Construction industry ‘must not bury head under duvet’ – Morrell

CHIEF construction advisor to the government Paul Morrell has told the region’s industry now is “no time to put its head under the duvet”.

Speaking at an event for the West Midlands construction industry last night, he said the sector must forge ahead with radical new ways of working.

Mr Morrell called on the region’s decision makers to tackle fragmented supply chains, unlock innovation by overcoming old hierarchical ways of working and recognise the value in good design.

He also said there should be better promotion of SMEs and there was a need to make the transition to new systems such as Building Information Modelling (BIM).

Mr Morrell said public sector construction clients across central and local Government also needed to become more informed and have a greater understanding of how much a building can cost to build.

BIM technology, he stated, had the potential to drive collaboration between partners, and connect the design and construction with long-term asset management of buildings.

The event was organised by the West Midlands Centre for Constructing Excellence and held at Warwickshire Cricket Club in Edgbaston.

WMCCE executive director Phil Wilson said: “Paul Morrell tackled the burning national issues that are affecting our regional industry head on.

“This was an important and insightful view into Westminster’s thinking on construction and it is now crucial that our companies and public sector clients can embrace change, collaborate more effectively and understand how technology can radically transform the way we build.”