21st Century Construction

It’s been a year since Awaab’s Law came into force, setting strict new rules that registered social landlords must follow in dealing with damp and mould. The law was named after 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 of severe respiratory failure as a result of prolonged exposure to mould in his home in Rochdale. In the three years leading up to his death, the housing association took no action to deal with the mould, despite repeated notifications. Now, under Awaab’s Law, landlords have to respond to “emergency” mould hazards within 24 hours, and “significant” hazards within 15 days. Serious challenges Complying with the law poses serious technical, resource and public engagement challenges for landlords, and the sector is still feeling its way. To help, CIOB and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) joined forces to publish a useful playbook – Tackling damp and mould: Professional practice, cultural change and regulation in social housing – providing landlords with advice on recognising damp and mould, problem solving with residents and taking steps to resolve root causes. Update from the front In this month’s 21CC podcast, we speak to experts who contributed to the playbook, and provide an update from the frontline in the ongoing battle against this serious problem. We hear from Professor John Edwards FCIOB, who wrote the section on how to inspect properties for the hazard, and CIH policy lead Dr Eve Blezard on the need to avoid scapegoating residents. Claire Hawley and Leon Sidebottom, who lead customer engagement for Berneslai Homes, share what they learned about what works and what doesn’t in engaging tenants. And researchers Dr Graeme Sherriff and Philip Martin from the University of Salford’s Sustainable Housing and Urban Studies Unit share insights from their extensive research into how damp and mould affects households in Greater Manchester. We think this pacey podcast will interest people across a wide range of roles and responsibilities in the housing sector.

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. For a brief time after the catastrophe that claimed 2,977 innocent lives, public feeling soured on skyscrapers as unsafe and uniquely vulnerable to attack. More recently, supertall glazed towers have been criticised as unsustainable as temperatures rise to new extremes. In our latest episode, two prominent and leading proponents of tall have their say. Structural engineer Kamran Moazami is Executive Design Principal, Property & Buildings, UK & Ireland for WSP. His credits include The Shard, 22 Bishopsgate and One Blackfriars. Building services engineer Nick Offer is WSP's Head of Advisory Services for Property & Buildings, UK & Ireland. His credits include The Shard, 22 Bishopsgate and the Olympic Village. In a fascinating discussion including Construction Management editor Will Mann, we probe how 9/11 changed tall-building design, the emerging strategies for building tall in a hotter world, and why, according to Moazami, “tall is the answer” when it comes to effective land use and urban development.

Plant trees down high streets. Retrofit schools, hospitals and care homes with external shading. Cool down beds and install ceiling fans. Legislate for minimum indoor temperatures. Ban glass towers. Paint roofs white. Set up a cooling refuge in every community. Reduce glazing and install windows that open. These are just some of the measures discussed by our panel of leading experts on climate and the built environment in this month’s 21CC podcast, convened to brainstorm what we can do, starting right now, to make towns and cities safe and liveable even as the long-predicted, human-caused warming intensifies. Chairing this brisk and purposeful discussion is Saul Humphrey FCIOB, this year’s president of the Chartered Institute of Building: an industry veteran and professor of sustainable construction management at Anglia Ruskin University. Giving us their insights are: Dr Arash Beizaee, senior lecturer in building energy at Loughborough University, an expert on thermal comfort, overheating and health in buildings who is developing practical, low-energy interventions to safeguard wellbeing; Dr Macarena Cardenas, senior advisor for resilience and nature at the UK Green Building Council and leader of industry-scale programmes across the built environment; Dr Hayley Fowler, professor of climate change impacts at Newcastle University and recipient of a Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowship for her Extreme Futures project improving how we forecast flash floods and prolonged storms more accurately; Dr Susan Roaf, emeritus professor of architectural engineering at Heriot Watt University and co-author of Adaptive Thermal Comfort: At the Extremes (Routledge, 2026), which calls for a revolution among building designers, owners, managers, and occupants to prepare for the future that is upon us; Jordan Turner, senior lecturer at the University of the Built Environment.   The future is here; there’s no time to lose.

For the last three years, DragonHeart Homes, a CIOB company in Peterborough that makes modular units for public-sector housing, has employed prisoners from HMP North Sea Camp, a Category-D open men’s prison outside Boston in Lincolnshire. So far, 41 inmates have come to work at DragonHeart. They get training and NVQs in construction skills, with CSCS cards. It sets them up with cash in the bank and, upon their release, skills and experience the construction industry is crying out for. DragonHeart is the largest employer in a government scheme called Prisoners Building Homes, which unlocks public land for modular housing developments and helps prisoners get work with the builders. Some of the inmates have stayed with DragonHeart after their release, while others have gone to work at other companies in the scheme. Six months after their release, most are in full employment and almost none have re-offended. For this podcast, Global Construction Review editor Rod Sweet went to Peterborough to sit down with two men who’ve come through the DragonHeart programme. One came back to work with the company after his release. Now 57, he’s been in prison for most of his adult life. The other, still in prison, has accepted a permanent job offer from the company after his release in six weeks. In candid conversations, both men say the experience has changed their lives. They’re proud of their new skills, proud to be looking after themselves and their families, and they love their jobs. The man driving the outreach is DragonHeart director Jason Bassett MCIOB. He says the prisoners are reliable, productive workers who are eager to learn. He explains how the scheme works. We also hear from Cheshire Police & Crime Commissioner Dan Price, who is on a mission to bring the Prisoners Building Homes scheme to Cheshire.

The end of April saw two major announcements regarding humanoid robots, a technology the construction sector hopes can work with the human workforce to improve productivity. Firstly, Tilbury Douglas announced onsite trials of its own humanoid robot, Douglas, a walking (not yet talking) robot that aims to spot defects and safety issues alongside site managers. Here, in the latest episode of the 21cc podcast, we speak to Mark Buckle, TD’s technical director, who tells us about the challenges he faced bringing Douglas to a potentially cynical workforce. In the same week TD announced its site trials, CM attended the launch of 'Leo', a humanoid construction robot designed to carry out various site tasks that will be mass-produced as a service from 2030. Leo is the vision of IBE Humanoids Founder Vassos Chrysostomou, who we also hear from in the podcast, where he tells the gathered audience that the robot "will augment, rather than replace human judgement, skill and responsibility." Listen now to see if construction is on the cusp of solving its productivity dilemma.

The government’s £15bn Warm Homes Plan, launched in January, is aimed at upgrading the nation’s homes and cutting energy bills. By 2030, it is expected to upgrade five million homes as part of a comprehensive retrofit programme, focusing on targeted interventions through insulation, solar panels and heat pumps. For contractors and housing providers, the scale of the challenge ahead should not be underestimated. Delivering homes that are fit for the future will require more joined-up thinking across funding models, tenant engagement and supply chain management. In this episode of the 21CC podcast, we hear from Thomas Fountain, director of asset knowledge and insight at Places for People, and Dan Germann, managing director at Durkan Regen. They discuss what lies ahead and reveal the key ingredients for successful partnerships between contractors and housing providers. They also outline what successful delivery of the Warm Homes Plan could look like in five years’ time. Listen now to hear what it will take to turn retrofit ambition into action across the housing sector.

To mark Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the latest episode of the 21CC podcast sets out why men across the industry must prioritise their health. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in the UK – a disease that touches thousands of families every year. Sadly, one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. This risk increases with age, and it is particularly high among black men, where the figure rises to one in four. For many, there are no early symptoms, which is why awareness and understanding the risks is so important. In this episode, we hear from Nick Molyneux, an MEP manager at Mace, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer aged 51. Due to being diagnosed early, he remains on active surveillance, which involves routine blood tests and MRIs. Molyneux is now a passionate volunteer for Prostate Cancer UK and regularly visits construction sites to raise awareness and ensure men understand their risks. Also joining the podcast is Meg Burgess, a specialist nurse at Prostate Cancer UK with more than 35 years of nursing experience. During the discussion, she highlights the importance of not waiting for potential symptoms of the disease. “If you’re waiting for symptoms of prostate cancer, you risk cancer developing,” Burgess says. “Finding prostate cancer early means that it’s much easier to treat or to monitor.” Listen now for honest insights and vital information that could help save lives across the construction industry. Prostate Cancer UK has created a free and confidential online risk checker that asks a small number of straightforward questions and provides clear guidance on what to do next. While the risk checker does not provide a diagnosis, it is a useful starting point.

Every construction client brings a different set of priorities to a project, but all share the same goal: getting the best value from their supply chain.In this episode, we hear from the people commissioning construction projects to uncover how stronger supply chain collaboration can deliver better outcomes.From the key benchmarks that matter most and how performance is measured, to the innovations clients are looking for around sustainability, digital tools, and safer ways of working, this discussion explores the approaches that are making a real difference.We also dive into common frustrations and showcase best practice examples of what’s working.The discussion, captured at a panel debate organised by the Chartered Institute of Building and the Institute of Asset Management, features insights from:Dan Hollas, director of building safety, Clarion Housing GroupJason Glasson, head of asset management development, National HighwaysJulie Blight, property and contracts manager, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustListen now for honest insights and practical lessons on how stronger partnerships between clients and the supply chain can unlock better project delivery.

In our final episode of the year, we take stock of the biggest issues that are defining construction and look ahead to what will be on the industry’s agenda in 2026. From reforms of the skills system and strengthened safety oversight, to the government’s response to its late payments consultation, we unpack the developments that matter most to professionals across construction. Technology is another major focus for this discussion as we explore the rise of artificial intelligence in design, planning and site operations. The episode also examines the role of modern methods of construction and why questions remain over whether 2026 will be a turning point for wider adoption of repeatable designs. We also hear from Pete McKinley, commercial director for Seddon Property Services, and Ryan O’Loughlin, regional director at Henry Boot Construction, about the opportunities and trends construction teams should be preparing for in the New Year. Whether you are looking back at the challenges and shifts of the past 12 months or planning for the year ahead, this episode brings together the insights that will shape construction’s journey into 2026.

This episode dives into one of construction’s biggest and most stubborn challenges: avoidable error. Ten years on from its launch, the Get It Right Initiative (GIRI) has made real strides in raising awareness across the industry of the £21 billion lost to error every year. Executive director Cliff Smith joins us to discuss what’s changed and what still needs to happen to reduce error and improve productivity in construction. While the industry has made progress, significant challenges remain. A relentless focus on lowest-cost procurement and inconsistent competence standards continue to undermine quality and compliance across projects of all sizes. These issues are particularly acute when viewed through the lens of a recent National Audit Office report, which criticised major energy-efficiency retrofit schemes for poor quality installations, weak government oversight, and an under-skilled workforce. Smith believes that regulatory reforms such as the Building Safety Act can drive improvement, but only if leaders create environments where people feel confident to “push pause to avoid error” and call issues out early. His message for the next decade is clear: rebuilding respect, pride and fairness across the industry is essential to ensure construction professionals have the motivation – and the support – to get it right first time.