A collaboration between Proctor Group and one of the north-east’s leading independent training providers is helping to share knowledge about up-to-date roofing products and practices. Optimum Skills Ltd, based in Gateshead, operates three construction academies training young people in slating, tiling and flat roofing (as well as bricklaying, joinery and groundworks). They work with all major roofing contractors in the north-east, helping apprentices through pre-apprenticeshi

More than 12,000 square metres of a former tea factory is being transformed into a state-of-the-art broadcasting facility for the BBC – and Proctor Group’s Wraptite® membrane is playing a part in bringing “a 100-year-old industrial building back to life for the next 100 years.” The Typhoo Tea Building occupies a full city block in Digbeth, Birmingham, near to the city’s HS2 terminal. The factory has gone unused for four decades, but is being turned into a net zero carbon work

The Future Homes and Buildings Standard is set for imminent release. SOPREMA explains how this will impact insulation choices for specifiers. The Future Homes Standard was first proposed by government in 2019. Despite plans for implementation in 2025, as of the time of writing, the final details of the now renamed Future Homes and Buildings Standard (FHBS) have yet to be confirmed. Compared to a home constructed to Part L 2013, the FHBS should deliver new homes that emit 80%

Award-winning specialist merchant SIG Roofing has concluded its 2026 Roadshow series, bringing together managers and teams from across the business at three venues: Birmingham on 4 February, Windsor on 10 February, and Waltham Abbey on 12 February.   Each year, the SIG Roofing Roadshow provides a forum for colleagues to reflect on the previous year’s performance, share best practice and align on how to deliver even greater value for customers in the year ahead. This year’s se

Housebuilders can give bats a brand new home inside the ridge roost and help support the urban environment, Manthorpe explains. Finding suitable roosting spots in urban areas has become increasingly difficult for bats in recent years due to improved building practices and materials that reduce defects. However, the Manthorpe Bat Ridge Roost provides a solution by offering these important pollinators a new home among the rooftops. This product is the result of a partnership be

The most recent government data shows that the UK is monitoring more high-rise buildings with potential cladding risks than ever before, yet fewer are actually entering remediation.  Property Inspect UK  is now warning that the widening gap between identification and action reflects a persistent structural issue in how remediation is managed, verified, and delivered.   As of October 2025 (latest available data), a total of 5,570 residential buildings over 11 metres tall are b

SIG Roofing’s Sales Academy has been recognised as one of just 57 exceptional UK training programmes to receive the prestigious Princess Royal Training Award, demonstrating its commitment to the development of its people and improvement in customer service.   Susan Parkins, Head of Learning & Resourcing at SIG Plc., receives award from HRH The Princess Royal The honour, formally approved and presented by HRH The Princess Royal at a ceremony on the 2 nd December at Fishmonger

Paul Duffy, Managing Director of Onduline Building Products, discusses the challenges and opportunities shaping the roofing market over the past year, and where the sector is heading in 2026. The UK roofing and construction sectors faced another challenging year in 2025, particularly across commercial and non-residential construction. Slow new project starts, higher business taxation, building regulation delays and persistent labour shortages continued to affect timelines and

Onduline reveals how its ISOLINE LOW LINE sub-roof system is supporting Aldi’s nationwide re-roofing programme. When Aldi decided to centralise its approach to roof refurbishments, it marked a significant change in the way the supermarket chain manages its growing property estate. Previously, re-roofing had been handled on a store-by-store basis, resulting in mixed materials, varying specifications and inconsistent performance across the UK. So Aldi sought a standardised spec

CARLISLE® Construction Materials is celebrating success at the 2025 NFRC Scottish Roofing Awards, after project partner Site Group won the Green Roofing category for the Tynecastle Student Accommodation project in Edinburgh, which features CARLISLE®’s high-performance RESITRIX® waterproofing system. The winners were revealed at a ceremony held at The Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow, recognising outstanding achievements and innovation across Scotland’s roofing industry. The red

With the introduction of the Building Safety Act and gateway approval system, the notion of swapping out specified products has almost entirely been phased out. James Moore, National Sales Manager for Hardie Panel from James Hardie considers the importance of making the right decisions at the specification stage.     The Building Safety Act and subsequent gateway approval system has reshaped the landscape of building design, construction and compliance. Across new and existin

As part of its investment plan to continually improve its branch network, SIG Roofing has opened a branch in New Southgate, North London, located in Brunswick Green Park Industrial Estate, N11 1JL. The branch, which was opened on the 13 th October, offers its customers a convenient location just off the A406, a fully stocked warehouse, and an experienced support team.   John Loeber is the appointed manager of the new branch, and will be supported by a team of four, Zee Mirza

Jon Knaggs, Technical Manager for Industrial Light Weight Construction at EJOT UK, explains how the company’s testing and development expertise was instrumental in developing the roofing fastener specification for a new glulam-structure civic building in Aberdeenshire.     As sustainable building designs become more ambitious and combine materials in novel ways, it is crucial for specifiers, contractors and developers to have assurance that the proposed fastener and fixing ap

AccuRoof has supported the specification of pitched roofs for a rural development comprising four new barn-style properties in the East Midlands. Specify & Build reports.      This new quiet rural development is situated in Bisbrooke, a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands. Located two miles east of Uppingham, and south of the main A47 highway, which gives easy access running from Leicester to Peterborough.    Four new homes have been created

How Acorn Timber Engineering transformed a Grade II-listed industrial landmark into contemporary apartments, balancing heritage preservation with modern performance.     The Engine House, part of the Linotype Works in Broadheath, was built in 1897 to house specialist typesetting machinery. Once the heart of a thriving industrial hub, it stood as a testament to late Victorian engineering. By 2021, the building faced demolition, with structural decline and redevelopment pressur