Routledge’s latest title for the construction industry, “Communicating Construction”, looks at public relations and communications in the built environment, and includes a chapter on construction technologies. Last week, UK book publisher Routledge officially launched its latest title for the construction industry. The Construction and Property special interest group (CAPSIG; I am currently CAPSIG secretary) of …
Tag: AEC
Jan 10 2019
One in three construction practitioners do not have easy access to the knowledge they need
A survey carried out by the UK’s Construction Knowledge Task Group has found that a third of construction practitioners do not have easy access to the knowledge they need. Feedback from 299 practitioners from every part of the industry, found almost two fifths (38.5%) said they did not have easy access to all the knowledge they …
Jan 15 2018
The demise of Carillion won’t detoxify construction
At about 7am this morning, UK construction and services business Carillion plc said it would be going into liquidation – less than six months after a July 2017 profits warning more than halved its share price, heralding the final chapter of a dramatic plunge into disgrace. I have been watching this disaster unfold with morbid …
Sep 25 2017
“Big data exposes a widening construction knowledge gap”
According to a Designing Buildings analysis of six million pieces of data, the knowledge framework underpinning the construction industry is no longer fit for purpose. Designing Buildings Wiki has undertaken what it says is the “first ever comprehensive mapping of construction industry knowledge”. It analysed data relating to its 5,000 articles, looking at the popularity …
May 17 2017
PR can help construction modernise, not die
By combining construction-specific communication expertise, strong industry leadership, and a clear vision of the future, we can tackle structural issues in ‘the industry currently known as construction’ that perpetuate its poor image. This post was stimulated by two things – a discussion about construction-specific communication skills, and a conversation about the need for strong leadership …
Apr 22 2016
To change the “image of construction,” first change construction
We need to tackle some of the fundamental issues in the UK construction industry before we can effectively change “the image of construction”. “The image of construction” has featured heavily this week for me. On Tuesday, I attended a CIMCIG-led roundtable discussion in London with Mark Farmer, the consultant helping the Government’s Construction Leadership Council …
Feb 26 2016
Coordinated CIMCIG, CAPSIG and IBP
For a long time there has been some overlap, and a productive relationship, between two UK construction communication groups: CIMCIG, the construction interest group of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and CAPSIG, the construction and property special interest group (which I chair) of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Members of one are often eligible …
Oct 06 2015
Time for TICKAC to change
The industry currently known as construction needs to do more than incremental tinkering with technology or scoping out skills. Big, joined-up thinking is required. Watching recent developments regarding UK construction skills shortages and “the image of construction“, I fear the sector’s typically conservative and incremental approaches will do little to bring about much-needed major change. …
Aug 20 2015
Desperate – and false – PR?
“I know, let’s invite some construction industry people and have a round-table discussion. We could use the conversation as the foundation for a white paper…. We could share the outputs with influential bloggers, issue a news release ….” Similar conversations probably happen more than most PR agencies or in-house teams would like to admit (I’ve …
Aug 19 2015
When your people are not your greatest assets
Using offensive language may affect people’s view of your industry sector, but if you’re wearing clothing bearing your employer’s name, it can also damage the reputation of the company. It has become something of a cliche: “our people are our greatest assets“. This and similar phrases are used by many UK construction industry businesses, sometimes …