Building Briefs - October 25th

• UK flat roof waterproofing market forecast to return to growth

Since 2016, the market for flat roofs has grown largely due to an underlying improvement in newbuild and refurbishment output across the schools, higher education, offices, warehousing, infrastructure buildings and apartment sectors. Until the disruption caused by Covid-19, the annual installed area of flat roof waterproofing had been increasing as construction activity across most key end use sectors had grown. However, in 2020 the area installed declined from around 35 million m2 to 30.7 million m2.

Brexit and immigration issues have also had an impact on the significant skills shortage among trades and professionals in the construction industry, as a substantial number of workers from EU countries may well have left the UK. The roofing trade is one of the worst affected. Current skill shortage occupations for work visa purposes included no construction trades.

There are, however, several factors that will sustain some demand for flat roofing systems in the commercial & industrial market, e.g., the need to increase retail distribution centre capacity: growth in the Build-to-Rent apartment block sector and growing demand for ‘green roofs’. In urban areas, factors likely to drive up demand for ‘green’ roofs include increasing concerns about rainfall run-off, pollution & air quality and lack of private outdoor space. In rural areas, to date the main driver has been planning requirements demanding that buildings merge in with surrounding areas.

Over the medium term to 2025, growth rates for flat roof waterproofing are forecast to increase. 2021 has seen a surge in construction activity as the UK emerges from the COVID-19 restrictions and with a trade agreement with the EU now in place, which has seen investor confidence begin to return across the commercial & industrial newbuild sector.

• Islay in line for 12th distillery

A Proposal for Application Notice has been submitted to Argyll and Bute Council for Islay’s newest dram maker and visitor centre, named after the island’s oldest name ‘Ili’, at Gearach Farm west of Port Charlotte.

The proposed distillery’s website says: “The vision for the site is bold and different; not just another distillery on Islay, but an Islay-native project, serving and benefiting the local community with jobs, sustainability, and growth.”

Ili is the brainchild of Bertram Nesselrode and Scott McLellan.

Seeking a sustainable future for Gearach Farm, they turned to Islay’s existing importance as the home of high-quality whisky, and saw an opportunity to enhance this legacy.

The plans, sited within the Rinns of Islay Site of Special Scientific Interest, include renewable energy infrastructure: a hydrogen plant, solar panels, and a wind turbine up to 76.5 metres high to blade tip.

• East Renfrewshire children’s charity boosted by Mactaggart & Mickel

A charity which provides disadvantaged children with school uniforms has received a helping hand from Mactaggart & Mickel to meet “rocketing” demand for support.

Back to School Bank East Renfrewshire - the first school uniform bank to supply only brand-new clothing and supplies - has been boosted by a £1,000 donation from Mactaggart & Mickel’s Building Communities Fund to meet the needs of struggling families.

The donation has been made at a time when the charity is dealing with more requests than ever for new school uniforms for primary and secondary school children which follow referrals from their schools, local authorities and other support agencies.

Essential items ranging from blazers and shoes to bags and sports kit as well as stationery, hand sanitisers and re-useable facemasks are provided by the charity, which is based at Spiersbridge Business Park, Thornliebank. 

The donation to the Back to School Bank East Renfrewshire is the latest show of support for good causes from Mactaggart & Mickel who have handed out more than £30,000 through the Building Communities Fund.

• Travis Perkins launches data apprenticeships to boost future skills

Travis Perkins has launched two new data apprenticeships, including a data fellowship and an advanced data fellowship. 

These apprenticeships have been launched to improve colleagues’ data and analytical skills and understanding, and will cover areas, such as using data for effective decision making, best practice learning, to support collaboration and the development of value-added services and activities. 

In addition to providing technical training for Python and SQL programming, the schemes will provide insight into how to understand data quality and manage projects, as well as data ethics, visual analytics, predictive modelling and data security. 

The first cohort of 40 colleagues from across the group, ranging from commercial and finance to marketing and supply chain, has already enrolled on the programme, and there are plans to launch two further courses in the new year to focus on data literacy for leaders and ensure data skills are accessible to all.

Training will be delivered by Multiverse, a quality apprenticeship programme provider that recently was rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.