Measures announced in last month’s UK Budget, delivered by the Chancellor, were welcomed by the construction industry. Among the highlights, George Osborne revealed the Government would designate 20 housing zones on brownfield sites outside London, rather than the 10 zones initially proposed in June 2014. Along with delivering up to 34,000 new homes, the Government has announced it will also be working with a further eight councils to deliver 11,000 homes.

Responding to the announcement, Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive of Structural Timber Association, comments: “We fully support the identification of 20 brownfield site housing zones for investment in 45,000 houses, which is definitely needed to address the housing shortage. I urge the Government to ensure these houses are built using modern methods of construction, such as timber, as the build would be efficient and the houses sustainable – important considerations in today’s climate.

“As we head into the General Election, I hope all parties will put sustainable construction at the heart of their manifestos. The UK has the opportunity to lead the way in building in timber – the only truly sustainable building material and the best way to achieve modern and energy efficient housing for the next generation.”

As the landscape of construction continues to change, modern methods of construction are having an even bigger role to play. In this month’s issue, we hear from Mike Stevenson, Development Director for offsite fenestration specialist Sidey, who reflects on the factors affecting the future of construction design. Find out more on page 22.

I hope you enjoy this issue. Don’t forget you can also access all of the magazine’s features, product news and supplier information at your fingertips via Future Constructor & Architect’s state-of-the-art app. To download your version free of charge, simply search ‘fc&a’ on Google Play or the App Store.