BESA urges commitment to national retrofit plan
The new President of the Building Engineering Services Association, Adrian Hurley, has promised that the association will continue to press the new government to commit to a national programme of commercial building retrofits.
Adrian, who is MD of the contractor FP Hurley & Sons, which was founded by his grandfather Frank 75 years ago, told the annual President’s lunch that BESA members would be essential to what he called “this now urgent work”.
He pointed out that the UK has around 30m existing buildings, many of which are in dire need of an upgrade – and which will be a fundamental building block of net zero.
He said:
The deployment of new technologies, like heat pumps, is exciting and progressive, but there is so much we could still do to improve the performance of what is already built and installed,
However, he said he was concerned that the enormous task of retrofitting and refurbishing millions of buildings would be hampered by a serious skills shortage:
It will take a combination of innovation, more strategic use of digital technology, and better recruitment to address this.
Adrian also expressed concern that the number of women coming into the industry remained low and that many others were leaving early and before realising their full potential.
He explained that the association was restructuring its training and skills service and revamping how it helps members provide evidence of their technical and professional competence and compliance with legislation, industry standards and best practice.
Speaking just a week after the publication of the final report from the Grenfell Tower disaster public inquiry, he urged BESA members and the wider industry to prove their commitment to the Building Safety Act.
He said:
In case we needed any reminding of why this is important, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report was highly critical of the construction industry…it highlights many systemic failings and is a timely reminder of why the industry needs to put the wellbeing of people ahead of financial gain…Buildings are not just investment opportunities; they are social assets critical to keeping people safe, healthy and productive. Cutting cost should not be sought at the expense of good performance. The good news is that the new ways of working required to make building occupants safer also have positive implications for quality. Better buildings are also safer buildings.
However, he warned the government that it would have to properly resource and fund the building safety regime if it was to support its stated growth plans.
He said:
Without a well-funded planning and enforcement system, vital projects including housing developments, mixed-use projects and hospitals, face delay, additional costs – and possible cancellation. The government made construction growth one of its first priorities when taking office in July, but this must not lead to another generation of rapidly built, poorly designed homes and commercial buildings.
