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Top 3 trends from UK Construction Week 2022

What themes and ideas will be going on to define the construction industry in the coming months?

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October 2022

Laying the foundations

UK Construction Week is one of the biggest events in the built environment calendar. It sees professionals from all disciplines come together for 3 days of talks, workshops, demonstrations, networking sessions, and more. Catalysing growth by connecting supply chains.

It's hugely influential on the global stage, too, defining and articulating the trends that go on to define the industry in the year that follows.

So, want to know what's hot and what's not? Read our insights below to get up to speed.

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Trend #1

Net-zero, carbon footprints, and all things green.


This should come as no surprise, but one of the main themes at UKCW was sustainability. It's an issue that has permeated through to all levels of the industry, and one that professionals working in the built environment are coming under increasing pressure to solve.


At this year's expo, there was a series of eye-opening talks from Timber Development UK on the reality of embodied carbon - the CO2e emissions that are generated during all of the processes associated with constructing a building.


And this comes on the back of news last November that green construction is now officially backed by UK law. Going forwards, the built environment will have to meet higher the environmental standards set out in the Environmental Act 2021.


Greenwashing is out. Carbon Literacy is in.

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Trend #2

The task of retro-fitting.


The construction industry is facing a mammoth task: retro-fitting all of the UK's housing stock to meet net-zero targets by 2050. The need for this has arisen simply because of the emissions generated by our homes - a whopping 21% of the country's total!


With this being such a sector-wide issue, it was a topic of much debate at UKCW. We saw proposals from some of the industry's leading firms on how this retro-fitting mission could be achieved in practice. Material procurement, labour requirements, logistical challenges, and more.


What's becoming clear is that organisations wanting to retain a competitive edge in the years to come will need to get fully onboard with this effort. And that starts with educating themselves about the task at hand.

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Trend #3

A culture of change.


This year's UKCW showed us that the industry as a whole is ripe for change. Change for the good in more ways than one.


The issue of culture is one that transcends a number of different boundaries - the skills gap, recruitment shortages, mental health, and EDI responsibilities - with experts championing fundamental culture shifts as the solution.


One of the highlights of the show was a discussion chaired by Rebecca Lovelace, the founder of Building People, on how creating more supportive, inviting environments for diverse workforces could help plug the skills gap.


This shows us that ultimately, the construction industry is following many others, in recognising that it needs to cater for an increasingly self-aware generation of workers if it is to come out on top.

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So, what's next?

UKCW might be one of the biggest, but it's by no means the only industry event worth attending.

For tips on which ones are right for your team, and for support on pulling together stand-out resources to ensure your efforts deliver, drop us a message!

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