University of the Built Environment

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...

Does the built environment actually understand and recognise its role in society? Most professionals would point to their responsibilities and the role of their function in the building lifecycle when asked to define their purpose. But does this perception fail to consider our sector’s considerable impact on the lives of its inhabits and its role in the climate crisis? In the latest episode of BE...

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...

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...

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...

The built environment isn’t a sector typically associated with innovation, but as the pressure to address our role in the climate crisis grows, does this need to change? In the latest episode of BE Sustainable, Professor Graeme Larsen returns to explore the challenge of bringing new innovations into the mainstream in our sector. From restriction and regulatory uncertainty to skills shortages and p...

In this follow-up episode of BE Sustainable, our experts Dr Pippa Boyd and Dr Ankit Singh get into the nitty-gritty of turning circular economy concepts into reality within the built environment.  From navigating the complexities of circular economy management to pioneering innovative business models, our guests discuss how standardisation, material passports, and even second-hand markets could be...

What if the buildings we live and work in could be designed to last forever? This episode of BE Sustainable explores the potential of the circular economy in the built environment. Joined by experts Dr Ankit Singh and Dr Pippa Boyd, they discuss how we can shift from the traditional "take, make, break" model to one where materials are reused, repurposed, and regenerated.  Our guests high...

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...

In a world of endless possibilities, Marc Fleming and Fred Mills shift the conversation from what we could achieve to what we should . The Line in Saudi Arabia is one of the most interesting, polarising and ambitious urban projects of our time. It promises to revolutionise urban living whilst raising a multitude of questions and concerns for both construction and architecture enthusiasts.   Our gu...

Retrofitting is the art of breathing new life into existing buildings. It goes beyond simple maintenance and repair. In this episode of BE Sustainable, Dr James Ritson explores the ‘hot topic’ within the built environment in the last few years.   With 80% of the buildings we’ll see in 2050 already standing, the urgency of retrofitting could not be any clearer. While policymakers view it as a silve...

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...

Is the Brundtland definition of sustainability useful in today’s complex landscape? Or is creating one universal definition of sustainability an impossible feat?  In the first episode of BE Sustainable, our host Mike Speight is joined by guests Dr Graeme Larsen and Dr James Ritson. From global challenges to individual priorities, they explore the limitations of singular definitions of sustainabili...

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...

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 opport...

What is the role of a quantity surveyor? What different roles are there in the profession? And what’s the best thing about working in quantity surveying? Fielding these questions, as well as discussing her programme and who it might benefit, is our BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying Programme Leader, Priti Lodhia. Listen to our seven-minute podcast, with UCEM PR and Social Media Manager, Andrew Belt, a...

What, traditionally, has the role of a construction manager entailed? How is the role changing? What role does technology play in this?  To answer these questions and more, including how our BSc (Hons) Construction Management programme can support you in your progression in the role, listen to our short podcast with UCEM BSc (Hons) Construction Management Programme Leader and Associate Dean – Sust...

In the eighth episode of the Digging Deeper podcast, UCEM PR and social media manager, Andrew Belt, is joined by UCEM apprentices on the BSc (Hons) Building Control programme, Kate Andrews and Deborah Ferro.  To learn more about their roles, the apprenticeship and what they love about working in building control, listen in to the podcast.

The diversity of an industry is a key consideration when deciding what kind of career you wish to pursue. This plays a part in how welcoming you would judge a workplace. As it’s National Careers Week , we wanted to explore diversity in the built environment and, with the help of three leaders in this space, we look at the topic in more detail in this podcast. This podcast seeks to ascertain how di...

The final episode of our ‘history of LGBT spaces in London’ podcast series, launched to coincide with LGBT+ History Month this February, examines the recent decline in numbers of LGBTQ+ spaces in the capital.  Part 1 of this episode sees our digital communications officer, Eliza White, provide an introduction and touch upon the myriad of reasons as to why the number of LGBTQ+ spaces in London is d...

Episode 3 of our ‘history of LGBT spaces in London’ podcast series, launched to coincide with LGBT+ History Month this February, focuses on the area of Soho. Having looked at Vauxhall’s role as a hub for the LGBTQ+ community from the 18th century up until the present day in the previous episode , here, UCEM’s digital communications officer, Eliza White, turns her focus to Soho, debunking the perce...

Episode 2 of our ‘history of LGBT spaces in London’ podcast series, launched to coincide with LGBT+ History Month this February, focuses on the district of Vauxhall. The episode is split into three parts, with UCEM’s digital communications officer, Eliza White, who came up with the idea for the series, sharing her research with UCEM PR and social media manager, Andrew Belt, in part 1 on Vauxhall’s...

To mark LGBT+ History Month this February, we are launching a four-part podcast series looking at the history of LGBT spaces in London. The brainchild of our digital communications officer, Eliza White, the series will examine a couple of case studies and end with a look at the role which LGBTQ+ spaces play today in the capital. In the first episode, Eliza comments on the educational role of the a...

Episode 11 of our ‘UCEM in conversation with…’ series sees UCEM'S Events and Communications Manager, Hannah Peck, talk to Jess Austen and Frankie Andrews from CBRE about all things apprenticeship.  Jess was one of the first apprentices to study with UCEM so we wanted to ask her about her experience and what it's like now that she's graduated, got her APC and is working full-time wit...

With the dust settling on COP26,  we are reflecting on the event and one of the questions posed in the media was whether the UK was the right choice of host. We got our building surveying programme leader, James Ritson, and CertHE programme leader, Hazel Lobo, to debate as to whether the UK was a good or bad host.  James argued on behalf of the statement ‘the UK was a good host’ and Hazel argued i...