On Another Level

Since coming to power, the new Labour-led UK government has put the built environment front and centre of its drive to rebuild Britain. From initiatives to unlock housebuilding to accelerating the development of new large-scale renewable energy schemes, there has been action from day one. But is it the right action, is it enough and what else can the government do to work with the private sector t...

Social sustainability has been rising up real estate’s agenda, seemingly soon to emerge finally from the shadow of its higher profile sibling – environmental sustainability – among the ESG triplets.   Over the past couple of years, there has been a growing focus on the social impact from real estate. Those working in the sector have long been able to speak passionately about the capacity of our bu...

Along with Brexit, ‘levelling up’ was a signature policy of Boris Johnson’s time in Number 10 and has been continued, to varying degrees, under Rishi Sunak. But with the Conservatives trailing badly in the polls, levelling up’s days seem numbered – at least as a political slogan. But the issues that the ‘levelling up’ agenda sought to tackle will remain, so what might come next?    In this episode...

Construction is one of the most important – and largest – sectors in our economy. But its reputation lags behind and it ranks low as a career choice. The sector has long faced a skills crisis that is only becoming more acute. And, particularly in a tough economic climate, the volatile business model of many contractors that sees razor-thin margins means that news on yet another construction compan...

Increasingly almost every aspect of our lives is connected to the internet. From our watches and phones, to our fridges and door bells, digitization is all pervasive.  This is especially true of the workplace, where if the internet goes down, work stops. The best office buildings now invest heavily in digital connectivity, ensuring businesses have the bandwidth and speed to compete in the global e...

In this episode Naomi Kerbel explores the impact of AI on the built environment, looking at the risks and the opportunities that the rapidly advancing technology will bring and examining what businesses need to do to ensure that they benefit from AI, rather than losing out. Naomi’s guests include: Martha Tsigkari , Senior Partner Head of Applied Research + Development, Foster + Partners Laurent Gr...