Lucy Roper’s weekly Built Environment blog: AI, Grenfell, Brexit and mortar sales

Posted on: 2019-02-14

Each week, UCEM Information Governance Manager, Lucy Roper points us in the direction of interesting stories from the Built Environment.

This week, Lucy focuses on the UK and directs us to stories on how AI is primed to transform the construction industry, the latest on Grenfell, the impact Brexit could have on data protection and some conclusions made from mortar sales…

£18m investment into research and innovation projects

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict and plan construction projects and avoid possible delays is one of the ideas which will benefit from the investment of just over £18m into the UK government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

The fund will be used to support a more efficient, highly skilled and productive construction industry. Exciting news for the industry!

Government delay bemoaned by Hackitt

Dame Judith Hackitt recently expressed her frustration that the government had taken seven months to back her fire safety and Building Regulations reforms.

Hackitt’s recommendations were made in response to the Grenfell tragedy and in lieu of a new regulation, she has urged the construction industry to act now to make the changes needed for a safer Built Environment.

Data protection after Brexit

Once (if) we leave the European Union, can we forget about GDPR? Writing as UCEM’s Information Governance Manager, the answer is a resounding ‘no’!

The government’s Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, Margot James has published some helpful guidance on planning future data relationships with the EU and beyond post-Brexit. This should be particularly useful for SMEs.

Contractor cites Brexit as factor in huge turnover drop

Sticking with the B word, London-based contractor, Ardmore saw its turnover fall by £112.8m in 2018. While accepting weak residential property sales as a factor, Director Patrick Byrne was in no doubt that the ongoing Brexit saga was a ‘contributor’ for the unsatisfactory performance.

Housebuilding 1-0 Infrastructure

The Construction Index reported this month that mortar sales are surging while concrete sales are falling so what does this reveal? Well, I can’t have been the only one to immediately conclude that housebuilding is boosting UK construction activity but infrastructure projects are failing to materialise… can I?

For more from Lucy, take a look at the latest edition of Knowledge Foundations.