Welcome to the November issue of BUILD Magazine.

As 2016 slides into its penultimate stretch, it offers a chance for a momentary pause for reflection on the achievements of the past year. In a year dominated by headlines and political upheavals, the highly positive efforts of the construction industry, in all of its facets, has offered
a certain respite. Housing stock, for instance, is continuing to rise, aided in part by a noticeable boom in office-to-home conversions.

The construction industry is clearly refusing to be overcome in its resurgence. The last ten years have taught industrial professionals hard truths and introduced new realities, providing opportunity to reassert themselves and their firms. Furthermore, aided by the ever-evolving technological landscape, designers, manufacturers and builders alike are finding their playing fields levelled, allowing new chances for innovation to flourish.

Indeed, it seems increasingly difficult to separate the construction industry from the impact of modern technology. Architects like Toni Yli-Suvanto have benefitted enormously from the ability to generate 3D models of the design environment, in order to better understand and even simplify the construction process. In addition, though, the increasing impact of technology has forced a critical rethink of the way that we consume energy, and in aid of this,
Tesla owner Elon Musk’s line of highly efficient solar panels, capable of providing boundless gigawatt-hours of clean energy to thousands of households, heralds that the role of
technology in the construction sector will only become more symbiotic as time goes on.

For other construction, architectural and design-oriented firms, the impact of technology has created a curious counter-insurgency – Karim Rashid, an icon of his time, swears by the importance of design in culture and society, and maintains a devoted client-first approach, so as to better understand the needs of those that he is working with. In this, he is not alone: NuCasa use their extensive range of homeware products, including retro-industrial
lighting items, to appeal to a broadening clientele expressing an increasing interest in a highly personal service that yields a bespoke result.

All of this, and more besides, is to found and discussed in detail in this month’s issue of BUILD. We hope that you enjoy this issue, and that you will join us again in December.