Two life-sized statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were unveiled on the Royal Albert Hall ahead of the Festival of Remembrance. The project began in 2020, when London Stone Carving were commissioned to design the statues to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Hall.

The brief was to fill the two empty niches on the Northern porch overlooking Hyde Park with a new concept and design which would recognise the vision and monarchy of the founding period of the hall. In response to the brief, London Stone Carving proposed creating the two statues, one each of Victoria and Albert as they were on the day of the opening of The Great Exhibition in 1851. 

Tim Nicholls, Josh Locksmith, Tom Brown and Sam Lee of London Stone Carving were in attendance at the unveiling. 

In a bid to help the UK construction industry reach its net zero target, Nottingham Trent University (NTU) will invest £1.5 million into developing skills, research, training and consultancy. The university's new Centre for Sustainable Construction and Retrofit aims to develop solutions, skills and support locally and nationally to enable the transition to net zero within the built environment sector. As part of this, there will be new courses and skills training, socio-technical research and consultancy opportunities for business.
 
The project has been led by Professor Richard Bull, Deputy Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment who said: “Net-zero by 2050 presents a huge challenge to the construction sector, which accounts for up to 50 per cent of carbon emissions. An absence of skills, knowledge and expertise threaten to derail plans for the UK’s important net zero targets. But this ground-breaking centre will enhance the way in which existing buildings and new construction can meet those all-important climate change objectives."
 
NTU’s record in sustainability and the built environment includes the University’s ‘Scale-up Retrofit 2050’ whitepaper report which called for a nationwide programme to boost the energy efficiency of existing homes through deep retrofit. In addition, its REMOURBAN project demonstrated the benefits of deep retrofits and was showcased as part of the UK Built Environment Virtual Pavilion during COP26. Following this, there was a ‘scaling-up deep retrofit for social landlords’ pilot project, which was funded by the Energy Saving Trust and ongoing collaboration with ARC Partnership and Nottingham City Council.

The Centre for Sustainable Construction and Retrofit will explore how the built environment sector transitions to a low carbon future, while addressing the retrofit skills gap via the creation of new courses and providing consultancy support for business.
 

CITB has announced that is will support a Homebuilding Sector Skills Plan with a £3m commitment over the next two years. This new scheme has been created in partnership with homebuilding sector stakeholders with the aim of meeting the increasing need for more skilled workers.

The initiative will include the creation of on-site multi-skilled hubs; on-site brickwork and roofing masterclasses; upskilling via the delivery of CITB brickwork standards in FE colleges; extension of the New Entrant Support Team (NEST) to support the supply chain with apprenticeships; and the creation of new competence frameworks.  Before its launch, major homebuilders and industry bodies including the National Federation of Builders were invited to give feedback and ideas to shape the plan.
 
 Tim Balcon, CITB chief executive, said: “The Homebuilding Sector Skills Plan is the first in an exciting programme of sector-specific skills initiatives, which will truly put employers in the driving seat.  By responding to the needs of the sector and working collaboratively with a range of partners and stakeholders, CITB continues to support the construction industry to have a skilled, competent and inclusive workforce, now and in the future.”  
  

Following on from its consultation earlier this year which invited responses from "persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), employer and worker representatives, WHS professionals, medical professionals, academics, government agencies, industry and peak bodies", Safe Work Australia has published its Decision Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) concerning the fabrication and use of engineered stone.

A final decision is due later this year but the report from the Australian Government statutory agency highlights several options:

Option 1: Prohibition on the use of all engineered stone
Option 2: Prohibition on the use of engineered stone containing 40% or more crystalline silica
Option 3: As for option 2, with an accompanying licensing scheme for PCBUs working with engineered stone containing less than 40% crystalline silica.

The report goes on to say that: "Consultation on the proposed options showed clear stakeholder support for some form of prohibition (rather than maintaining the status quo), with preferences split across the options proposed. Only 16 of the 114 submissions did not support any of the proposed options. Unions, professional organisations and peak health bodies supported Option 1 (a prohibition on the use of all engineered stone). Industry groups, while not necessarily supportive of a prohibition of engineered stone, acknowledged there is an issue with silicosis in engineered stone workers. They consider it can be addressed through regulation of high risk crystalline silica processes previously agreed by WHS ministers (Option 5a in the Silica Decision RIS). The majority of stakeholders acknowledged there is not currently enough evidence to determine a threshold crystalline silica content at which engineered stone could be worked with without risk (for example, the 40% threshold proposed in Options 2 and 3). Around half of PCBUs working with or supplying engineered stone supported Option 3, commenting that a licensing scheme would enhance compliance in the sector."

For more information and to read the full statement, visit the Safe Work Australia website
 

Zoopla has released its housing market predictions and says that UK house prices are expected to fall 2% over 2024. The number of homes on the market has reached a five year high and in turn, led sellers to think more competitively about asking prices. If house prices continue to fall and incomes increase or if mortgage rates fall back, Zoopla forecasters believe that homes will become more affordable for those in the market to buy. 

The report revealed that 4 in 5 housing markets are registering annual price falls, up from less than 1 in 20 just six months ago however the scale of these price falls is believed to be modest with no markets currently registering annual price falls of more than 5%. In 2024, Zoopla suggests that there will be an increase in markets registering 5% falls with sellers needing to adjust asking prices to counter weaker buying power.

On the whole, the report highlights that the risk of a major price collapse is becoming 'less of a concern, and an improvement in sales hinges more on buyers’ financial ability to move when mortgage rates are in the 4-5% range'. 

The National Federation of Builders has announced two free half-day workshops to complement its Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction Awards. The workshops aimed at women and allies will feature a range of expert speakers, activities and the chance to meet others and share experiences. It is hoped that these events will help to build confidence and create positive change in a largely male-dominated industry. 

The first will take place on 15 November at Gloucester Rugby Club and the second on 21 November at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle.

To register, head to the following link.