If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is the importance of the outdoors – the spaces between and around buildings, as well as the public realm – to our health, safety and wellbeing. But a fresh approach is needed to designing and selecting paving for multifunctionality, sustainability and the ability to adapt to changing needs over time – as Chris Hodson of the trade association Interpave explains.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased focus on renewable technologies and the part they will play in the country’s road to economic recovery as the UK ‘builds back greener’.
The UK construction industry is continuing to weather the impact of the coronavirus pandemic but is still facing ongoing challenges when it comes to design detail and the specification process. All too often, information is missing from drawings, leaving decisions to those on the ground, who may invariably take the opportunity to reduce costs by substituting products. This can lead to a loss of design intent and quality. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.
In this article, David Harris, Managing Director of offsite construction specialist Premier Modular, looks at the role of offsite construction in the COVID-19 pandemic – from keeping construction moving to supporting the Government in the delivery of new housing to address homelessness.
George Eliot hospital required a new 30 bed ward for orthopaedic elective & general elective patients as part of the Trust’s five-year estate strategy. A high quality, HTM and DDA compliant building was required urgently.
Never before has there been so much emphasis on the sanitisation and disinfection of surfaces we come into contact with. The ongoing battle against COVID-19 means it is essential for our health and wellbeing that surfaces are sanitised efficiently, especially in public spaces.
Modern methods of construction (MMC) represents the future of the industry and has never been more vital – COVID-19 has impacted the industry and its prospects, while productivity, lagging before the pandemic, must be ramped up. The UK is also targeting ambitious sustainability targets, with construction playing a key role in driving emissions down. MMC is key to both our post-pandemic recovery and success in meeting sustainability goals, explains Mark Lowry, CEO at The McAvoy Group.
COVID-19 has created problems in every sector of life, and the building industry is no exception. However, it is also true that with a crisis like this, people think differently, and lateral thinking certainly creates new ideas and opportunities.
Keeping our children safe at school is uppermost in the minds of parents, teachers and education leaders - never before have good ventilation and touch free hygiene products been so high on the agenda.
What’s in store for our office spaces post-COVID-19? Have we woken up to the potential that remote working offers for individual, focused tasks? Here, we talk to one of GT3 Architects’ workplace consultants for some inside knowledge.
