Lucy Roper’s weekly Built Environment blog: Getting outdoors, planning for a no-deal Brexit and ‘Men at Work’

Posted on: 2019-02-28

Each week, UCEM Information Governance Manager, Lucy Roper points us in the direction of interesting stories from the Built Environment.

This week, in honour of the glorious weather which has hit the UK over the past few days (in February!), Lucy highlights two opportunities to leave the office and get up close to the Built Environment. Lucy also picks out a couple of stories on the construction industry’s planning for a no-deal Brexit and a modern-day slant on the ‘Men at Work’ signs.

Going on-site

Construction sites across the UK will be inviting visitors from Monday 18 March to Saturday 23 March as part of the next Open Doors week.

As the organisation’s website says, it’s a unique chance to experience a construction site up close and learn more about this fantastic industry.

With more than 250 sites opening across England, Wales and Scotland, why don’t you have a look and see if there is a site near you which you could visit?

Immersive conservation research

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘research’? Sitting in a dusty room surrounded by large books? Staring at a computer screen for an inordinate amount of time?

Well, how about walking and talking at your building of interest? The latter is described as ‘walking interviews’ and is a common practice among conservation professionals.

If conservation is your bag, take a look at this Institute of Historic Building Conservation article about walking interviews to see how your research could take you to plethora of locations.

Construction industry plans for a no-deal Brexit

How did we get here? Just little over a month before our supposed exit from the European Union (EU) and not the foggiest about what exactly is going to happen on 29 March!

With inertia in Parliament, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a contingency planning report, with the backing of more than 100 industry leaders, on what to do in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The document sets out advice for construction firms to best mitigate the no-deal scenario and calls for a government review to the proposed migration system to ensure the best outcome for the industry. A refreshing move in this land of uncertainty!

Men AND WOMEN at Work

Speaking of refreshing developments, a Manhattan construction company has updated its signs to read ‘Men and Women at Work’.

Anything look out of place to you? No? And nor should it! A positive move as the construction industry around the globe aims to become more inclusive.

For more from Lucy, take a look at the latest edition of Knowledge Foundations.