Building Insights

James Parker speaks to Debbie Waddington, group head of HR at Keepmoat, to find out how the Top 20 UK housebuilder is putting the work into attracting a new generation of onsite and offsite staff in a difficult construction skills environment. She explains how selling the benefits of a career in a more ‘people-centred’ industry to new entrants is one of the factors behind the company’s enduring success in a challenging market.

In association with Bjelin, James Parker speaks to Emanuel Lidberg, head of design at Bjelin’s sister company, Välinge Innovation. In a very entertaining discussion with the timber flooring design specialist, James discovers why keeping up with fleeting trends may not be as crucial as timeless design and sustainability.

In association with VMZinc, this episode features Jonathan Lowy, operational marketing marketing manager at the company. Jon’s held several roles in 27+ years at VM, but maintains a really infectious enthusiasm for all things zinc. We explore how the material – the roof covering of choice in Paris in the mid 19th century – is now an increasingly popular specification on aesthetic and functional grounds for UK architects.

James Parker, editor of Housebuilder and Developer, speaks to Chris Carr, who has run his family SME housebuilding company in Grimsby for many years, but has recently seen his industry profile going through the roof as President of the Federation of Master Builders. He is a key figure advising and lobbying Ministers on what needs to change to ensure that SMEs are able to deliver all of the Government and industry targets for housebuilding. He’s also a master of pragmatic, creative thinking to get over the major stumbling blocks such as those around planning. A podcast in association with the FMB.

In March 2024 we hosted the third Building Insights LIVE round table, which was a multi-disciplinary discussion around the impact of the Building Safety Act & the Golden Thread on future construction. We brought together architects, developers, IT experts and product suppliers at the Building Centre in London, to identify the challenges and solutions for navigating the new regime for professionals. Creating safer high-risk buildings post-Grenfell means taking greater accountability, but with added professional risks for architects and contractors. The event explored these issues, as well as how product specification could be made more robust, and the standards that are needed. It was a key debate full of unique insights, and some of the highlights are presented in this special podcast.

Richard Banham, national key account manager, Bjelin UK Ltd, speaks to James Parker about how the company has promoted innovation in flooring for decades, and what makes their hardened flooring products innovative. They also discuss new products in the pipeline, and how receptive the UK market to innovations in flooring.

James Parker speaks to Tom Slater, who founded T2S Architecture during the pandemic and is driving the agenda around retrofit as beneficial for the urban context, developers’ business cases, and sustainability.

In this episode of Builders’ Voices, James Parker speaks to Jeremy Gray, head of policy at the Federation of Master Builders. Jeremy discusses the key takeaways from the FMB’s 2023 House Builders Survey, a key snapshot of the shared challenges across the sector.

In this first episode of Building Insights in association with wood flooring innovator Bjelin UK, James Parker speaks to Simon Darbyshire, managing director of Bjelin UK. He explains how the firm has evolved from pioneering a method of installing wood flooring without using glue.

In the run-up to Futurebuild at London’s Excel (from 5-7 March) James Parker, editor of Architects’ Datafile and Housebuilder and Developer, speaks to Martin Hurn, event director at Futurebuild. Martin explains how, as part of its continued focus on realistic as well as sustainable solutions to construction industry challenges, this year the show’s spotlight is firmly on grappling with retrofit.

This is a special episode of Building Insights which captures some of the key highlights from our October 2023 industry round table, ‘Solutions for Stormwater Management.’ The sponsored event held at the Building Centre in London saw a multi-disciplinary group sharing vital knowledge on best practice for achieving SuDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems) in new housing. Chaired by James Parker, editor managing editor of Housebuilder and Developer and Architects’ Datafile, it was a well-timed gathering, with SuDS about to become a mandatory legal requirement in all new developments.

This episode of Building Insights (in association with Samsung Climate Solutions) features a genuinely inspiring UK talent in the low carbon heating sector. As business development manager at Samsung Climate Solutions, Aimee Holloran is accelerating heat pump installations and apprenticeships across the country, however she cut her teeth as a plumber, winning the Young Plumber of the Year Award in 2010. With gender diversity still a major challenge, she’s a powerful role model for any young woman considering plumbing as a career.

Sam Eden, director of the FMB’s London Hub, has been in touch with dozens of SME builders grappling with the new Ultra Low Emissions Zone in their day to day business. He tells James Parker why ULEZ could ruin plans to deliver the capital’s energy retrofit goals by penalising such firms, and how the FMB is pushing for an urgent rethink.

Getting a building fabric’s design up to the demands of a Passivhaus is all about meticulous attention to detail. However achieving an air-tight but breathable envelope that benefits both the occupants and the building need not be overly complicated – even in high-rises. James and Iain of Proctor explain all the ins and outs to James Parker.

In this episode of Building Insights, which is again sponsored by AkzoNobel, Laura Shadwell from netMAGmedia speaks to Duncan Lochhead, commercial sustainability manager at AkzoNobel. They explore how important air quality and VOCs are in the social housing sector, and best practice tips for specifying the increasing ranges of low-VOC paints.

Rita Singh is head of public affairs at Kingspan Insulation. She’s also a passionate advocate for sustainability and is key to the company’s efforts to roll out greener approaches across the organisation. She discusses with James Parker how a fabric first approach works in practice, why retrofit first should be the overriding aim, and how supply chain rigour is creating better products.

This episode of Building Insights, in association with Samsung Climate Solutions, we are joined by architectural designer and TV star Charlie Luxton, who looks at how our lower energy house designs will naturally be better places to live, and tackles head on some of the common myths about their ‘liveability.’

In this episode of Building Insights, James Parker hears from Jeremy Gray, head of policy and public affairs at the Federation of Master Builders on the FMB’s new industry survey findings, and how firms are negotiating tough times. He shares some stark truths about the realities of construction for SMEs in 2023, as RMI joins the housebuilding and commercial sectors’ downward trajectory.

James Parker speaks to Kevin Smith, director at Nottingham-based architectural practice Marchini Curran, and finds out how this versatile studio has gone from strength to strength in challenging times, following a management buy out.

In our latest episode, sponsored by A.Proctor Group, James Parker, editor of Architects’ Datafile magazine discusses specialist membranes for high rise building design with James Johnston, head of facades at A.Proctor Group and Will Jones, business development manager at A.Proctor Group. The in-depth discussion looks at why we need air-tight high-rises, how specifying the right membrane is key to fire safety, and how the performance gap can be avoided.