Insight

For June's Construction Leaders feature, Alan Smith tells Colin Cardwell how SPI McGrattan navigated a number of challenges to carry out different types of contracts in Scotland. There must be something eminently satisfying about being integral to the completion of the last in the trilogy

The construction sector should not use the Scottish Government’s abandonment of its interim climate change target to slow its commitment to achieving net zero, writes Graham Mercer, managing director of Rearo Laminates. Sustainability has been a central theme in the construction industry

It has been a hectic few weeks at Holyrood, and there have been many changes that will have significant impacts on the built environment sector, writes Jocelyne Fleming, policy and public affairs officer Scotland at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). John Swinney is the new First Minister a

As controversy rages over the reinstatement of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Glasgow School of Art, this timely and thoroughly researched book makes an eloquent plea for the restoration of what was a jewel in Scotland's artistic and cultural crown. The Mack was considered to be the great masterpiece o

Pete Bell, chairman and co-founder of Campion Homes, marks the housebuilder's 35th year in business with a look back at its inception and evolution. This year sees Campion Homes celebrate 35 years of building not just homes, but communities. Back in 1989, we started, rather modestly, as a team of th

Anthony Marley, director at Northern Ireland-based remediation specialist Anamore, comments on the changes to the cladding remediation programme in Scotland. Building safety and fire compliance involving cladding on high-rise buildings has become a prominent topic across the UK, with local gove

Ravenscraig Ltd director Russell Wilkie outlines his vision for the former steelworks in North Lanarkshire and the need to develop industrial communities. All across the UK, there are monuments to our industrial heritage. They remind us of the heavy industries that once helped power our country. Imp

Rob Bewick, senior construction safety consultant at Thomas & Adamson, highlights why mental health needs to be treated with the same degree of importance as physical health on construction sites. In the construction industry, health and safety is most often thought about in terms of physical we

Head of housing at Hardies Property & Construction Consultants, Michael Creech, has warned that Scotland’s affordable housing sector is facing its most challenging period in 40 years. The affordable housing sector has always had challenges to overcome, but this is the most difficult p

Holmes Mille architect Peter Edwards provides some jargon-busting advice to help people choose the right retrofit options for them. Do you know your EnerPHit from your CarbonLite Retrofit? And if someone mentioned PHPP, would you know what they meant? If not, I don’t blame you – the lang

In the wake of the Scottish Government admitting it is significantly off-track from meeting its 2030 net zero targets, Forster Group chairman and founder John Forster discusses the challenges and opportunities of achieving such goals. The journey towards net zero is fraught with complexities an

As the Scottish Futures Trust publishes its Business Plan for 2024/25, the SCN Construction Leader for May, Peter Reekie, tells Colin Cardwell that net zero remains firmly on the agenda at the organisation. Peter Reekie laughs when he recalls his first work experience. It was certainly a s

After such a busy weekend, which saw 6,600 visitors to ScotPlant, the team from the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) reflect on the event and share some highlights on what remains the most significant event for the plant industry in Scotland.

Robert Bennet, head of sales and marketing at Rearo, highlights the changing role of the bathroom over the years, and how that has impacted developers and suppliers in the construction industry. The only time most of us give any deep or meaningful thought to our bathrooms is when we are refitting th

Lynne Peacock is part of the Chartered Institute of Building’s Member Services team based in Scotland and is urging nominations for this year’s coveted CIOB Scotland Awards. The time has come for us to discover and reward the most talented built environment professionals across Scotland.