Sustainability

Researchers at the University of Strathclyde have produced high-quality concrete from waste ash, in an initiative that could produce a renewable alternative for the industry. The research, commissioned by waste business Enva and funded by Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC), took ash from waste and biomass plants and converted it…

A site engineer working at King's Cross in London was revealed to have been six times more exposed to air pollution than the average for a worker in an air-conditioned office. Senior air quality analyst at King’s College London Andrew Grieve was part of a research team involved with a…

Skanska will publish the carbon emissions of its supply chain as part of a bid to reduce them to net zero by 2045, the company has announced. The tier one contractor said it will publish the emissions of its own activities as well as those of its supply chain annually,…

Investors in the construction industry see climate-related risks as less important than other factors, according to a survey. The RICS worldwide survey found that although investors are expressing an increased interest in resilience-related factors, the key focus remains cost. Nearly half of UK respondents (47 per cent) said that climate…

Some £1bn is needed per year to build and maintain flood and coastal resistance, according to the Environment Agency. In a new strategy document, Flood and Coastal Risk Management Strategy, the agency also called for all UK infrastructure to be flood resilient by 2050. It has committed to working with…

The Committee on Climate Change, independent advisers to the government, has recommended that all new buildings in the UK should be net zero carbon by 2050. In a new report, the body has made suggestions such as fitting all new buildings with low-carbon heating systems, which would tackle the use of…

The chair of the National Infrastructure Commission has called on the government to set a clear vision for UK infrastructure. Speaking at a panel discussion organised by the all-party parliamentary group on infrastructure Sir John Armitt said that major infrastructure projects “can be a unifying force”. “We need to set…

Most people working in the UK and Ireland construction industry don’t believe enough is being done to reduce plastic consumption, a survey has found.

HS2 has vowed to deliver the biggest green corridor ever created for a UK infrastructure project, including a 23 sq km native woodland that will run alongside phase one of the £55.7bn rail line.

Theresa May has pledged to halve the energy use of new buildings by 2030 through “modern construction practices” as part of the government’s industrial strategy.