Wienerberger’s Top Construction Trends 2022

2021 was a landmark year for the British construction industry, with the global disruption caused by COVID-19 still very much impacting on the sector. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), construction output grew 1.3% in volume terms in September 2021, compared to August, but was still down 1% compared to February 2020, before the pandemic.

As well as the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 recovery, the construction industry has multiple challenges – and opportunities – facing it as we begin the New Year.

Here are four of the most influential trends shaping the industry this year.

1. Upgrading Fire Protection

After the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire of June 2017, in which 72 people died, the Hackitt report provided independent recommendations to improve building regulation and fire safety in the UK. If you’re part of the UK construction industry, it’s imperative that you understand how these vital legislative changes will impact your work in 2022 and beyond.

On the 19^th March 2020, The Home Office introduced the new Fire Safety Bill, in an effort to improve fire safety in buildings in England and Wales. The Bill has passed through the parliamentary process to become law as The Fire Safety Act 2021. It has been designed to “ensure that people feel safe in their homes, and a tragedy like the Grenfell Tower fire never happens again”.

In addition, on the back of the Hackitt report, Peter Baker was appointed as Chief Inspector of Buildings to establish and lead the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The BSR will “deliver the new regime for high risk buildings, oversee work to increase competence of all professionals working on buildings and ensure effective oversight of the entire building safety environment.”

What do these changes mean for the construction industry? Put simply, if you are the person responsible for any residential building, you could be held personally liable for any future breaches. The Fire Safety Act may owe its existence to fire safety issues in high-rise structures, but in fact it applies to any building containing two or more domestic units, with new or revised rules that apply to the building’s structure, external walls, and any common parts, including the access doors to each apartment. In fact, any building over 11 metres is now classed as high rise.

It’s essential that you understand the fire performance of the building materials considered in your designs and meet your legal responsibilities. As a building envelope product manufacturer, Wienerberger is committed to being transparent and clear about the fire performance of our non-combustible cladding materials. Read more about fire performance ratings for facades.

2. Fostering Greater Collaboration

The time between design, planning approval and tendering is increasing — and this could be the new norm for the construction industry. But for developers, time costs money and getting the ROI to secure the next land purchase is essential.

That’s why making better design decisions, improving building performance and streamlining the path from design to build is essential. Collaboration throughout the project lifecycle will be key for developers, architects and site managers who need to deliver under challenging conditions.

Additionally, the new Building Safety Bill includes the introduction of the requirement for a ‘golden thread’ of building information. Stored digitally and including material product details, this kind of information sharing could be the key to enhancing greater collaboration.

For architects, Building Information Modelling technology can be an invaluable tool throughout the design stage of a project, giving more insights earlier in the process. This allows architects to meet client requirements and deliver projects with improved quality and efficiency – and as the industry faces the pressure to “build, build, build” in 2022, there will be a push to find efficiencies and process improvements at all stages of the project.

Find out more about Building Information Modelling and how it can help you.

3. Innovating Sustainably

In November 2021, the COP 26 climate change conference in Glasgow put sustainability firmly in the spotlight. The summit was hailed as the biggest climate moment since the Paris Agreement in 2015. The timing of these discussions was crucial, since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently published a landmark report, which stated that without radical reductions in carbon emissions this decade, temperature rises above 1.5 degrees would be inevitable and irreversible.

Right now, the planet is 1.1 degrees hotter than it was in 1850. Within the UK, biodiversity has declined severely. The State of Nature (2019) report concluded that 41 per cent of all UK species surveyed have declined since the 1970s, while 15 per cent of UK species are said to be threatened with extinction.

The construction industry has a vital role to play in stopping climate change. According to the UK Green Building Council, approximately 10% of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions are directly linked to construction, with cement production alone accounting for 8%. This figure does not account for the actual running of homes through heating, appliance usage and other day-to-day factors, which brings the total CO2 contribution of the built environment to approximately 40%.

Growing consumer concerns about the environment, coupled with increasing legislative measures – such as the uplift to standards in Part L (relating to the conservation of fuel and power) of Building Regulations – means that businesses can’t afford to ignore the issue any longer. Developers, architects and consumers are all looking for greener ways to build, driving forward a new era in innovative, sustainable building materials.

At Wienerberger, our circular initiative strategy means that by 2023, 100% of new products will be designed in a way that they are reusable or recyclable, enabling a long-term, holistic approach to carbon reduction in the built environment. Learn more about how we are innovating for the future.

4. Investing in Skilled Workers

The construction industry is growing rapidly, with people looking for new homes, or deciding to extend their current property. However, the pressure to meet this demand has highlighted the growing shortage of skilled labour.

The construction sector contributes almost £100 billion to the UK economy each year and it is predicted that this figure will continue to grow. But despite the size and scope of the industry, research carried out by The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors suggests that the skill shortage within the sector is currently at its highest point since 2007.

Experts have been warning about the potential of a skills shortage within the UK construction sector for over a decade. It is reported that an additional 200,000 skilled workers would be required to close the gap and ensure the industry is able to keep up with the current rate of growth.

To tackle the skills shortage, the construction industry must invest time and resources in educating young people about the wide variety of career opportunities within the sector. Championing future talent is vital for businesses to secure the continued growth of the sector. At Wienerberger, for example, our apprenticeship and development schemes help develop the next generation of electrical and mechanical engineers to support our plants and machinery.

Here at Wienerberger we anticipate 2022 will bring with it not only new industry challenges but fast-moving technologies and potential new ways of working. We listed four trends, but there could be more – what do you think? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.