The Building Podcast with Mark Wakeford

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The green energy revolution relies on electricians and electrical companies to design and deliver the infrastructure needed to support generation and use of energy.  Without them, the revolution dies and we will be unable to meet our statutory or moral obligations to a green grid or net-zero.  Luckily, we have the Electrical Contractors Association, which is the guar...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome One in four employees in the construction sector identify as neuro-divergent, meaning that they believe that they think differently, their memory works in a different way and they communicate differently to the norm.  These people may be neuro-diverse, responding in a different way to the stimuli that we use at work and the traditional management techniques that used...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome Energy management and carbon reduction are becoming increasingly important to designers, operators and maintainers of buildings.  The costs of operating a building are a significant part of the lifetime cost and the whole life carbon calculation for a building.  Managing these, particularly in multi-occupancy buildings is a real challenge, dealing with variable deman...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome Scaffolding is ubiquitous within the construction industry.  A true temporary structure that is found on virtually all building sites that requires designing and erecting accurately and professionally.  Clive Dickin is the Chief Executive Officer for the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) and heads an organisation that represents over 80% of the com...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The UK plans to have over 50GW of solar capacity installed by 2030.  The global solar Council is projecting 8TW of solar capacity in the same timeframe.  The UK accounts for just over half of one percent, yet we are part of a holistic worldwide industry with global supply chains, prone to geopolitical risks. Peter Wooders founded Geneva Platform to examine and promot...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The complexity of construction projects, the changes that can happen during a project and the challenges of communication between the parties means that the sector is blighted with disputes.  Many of these disputes are resolved between the parties through talking and leadership, however a pernicious few require external help to resolve.  The 1996 Housing, Grants and...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The solar sector has two big people challenges to solve if it is to deliver on its opportunity to become a major generator of the UK’s energy mix and support a “Just Transition” to a low carbon, low cost energy grid.  The first is the sheer number of skilled people that it needs to design, deliver and maintain the infrastructure and the second is the diversity of tho...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome This podcast is a solar podcast, exposing the opportunities and challenges associated with a significant roll-out of solar generation capacity across the UK.  One of the key challenges in any rapid expansion of work is to ensure that the supply chain is up to the job.  Supply chains can become stressed when there is insufficient product or people to design and instal...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The solar sector is poised for significant growth to 2030, with a forecast £17Bn add to GDP and a compound annual growth rate in excess of 14%.  This will only happen if the supply chain exists to deliver this work. Kamal Rajput leads on Strategic Business Development for TATA in the UK.  He is the joint chair of the Supply Chain Steering Group for Solar Energy UK, t...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The Solar Taskforce, a joint UK Government and industry collaboration has just published it long awaited Solar Road Map.  This charts how the UK will grow solar generation to over 50GW to meet the targets of clean power by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. Ross Grier is the Chief Investment Officer for Next Energy Capital, one of the large global investors in renewables.  R...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The Solar Taskforce, an industry / Government collaboration has been in existence since May 2023, working with both Governments to see how solar generation can be rapidly deployed to support the de-carbonisation of the electrical grid and the UK’s statutory net-zero target for 2050.  I have been privileged to serve on this taskforce with many of the industry’s big hi...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome Solar energy represents the most accessible form of renewable energy generation available to commercial customers across the UK.  It is relatively easy to install, provides economic energy, reduces carbon footprints, improves energy resilience and gains approval from customers and employees alike.  Simon Richards, Director and Chief Finance and Sustainability Officer...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The Solar Taskforce, an industry / Government collaboration has been in existence since May 2023, working with both Governments to see how solar generation can be rapidly deployed to support the de-carbonisation of the electrical grid and the UK’s statutory net-zero target for 2050.  I have been privileged to serve on this taskforce with many of the industry’s big hi...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The Solar Taskforce, an industry / Government collaboration has been in existence since May 2023, working with both Governments to see how solar generation can be rapidly deployed to support the de-carbonisation of the electrical grid and to support the UK’s statutory net-zero target for 2050.  I have been privileged to serve on this taskforce with many of the indust...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The Solar Taskforce, an industry / Government collaboration has been in existence since May 2023, working with both Governments to see how solar generation can be rapidly deployed to support the de-carbonisation of the electrical grid and to support the UK’s statutory net-zero target for 2050.  I have been privileged to serve on this taskforce with many of the indust...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The UK Government has recently published the Solar Road Map, which is a guide to all stakeholders in the solar sector and further afield , on how the UK will achieve the solar element of Net-Zero.  It looks at the five year opportunities and challenges that have to be overcome for a near two and a half times increase in solar generation by 2030.  This Road Map was th...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The solar sector can deliver the lowest levelised cost of energy of any form of energy generation to the grid.  Government commissioned the Solar Road Map, which is the culmination of the Solar Taskforce’s work, a joint industry and Government initiative to identify the opportunities and the challenges to meet 55GW of capacity by 2030. Liz Cammack is one of the indus...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The Solar Road Map, that promotes the growth of solar generation to over 50GW by 2030 has been published.  It identifies the opportunities for industry and Government to achieve this target and plots the challenges that both parties must overcome.  There are four main chapters, including one on people – how many do we need and where will they come from, coupled with...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The Solar Road Map has been published by Government to highlight the opportunities and challenges to install over 50GW of solar PV generation within the UK by 2030.  It is the culmination of two years’ work by the Solar Taskforce, which set up four key groups to look at specific challenges.  The first group was the Network Group, which looked at overcoming grid const...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The Solar Taskforce, an industry / Government collaboration has been in existence since May 2023, working with both Governments to see how solar generation can be rapidly deployed to support the de-carbonisation of the electrical grid and to support the UK’s statutory net-zero target for 2050.  I have been privileged to serve on this taskforce with many of the indust...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The Building Podcast is moving into an allied sector to construction for Series Two.  The energy sector is crucial to the generation and distribution of energy, which is the lifeblood of homes and industry.  The whole market is changing rapidly as we move from a centralised carbon-based generation model to a de-centralised renewable model.  Couple this with the huge...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome Finnish Project Alliancing and Takt Programming The €1.1 Bn Laakso Hospital Project in Helsinki is Finland’s largest construction project.  It is run under an Alliance programme where the two clients, main contractor and other key stakeholders have come together to reduce the project risks and ensure success on this key project.  Ossi Inkilä is the Programme Director...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome Integrated Project Insurance Construction can be a tough industry that often pits professional against professional or specialist against contractor against clients.  All are defending paper-thin margins, claims on their insurances or their reputations.  “There must be a better way” said Louise Lado-Byrnes before she found Integrated Project Insurance. Join Louise as...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome Melanoma and non-melanoma cancers are the most prevalent form of cancer in the UK, accounting for nearly one in three cases.  The incidence of this cancer is due to double in the UK over the next twenty years.  The relevance to our industry is that of the 2,300 deaths that occur each year from melanoma, 44% occur within the wider construction industry, when we accoun...

Send a Text - Feedback Welcome The construction industry has hundreds of trade bodies, each representing a slice of the industry and each having to demonstrate value to its members.  The Building Engineering Services Association is one of these, but it also acts as the focal point for leadership and standard setting within the building services sector.  David Frise is their Chief Executive, and he...