The second stage of the Grenfell inquiry opened with what the inquiry’s chief lawyer called a “merry-go-round of buck-passing”, as the contractor, architect and cladding installer gave their statements. Two weeks before the inquiry reconvened, Dame Judith Hackitt, Author of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, shared her frustration around the pace of change following the devastating fire. Her view is the construction industry has not moved fast enough to change its practices and culture, writes Ian King, Chief Operating Officer at Zeroignition.

Growing awareness of the need for good indoor air quality (IAQ) is highlighting the many fresh air benefits of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR). A raft of research has pointed to the health impact of breathing in polluted air.

First impressions count and kerb appeal sells houses. Before your customer has even set foot inside one of your homes, they’ve developed an opinion on it. The external infrastructure of a development is often at the bottom of a developer’s priority list, but it helps to create a sense of community and individuality – and makes a real difference to the value of the homes you sell.

Unlike some construction materials, bricks have never gone out of fashion; brick buildings from every era can be seen in most UK towns. They are very much on-trend now; we’re seeing higher demand in particular for regionally appropriate handmade bricks, for both conservation, refurbishment and new-build projects.

New-build developments are continuing to spring up in response to the demand for more housing, and while newly-built houses are traditionally painted throughout in shades of off-white, there’s certainly scope to cater to individual homebuyers’ tastes through the use of colour.