I often hear people talk about the retrofit challenge as though it’s a mountain too steep to climb. But having spent decades immersed in the engineering detail of social housing and working closely with progressive clients across the local authority and wider construction sector, I believe we can flatten that curve. We just need to work smarter, and faster, together.

There’s no question that the race to meet 2030 net zero goals is intensifying. And rightly so. But for local authorities and housing associations who carry much of the responsibility, the scale of the task can feel overwhelming. In Edinburgh alone, the housing stock is evenly split between Council and housing associations, with much of this in urgent need of retrofit investment.

As Edinburgh continues to grow and evolve, so too must its educational infrastructure. The rapid development of new housing projects in areas like Granton, Gilmerton and South Queensferry highlights a pressing need for new schools to accommodate families moving into these vibrant communities.

In my role at Will Rudd Edinburgh, I am acutely aware of the challenges and opportunities this presents. Our mission is to not only meet the demand for new educational facilities but to create schools that serve as integral, multifaceted hubs within their neighbourhoods, all with reduced budgets.

Last week the UK's Real Estate Investment Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) took place in Leeds. With over 12,000 delegates, the conference was a bustling hub of innovation, ideas, and challenges focusing on the vitality and dynamism of the real estate sector.

As managing director at a civil, structural and engineering consultancy, I often get asked whether a career in engineering is a good choice, and in particular for women.

As a new cohort of engineering graduates enter the workplace, I thought it would be interesting to conduct a short survey of my female colleagues to get their take on what it’s like to be in engineering.

At Will Rudd, women are excelling at all levels of the business…

There are few things more synonymous with Scotland than whisky. It literally puts us Scots on the map. You can be in a bar in the furthermost corner of the earth, and you will see towns and villages from Speyside to Islay represented upon their shelves. It is an unashamed success story which continues to grow.

Last Christmas, when we went into the final pandemic lockdown, feels like a very distant memory. As we wondered then what the new year might bring, many conversations in the engineering sector were around what the so-called ‘new norm’ would look like.

In 2022, it’s hard to imagine a village, town or city across Scotland which hasn’t seen historical buildings fall into disrepair. As the need for new affordable homes, schools and cultural spaces continues to grow we forget about the buildings which, for generations, were part of the social fabric of our communities. Churches, burgh halls, train stations and even libraries don’t play the prominent role they once did with many neglected to the point where extensive repairs are potentially required before partial collapse becomes a reality.