As I approach nearly a year as Chair of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Regional Group in Scotland, I've had the opportunity to reflect on the evolving responsibilities and influence of our profession.

As the UK grapples with a housing market that’s increasingly stretched at both ends, one solution that’s often overlooked is the potential of the retirement housing sector. Specifically, age-exclusive developments for the over-55s could play a crucial role in easing pressure on the market by encouraging downsizing, freeing up larger family homes, and ultimately ensuring a more efficient housing lifecycle.

As the Managing Director of Scotland’s largest vaccine producer, Valneva, I am immensely proud to work in an industry which saves lives and prevents disease. I can track my drive to work in life sciences to one moment from my childhood, when I was around seven years old.  

Glasgow-based specialist communications consultancy Perceptive Communicators has been shortlisted as Property Marketing Team of the Year at the Herald Property Awards 2024. 

Ravenscraig's transformation is not just about clearing old remnants of its industrial past. It's about laying the groundwork for a future that offers high-quality housing, excellent transport links, and abundant educational and employment opportunities.

The economic benefits of building new housing are clear and well documented. The home building sector in Scotland supports 45,000 jobs directly and tens of thousands more up and down the supply chain. In 2019 the sector was worth £3.4 billion to the economy.

In the decade since the Commonwealth Games, Clyde Gateway has achieved remarkable progress. The area now boasts over 4,000 new homes, increasing the population to approximately 28,000.

As we approach the ten-year anniversary of Clarus Networks Group later this year, I am proud to reflect on our journey from a small tech start-up in Bathgate, to a global leader in connectivity solutions with offices in both Scotland and England.

In an age rapidly being defined by the pressing need for sustainability and environmental responsibility, traditional methods of construction are giving way to more innovative approaches, with modular construction leading the charge towards a greener future.

Last week, Homes for Scotland (HFS) published a report revealing a concerning decline in the small and medium enterprise (SME) home building sector. A day later, the Scottish Government released its quarterly housing statistics. Neither paint a positive picture.

Scotland’s housing system is at a critical juncture. The Scottish Government has acknowledged the nation’s housing emergency and announced its intention to recognise housing as a national outcome. This is a vital first step, but the real challenge is translating this intention into effective action.

We are in the grip of a nationwide housing crisis, yet recent figures reveal that the timescale for average planning application is four times longer than the Government target. While this is clearly an issue for developers, why should this be an issue for those beyond the industry?

There is no denying that the challenges faced across the housebuilding and wider construction industry over the last few years have been particularly acute. A combination of planning and covid delays, inflationary cost increases for material and labour, rising cost of living and high mortgage interest rates all contributed to a negative ripple effect across the sector.

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.

This year sees Campion Homes celebrate 35 years of building not just homes, but communities. Over the years, we’ve faced numerous challenges, including the recessions of the early 1990s and the financial crisis of 2008. These periods tested our resilience but also taught us the value of adaptability and prudent financial management.

The journey towards Net Zero is fraught with complexities and challenges that often seem insurmountable and with Scotland just reneging on its own climate targets, the path is not as clear as we once hoped.

All across the UK, there are monuments to our industrial heritage. They remind us of the burgeoning heavy industries that once helped power our country. Importantly, they remind us of the toil of the workers and communities that dedicated their working lives to these important industries.

Scotland has been synonymous with innovation for hundreds of years, building groundbreaking machines that powered the industrial revolution and inventing products that transformed the way we live our lives. Striving to always be at the forefront has served Scotland well.

While support with office space was always greatly appreciated, we faced a continued challenge – our workspaces weren’t permanent. With the need for our support increasing, we needed somewhere permanent to base ourselves.

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation - it happens when people, places and purpose come together. Business innovation, where the commercially successful application of ideas, leads to new or improved products, processes or services, is a vital ingredient in strengthening local economies and driving national growth.