Buildings not just bricks and mortar

Jan 22 2010 Catriona Lingwood is chief executive, Constructing Excellence in the North East

I’VE never understood how, in this day and age, anybody can look at the construction industry and say “it’s just bricks and mortar”.

While some people still hold that outdated view, the reality is much more than that as I am sure intelligent readers who have made it as far as the business pages would be aware.

The truth is, whenever you build something, whether it is a house, an arts centre, hotel, office or bridge, you are shaping society. We’re not just talking the curves and corners of the skyline, but about the environment in its widest sense and the way it affects those who use it.

A well-designed building can make the difference between comfort and discomfort, a positive attitude or a negative outlook.

It works in almost any circumstance: a well-designed hotel or a nicely laid out restaurant will make a guest or diner more comfortable, a thoughtfully planned office will be more conducive to productivity.

It makes sense when you think about it even just for a moment, so you have to wonder why the next government, whoever that may be, needs warning of its import, especially in an area as vital as education.

Research carried out for major trade magazine Building is doing just that – warning against cuts in investment in education infrastructure during the build-up to the General Election. A survey of headteachers has overwhelmingly linked attainment to the quality and condition of school buildings.

Commissioned by education conference BSEC and completed by 87 heads of secondary schools, the survey found that 93% of respondents felt improving school buildings in poor condition had a positive effect on attainment.

The big message was that 56% of heads believed the support of political parties for school building would be a vote winner.

In recent years, we have been faced with such issues as cuts to further education colleges and the same common sense arguments were used.

However the next government opts to make its books balance in light of the UK’s current level of debt, the message is clear: cutting educational build spend is not just about bricks and mortar, it is about the education of the next generation of workforce.

For more information on Constructing Excellence in the North East, please contact chief executive, Catriona Lingwood, on 0191-383 7435 or catriona@cene.org.uk.