黑洞社区

Without a doubt it is the most important problem we face as an industry, and as a society. In recent months we鈥檝e seen supply squeezed, prices soar, our dependence on imports grow and carbon emissions rise. At the same time, resources are becoming scarcer and global warming is starting to simmer. That鈥檚 why we鈥檝e devoted a whole issue to energy: its generation and its conservation.

And as the government tries to reconcile the need to meet growing demand with its commitment to reduce carbon emissions, construction perhaps more than any other industry has become part of the problem 鈥� and the solution. And, more than other industries, it鈥檚 at the mercy of spiralling costs: the price of oil has doubled in the past two years. 黑洞社区 materials are derived from petrochemicals or are energy-intensive to produce and transport. In the past 12 months, cement has risen 8%, asphalt 7%, and readymix concrete is to rise 6% in January. As the bills go up, planning becomes more a question of luck than judgment. Meanwhile, since buildings are the biggest single source of carbon emissions, the government is intent on improving their design by means of a downpour of new rules.

So how should the industry respond to the position it finds itself in? First on costs: it must continue to express its pain 鈥� and put its case to the government, as the Construction Products Association did at its annual lunch this week. In the meantime, contractors have to do their best to factor increases into contracts while looking for ways to reduce consumption. Second, the industry needs to argue for increased capacity. The review being undertaken by energy minister Malcolm Wicks offers the perfect opportunity for this. The Institution of Civil Engineers, which recently warned us that 鈥渢he lights are beginning to flicker鈥�, is urging the government to invest now in a mix of domestic fuel sources such as clean coal, renewables and nuclear. On the subject of nuclear, it鈥檚 worth noting that it accounts for 21% of our electricity supply. By 2013 that will fall to 7%. Three out of four of the readers who responded to our poll on the subject backed a nuclear building programme. The industry must reflect this support, and be prepared to work with government to encourage the public to accept it too.

But the biggest task facing the industry today is making its product sustainable. Here there is a degree of frustration with the government鈥檚 failure to tackle existing buildings, despite the fact that they account for 30% of national energy consumption; the case is clear, and the industry is increasingly anxious to make it. A survey by the RICS this week showed that the public is also willing to pay more for green buildings. But there is also widespread anxiety that the industry鈥檚 ability to rise to the challenge of improving the existing stock will be hampered by the kind of confusion and inconsistency that characterise the 黑洞社区 Regulations. And there is good cause for concern. As well as Part L 鈥� the focus of our Reform the Regs campaign this week 鈥� we have the Code for Sustainable 黑洞社区s led by ODPM, the DTI and DEFRA; a report from the Treasury and DEFRA鈥檚 Sustainable Task Force; a DTI review of sustainable construction strategy and in January the Energy Performance of 黑洞社区s Directive comes into force. If construction is to deliver, it needs the rules spilling out of Whitehall to follow the three Cs: they must be clear, concise and consistent.