About Jen
Student The environmental impact from both raw material acquisition and the processes involved in making final products has lasting repercussions for everything on our planet. Plastic dominates our waste materials, so much so that as a result we have accumulated a Pacific island trash patch approximately the size of the continental United States. A myriad of products can be made for the building industry from recycling this floating debris. Photo-voltaic cells created from this material and retrofitted to structures in the form of solar collector/reflectors,accompanied with an economic incentive given to those invent or employ their use may provoke a new green technology boon. Roof tiles made of 80% rubber and plastic, insulate keeping solar heat out, while similar items (siding, shakes and decking products) can be used to complete an exterior. Water bottles filled with mud have been used as in-fill for wall construction, these plastic bricks offer structural support in both earthquake and flood zones. Mining this Pacific floating mass resource for reuse, may offer benefits in re-setting the Earth’s atmospheric and Oceanic temperatures, as the enormity of this island patch has certainly disrupted heat absorption levels and circulation paths for both.
Featured articles and news
How much does it cost to build a house?
A brief run down of key considerations from a London based practice.
The need for a National construction careers campaign
Highlighted by CIOB to cut unemployment, reduce skills gap and deliver on housing and infrastructure ambitions.
AI-Driven automation; reducing time, enhancing compliance
Sustainability; not just compliance but rethinking design, material selection, and the supply chains to support them.
Climate Resilience and Adaptation In the Built Environment
New CIOB Technical Information Sheet by Colin Booth, Professor of Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure.
Turning Enquiries into Profitable Construction Projects
Founder of Develop Coaching and author of Building Your Future; Greg Wilkes shares his insights.
IHBC Signpost: Poetry from concrete
Scotland’s fascinating historic concrete and brutalist architecture with the Engine Shed.
Demonstrating that apprenticeships work for business, people and Scotland’s economy.
Scottish parents prioritise construction and apprenticeships
CIOB data released for Scottish Apprenticeship Week shows construction as top potential career path.
From a Green to a White Paper and the proposal of a General Safety Requirement for construction products.
Creativity, conservation and craft at Barley Studio. Book review.
The challenge as PFI agreements come to an end
How construction deals with inherited assets built under long-term contracts.
Skills plan for engineering and building services
Comprehensive industry report highlights persistent skills challenges across the sector.
Choosing the right design team for a D&B Contract
An architect explains the nature and needs of working within this common procurement route.
Statement from the Interim Chief Construction Advisor
Thouria Istephan; Architect and inquiry panel member outlines ongoing work, priorities and next steps.
The 2025 draft NPPF in brief with indicative responses
Local verses National and suitable verses sustainable: Consultation open for just over one week.
Increased vigilance on VAT Domestic Reverse Charge
HMRC bearing down with increasing force on construction consultant says.
Call for greater recognition of professional standards
Chartered bodies representing more than 1.5 million individuals have written to the UK Government.