University of the Built Environment

"I think the office is becoming more important. It's not shrinking at all." It's a view that may surprise anyone who has spent the past few years reading headlines predicting the decline of the office. But according to Sam McClary, Chief Executive of the British Council for Offices , the real story is very different. So if the office isn't disappearing, what exactly is it...

Guests Rosie Jackson - Stace Mark Ashby - Stace Robert Brown – PRE Surveyors Touted as the answer to skills shortages, spiralling student debt and widening access to professional careers, degree apprenticeships are growing rapidly across the UK, particularly within the built environment. The pitch is undeniably attractive: earn while you learn, avoid tuition fees, gain practical experience from da...

Britain is aiming to build 1.5 million new homes this Parliament, backed by nearly £39 billion in public investment. But a key question around the deadline and the amount of homes needed to be built is: are we building them well? In this episode of BE Sustainable, we explore the findings of the ‘Proud to call home’ report, which calls for quality to be embedded across every stage of housing delive...

With Dirk Vennix, James Pritchett and Jason Phelps Overview Modern methods of construction (MMC) are frequently presented as a critical solution to some of the built environment sector’s most pressing challenges. Faster delivery, improved quality control and reduced environmental impact are often cited as key advantages, particularly as the UK seeks to accelerate housing delivery while progressing...

With Luke McMath, Katie Napier and Jordan Turner Buying a home is one of life’s most significant milestones. Yet in England, the process is widely seen as slow, opaque and prone to collapse at the final hurdle. In this episode of BE Sustainable, we examine the UK Government’s proposed reforms to the homebuying and selling system in England . The changes aim to reduce delays, minimise fall-throughs...

Overview “A crack in the window, a hole in the door, a chipped sink, up in the loft there’s no insulation – we see these things every day of our lives.” The words of the man who invented snagging inspections, which uncovers a vast array of significant defects at new-build homes.  John Cooper, founder of New Home Quality Control , was a guest on this episode that discussed: Are Britain’s new homes...

Are the construction and property industries really making progress on inclusivity, or just making promises? Are we still seeing discrimination and unconscious bias within the built environment sector? Or are we happily witnessing progress? What does inclusivity really look like in practice - and are we genuinely moving the dial, or just reshaping the same conversation? On paper, the sector looks...

Sustainability is meant to be for everyone but when it comes to housing and communities, is sustainable living actually more of a luxury? In this episode of BE Sustainable, we ask a bold question: are ‘sustainable communities’ genuinely inclusive, or are they the preserve of the middle classes? The discussion comes in light of the UK Government’s latest New Towns proposal, which calls for 12 new s...

Presenter: Mike Speight Guests: Dr James Ritson, Cecilia Pesce, Jordan Turner Jingles by: Matthew Smith, Programme Leader BSc Real Estate Management Traditional brickmaking produces over 1.3 billion tonnes of CO₂ each year — more than the entire aviation industry. So should we cling to the comforting warmth of brick, or finally face up to the environmental cost of our most familiar building materi...

Office buildings account for a huge share of global carbon emissions - yet the pathway to decarbonisation is rarely straightforward. In this episode, we explore why tackling emissions from the workplace is one of the most urgent challenges facing real estate, and how organisations can turn strategy into action. Our guest, Mary Pothitou, is a leading real estate sustainability expert and ESOS Lead...

Sustainability is one of the defining issues of our time – but how much is it really shaping career choices, client decisions and the future of the built environment? In the latest episode of the BE Sustainable Podcast, Student Officers for Sustainability, Kian Bruney and Jake Wright , join Mike to share their perspectives as early-career professionals navigating the sector. Speaking from their ow...

Inclusivity and diversity are core principles of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, with the promise of “leaving no one behind.” But is the built environment doing enough to fulfil this ambition, or is it struggling to leave behind its old ways? In the latest two-part episode of the podcast, Dr Chrissi McCarthy joins Mike to take us through her experience and impressions of the built environm...

Inclusivity and diversity are core principles of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, with the promise of 'leaving no one behind'. But is the built environment doing enough to fulfil this ambition, or is it struggling to leave behind its old ways? In the latest two-part episode of the podcast, Dr Chrissi McCarthy joins Mike to take us through her experience and impressions of the buil...

What is our action plan for phasing out concrete? Mike interviews Martha Dillon, writer and policy researcher, about her research into the use of concrete in construction. Why do we continue to use a material we know is harmful and exploitative?   Listen to the podcast via:  - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ucem/id1524980861 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Czk2mZlZ...

Is our sector doing enough to cater for people with accessibility needs? Almost a quarter of the UK’s population have a disability, yet the buildings we live, work and play in are still far from accessible and inclusive in their design and operation. To explore this topic further, Adrian Tagg, Lead for Building Surveying at the University of Reading, joins us for a two-part episode informed by his...

Is our sector doing enough to cater for people with accessibility needs? Almost a quarter of the UK’s population have a disability, yet the buildings we live, work and play in are still far from accessible and inclusive in their design and operation. To explore this topic further, Adrian Tagg, Lead for Building Surveying at the University of Reading, joins us for a two-part episode informed by his...

The built environment comprises a diverse and exciting range of sectors, but there is still a lack of representation at every level. We want this to change. ‘Be Part of the Change ’ aims to celebrate the incredible success stories of our under-represented students, apprentices and alumni, as well as highlighting their challenges. It’s also an opportunity to highlight the positive practices our emp...

For all the emphasis our sector places on shiny new tools and materials, we'll only be able to realise a sustainable built environment if we successfully engage one thing: people. In the latest two-part feature of the BE Sustainable podcast, Mike Speight is joined by Jenny Davidson and Sheri-Leigh Miles, co-hosts of the Sustainability Sprints podcast. With their expertise they explore the cha...

For all the emphasis our sector places on shiny new tools and materials, we'll only be able to realise a sustainable built environment if we successfully engage one thing: people. In the latest two-part feature of the BE Sustainable podcast, Mike Speight is joined by Jenny Davidson and Sheri-Leigh Miles, co-hosts of the Sustainability Sprints podcast. With their expertise they explore the cha...

The built environment comprises a diverse and exciting range of sectors, but there is still a lack of representation at every level. We want this to change. ‘Be Part of the Change ’ is an awareness campaign with the purpose of celebrating the incredible success stories of our under-represented students, apprentices and alumni, as well as highlighting their challenges. It’s also an opportunity to h...

Do we understand the impact the built environment has on our physical and mental health? Jason Ratcliffe, TedX Organiser, founder of The Home Health Expert and alumni of UCEM, doesn’t think so. In the first of this three-part feature of the BE Sustainable podcast, Jason joins our host, Mike Speight, to dive into the relationship between human health and the buildings we inhabit, and how this remai...

Do we understand the impact the built environment has on our physical and mental health? Jason Ratcliffe, TedX Organiser, founder of The Home Health Expert and alumni of UCEM, doesn’t think so. For part two of our three-episode feature with Jason on the BE Sustainable Podcast, we take the previous episode’s topic of the built environment’s impact on wellbeing and explore it on a national scale. Wh...

In the third instalment of our three-part feature with Jason Ratcliffe, TedX Organiser, founder of The Home Health Expert and alumni of UCEM, we turn our attention to major challenge fuelling the wellbeing crisis in the built environment – the skills gap. Together with our host, Mike Speight, the two explore how our sector can do a better job attracting more young people to professions like archit...

The built environment comprises a diverse and exciting range of sectors, but there is still a lack of representation at every level. We want this to change. ‘Be Part of the Change ’ is an awareness campaign with the purpose of celebrating the incredible success stories of our under-represented students, apprentices and alumni, as well as highlighting their challenges. It’s also an opportunity to h...

Seven years on from the Grenfell Tower Fire that claimed 72 lives on 14 June 2017, the disappointing blame game that has arisen in the built environment has delivered one sobering home truth – the lack of accountability, leadership and responsibility in the sector.  This latest, two-part feature of the BE Sustainable follows on from our previous conversation with UCEM’s Vice Chancellor Ashley Whea...