How can we deal with urban sprawl?

Urban sprawl is significantly impacting society, the economy and the environment. Here’s why (and how) urban planners should address it. The human race is growing exponentially. In November 2022, the…

Everything you need to know about the Building Safety Act

What does the enforcement of the Building Safety Act mean for construction professionals, property owners, and the built environment? The Building Safety Act (BSA) was announced in 2022 in response…

We Built This #1: Sadaqat Hussain on The Cube, Birmingham

For the first instalment of our We Built This series, we sat down with Sadaqat Hussain, Senior Surveyor at CBRE, to discuss how The Cube has inspired him. From residential…

Sustainability and climate action in the built environment: a UCEM panel

Several members of staff at UCEM took part in a panel discussing the institution’s role in sustainable education and governance. Here’s what they had to say. On Tuesday 23 April,…

What the built environment can do to champion EDI: a Q&A with UCEM Trustee Misa von Tunzelman

How can the built environment industries better support people from under-represented groups to enter, stay and thrive in the sector? Workplace equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is no longer being…

Diversity and data: a headache the built environment needs to address

It's not just outdated stereotypes and mindsets that hold back equality, diversity and inclusion in the built environment - it's also how businesses are able to capture and use data…

What on earth are sponge cities?

The concept of ‘sponginess’ has emerged in the urban planning discourse in recent years, but what does it actually mean? As the 2050 target of achieving net zero approaches, the…

What is embodied carbon (and what can we do about it)?

Reducing the amount of embodied carbon created in the construction process is one of the biggest challenges facing the built environment. The built environment has a pivotal role to play…

10 heat pump myths, debunked

Here are some of the most common myths and misconceptions about heat pumps that have held back its adoption in the UK. Heat pumps are widely considered to be one…

A guide to retrofitting (and how it could help us reach net zero)

Retrofitting could be the answer to how the built environment addresses its role in the climate crisis whilst satisfying demand for new buildings and houses. The UK has a problem…

Are heat pumps just hot air?

Amid fierce debate in the UK, are heat pumps really the future of sustainable energy, heating and retrofitting in the built environment? If we are to achieve the 2050 net…

Are mixed-use developments the future of construction?

Mixed-use environments could provide the solution to several of the biggest challenges facing the built environment. Here’s how. For several years, the UK has been in the middle of what…