Building has asked a selection of winning people and firms from 2017’s Building Awards to predict the big opportunities, threats and surprises that we might expect to see in the coming 12 months.

Iain Parker, partner, Alinea (construction consultant of the year with fewer than 100 staff)

Opportunity knocks: The big opportunity will be building more homes. We should use the springboard of the recent budget announcement of £44bn capital funding and the London Plan review of densities to push on over the next 12 months. The other obvious opportunity will be to use digital and technological advances to draw young talent into the industry and start a drive towards increased productivity

Danger lurks: The big threat will be Asia viewing the UK as no longer a place to invest, for political uncertainty reasons associated with Brexit. Or rather, other parts of the world being seen as more attractive for investors. Contractor and sub-contractor failure will also remain a significant threat

Surprise surprise: The adoption of modular construction on a sizeable scale and the appointment of a minister for construction both have the potential to be the surprise stories of 2018

Follow building.co.uk over the Christmas break to read more predictions for 2018