So Ecobuild is over for another year – what did you make of it? I think I missed more than I actually saw, it was HUGE! It certainly showed how seriously the subject of sustainability in the construction industry is taken, from those at government levels down to the individual house-holder.

I noticed there was much more focus on retro-fitting and what can be done to help existing buildings achieve high levels of insulation and even to incorporate renewable energy schemes in existing buildings and communities. Concentrating sustainability in the built environment on newbuild is surely going against the ‘re-use, reduce, recycle’ mantra; problems are thrown up as we have such a great variety of types of build in this country, pre-war solid walled terraces, and post war non-traditional or ‘system-build’, but some great schemes to include these properties in energy efficiency plans were shown at Ecobuild, and also here in the pages of FC&A!

And in a month where conversations about Ecobuild have dominated the UK’s built environment, much of the rest of the world seems to be in a re-building frame of mind, with the earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan destroying so many homes, businesses, and lives. There can’t be a single reader who wasn’t moved by the images on the news. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.