A focus on the ‘good, the bad and the ugly’ of the construction sector in the past year provided the opening act in a magnificent seven of speakers addressing delegates at Wright Hassall’s annual construction conference.
The Leamington solicitors’ Head of Construction Phillip Harris’s annual review of all the positive, negative and unsightly legal changes and developments in the last 12 months began proceedings at Wright Hassall’s 11th annual construction conference, held at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon.
More than 80 delegates heard Phillip Harris outline the good things to happen to the sector including the growth in economy, the industry’s ability to deploy teams around the country, especially in London, and further afield including British architects working on Middle East projects.
Closer to home, the good theme continued with Wright Hassall this year taking on a new Senior Associate for Construction, Michael Hiscock and the firm’s expansion into new “niches”, including historic buildings, church and faith buildings, process plant and production lines and doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries.
The bad was reflected in the slow-down in the Euro economy and recent stock market concerns, while the ugly referred to the ugly buildings of the past, which the sector was now thankfully moving away from.
The annual review theme continued with Wright Hassall Commercial Property Partner David Slade providing a look back at some of the most notable commercial property cases from the past year.
Glenn Howells, of Glenn Howells Architects gave a topical address looking at the impact of HS2 and other networks on cities.
Chris Johnston of Willmott Dixon Construction delivered a case study showcasing the capabilities of Building Information Modelling (BIM) on a Wilmott Dixon exemplar project at Birmingham City University.
Phillip Harris, said: “It was great to see so many construction companies from across the country represented, as well as firms from other sectors.
“There was a strong, diverse range of topics from the different speakers taking part and those attending were really engaged throughout the day with the various subjects.
“It was our 11th annual construction conference and from the attendance and feedback we received it’s becoming a really important part of the event calendar for the construction sector.”
National accountancy firm and business advisers Chantrey Vellacott’s Claire Knight gave a presentation on how research and development projects in the construction sector can help reduce corporation tax liabilities.
Lawrence Webb, of LSW Associates, looked at Health and Safety in the construction sector in his conference speech, while Cundall’s Alan Fogarty focused on commercial sustainability in construction with practical guidance and advice for those managing low energy buildings.
