Insight

In light of the current crisis unfolding in Ukraine, cost consultancy expert Kenny Telfer discusses renewable energy and how we can scale up to reduce reliance on Russian gas. Many people I've been speaking to recently have expressed frustration, helplessness and devastation at the recent

As we celebrate Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Naila Akram, head of social impact at Balfour Beatty, highlights how the company is transforming the landscape for apprentices across Scotland. As a member of The 5% Club, we have long been leading the charge in attracting, training and retaining the nex

Sandra Cassels provides an overview of the approach to cladding in Scotland and addresses three discrete points: building Regulations, RICS Guidance and rights of recourse for owners/government assistance. Building Regulations

Donald W Orr, MD of Unitech Services Ltd and president of electrical trade association SELECT, steps into the Just A Minute hot seat. How did you get started in the industry? I took an electrical apprenticeship after school, qualified as an electrician and then an approved electr

RDK Construction managing director Billy Kirkwood shares the 30-year story of the firm. Thirty years ago on the 25th February 1992, Robert and I set out on our first joint venture together under the banner of RDK Construction Ltd. We are both joiners to trade and had already gained development

As planning minister Tom Arthur prepares to give evidence to the Local Government, Housing & Planning Committee this morning, Homes for Scotland head of local & regional planning Liz Hamilton says the draft NPF4 document fails to recognise the current housing crisis and is likely to fur

Common sense suggests that building houses in factories and screwing them together on site is the most efficient way of creating homes. But generally, that’s not the way we do it. So we brought two pioneers of modular construction together to explain it all on our sister publication's Sco

With changes to legislation expected and disruptions to materials and supply chains rife in 2021 set to continue, Geoff Smith, dealer manager at mini-excavator manufacturer Kubota UK, discusses what the construction industry is likely to face in the coming months.

Stewart Dalgarno, project director at the Advanced Industrialised Methods for the Construction of Homes (AIMCH) initiative, discusses how climate targets can be met within the house building industry. The end of the UN’s climate change conference COP26 marked the beginning of the hard work req

James Ellis, chair of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Construction Interest Group, discusses the state of marketing skills within the construction industry. It’s difficult to think of an industry which is more understood, yet at the same time misunderstood, than marketing. Most peopl

John McHugh, managing partner at DM Hall, takes part in SCN's Just A Minute feature. How did you get started in the industry? As a trainee surveyor with a local firm in Ayrshire in the early 1980’s before moving to Glasgow and joining dm hall as a young, newly qualified surveyor in 1988.

John McHugh, managing partner of DM Hall Chartered Surveyors, discusses the state of Scottish property in light of the current cost of living crisis. This time last year, amid frenzied activity in the residential property market in Scotland, driven by the unprecedented external factors of which we a

Following last week's Holyrood discussions on improving ventilation in classrooms, air conditioning expert Gregor Stewart highlights the downsides of the Scottish Government’s ventilation fund. There is no doubt we should applaud the fact that, in the wake of major societal disruptions such as

In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week (Monday 7 – Sunday 13 February), Miller Homes is shining a light on two of their brilliant trainees in West Scotland. Emily McNeice (20) and Brogan Dawson (20), both from Glasgow, have been working hard and are now over halfway through their appre

Ryan Gilluley of Glasgow-based GCM cost and claim consultants offers his take on the current issues facing the Scottish construction industry. In normal circumstances the construction industry is a bellwether sector for the wider economy and it’s not difficult to work out why.