Building the Future Commission report to be published tomorrow

The Building the Future Commission report is due to be published tomorrow. The year-long initiative will conclude with a series of recommendations when it is unveiled at a  briefing in London in association with Constructing Excellence.

The report will call for long-term funding for construction and more strategic thinking from government and industry leaders.

Chloë McCulloch, Building editor and the editorial director at Assemble Media Group, which has co-ordinated the commission, said: “This report is the culmination of a 12-month consultation with the industry to find ways to unlock construction’s full potential. It puts the case for long-term investment in our homes, infrastructure, skills and green technology, and we have timed it to target the main political parties as they draw up their election manifestos.”

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It also marks the official launch of the Building the Future Think Tank, a series of editorial research projects looking at issues affecting the built environment. The think-tank will work with industry partners including Gleeds, Fenwick Elliott and RLB. 

The commission has been examining radical and challenging ideas on how to boost industry potential, with the help of expert commissioners and via regional roundtable debates. The project has included initiatives such as a young persons’ advisory panel and consultation with the wider industry across eight topic areas.

Among the interim proposals were for the government to rethink public sector building programmes to provide market certainty; steps to improve the planning system; joined-up net zero policies to meet climate commitments; public sector clients adopting procurement rules promoting best value not lowest price; and steps to help tackle the housing crisis.