher than in London.

Ketan Thaker, head of European RMBS and Covered Bonds, comments: “Borrowers are likely to face higher mortgage costs because of an increase in their mortgage loan-to-value ratios, either as result of reduced flat values or additional debt undertaken to fund repairs.

“DBRS Morningstar’s analysis shows that, assuming that borrowers can remortgage, they may still face higher monthly payments in most cases. Furthermore, the impact could be much more severe for borrowers if they cannot get a new mortgage and have to move onto the lender’s standard variable rates, which tend to be higher.”

Property management operator MetroPM has welcomed a new valuation process issued by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) over valuing high-rise properties with cladding.

The industry-wide guidance is titled ‘Valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding’, and follows consultation with valuers, leaseholders, lenders, fire safety experts and government.

Matthew Arnold, managing director of MetroPM, explains that the paper had been agreed with the Building Societies Association and UK Finance and will clarify which types of properties will or will not require additional inspections due to concerns about fire safety.

He says: “We welcome this guidance which will help to create clarity and consistency about when a valuer is not required to request further investigation of cladding before valuing a property in a building of multiple occupation.”

“Importantly, it makes it clear that where a valuer or lender can establish that the building owner has met the advice in the consolidated advice note, an EWS1 form should not be required. An EWS1 form would also not be required for a building that is over 18 metres that has a valid building control certificate in place.”

Arnold mentions that MetroPM, which has offices in Birmingham and Cheltenham, is currently dealing with blocks where cladding needs to be removed and so would find the advice ‘extremely useful’.

The guidance details that an EWS1 form will only be required for the following:

Buildings over six storeys with cladding or curtain wall glazing, or vertically stacked balconies made from or connected by combustible materials (such as timber).

Buildings of five or six storeys where there is significant cladding (covering approximately a quarter of the building or more), or there are ACM, MCM or HPL panels on the building, or there are vertically stacked balconies made from or connected by combustible materials.

Buildings of four storeys or less, if there are ACM, MCM or HPL panels on the building.

Arnold adds: “This guidance details exactly when an EWS1 form will be required for valuations, and this will help to simplify the process, enabling more people to buy and sell homes and re-mortgage in high-rise buildings.”

Scottish cladding crisis event calls for transparency for residents

Edinburgh legal firm Watermans Legal is set to address the continued confusion surrounding Scotland’s cladding crisis with a virtual event for residents.

This comes as demand grows for the Scottish Government to allocate funds to homeowners trapped in their unsellable homes due to combustible cladding.

A £100 million pot of funding was made available to the Scottish Government last year to help tackle the crisis, with mounting pressure on the Scottish Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart, to put an action plan into place to use the funds.

The virtual event – bringing together leading experts from Watermans Legal, Fire Risk Assessment (Scotland) Ltd, J&E Shepherd Chartered Surveyors and Residential Surveyor and M&W Mortgages – will address how cladding issues can affect selling, buying and the mortgaging of properties.

The importance of obtaining and instructing an External Wall Fire Risk Review (EWS1 form), which confirms that a building does not pose a fire risk, will also form a key part of the event’s agenda.

Shawn Wood, a solicitor at Watermans Legal who will be speaking at the event, comments: “The topic of cladding is so closely aligned with England. There’s not nearly as much focus on how it affects Scottish residents.”

“We’re receiving a growing number of calls from people with concerns about their properties and the incurring costs which is why we felt it was necessary to host this event. It’s an opportunity to gather Scotland’s cladding experts and share our knowledge with the public.”

Many people in Scotland who are affected by the cladding crisis have been left confused, with no helpful responses despite huge company profits from builders and the construction industry.

Wood says residents have inherited these problems through no fault of their own.

“Many people are feeling trapped as their homes are effectively worthless if a Home Report returns ‘category threes’ for their external main walls,” he adds. “Obtaining an External Wall Fire Risk Review form, which demonstrates to a buyer that there isn’t a fire risk, can also be timely and expensive due to a shortage of professionals with the necessary qualifications to carry out these specialist reports.”

“If all homeowners were to fix the problem of combustible cladding it could cost tens of thousands of pounds per property which leave many concerned that they will be left to foot the bill if their building is found to have combustible cladding. With the Government’s plan to support Scotland still to be announced, we want to offer any advice that we can to help alleviate people’s fears.”

The Cladding Crisis in Scotland online event takes place on Thursday March 18 from 6-8pm. Interested parties can sign up for free here.

 

Source: Property Investor Today

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TRAINING: THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPERATIVE, ALSO AN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

To ensure the UK government’s commitment to achieving Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is on track, the construction industry will require the equivalent of 350,000 new roles to be created by 2028.

These will need to be found through a mix of new skilled jobs, increased efficiencies in existing roles, and innovation in how the industry decarbonises the built environment. That’s the key finding of Building Skills for Net Zero, published by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) today (15 March).

UK construction contributes approximately 40% of the UK’s emissions according to the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) and reducing this to Net Zero represents a huge challenge. Yet the move to cleaner, greener construction presents big opportunities to make the industry more attractive to new recruits and upskill the existing workforce.

A critical element of achieving Net Zero will be reducing carbon emissions from existing buildings. Across the UK 80% of buildings in use in 2050 have already been built and these could represent 95% of future built environment emissions. Reducing emissions to Net Zero will require retrofit work on up to 27 million domestic and 2 million non-domestic buildings.

CITB has modelled the skills profile of the workforce needed to deliver Net Zero using data from the Climate Change Committee (CCC). This shows that by 2028, additional decarbonisation work will have created the demand for 86,000 construction project managers, 33,000 building envelope specialists and 59,000 plumbers and HVAC specialists.

This opportunity comes alongside the COVID-19 pandemic and an expected rise in unemployed workers coming from other sectors. This is a perfect time for the construction to position itself as a career destination of choice for people who really want to make a difference.

CITB’s research shows that reducing built environment emissions to Net Zero can be achieved if there is an industry-wide investment in skills, far-reaching skills policy reform and an unprecedented recruitment drive. The challenge is great, but so are the rewards, giving thousands of people new career opportunities as we emerge from a time of national crisis.

Chris Carr, Managing Director of Carr & Carr Builders, and Federation of Master Builders Board Member, said:

“The skills challenge around Net Zero is huge and this research shows how it can be tackled. A big part of it will be upskilling the current workforce so that they understand what sustainable building is all about. I welcome this report and the Construction Leadership Council’s National Retrofit Strategy which show how, if we work together as an industry, we can make construction greener while seizing opportunities for growth.”

Thousands of new construction jobs needed for Wales to achieve net zero emissions target

 The construction industry will need to create 12,000 jobs by 2028 if the Welsh Government’s target of net zero emissions is to be achieved by 2050.

According to a report from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) these jobs across Wales will need to be found through a mix of new skilled jobs, increased efficiencies in existing roles and innovation in how the industry decarbonises the built environment.

CITB strategic partnership director for Wales, Mark Bodger, said: “Net zero presents a huge challenge for construction, but an even greater opportunity to create a more productive industry that’s also a more attractive career option.

“We can get there by being clear on the key skills we’ll need, making sure we have the right courses and qualifications to deliver them and getting on with investing in them. Industry is already delivering what is needed, but it needs to happen at scale. The training sector must act now as employers’ needs will change fast. A joined up approach to skills across the built environment is key.

“Welsh Government also has a key role in specifying what it wants and creating the pipeline of demand that will give industry the confidence to invest in the skills we need and for providers to invest in the courses we need to deliver these skills.”

Deputy Minister for Economy, Lee Waters, said: “Getting serious about decarbonisation is not just an environmental imperative, it’s an economic opportunity. We’ve got to seize this opportunity to create a new generation of jobs that are sustainable in every sense of the word.

“We can only do it industry, local supply chains, academics and governments all working together innovatively to focus on the practicalities, and then drive forward the implementation to build the workforce we want to see in the future.”

 

Source: FE News and Business Live

 

 

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How electric vehicle uptake will impact the built environment?

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By 2025, it’s estimated that one in six of all new cars worldwide will be electric. How will this affect the way we construct our built environment and what changes will need to be made to our existing infrastructure in order to accommodate the shift? Building Specifier’s Joe Bradbury investigates:

The last four years have seen a remarkable surge in demand for electric vehicles in the UK – new registrations of plug-in cars increased from 3,500 in 2013 to more than 214,000 by the end of May 2019. There has also been a huge increase in the number of pure-electric and plug-in hybrid models available in the UK with many of the top manufacturers in the UK now offering a number of EVs as part of their model range.

Figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) each month show that electric car sales in the UK have risen dramatically over the past few years. While only around 500 electric cars were registered per month during the first half of 2014, this rose exponentially to an average of 5,000 per month during 2018.

By the end of 2018, almost 60,000 plug-in cars had been registered over the course of the year – a new record. This significantly improved upon the previous record, set in 2017, increasing it by more than 13,000 units. By the end of the year, plug-in cars as a proportion of total UK registrations reached 3.8%, and averaged over 2018 electric cars represented 2.7 per cent of the total new car market in the UK.

The electric car market continues to grow quickly, with more than 164,100 pure-electric cars on UK roads at the end of September 2020 – and over 373,600 plug-in models including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

Government are backing the shift towards electric vehicles, with the Department of Transport recently announcing a government boost of £50 million to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which provides up to £350 towards a charge point, has also recently been expanded to include people in rented and leasehold accommodation, and the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) will also be opened up allowing charities and small businesses such as B&Bs to benefit from funding, boosting access to EV charging in rural areas.

How will this affect our built environment?

The rising number of electric vehicles on our road will undoubtedly have an effect on the built environment. The infrastructure we are all used to would need to evolve with the changing times.

It is to be expected that petrol station numbers will gradually reduce or adapt to provide electric vehicle charging facilities. Coupled with this would be appropriate amenity services for drivers and passengers whilst waiting for their vehicles to charge. (Many major fuel companies are already adapting stations in anticipation of this.)

The service stations, roadside restaurants and hotels that line our motorways are all going to need to adapt to receive large numbers of clientele in electric vehicles and businesses will also need to consider installing charging points on site so that employees can charge their cars whilst they work.

The most notable change to cities will be the addition of charging points. Charging stations will become commonplace on car parks, municipal and multi-storey, private or public, outside supermarkets and restaurants etc. Since many potential electrical vehicle owners don’t own their own garages or driveways, retailers will capitalise on vehicle charging a great way of securing regular, captive customers.

The UK government is also set to introduce new legislation whereby all new-build homes will need to be fitted with electric car chargers. This will have cost and technical implications if all new apartments have to have a charging point with their allocated parking spaces – and of course maintenance and management implications including how the electricity is paid for.

The local electricity infrastructure may very well need to upgrade due to the increased load of multiple electric vehicles charging, pushing development costs upwards and introducing a need for space for electrical equipment.

Needless to say, there will be much work that will need to be done and the construction industry stands to benefit greatly.

 

Speaking to Buildingspecifier Martin Fahey, Head of Sustainability and Mitsubishi Electric commented:

As we move towards a fully electric economy, with everything powered by energy from a renewable source, we will see electric cars become mainstream. This will require not only our homes, but also our communities and workplaces to change so that everyone can easily power their vehicles. It will also mean better power storage at home and at work, and we are already seeing advances in battery technology which will allow storage of energy from PV and from other renewable sources, that can then be re-used to power our lighting, cooking and air source heat pump heating … and of course, our cars.

 

The current limitations of our infrastructure

Unfortunately, analysis suggests that a “patchy” network of charging points is currently preventing British drivers from fully embracing the benefits electric cars, something the government have said that they plan to address going forward.

The RAC have repeatedly stated the current network is the main deterrents for consumers considering a swap to electric cars. Over 35% of local authorities have ten or fewer locations where drivers can plug in their vehicles, with wide variation across the country.

Out of 385 authorities, only three had 100 or more charging locations. Milton Keynes was found to be leading the way with 138, followed by Westminster with 131 and Cornwall with 115. Overall, two thirds of local authorities were found to have 20 or fewer. Only one charging location was identified in Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, North Dorset and Hinckley and Bosworth in the dataset.

The Department for Transport says 80% of charging is done at home, but for drivers who do not have access to off-street parking access to charging points is essential.

 

A collaborative solution?

Lympstone resident Joel Teague recently launched Co Charger, a new platform enabling those who do have electric car chargers, whether motorists, businesses or community buildings to share them with neighbours who don’t.

“Five years ago a neighbour in Lympstone convinced me, a card-carrying petrol head to get an electric car,” explains Joel. “The car arrived but my charger was delayed and I found myself giving that same neighbour a few quid to use their charger once a week until mine arrived. It led to a lightbulb moment where I thought of all the people blocked from getting an electric vehicle because they live in a flat or terraced house and don’t have anywhere to charge. It prompted me to launch Co Charger, a ‘matchmaking’ app connecting hosts with a charger with neighbours who want somewhere to charge, helping to create cleaner, greener neighbourhoods and fight climate change. Most importantly, it also means that those who would love to have an electric car will finally be able to buy one – confident in the knowledge that they can charge reliably and economically with a local host.”

The Co Charger app is free to download and there are no subscriptions. Hosts can be private individuals or any organisation with an electric charger, such as a community centre, church hall or doctors’ surgery.

Joel concluded that “easy access to EV charging should be for everyone – not just homeowners with driveways. Previously motorists in rented accommodation or in rural areas might have felt unable to transition to an EV, but this is a significant step towards ensuring that no-one is ‘locked out’ of the electric vehicle revolution. But this levels the playing field and recognises the importance of leaseholders, tenants and small businesses in helping their neighbourhood to go electric.”

“It’s great to see the government backing the installation of more charger points in rented and leasehold accommodation and in the car parks of small businesses. What can make these schemes even more effective is if a proportion of those charge points are shared – enabling
Motorists who live in flats and terraced houses to buy an electric car.”

By 2025, it’s estimated that one in six of all new cars worldwide will be electric.

In summary

A few short years ago it was almost fashionable to mock the warnings of where global warming might take our environment. Those who called for action were laughed off as fanatics with nothing better to do. However a new and worried generation now regards those once laughed at, not as fanatics but realists.

As a result the momentum for action to prevent is growing, almost equally in proportion to the fear that it may be too late for prevention.

Globally in 2018 transportation was responsible for 21% of carbon emissions and 15% of that could be immediately attributed to road vehicles. Not surprisingly the new reflection on the state of the planet is driving the market for electric vehicles and as it does, so increases the need for available power sources for the new green machines.

China has the largest population in the world and perhaps as a result, is also the biggest producer of carbon. It is a strange juxtaposition to note that in terms of its market take up of EV’s, whilst it is nowhere near as great per capita as in other major countries, its provision of public charging stations has a ratio of one charging point per 9 vehicles, beating every country with the exception of the Netherlands.

If one chooses to take a positive spin on this factor it could be viewed as a willingness to prepare for the coming of the electric vehicle age. If that is the case should we look closer to home at our own provision, currently running at a ratio of one charging point per 32 vehicles, more than three times that of China.

Our vehicles are a further extension of the convenience evolution that has become part of our everyday lives, an evolution with the prime benefit of time saving, but what practical use are electric vehicle’s if we have to hang around a public charge point, in line with 32 other vehicles and then wait another hour or more for the delivery of a charge that will get us to our destination? Perhaps the answer will be in preparation, and to that end would it not be sensible to build in charging points at the construction stage of all new homes, in the same way that we site a kitchen sink or any of the other modern home essentials.

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VORTICE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

KEVIN STEARMAN, VORTICE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

FOR LONDON AND SOUTH EAST

 

Reading-based Kevin Stearman has joined VORTICE as Project Development Manager for London and the South East.  Kevin, whose background in Commercial, Domestic and Industrial ventilation is extensive, will be responsible for supporting architects, specifiers, developers and contractors as they specify and install the right products for their projects.

 

At a time when good ventilation has been recognised as having a crucial part to play in the nation’s health, Kevin’s expertise will be valued as he brings VORTICE products to market.

 

National Sales Manager Paul Gunner said: “We welcome Kevin to the team.  We have several new products developed to help in the fight against Covid-19 as well as our wide-ranging portfolio of existing ventilation and heat recovery systems.”

 

In his spare time Kevin enjoys football as a supporter of Reading FC as well and enjoys watching Sci-fi films.

 

 

Vortice website

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Celebrating STEM career diversity in construction

British Science Week, which in 2021 takes place this week from March 8 to 13, celebrates the broad range of jobs and careers available in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) industries and promotes STEM to younger generations by providing activity packs and school projects. While children learn the core sciences, like biology, chemistry and physics as part of the curriculum, many are yet to understand how to apply the knowledge to real life situations. To support British Science Week, Harjinder Randhawa, Laboratory Supervisor at Finning UK & Ireland, discusses his lesser known, but important, role in fluid analysis.

 

While the typical picture of the construction industry is of operators in hard-hats at work on the job site, a lot of science and engineering goes on behind the scenes. Similarly, the traditional picture of a laboratory — white lab coats, goggles and test tubes — is not always the reality, a large amount of research and data analysis will take place outside of the lab environment. My role ties together the two — monitoring the condition of construction equipment using laboratory techniques. The aim is to reduce wear and tear on equipment and avoid unexpected repair costs.

Condition monitoring facilities, like Finning’s fluid analysis lab in Leeds, test oil and other fluids from vehicles ranging from excavators and buses, to lifeboats and racing cars. These laboratories carry out techniques including particle count, particle quantification, gas chromatography (GC) and analysis of trace metals, to monitor the condition of the fluid and the equipment it was taken from and report back to the customer, while suggesting proactive steps to take to optimise the life of both.

Though condition monitoring labs usually only test the oil and report the data to customers, employing lab technicians and diagnosticians who have science and engineering backgrounds can give a more comprehensive picture to the customer. Diagnosticians can point out specific issues with the equipment, such as a faulty bearing, and explain the different levels of severity to the customer, rather than making them decipher the data themselves.

Equipped with a strong understanding of fluid and equipment condition, construction businesses can plan in proactive maintenance to prevent costly breakdowns. Consider this example. An excavator in a quarry has not had its oil regularly checked and a buildup of residue has caused the engine to fail 70 metres underground. The breakdown causes unexpected downtime and reduces the productivity of the workforce, as additional workers and equipment are needed to help pull it to the surface and take it off site to be fixed. Regular oil sampling will help identify any faults that need addressing and allow the site manager to fix them proactively, saving time and money.

Lab technicians and diagnosticians who carry out fluid analysis have a varied and vital role in keeping the construction industry running. British Science Week is a great event for busting the stereotypes of STEM careers, sharing the behind the scenes of different industries and encouraging young people to consider STEM in the future. Chemistry skills learnt in school can easily be transferred into a lab technician role, and I hope future generations will consider it as a possible career choice.

If you or someone close to you might enjoy a career in fluid analysis, apply for our newly launched Laboratory Technician Degree Apprenticeship programme here.

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ROBOTS IN CONSTRUCTION – Watch the Video

What Robotic automation may offer the construction sector in the future:

 

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International Women’s Day – Ladies in Construction

A recent report has revealed the three factors holding women back when seeking their first job in property are unequal growth opportunities (17%), bias in the workplace (33%) and lack of female role models in the field (29%).

In recognition of International Women’s Day – with this year’s theme being “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world” – Property Investor Today will provide an insight to the numerous women making their mark in the property industry throughout the week.

Today, we focus on the world of construction. Whilst much has changed within the construction industry over the years, women still represent just 15% of the property and construction workforce. However, the tide is beginning to turn.

 

Revealed – what it’s like to be a woman in construction

Suzanne Luscombe, female director of sales and marketing at housing association Notting Hill Genesis, began her property career 19 years ago, and has worked for a number of well-known developers.

Suzanne Luscombe, director of sales and marketing at housing association Notting Hill Genesis.

She explains: “I have been in the property sector for as long as I can remember, doing all sorts of roles. I love everything that housing associations are able to offer the community and am delighted to have utilised my 11 years of private sector experience focusing on the customer journey.”

The 36-year-old joined Notting Hill Genesis in 2019 as the head of sales and quickly transitioned to the director of sales and marketing, covering everything from private sales to shared ownership, which she describes as busy, but great fun.

“I was always going to have a career in property sales, that has been my passion,” she adds. “But in particular, I wanted to sell people their dream. In my job I get to help people onto the property ladder whether that’s a personal purchase or an investment – it’s extremely rewarding.”

With her family in the property business, Luscombe grew up surrounded by the industry. Her passion for selling property took flight after she achieved well above asking price for her grandfather’s home that her family inherited.

Although she doesn’t have any formal qualifications in the property field, Luscombe explains how studying business and IT GNVQ’s helped her to understand profit and loss as well as making margins on things, which set her up well.

“I started my career at an estate agency and within three months I ended up in Land and New Homes which gave me the insight into making surplus on units, build costs and the construction process. Because of this I know the industry inside out, I don’t regret not going to university or achieving official qualifications in the field. For young adults thinking of starting a career in property, there are many routes to choose from, apprenticeships are a fantastic way to learn on the job.”

Discussing her experience of being a woman in construction, Luscombe reveals that at the beginning her career, construction was very much a man’s world.

“The industry has changed massively since I began my career, specifically over the last five years. I always joked that I was in a man’s world! I was very young when I began working in sales, at that time the men were seen as builders and sales was very much a female role. I quickly learnt to assert myself and make sure I spoke up in meetings, I was very much overlooked in some of the bigger meetings I had to attend and that was very disheartening.”

“When I went onto site during the early stages of my career everyone would stare as though they’d never seen a woman before! Thankfully, this has changed a lot in recent years. I worked for one housebuilder who had a policy that everyone was equal, if any comments were made about women being on site the person involved would be disciplined, this was a great step forward in achieving equality in the industry.”

For Luscombe, being a woman in construction has been a challenge at times. She explains: “Being a woman was a disadvantage in construction, the men in the industry didn’t want to help me learn or grow my career. Now, I have proved myself and am respected by men, it has taken a long time. I had some great female role models and mentors in the industry, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Discussing how construction could be better promoted to young girls, Suzanne concludes: “I would definitely recommend the house building industry to young women and girls. It has the biggest set of wings you can imagine. From mansions to flats, the variety of different tenures, planning and sales or after care there is so much to get involved with. Promotion around careers in construction needs to be better, it’s not just building and house sales.”

“There’s so much more involved, if people understood the conveyance process, housing associations and the vast variety of the industry I think there would be more interest from young women. As a whole, there is still progress to made, but it’s not so much a man’s world anymore.”

Harnessing female talent for 2021 and beyond

Annabel Le Lohe, a senior planner for housebuilder Storey Homes, discusses how the industry is and her experience in construction.

Annabelle Le Lohe, Senior Planner at Storey Homes

The 25-year-old explains how her education aided her in her chosen occupation. “I’ve always shown a keen interest in how villages, towns and cities expand and meet people’s needs. From 2013-2016, I studied Human Geography at Sheffield Hallam University, before going on to do a Master’s specifically in planning.”

“With Geography, you learn how populations interact with their surroundings, how a location caters for the daily needs of its inhabitants, as well as the ways in which we can protect and enhance the environment. Applying these concepts to something like planning seemed like a very natural transition for me. My job could best be described as balancing the need for homes, infrastructure and green space.”

After completing her Master’s, Le Lohe worked in planning for a consultancy and then joined Storey Homes in January 2020 to learn more about the different aspects of construction.

 

 

Speaking on how the industry is changing towards women, Le Lohe comments: “I’ve been lucky in the respect that I haven’t had many hurdles to overcome as a woman in this industry. In the past, I have had to deal with preconceptions though. Being the only young female in a room filled with men has given way to some stereotyping, and it has come as a surprise to the attendees that I am there to offer expert advice, rather than as someone’s assistant.”

“Since joining the industry, however, I have seen significant changes, and dealing with these assumptions is no longer a frequent problem I experience. Whilst I appreciate that the property and construction industry is still somewhat male-dominated, it is definitely working hard to achieve more of a balance between genders.”

She continues: “There are some really strong female-led communities within the field itself, such as the ‘Women in Construction’ group; a not-for-profit organisation that promotes gender equality in construction, as well as the ‘Women in Planning’ group, which I’ve been part of on a regional and national level. The key aim for the Women in Planning group is to mentor and empower women, as well as cover various topics – such as female-led architectural projects, and how they differ from intrinsically ‘male’ designs.”

“We hope that this will help map women’s career pathways, as well as provide them with inspirational female leaders to look up to. We’re encouraging men to involve themselves in these groups, and many have taken that important step. We also hope to expand and target schools and colleges to help encourage young girls to consider construction, property and planning as a career.”

When asked how and why young women should consider construction and property as a career, Le Lohe says there is certainly a place for women in construction.

“My advice to young women who are interested in the industry would be that there are so many different areas that contribute towards a project from conception to delivery; including site management, planning, technical, and community engagement – and there is a tangible sense of accomplishment when you look at something and realise you were integral to its creation.”

“Being a female in this industry comes with some significant advantages. I think women offer an alternative, or, perhaps, additional perspective to a building project and place-making, which I think is essential when creating homes that cater for the needs of today. In any industry, there is room for men and women to work alongside each other and try to understand the other’s needs. Each can bring something different, but equally important to the table, and construction is no exception.”

From receptionist to customer services administrator

Sophie Marks, a female employee at luxury homebuilder Millwood Designer Homes, offers her advice for women looking to pursue a career in construction.

Sophie Marks, Millwood Designer Homes

The 23-year-old joined Millwood in October 2019 as a receptionist, before being promoted to a customer services administrator. She comments: “After finishing a history degree, I started working for Millwood as a receptionist, before being moved into customer service last year. I love being the first port of call for customers when they need answers to queries; it’s a very personable job, and I’m enjoying doing something I never thought I would be doing when I first joined Millwood!”

“As a receptionist, you don’t necessarily need to know much about the construction industry whereas in this role, I need to be able to respond to homeowners straight away with answers. This has meant I’ve had to learn a lot about the technical process of housebuilding, and that has really sparked my interest in a career in the industry.”

Marks says although more women are getting involved in the housebuilding industry, it is still a male-dominated sector.

“I feel that women bring a different way of looking at things, especially to the design process, and they may think of including certain features in a home that are different to a male point of view. There are so many different pathways into construction and so many different roles within it, you don’t just necessarily have to work on site building the houses.”

She adds: “I think more needs to be done to teach girls that construction is a great career path for both men and women; I went to an all-girls grammar school, and there wasn’t any mention of construction as a potential career. Girls should be encouraged that housebuilding is a really interesting profession with lots of different opportunities; just because typically boys have gone into it, it doesn’t mean that they can’t too.”

“It’s so important in all areas that women get the same opportunities as men, and that girls are told about careers that are typically male-driven. I didn’t even consider going into construction until I got this job, and now I am really interested in it.”

She concludes: “Millwood is a fantastic company to work for as it has a really diverse workforce, and women are just as respected as men both on site and in the head office – we even have a female project manager, something which is very rare in this industry. I’m really looking forward to growing more with the company and continuing to learn about construction, and the process of building our homes.”

 

Source: Property Investor

 

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Cladding Funding, Welcome but not enough

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), the UK’s leading association for the passive fire protection sector, is supporting calls for greater funding to address identified fire safety failings in tall buildings. The move comes following the Government’s announcement of its five point plan to address unsafe cladding issues and the defeat in Parliament of an amendment to the Fire Safety Bill, which sought to prevent fire safety and cladding remediation costs falling on leaseholders.

While welcoming the announcement of additional funding for cladding remediation on tall buildings, the Association believes the scheme does not go far enough since it offers no assistance to pay for other identified fire safety failures, such as problems with fire doors and other compartmentation measures.

The Government’s five point plan to address unsafe cladding issues, announced by Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick on 10 February, included an additional £3.5 billion in funding for the removal and replacement of cladding on buildings over 18m in height; and a loan scheme for leaseholders to pay for remediation in buildings between 11 and 18 metres, with a maximum repayment of £50 each month. It also included plans to introduce a developer levy which will apply to developers who seek permission to develop certain high-rise buildings in England. However it makes no mention of funding to rectify other fire safety defects.

ASFP CEO Niall Rowan declares:

“The ASFP believes that money should be made available to cover all identified defects and not just cladding. While there is some degree of discussion over whether the statutory guidance regarding cladding is clear or not, there is no such argument about the requirements of compartmentation that are included in Approved Document B and the national equivalents in Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“We welcome the Government’s five point plan to address cladding issues and believe the proposals outlined in the Building Safety Bill will go some way to improve quality and competency within the design, construction and inspection helping to prevent defects from arising in the future. However, we believe that the remediation of identified fire safety failures in existing buildings that are not the fault of the leaseholders or building owners concerned should be supported by appropriate funding.”

 

Website: www.asfp.org.uk

 

 

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