‘The use of the BIM model was a gamechanger on our site’

The use of the BIM model was a gamechanger on our site. It was used from the start so that all of the contractors got a better understanding of the build before they saw the build progressing and has had a huge effect on paper wastage on the project.

Watching your tablet or mobile phone update in real time gives you confidence you’re always working from the latest drawings. Being able to provide measurements on site from the device in your pocket is also a huge help.

Stephen Spiegelhalter, project manager at GF Tomlinson

The Super Trowel competition was founded in 2023 to celebrate bricklaying skills and exhibit the trade’s opportunities.

It’s really exciting that this sort of craft is still showcased for all to see – long may it continue. As a retiree I miss going to the building exhibition at Birmingham to see all the craft skills on display, especially as I had a winning apprentice working for me in the 1980s!

So what can developers learn and apply from this example and the local authorities with their “policies towards a ‘retrofit-first’ approach” and embodied carbon considerations?

I don’t see any empirical measures that can guide the investment proposition alongside these sustainability objectives. Planning consents will continue to be delayed and contested until greater objective measurement and transparency is set out.

21CC podcast guests explored the possibility of a so-called ‘circular’ construction industry.

Reminds me of Sir Alexander Gordon, president of the RIBA, in 1972, when he described good architecture as buildings that exhibit ‘long life, loose fit and low energy’. Have we not learned since then?

Community involvement is a standard that I have adopted as a project manager and applied to my projects for many years. Involving and talking to those affected by the works has both reduced ‘conflict’ and misunderstandings and gives the community a voice – it’s worked well for me over the years.