UK Construction Minister announced as Keynote Speaker at the Construction Leaders’ Summit

The event, which is free to attend, will focus on building a sustainable future, regulatory changes and the role of digital transformation in today’s construction industry.

Between Brexit, the pandemic and the further fallout of Grenfell, the last 18 months have been some of the some of the most challenging on record. But out of calamity has come growth and the industry has remained resilient throughout, providing much-needed support to the UK economy. More recently, the Government has shown its commitment to the digital agenda but the industry still has some way to go before it becomes present throughout all construction practices and processes.

Yet the stern warnings from Dame Judith Hackitt at last year’s Construction Leaders’ Summit still ring in the ears of built environment professionals everywhere – changes to the Building Safety Legislation have now arrived with consequence. Coupled with additional pressures caused by COVID-19 and the ever-growing climate crisis, the construction industry is now at a turning point where the need for further digital adoption is greater than ever.

‘The Construction Leaders’ Summit – ‘Building for the future’ is an exclusive two-day summit covering the benefits and challenges of digital transformation and how this can help improve building safety, innovation and sustainability within the construction sector. Attendees will leave with practical steps, enabling them to face the future with confidence.

A host of high-profile speakers are on the agenda including:

• The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, UK Construction Minister, will talk around how regulation and political change is due to influence sustainability in construction, building safety, ‘building back better’ after COVID-19.
• Adam Turk, Chair of the Construction Products Association's Marketing Integrity Group, will discuss the New Code for Construction Product Information and how this will impact manufacturers.
• Simon Rawlinson, Member of the government’s Construction Leadership Council, Partner - Head of Strategic Research & Insight, Arcadis and Construction Playbook author will explore the Construction Playbook and its role in modern construction.
• Gary Clark, Chair of the Sustainable Futures Group, Principal, HOK, will discuss architectural sustainability and the steps specifiers can take to achieve it within their projects.

Day one will provide attendees with a strategic overview, covering topics such as regulation & political updates and how this will influence future policy (The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, UK Construction Minister). Attendees will also hear from Simon Rawlinson, the man behind the Government approved ‘Construction Playbook’.

The second day will take a look at sustainable construction with a keynote speech from Gary Clarke (Chair of the Sustainable Futures Group, Principal, HOK), providing practical advice on how to define measurable sustainability goals and the specific design principles necessary to achieve them. The afternoon will then be split into two groups with tailored speakers for both specifier and manufacturer audiences.

Colin Smith, Executive Chairman, NBS, says, “Since the last Construction Leaders’ Summit, the landscape has shifted once again. Whilst the pandemic has forced the industry to pick up the pace in terms of digital adoption, there’s still a long road ahead. It now needs to build on the momentum it’s gained and realise the full benefits that digital has to offer in improving every aspect of the construction journey, be it building safety, innovation or sustainability.

“Last year’s event brought some huge changes to the construction industry both in terms of perception and ethics and through this event, we want to review how it’s now responding. As always, we’ve brought together some of the best in the business to provide attendees with insightful guidance that should inspire them within their own line of work. The Construction Leaders’ Summit – ‘Building for the Future’ will not just assess how far we’ve come but more importantly, where we should go from here.”

Location and attending

Register for the online event: https://www.thenbs.com/events/cls2021 .The Construction Leaders’ Summit ‘Building for the Future’ will be held Tuesday 21 and 22 April, 2021, 9:30 14:00. Places are limited, book now to secure your place.

(For journalists wishing to attend, please contact The Think Tank with the details below).

More information

Find out more about The Construction Leaders' Summit

The Think Tank (NBS)
Archit Chopra or Dale Maycock at The Think Tank 07860 846583
architc@thinktank.org and dalem@thinktank.org.uk