In response to C T Wareing's letter in the March issue I would like to state that my original letter made no criticism of Chris Blythe's performance of his duties as chief executive of CIOB, neither was any intended.

My point was that the CEO should not express ill-informed opinions in a leader of the journal of a professional institution.

C T Wareing has missed another point entirely. Chris's article and my letter were about the architectural merit of the building, which does not include cost or time taken to build. Indeed, the CIOB itself presents awards for quality in construction without reference to either of these parameters. A building such as the Scottish Parliament, which has received eight awards, is bound to be expensive - as any builder will tell you.

It is easy to point out wastage in the public sector because it is under such intense scrutiny from the media. But the construction industry has its own problems in this respect. The annual waste of materials alone would pay for two Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament buildings.

Public spending accounts for around 40% of construction turnover in the UK. If the industry became just 10% more efficient it could save the public purse around £3bn a year, or £15bn over the construction period of the Scottish parliament.

Mike Underwood OBE, FCIOB

Source

Construction Manager