On Friday 12th January BSRIA is hosting a second event designed to help the sector construct new homes more quickly and to higher quality standards.
BSRIA will be hosting a second event on the issue of ‘Building Better Homes Faster’ following up from the success of its inaugural event that took place in July 2017.
Taking place on Friday 12th January 2018 – more details on the Building Better Homes Faster 2 event can be found here. Speakers will cover a range of construction topics including considerations, challenges and opportunities arising from the sector’s commitment to delivering more, better quality, new homes
The Building Better Homes Faster 1 event included briefings on the skills crisis, use of new technologies and innovation, economic and technical challenges, and an update on policy from the DCLG. Improving the image of the industry and being resilient in an uncertain future were the key messages.
Tassos Kougionis, Principal Consultant for Residential (BSRIA) (pictured) discussed economic and technical challenges present in the housing construction sector which lead to a fragmented supply chain and difficulties in the new homes delivery.
He called for a more consistent and collaborative approach between the different stakeholders and an open dialogue. He added that this event series can provide the industry with a communication platform.
Paul Decort, Technical Policy Officer at the Department for Communities and Local Governments (DCLG) provided attendees with a DCLG update. He discussed the potential effect of Brexit on the construction and housing sectors of the country as well as the need for a healthy and safe environment (triggered by the tragic event at Grenfell Tower).
John Slaughter, Director of External Affairs at the Home Builders Federation looked at skills, knowledge and the supply chain and stated that skills are the biggest issue facing the house building industry. HBF research has highlighted that “industry image” and “difficulty of attracting the right people” were key concerns for the industry.
John explained how the Home Building Skills Partnership was created setting objectives for 2016-2020.
Oliver Novakovic, Technical & Innovation Director at Barratt Developments PLC discussed how Barratt Homes considers new technologies, off-site manufacturing and digital means to achieve high construction quality and accelerate their new homes delivery pace.
Oliver provided additional information on how Barratt Homes follow these steps, showing tangible examples and case-study sites.
Chris Carr, Managing Director at Carr & Carr Builders Ltd presented on the role of SMEs in increasing new homes delivery and overcoming construction challenges. He discussed how industry should be especially concerned by the aging workforce. He added that the industry would benefit from a more diversified workforce in terms of gender, skills and backgrounds.
He also said that we need new UK based construction manufacturers and that we need to try making construction industry more “attractive”.
Chris Pountney, Associate Director at AECOM discussed resilience in construction design, delivery and operation. He explained how global targets focus in reducing the number of people affected by disasters and associated economic loss.
Chris discussed smart technology and the IoT (Internet of Things) and how such tools can be used to put systems in place so that the UK is more resilient. Homes for the future need to be: ready for uncertainty; data-driven and digitally-enabled.
More information about the BSRIA’s Building Better Homes Faster 2 event on Friday 12th January 2018 can be found here.
