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Built environment workforce planning: ‘We need to be more future-focused’

By Nick Perkins Head of BEFA The University of the Built Environment recently launched the Built Environment Futures Assembly (BEFA), a powerful leadership forum for the built environment sector, operating at the…
Liz Peace: ‘Property industry is more than Rolex-wearing speculators’

Liz Peace: ‘Property industry is more than Rolex-wearing speculators’

Speaking at the University of the Built Environment's Winter Graduation Ceremony 2026, former British Property Federation chief executive Liz Peace CBE reflects on the industry’s social impact, its reputation challenges,…

Sam McClary: ‘I was convinced I was brilliant’

Speaking at the University of the Built Environment's Winter Graduation Ceremony 2026, Sam McClary, chief executive of British Council for Offices (BCO) reflects on the lessons she learnt as a…

Insulation and ventilation: your ‘healthy home’ questions answered

The UK Government’s flagship home insulation scheme was meant to deliver warmer, cheaper-to-heat homes. Instead, as reported by the BBC, thousands of households were left dealing with poor workmanship, unresolved…

Why grids need AI brains as much as renewable energy brawn

By Linda Serck Renewable energy now supplies more than half of the UK’s electricity, with wind close behind gas, and coal gone altogether. Building wind turbines and solar photovoltaic farms…

The ripple effect of the digital and green skills demand in the built environment

By Nick Perkins Head of Built Environment Futures Assembly  The University of the Built Environment recently launched the Built Environment Futures Assembly (BEFA) - a leadership forum designed to strengthen…

Strengthening competency and technical capability in the built environment

By Nick Perkins,Head of Built Environment Futures Assembly (BEFA) The University of the Built Environment has launched the Built Environment Futures Assembly (BEFA) – a leadership forum designed to strengthen…
Electricity pylons - University of the Built Environment article on how AI could have stopped the Iberian blackout. Photo credit: Pok Rie, Pexels

How AI could have stopped the 2025 Iberian blackout

By Linda Serck On 28 April 2025, the power systems of Spain and Portugal suffered a full-scale blackout. Millions of homes, businesses and critical infrastructures plunged into darkness in seconds.…
What does the Budget 2025 mean for the construction industry?

What does the Budget 2025 mean for the construction industry?

James Beckwith MA, MSc, LLM, PgCAP, FRICS, FAIQS, CQS, FCIArb, FHEASenior Lecturer, University of the Built Environment Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the Government’s Budget 2025 yesterday, setting out a series…

Lee Ivett: ‘My vision for the London School of Architecture’

By Linda Serck When Lee Ivett was appointed head of the London School of Architecture (LSA) in August 2025, it marked a monumental new chapter in its 10-year history. The…

Building services engineers: why the demand for jobs that keep buildings ‘alive’ is high

By Linda Serck The UK built environment faces stricter regulations on energy efficiency, safety and sustainability. As a result, the demand for skilled specialists in building services engineering is climbing sharply.  Building…

Urban resilience: Why our cities must be designed to absorb, adapt, and transform

By Linda Serck In July 2025, the UK Government published its new Resilience Action Plan which states that “crises and emergencies do not respect borders”. It also declares that resilience…