Welcome to PBC Today’s November 2025 edition, where our expert contributors from across the industry offer their insights and opinions on the key issues facing the built environment, from what needs to change to improve the delivery of the UK’s major infrastructure to the impact of AI and the outlook for offsite
In our PBC Today November 2025 cover story, Sam Gould of the Institution of Civil Engineers looks at the challenges of delivering major infrastructure projects, which for years have been plagued by cost overruns and stop-start decision making. What needs to change?
Sara Edmonds, co-director of the National Retrofit Hub, looks at Retrofit Connect, which aims to challenge top-down “waterfall” approaches to retrofit by putting communities at the heart of shaping their built environment.
We also hear from Ashley Wheaton, vice chancellor of the University of the Built Environment on the recently launched Built Environment Futures Assembly, which aims to bring together diverse voices from across industry, government, professional bodies and education to address the sector’s most pressing challenges.
In MMC & Offsite, we have Gaynor Tennant, founder of the Offsite Alliance, on the From Pilot to Pipeline report, which looks at how government intent and industry action are shaping an industrialised construction sector.
Denise Tuffy of the Smart Offsite Association sits down with Carol Tallon to discuss the promise – and precarity – of Ireland’s offsite manufacturing sector, while Richard Hipkiss of the Modular & Portable Building Association looks at raising the bar on fire safety in modular builds.
In BIM & Digital, we look at the new, global standard from RICS on the responsible use of AI, while Lucas Cusack of Glider Technology explains that for smart buildings, true value lies in the data, not the model.
Professor Adam Boddison OBE, chief executive of the Association for Project Management discusses the findings of new research revealing that AI is becoming an increasingly trusted tool to support project delivery.
Here’s a selection of what’s in store:
1. Turning up the dial on infrastructure delivery
In recent years, the delivery of major infrastructure projects has been plagued by spiralling costs, stop-start decision making and public apathy. Sam Gould, director of policy and external affairs at the Institution of Civil Engineers, examines what needs to change.
2. Retrofit Connect: A new chapter for community-led action
Sara Edmonds, co-director of the National Retrofit Hub, discusses Retrofit Connect, which aims to challenge top-down “waterfall” approaches to retrofit by putting communities at the heart of shaping their built environment.
3. A new approach to inspiring young people in construction
Every day we see and hear calls from within the industry for more to be done to bring more young people into construction but in reality, what is actually being done? CIOB’s Sophie Cox discusses the organisation’s latest plan to reach more under-18s and spark an enthusiasm for construction that they hope will translate into a new generation of talented professionals.
4. Projects like mine, doing things I can do
Construction productivity has been stuck in neutral for decades, but change is possible. By learning from real projects and sharing what actually works on site, the industry can move past theory and into action. The message is simple: the best ideas often come from projects just like yours, writes Antony Impey MBE.
5. New towns need decisive action to scale housing delivery
The New Towns Taskforce Report and government response represent welcome progress but bolder measures will be needed to ensure new towns provide a new model for delivering housing at scale, writes Mark Gauguier, partner at Farrer & Co.
6. The holistic truth: Why a collaborative built environment sector is crucial for our future
The new Built Environment Futures Assembly aims to bring together diverse voices from across industry, government, professional bodies and education to address the sector’s most pressing challenges, writes Ashley Wheaton, vice chancellor of the University of the Built Environment.
7. Actions not words: How will we deliver the quality built environment we deserve?
Built assets underpin society and the economy. We must deliver a built environment that supports the needs of society while minimising its impact on the natural environment, argues Alison Nicholl, head of Constructing Excellence.
8. From Pilot to Pipeline: Building a capable industrialised construction industry?
Offsite Alliance founder Gaynor Tennant discusses a new report, From Pilot to Pipeline, looking at how government intent and industry action are shaping industrialised construction.
9. Using AI responsibly in the surveying profession
RICS has launched a new, landmark global standard on the responsible use of AI. Co-author and RICS senior standards assurance specialist Darius Pullinger discusses how it aims to tackle complacency and put humans at the heart of decision making.
10. AI in project management: Building the future
AI adoption has surged among project managers, according to new research. Professor Adam Boddison OBE, chief executive of the Association for Project Management, discusses the findings and why AI is increasingly becoming a trusted tool to support project delivery.
