Opinion

Typically, the construction industry has been a male-dominated world with little to no provisions for women, people of certain faiths or those with disabilities, but times are changing, writes CIOB’s Mark Harrison. I was appointed the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) first Head o

While 3D visualisation has been commonplace in construction for some time, Dr Harpreet Seth asks whether the industry is ready to take the next step and enter the metaverse. To many, the metaverse is a new word, a concept born of the internet age, a distant and scary place to contemplate visiti

Craig Fairfoull, head of sales and marketing at independent developer Dundas, reveals why Scotland's first time buyers are struggling to get on the property ladder. The outcry over the scrapping of the top rate of tax and the inevitable U-turn have served as cloud cover for a growing fiscal inj

Kicking off a regular Chartered Institute of Building column for Scottish Construction Now, Jocelyne Fleming reveals the organisation's priorities in Scotland. The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is the world's largest and most influential professional body for construction man

Ryan Cossar from the Scottish Futures Trust argues that the whole life performance of new affordable homes must be at the forefront of net zero calculations. Recent Government data shows that as much as 80% of the carbon emissions from buildings can be attributed to housing.

Construction lawyer Andrew Boccoli believes that a question mark hangs over the continuation of fixed-price arrangements. For the past 20 years, convention in the construction trade has been that contractors take on much of the financial risk when they tender successfully for projects. But, as the w

As part of Scotland Excel’s ‘Supporting the journey to Net Zero’ campaign, Professor Sean Smith, chair of Future Construction and director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure at the University of Edinburgh, speaks of the importance of accelerating energy efficiency of buildings

Following a recent meeting of the FMB Scotland Board, director Gordon Nelson shares some feedback from local building firms across Scotland. The juxtaposition of the ‘ugly’ topics of insurance premiums and increasing business overheads with the beautiful surroundings of Speyside, struck

Following her first three months as Homes for Scotland CEO, Jane Wood is astounded that there is so much that people don’t know or value about home building. Transitioning into a new sector is always challenging, not only in terms of needing to learn at pace to support your leadership thinking

With over 65s set to account for a quarter of our population in 20 years, Steven Simpson from Cruden Homes believes we need to plan ahead to shape the future of housing to meet this growing mature market. In just 20 years from now, a quarter of the UK population will be aged 65 or over. That&rs

Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on Saturday, Lighthouse Club CEO Bill Hill reveals why he thinks the day should be scrapped, what the charity is doing to make suicide preventable and how important it is for the industry to stand together and make life-saving changes. World Suicide Prevention D

Whether you’re just starting out or planning on handing the financial controls over to a family member, Paula Fraser says AAB can support you. The Chinese proverb that ‘wealth will not pass beyond three generations’ is likely to send a shiver down the spine of those who run a famil

Heather Bryant, director of health, safety and environment, explores how Balfour Beatty is taking an active approach to designing out risk across its operations. It is no secret that our industry is inherently dangerous and getting our people home safely every day is one of our biggest areas of focu

Litigation lawyer Richard McMeeken discusses a recent decision involving a building contractor which has clarified certain aspects of the law of bribery in Scotland. In Oil States Industries (UK) Limited v "S" Limited; Lagan Building Contractors Limited (in administration); John Hansen and Stuart Ir

As part of Scotland Excel’s ‘Supporting the journey to net zero’ campaign, Ian Heron - residential specification manager, Renewable Heating at Mitsubishi Electric - writes about the need for an urgent change in the way we heat our buildings. In June 2019, the UK became the first ma