Construction

Research in October 2022 highlighted the air pollution from construction, and the lack of policies and action there has been to address it. The research showed that the UK construction industry is responsible for approximately 18% of the large particle pollution in the UK, and it’s growing. In London it is more than 30%.

It is important to look at buildings specifically. The embodied carbon of a construct, for instance, can include all the emissions from the construction materials, the building process, and all the fixtures and fittings inside. It translates into all the carbon dioxide emitted in producing materials. 

What is often overlooked is the environmental footprint of our current building stock. 

Operational carbon is the amount of carbon emitted during the operational or in-use phase of a building, which can include the use, management and maintenance of a product or structure. This currently accounts for 28% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, compared to the 11% stemming from embodied carbon. 

The construction industry, therefore, has a significant role to play both now and in the foreseeable future. We take pride in the fact that we have ensured our clients are leading such debates across both trade and national media platforms.

Seeing first-hand how it’s done

Many of our clients in the construction space work on listed and heritage sites. This was the case with Curo Construction, a Reading-based privately-owned construction company. 

It was appointed as Principal Contractor to embark on essential refurbishments of the South Colonnade at the British Museum, a Grade I Listed estate. Essential refurbishment and building conservation works were undertaken, which included the replacement of the copper roof finish to the South Colonnade. The British Museum is a monumental Greek Revival style building completed in the mid-19th century.  

However, whilst pictures and words can obviously help shape a story, we felt this particular venue warranted a first-hand look at the work being overseen by Curo Construction. We invited an architecture correspondent from The Times and a reporter from leading trade journal, Construction Management, to the Museum for a tour led by Curo Construction. This enabled the company to discuss in person the project and scope of work, whilst forging a relationship with two key reporters. 

Further, coverage of The British Museum project was featured across titles such as Construction UK Magazine, Museums & Heritage Advisor, Construction News, and Refurb Projects. All articles included high-res images of the Museum which featured Curo Construction branding, quotes from both parties, and a call to action back to the Curo website.