Show Notes
Happy Birthday, CIOB! Three young professionals look ahead [01:00] To celebrate the 190th anniversary of the founding of the Chartered Institute of Building, we speak to three young CIOB people from around the world – members of the Tomorrow’s Leaders network – about the one thing they’d like to change about the industry and how the CIOB can help with that. This stimulating exchange features: • Tadiwa Taimu, 23, a junior project manager building a retirement complex in Cape Town, South Africa; • Ziad Abdeen, 25, a contracts engineer working on various projects in Dubai; and • Dr Hamza Momade, 31, a construction project manager with Roni Group in Toronto, and professor of construction management at Ontario’s Durham College. Michael Brown looks back [13:37] Many will remember Michael Brown, educator, industry diplomat, and former CIOB deputy chief executive. In 1966, he was one of the first people ever to enrol in the brand new BSc in Building at Lanchester Polytechnic, now Coventry University. That degree became the foundation of construction management education ever since. He tells us how exotic he was as a graduate on site, what construction and the Institute were like before email, and suggests a few missions the CIOB might take on in its next 190 years. Data-led construction [21:47] The CIOB’s Royal Charter obliges it to promote the science and practice of building for the public benefit, so Justin Stanton is here to ask industry leaders how data can facilitate higher-performance construction. Diving into this are: • Paul Drayton, head of digital for Europe at Laing O’Rourke; • Gareth Handley, director of operations at Wates Group; • Andy Steele, strategic adviser and former chief executive of Osborne; and • Paul Bamforth, head of global strategic accounts at Buildots.
More from 21st Century Construction
It’s been a year since Awaab’s Law came into force, setting strict new rules that registered social landlords must follow in dealing with damp and mould. The law was named after 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 of severe respiratory failure as a result of prolonged exposure to mould in his home in Rochdale. In the three years leading up to his death, the housing association took no action to deal with the mould, despite repeated notifications. Now, under Awaab’s Law, landlords have to respond to “emergency” mould hazards within 24 hours, and “significant” hazards within 15 days. Serious challenges Complying with the law poses serious technical, resource and public engagement challenges for landlords, and the sector is still feeling its way. To help, CIOB and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) joined forces to publish a useful playbook – Tackling damp and mould: Professional practice, cultural change and regulation in social housing – providing landlords with advice on recognising damp and mould, problem solving with residents and taking steps to resolve root causes. Update from the front In this month’s 21CC podcast, we speak to experts who contributed to the playbook, and provide an update from the frontline in the ongoing battle against this serious problem. We hear from Professor John Edwards FCIOB, who wrote the section on how to inspect properties for the hazard, and CIH policy lead Dr Eve Blezard on the need to avoid scapegoating residents. Claire Hawley and Leon Sidebottom, who lead customer engagement for Berneslai Homes, share what they learned about what works and what doesn’t in engaging tenants. And researchers Dr Graeme Sherriff and Philip Martin from the University of Salford’s Sustainable Housing and Urban Studies Unit share insights from their extensive research into how damp and mould affects households in Greater Manchester. We think this pacey podcast will interest people across a wide range of roles and responsibilities in the housing sector.
This month marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
Plant trees down high streets. Retrofit schools, hospitals and care homes with external shading. Cool down beds and install ceiling fans. Legislate for minimum indoor temperatures. Ban glass towers. Paint roofs white. Set up a cooling refuge in every community. Reduce glazing and install windows that open.
For the last three years, DragonHeart Homes, a CIOB company in Peterborough that makes modular units for public-sector housing, has employed prisoners from HMP North Sea Camp, a Category-D open men’s prison outside Boston in Lincolnshire.
The end of April saw two major announcements regarding humanoid robots, a technology the construction sector hopes can work with the human workforce to improve productivity.