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Building tomorrow, sustainably.
The UK’s new Modern Industrial Strategy marks a bold departure from decades of economic short-termism, laying out a ten-year roadmap for national prosperity, resilience, and regional renewal. With £86 billion in R&D and £725 billion in infrastructure investment, the strategy prioritises clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital innovation, and place-based growth. But success depends on more than ambition—it requires delivery, partnership, and sustained commitment to skills, regulation, and inclusive growth across every region of the UK.
As climate records continue to be broken, the construction industry faces a pivotal choice: remain part of the problem or lead the way toward a sustainable future. With the built environment responsible for nearly 39% of global emissions - including embodied carbon from cement and steel - the challenge is immense. But as CIOB Vice-President Saul Humphrey argues, this moment presents a powerful opportunity for the industry to become a driver of climate solutions, embracing innovation, reducing impact, and rebuilding with the planet in mind.
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Despite rapid technological progress across the UK economy, construction productivity has barely improved in two decades, growing just 0.4% annually. As policymakers focus narrowly on land use and planning reform, they risk missing the deeper structural issues holding the sector back: skills shortages, industry fragmentation, and widespread inefficiency. This article argues for a bold, integrated strategy, combining digital transformation, modern methods of construction, and workforce upskilling, to unlock construction’s full economic potential and position the UK as a global leader in modern building practices.