A government industry working group is being set up to promote increased use of off-site prefabrication in house building. The working group has been launched by housing minister Mark Prisk following on from the findings of a new report produced by the Construction Industry Council (CIC). 

Issues for the group to review include:

• encouraging off-site construction and prefabrication to deliver an increased number of new houses
• promoting investment in the emerging sector
• helping to create market con...

I am repeatedly asked why it is important to use an Architect, when sometimes it can be cheaper to use an un-registered plan drawer or architectural designer, what’s the difference?

To call oneself an ‘architectural designer’ you don’t necessarily need any formal qualifications or experience, whereas the title ‘Architect’ is protected by law and can only be used by people registered with the Architects Registration board (ARB), having gone through the relevant training and demonstr...

New chief construction adviser Peter Hansford has stressed the importance of building information modelling (BIM) to the industry’s future. “BIM is a catalyst for a more collaborative way of working. It is a key agent for economic growth,” Hansford said at the launch of BIM2050 in London this month.

BIM2050 brings together 17 young construction professionals to consider future digital technologies, including BIM. Chaired by David Philp, head of BIM at Mace, BIM 2050 members include Rebec...

The government has revived plans to allow the conversion of vacant office buildings to residential use, a flagship policy from last year designed to increase the pipeline of new homes that the coalition said subsequently would not be implemented following a hostile reaction to consultation.

The Government confirmed that it would not take the proposals forward in a ministerial statement issued by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles last week in support of the housing stimulus package.

Pickles say...

The short list for the Sunday Times British Home Awards 'Smart Homes' competition have been released.

The competition is seeking integrated, interoperable solutions that demonstrate the application of digital monitoring and control systems in the home.

The panel of judges have selected a shortlist of 6 designs which are now open for your vote until midnight on August 13 2012 through thewww.thesundaytimes.co.uk/homeawards

SHORTLISTED

    • Street Smart: White arkitekter
    • S,M,L home: Pentan...

It is the last chance to sign up for the RIBA's 'Architect in the House 2012' and help to raise money for the Charity Shelter. Registration to the scheme closes on Monday 11 July, so if you or your friends or colleagues are considering signing up to the scheme, then now is the time. 

So far over 1,200 fellow RIBA architects have donated their time in support of Shelter and over 2,500 homeowners have signed up to Architect in the House 2012, raising over £200,000.00 for the charity Shelter. 

Yo...

Changes to the heritage protection regime are on the way following publication of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill sponsored by the Department of Business. Many of the proposed changes have been in discussion for some years and English Heritage has welcomed the arrival of legislation to deliver improvements to the system.

The bill seeks to fundamentally change the Heritage List for England so that the extent of a building's special interest would be legally defined in its list entry �...

The Green Building Store has just launched some extremely useful new resources on low energy retrofits, which aim to help householders make well-informed decisions for improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

The resources include case studies of typical hard-to-treat homes in West Yorkshire and also offer guidance on developing 'whole house plans' and ventilation strategies. 

Click here to download

Click on the You Tube link below to watch computer animations showing examples of best pra...

Overall the ‘Green Deal’ is a very exciting and positive scheme that should be supported and encouraged, however there are still some key concerns that need to be addressed if the scheme is to be the success it could be.

The ‘Green Deal’ is a framework to enable private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements for their homes, community spaces and businesses at no upfront cost, and recoup payments through ongoing charges on energy bills.

The financing mechanism allows con...

Building Magazine has reported that the number of planning permissions granted in the three months to September 2011 was 10% down on the previous year. This is according to the latest figures from the Home Builders’ Federation.

The HBF is reported to have said its quarterly housing pipeline report showed that just 32,500 homes were given planning permission in the third quarter, down from 38,500 in the same period last year.

The number of units approved in the first nine months of the year is...