The author of the review into high-rise residential buildings following the Grenfell Tower fire is to speak at a major construction seminar in the South West.
Dame Judith Hackitt, author of the Hackitt Review, ordered following the 2017 inferno which destroyed the London block of flats and left 72 people dead, heads the list of speakers at this year’s Constructing Excellence South West Construction Summit.
The summit, an important event for the region’s construction industry, will see industry leaders and professionals gather online.
Titled An Industry of Opportunity, the event, on Wednesday, May 26, comes as construction faces unprecedented challenges in the shape of quality and compliance, post Grenfell, and how it responds to climate change, but also huge opportunities with building and infrastructure at the heart of the Government’s post-Covid Roadmap to Recovery.
The keynote address will be given by Fergus Harradence, deputy director for infrastructure and construction at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
In addition to Dame Judith, speakers and topics will include:
Lynne Sullivan, RIBA, chair of the Good Homes Alliance and member of the Government-backed Green Construction Board, who will be addressing the critical net zero agenda.
A look at the economy, post-Covid and Brexit, with Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association and honorary professor at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, UCL.
An update on the Government’s Construction Playbook by event sponsors, Southern Construction Framework.
Constructing Excellence South West (CESW) leads the change agenda in construction regionally as part of Construction Excellence’s national mission to improve the industry’s performance and produce a better built environment.
Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of Constructing Excellence South West, said: “This year’s CESW Construction Summit comes at a pivotal time for the industry regionally and nationally. As construction helps lead the post-COVID recovery, now is the time to harness the lessons learned during the pandemic, and from Grenfell, and to position ourselves as pioneers in tackling the challenge of our lifetimes which is climate change.
“I am delighted we have such an impressive and inspirational line-up of speakers, all leaders in their field, and I look forward to them sharing their knowledge with CESW members and guests and helping reinforce the can-do attitude we have in the South West towards positive change in our industry. All-in-all it is a must-attend event for all South West construction professionals.”
The CESW Construction Summit - An Industry of Opportunity - takes place online 9am-1pm on Wednesday, May 26. For more information and how to join this event click here.
