by Clair Mooney | 28 Jun, 2023 | Main News Feed
Television presenter and award-winning designer Anna Campbell-Jones will be the star guest at this year’s Green Home Festival, which is again being organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV), of which FIS is a key member.
The co-host and judge of hit BBC Scotland show Scotland’s Home of the Year will be a guest speaker at the second week-long event, which starts in 50 days as part of the official Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Anna will discuss low-carbon living as part of the Ingredients for a Greener Kitchen show on the first day of the free festival, which will host 11 in-person and virtual sessions from 14-18 August to help consumers on the journey to net zero.
The interior designer – who won Scottish Influencer of the Year last October – said:
“I am delighted to be taking part in this year’s Green Home Festival and to be able to help raise the profile of eco-friendly living for consumers across Scotland.
“Finding greener ways of designing, decorating and renewing our homes will be vital for us all going forward and creating more low-carbon kitchens will be a key part of that.
“In particular, I feel passionately that the era of ‘fast fashion’ for interiors must come to an end. Kitchens are a significant contributor to unrecyclable landfill and I’m going to talk about alternative approaches to the concept of what we mean by ‘getting a new kitchen’.”
Anna starred in the grand finale of Scotland’s Home of the Year on Monday night (26 June), and also won the interiors and design award at the inaugural Scottish Influencer Awards in Glasgow in October 2022.
She will now star alongside experts from Scottish Water, plumbing body SNIPEF, electrical trade association SELECT and James Alan Construction, who will all share their first-hand knowledge and advise on what to consider when planning and renovating a kitchen.
Festival co-organiser Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) said:
“We are delighted to welcome Anna to this year’s Green Home Festival and look forward to hearing her invaluable input and expertise on greener living.
“Like all our shows, Ingredients for a Greener Kitchen will deliver a wealth of practical advice, focusing on the vital areas that can make kitchens eco-friendly – water efficiency, electrical efficiency and sustainably sourced materials and units.”
Other Green Home Festival shows to be delivered during the week include green garden rooms and offices, making retrofit projects eco-friendly, the potential of microwave heating, converting churches, and how the home of the future will be powered.
The event will also include a dedicated heat pump day, with experts hosting two separate shows to advise on how to reduce bills, access grants and install the new technology, as well as the options for hybrid heating.
Plus the experts from Built Environment – Smarter Transformation will host an in-person show on the advantages of community heat networks and an online webinar that will advise what consumers can do to reduce both their energy consumption and energy bills.
Mr Nelson added: “With 50 days to go, and with all the events now confirmed, the second Green Home Festival is shaping up to be as big a success as last year’s inaugural event.
“With a strong focus on accessing funding and saving money, our experts will offer practical demonstrations of low-carbon technology that consumers can put into action as we move towards becoming a net zero nation.”
The Green Home Festival is the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the CICV since its creation as the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum in March 2020.
Made up of 28 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, including FIS, it has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing animations and posters, hosting webinars and maintaining close dialogue with Scottish Government ministers.
- Tickets for all Green Home Festival events are free and can be reserved here. The series finale of Scotland’s Home of the Year can be viewed again here.
by Clair Mooney | 15 Jun, 2023 | Main News Feed
Following the issue of PPN 03/23 earlier this year, which allows public sector bodies to use the Common Assessment Standard in place of PAS 91, Build UK will be publishing an updated version of the Common Assessment Standard on 1 July 2023.
Version 3.2 will include minor updates to the question set and associated guidance to reflect further legislative changes post‐Brexit and to provide additional clarity for companies being certified.
The Common Assessment Standard is reviewed every year to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the industry. It is anticipated that further changes may be required following the introduction of the Building Safety Act, which will be confirmed once the secondary legislation has been published later this year, and members can suggest other changes for inclusion in Version 4 by completing this online form.
FIS has aligned its own ongoing vetting process to the CAS. Commenting on this, FIS Technical Manager James Parlour said:
Much of what we do in membership vetting depends on the existing accreditations of contractors, which is often already considered through various pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQ). FIS is very keen to see more widespread adoption of mutual recognition in this environment and is pleased to support the common assessment standard and respect the work of our members by aligning our vetting criteria with it.
by Clair Mooney | 14 Jun, 2023 | Building Safety Act, Main News Feed
FIS is aware of a report raised through CROSS (Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK) that highlights a potential gap in understanding around testing of fire-resistant glazed doors and screens. The particular issue concerns the construction of the threshold in the supporting construction and the incongruence with typical threshold constructions on sites with raised access floors.
The report can be viewed on the CROSS website HERE.
CROSS is a confidential reporting system which allows professionals working in the built environment to report on fire and structural safety issues. These are then published anonymously to share lessons learned, create positive change, and improve safety.
by Clair Mooney | 14 Jun, 2023 | Main News Feed
FIS has compiled a questionnaire to support a consolidated construction response to the latest HMRC consultation on the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS).
It considers whether it would be appropriate to add VAT to the list of taxes HMRC must consider when undertaking the statutory compliance test for receiving or keeping Gross Payment Status (GPS). It seeks views on how adding VAT could be given effect and the consequences for those affected.
In addition, the consultation sets out two areas where stakeholders have told HMRC that the operation of the CIS is causing unnecessary administrative burdens: landlord/tenant payments; and multiple reporting requirements by some groups. It seeks views on the scope and impact of those burdens, and the government’s proposals for removing or reducing them.
by Clair Mooney | 9 Jun, 2023 | Main News Feed
FIS today celebrated the finishes and interiors sector with the announcement of the winners of the FIS 2023 Contractors Awards.
Members and their guests packed out the Nine Kings Suite at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London to see the winners in the 14 categories receive their prestigious awards.
Independent Awards Judges Tony Pieri and Colin Hunter, who visited all project entered said:
“As judges, we take our responsibilities very seriously as we fully understand the hard work and endeavour everyone has applied to the project they have entered for the awards process. We recognise the pride you feel in your work as that is fundamentally why you have entered your project in the first place.
“FIS contractor members continue to produce excellent work against the increasing pressure of tight budgets and challenging time constraints. That characterises the spirit of FIS members, who consistently demonstrate the resolve to do a good job on time and within budget. It has been a real pleasure for Colin and me to witness such outstanding and varied work.”
A final award was given for the Project of the Year, which was judged by guest architect Robert Fry, International and
Executive Director of Aukett Swanke Group plc. Robert selected the overall Project of the Year from the winning contracts across all categories.
Robert said:
“The very high quality of the award category winners made the selection of a single project for the ‘Best of the Best’ award a very challenging proposition given the excellence demonstrated by so many varied trades and skillsets brought to bear for clients in such a collaborative endeavour”.
About the FIS Contractors Awards
The FIS Contractors Awards are held annually to encourage and promote high levels of craftsmanship and design. Not only does the FIS member who installed the contract win an award, but so does the architect or interior designer of an award-winning project.
by Clair Mooney | 9 Jun, 2023 | Main News Feed, Sustainability
Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani MP joins industry leaders today to launch a plan to eliminate the use of diesel from most UK construction sites.
Over the last year, representatives from across the industry have collaborated on the development of Zero Diesel Sites Route Map, a key element of the Construction Leadership Council’s CO2nstruct Zero programme to decarbonise the industry.
The launch took place on HS2’s Old Oak Common Station construction site, which is progressing towards cleaner construction as part of HS2’s target for all its sites to be diesel-free by 2029.
Following consultation on a draft plan late last year, today’s Route Map confirms the industry will:
• Put in place support to roll out hydrogen, electricity and other cleaner power sources;
• Promote early wins by boosting efficiency and cutting diesel use by existing plant, and asking companies to reduce the use of diesel generators;
• Helping businesses to develop their own company’s diesel reduction plans;
• Engaging with clients to secure commitments that ban diesel use and
• Tracking data on industry diesel consumption to confirm progress over time.
There are currently an estimated 300,000 items of Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) used by the UK construction sector. Typically, such plant is powered by diesel consuming 2.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe), generating significant carbon emissions.
The Zero Diesel Sites Route Map sets out practical measures to reduce this volume by 78 per cent by 2035, in line with the UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget published in 2021.
Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani said:
“Cutting carbon emissions in construction is vital to achieving our net zero ambitions by 2050. That’s why I’m pleased to see the leadership the sector is showing by publishing this new Route Map, helping us move forward towards a cleaner, greener industrial future.”
Neil Wait, Head of Environmental Delivery at HS2 Ltd and Chair of the Zero Diesel Route Map Working Group, said:
“The carbon challenge we face is significant and can only be overcome if we show real determination in a push for change. HS2 Ltd has played a key role in the development of the Route Map and is already making great progress with 19 diesel-free construction sites on the project. Today’s launch is a tangible demonstration of the industry’s shared commitment to radically cut our reliance on diesel. I would encourage companies to get involved and support the move towards cleaner, greener construction.”
Matt Palmer, CO2nstruct Zero Programme Sponsor and Executive Director, Lower Thames Crossing said:
“One of the strengths of the Construction Leadership Council is its ability to bring the industry together to identify and commit to actions that will change our sector for the better. The Zero Diesel Route Map is a perfect example of this, setting a clear mission that everyone can sign up to support.
