Builders and developers will have access to a new, all-purpose commercial innovation centre for energy efficient building designs, products and services launched today.

The CMS Innovation Hub in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire will be a showcase for the latest energy saving products and devices for the building of homes and workplaces, produced by leading construction and supply firms.

A housing development being built as part of a £30m regeneration scheme inHereford, is to be named Radford Gardens in recognition of the achievements of one of the city’s most famous sporting heroes.

Keepmoat and Herefordshire Housing have announced that as part of their plans to breathe new life into The Oval by building 259 high-quality new homes they will name the development after Hereford United’s FA Cup hero Ronnie Radford.

Galliford Try has been selected to build a proposed £5 million Extra Care housing scheme for older people in Alnwick.

The Isos Housing project, to be known as Weavers’ Court, is designed to provide 58 affordable one and two bedroomed apartments, half for sale through shared ownership, and half available to rent.

Around £2 million of funding for the venture will come from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and is part of a national programme to build 3,544 new homes.

Southern Home Ownership, the non-charitable arm of Southern Housing Group, has completed its flagship development in Brighton, The Edge.

The stunning £9.5 million, 12,600 sq. ft., residential development comprises one, two and three-bedroom Shared Ownership apartments and a community centre.

MK Surveys, based in Milton Keynes, is the first company in the world to take delivery of an advanced, ground penetrating radar (GPR) system, supporting further expansion of its fast growing utility department. 

The purchase of Opera Duo, the latest innovation for utility location and mapping by market leaders IDS, further strengthens MK Surveys’ capability in this expanding market.

The challenges facing humanity in the 21st century include climate change, population growth, overconsumption of resources, overproduction of waste and increasing energy demands. For construction practitioners, responding to these challenges means creating a built environment that provides accommodation and infrastructure with better whole-life performance using lower volumes of primary materials, less non-renewable energy, wasting less and causing fewer disturbances to the natural environment. Concrete is ubiquitous in the built environment. It is therefore essential that it is used in the most sustainable way so practitioners must become aware of the range of sustainable concrete solutions available for construction. While sustainable development has been embedded into engineering curricula, it can be difficult for students and academics to be fully aware of the innovations in sustainable construction that are developed by the industry. 

Marching onto the construction site at The Rise in Scotswood, Douglas Arkle boldly asked “Giz a job.”

And – just like the Yosser Hughes character in the 1980s drama, Boys from the Black Stuff - his direct approach paid off.

Douglas, 54, who used to live in Scotswood before his home was demolished to make way for redevelopment, was taken on as a general labourer at the site where the first 377 of 1,800 new homes are now under construction. He said: “I remember the TV series with the Yosser character and his determination to find work.

Recently the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published their proposals to replace the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and issued a consultative document. We believe that the proposed 2014 Regulations, if adopted, will set the building industry back over 30 years in terms of fatalities and serious injuries to those working on construction projects.

A visit to Greenbuild Expo on 7th and 8th May will give you the tools you need to create low-energy buildings and truly sustainable developments.

As well as access to guidance on renewable energy, energy efficiency, green retrofit and much more, Greenbuild Expo has an extensive free conference programme covering:

Staff at one of the country's biggest housing developers have become the industry's first ever students to enrol onto a bespoke foundation degree programme at Sheffield Hallam University.

Barratt Developments have provided funding for 100 employees to study for a foundation degree in residential development and construction. The tailor-made programme, designed in partnership with the Barratt Group, will equip staff with the skills and expertise to help strengthen the firm in the future.