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UK Construction Week unveils heavyweight main stage seminar programme

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Placing a firm emphasis on knowledge sharing, discussion and debate, UK Construction Week has revealed the seminar programme for the main stage of the event, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC in October.

The Seminar Theatre will deliver high-level insight into the key issues affecting the industry, during the three trade days (6 – 8 October) of the weeklong exhibition. Each seminar session will consist of an hour-long panel discussion, covering key topics such as house building, government policy and BIM.

The full programme has been announced on UK Construction Week’s newly updated website, which features in-depth sections for each of the nine shows that come under the event’s umbrella, as well as a host of visitor information, exhibitor details and the latest news from each of the shows.

Kicking proceedings off on the Tuesday morning, the keynote presentation will feature the newly appointed minister for construction, who will set out parliamentary plans and policies for the construction industry over the next electoral period – giving the incoming government an opportunity to clarify how it intends to support construction while in power.

The economy will also be under fire on day one, with sessions on protecting construction from economic weakness and improving the industry’s image among investors and policy makers. The sessions will feature high-level speakers from Glenigan, the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and the Federation of Master Builders.

Skills will be the focus of the second day, with Marie-Clade Hemming from the Civil Engineering Contractors Association asking how construction can attract and retain the best talent, while Rupert Scott from TRADA will lead a thought provoking discussion on facing up to the construction industry skills shortage.

The final day will look at procurement and the supply chain, asking how different construction disciplines can work smarter together. Paul Bogle from the National Federation of Builders will also explore how contractors can make the most of the public procurement platform, as well as giving useful insight into the 2014 EU Directive regarding procurement models for public projects.

Rounding off the final day will be a dedicated session on the outlook for BIM in construction, which includes an update on the UK BIM Task Group, its progress in supporting BIM adoption and what the next steps will be – as well as useful advice on how SMEs can make the most of BIM.

Richard Morey, Group Events Director at Media 10, the event company producing UK Construction Week, commented: “From day one we have set out to create an informative and insightful programme of content, as we recognise that this is a key attraction for visitors and exhibitors alike. I think we’ve put together a line-up that reflects the needs and concerns of the industry today, which I hope will challenge and inspire participants in equal measure.”

Bringing together nine shows under one roof, UK Construction Week will be the biggest construction trade event the UK has seen in years. Taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 6 – 11 October (with the trade only days from 6 – 8 October) the event will unite 1,000 exhibitors with an expected audience of 55,000 visitors.

Visitors will be able to attend Grand Designs Live, the Build Show, Timber Expo, the Surface and Materials Show, Energy 2015, Kitchens & Bathroom Live, Plant & Machinery Live, HVAC 2015 and Smart Buildings 2015.

For more information please visit www.ukconstructionweek.com or follow @UK_CW on Twitter.

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BRE joins UK Construction Week as content partner

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Welcoming one of the industry’s most well respected names, UK Construction Week is pleased to announce that BRE has joined as official content partner for the event.

Drawing on its significant expertise in every aspect of the built environment and associated industries, BRE (Building Research Establishment) is the leading voice for impartial research, testing and training within the construction industry. Its focus is on helping clients create better, safer and more sustainable products, buildings, communities and businesses, as well as supporting the innovation needed to achieve this.

In its role as content partner, BRE will provide invaluable support in shaping the direction of UK Construction Week, sharing its unique perspectives to develop an informative and highly insightful programme of seminar content.

With a strong emphasis on innovation, training and future construction trends, the seminar programme will provide a vital platform for sharing knowledge and exploring the key issues facing the industry. BRE’s wealth of specialist expertise will add real value to the conversation, with expert speakers joining a number of the debates, workshops and panel discussions.

In particular, BRE will take the lead in representing BIM content, including the most comprehensive BIM education programme ever seen in the UK plus seminar content across the whole event.

Miles Watkins, BRE’s Group Business Development Director commented: “Our key focus at BRE is on helping industry and government meet the challenges of the built environment. UK Construction Week is set to provide a unique chance to interact with professionals from all sectors, giving us a fantastic opportunity to engage, share best practice and help move the industry forward.”

Bringing together nine shows under one roof, UK Construction Week will be the biggest construction trade event the UK has seen in years. Taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 6 – 11 October (with the trade only days from 6 – 8 October) the event will unite 1,000 exhibitors with an expected audience of 55,000 visitors.

Visitors will be able to attend Grand Designs Live, the Build Show, Timber Expo, the Surface and Materials Show, Energy 2015, Kitchens & Bathroom Live, Plant & Machinery Live, HVAC 2015 and Smart Buildings 2015.

Richard Morey, Group Events Director at Media 10, the event company producing UK Construction Week, commented: “BRE’s ability to generate new knowledge plays a vital role in driving innovation within the built environment as well as helping government shape construction industry policy, so the considerable value and insight this will bring to our seminar programme cannot be overstated. We are delighted to welcome BRE on board as content partner for the show.”

For more information please visit www.ukconstructionweek.com or follow @UK_CW on Twitter.

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Is the built environment making us fat?

According to a 2007 Foresight report from the Government Office for science, approximately 65% of adults and 33% of children in the England are now obese. It is estimated that over half of the UK adult population could be classed as obese in as little as 5 years. Needless to say, tackling obesity has become a major social, economic, health and financial issue. Does the environment we live in influence our fitness habits?

Put simply, obesity is usually caused by eating too much and moving too little. If you consume high amounts of energy from your diet, particularly from fat and sugars, but do not burn off the energy through exercise and physical activity, much of the surplus energy is then stored by the body as fat.

The environment in which people live can directly influence the decisions that people make; often subconsciously. For the vast majority of people, exercise is merely a by-product of a busy day. We burn calories as we are shop, during our commute, play with our children or walk the dog on a crisp winter evening. The hectic nature of British society leaves people often too tired or with simply too little time to pursue the goal of a smaller waistline.

Can architects and designers become fitness instructors?

As bizarre as this question may seem, there is substance behind it. Bearing in mind that 80% of people are currently not undertaking what experts deem ‘necessary exercise,’ designers could play a vital role in keeping Britain slim by reassessing the environments that we all exist in.

In order to do this, planners would be required to collaborate with a wide range of other professionals across the building and construction sector, as well as fitness professionals and experts within the health field.

With obesity figures so high, where do we start?

So do we need to completely radicalise our infrastructure in order to breed a generation of Usain Bolt’s – with cities interlinked with rubberized running tracks? Surprisingly, no we don’t. Massive changes could be made using only small amounts of effort and a little attention to detail.

The idea would be to maximise the potential for casual exercise throughout the course of a normal day. This could be done by implementing very small changes, such as a well-placed sign indicating the direction of the stairs; all-to-often hidden in many public buildings. If a shop is within walking distance, people are more likely to leave the car behind. Offices can be made more fitness-friendly with the addition of a bike park and a few showers.

By incorporating cycle paths and pedestrian areas into urban designs, people would feel more inspired to walk or cycle to work, tackling the increasing obesity crisis, lowing carbon footprints and taking pressure off our roads, which are the busiest and most congested in Europe.

Parks and other green spaces also encourage people to exercise, as well as generally uplifting a person’s wellbeing.

How do we start?

The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) have today launched a resource identifying the potential for planners and public health officers to work together to support people to live lifestyles that will help them to maintain a healthy weight. ‘Planning Healthy Weight Environments’ presents an illustration of how a healthy-weight environment could be planned.

TCPA Chief Executive, Kate Henderson said “as the nation faces an obesity crisis, we can see that planning has an important role to play in helping to create high quality environments that offer opportunities for communities to make healthy choices and live healthier lifestyles. By reuniting public health with planning, and bringing together built environment and health professionals, we can work collaboratively to identify local health needs and tackle the obesity challenge.”

In summary

So could architects and planners halt the nation’s obesity crisis? Not on their own, but they can certainly help. Nobody wants to be obese; in order to reduce the alarming figures above the British public will ultimately need to change their behaviour, not just their surroundings. However, it’s very difficult to implement real change if our environment doesn’t encourage it.

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