Currie & Brown

The UK’s £600m aerospace investment could help shape the future of flight. But will Britain manufacture it? The UK government is putting more than £600 million behind the future of aerospace. But Aviation faces an uncomfortable problem. It needs to cut emissions while building more aircraft than ever before. The funding will support 18 technology projects and help suppliers expand as aviation prepares for a new generation of aircraft. The opportunity is significant. But so is the risk. Funding British innovation does not guarantee British manufacturing. Manufacturers already have more than 16,000 aircraft on order, around 12 years of global production. They cannot spend the next decade clearing that backlog before preparing for what comes next. New aircraft programmes could emerge towards the end of this decade. UK suppliers have only a few years to prove they can manufacture new technologies competitively and at scale. They must do so while shortages of materials, components and skills already constrain production. That makes expanding capacity harder and more urgent. Companies may need to expand factories, automate production lines and build specialist test facilities before future designs, volumes and contracts are certain. Eryl Evans, our UK Infrastructure Sector lead, said: “Extreme heat, wildfires and other effects of climate change make continued aviation growth using today’s aircraft technology increasingly difficult. “The next generation will demand greater automation, AI-enabled production and new manufacturing and testing facilities. But businesses will need to invest before future technologies and volumes are fully certain. “Testing demand, capacity, cost and infrastructure requirements early can help manufacturers phase investment, protect current production and be ready when new programmes arrive. “The funding is the catalyst. The real question is whether UK industry can turn that opportunity into manufacturing capacity before its competitors do.”

The UK needs more data centres. But growth depends on finding sites that can be powered, planned and delivered. Power constraints, land pressure, planning risk and high energy costs are already slowing progress. That is why adaptive reuse is gaining attention. As Shane O Driscoll, our Data Centres Sector Lead for Europe, says: “Former industrial sites can unlock data centre growth, but only if uncertainty is reduced early. Power, planning, infrastructure, cost, programme and local support must be addressed before they become delays on site.” Our latest Expert View explores how adaptive reuse can help turn constrained industrial sites into deliverable data centre projects. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e2dWQr2Q

Oil prices are changing. But should hospitality projects change too? It's a question many hospitality investors and developers are asking as volatility continues to affect global markets. Ritchie Davidson, our Global Hospitality Sector Lead, shares his perspective. He explains why rising oil prices affect far more than fuel, and why protecting long-term value matters just as much as managing today's costs. Watch the video below. #Hospitality #Construction #TheValueOfCertainty

Browne Park has long been at the heart of sport and community life in Rockhampton, Queensland. More people wanted to use the venue. It needed more seats, better access and more space for events. That's where we came in. Partnering for the Queensland Government, we provided quantity surveying services for the $62.78 million Western Grandstand project. We helped the team make informed decisions on cost, scope and quality throughout delivery. The project includes: — A new 3,250-seat grandstand — Flexible event and function spaces — An upgraded home ground for the Central Queensland Capras rugby league team — Accessible seating and facilities that go beyond standard requirements Completed between 2024 and 2026, the project has increased capacity and created a more flexible venue for sport and community events. Today, Browne Park can welcome bigger crowds and support the events that bring the community together. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/eY-smnqb

In the UK, we've been appointed to the Government Commercial Agency's RM6356 Construction Professional Services 2 (CPS2) framework. The framework gives public sector organisations a simple, compliant way to access our services. Our appointment comes at an important time. The Government Commercial Agency estimates that £4.2 billion of public sector investment will flow through the framework over the next four years. Organisations need trusted advisers who can help turn that investment into the right outcomes. We were selected for the quality of our submission and our ability to deliver projects across the public sector, from planning through to completion. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ehDJuTVk

Better decisions start with better conversations. The projects our clients deliver are becoming more complex. So it's more important than ever that our industry continues to learn, challenge itself and raise standards. That's why we were pleased to host the APMP UK Capture Focus Group at our London office this week. Bid professionals from across the UK came together to share ideas, challenge thinking and explore new ways of working. The discussion will help shape the group's second white paper, due later this year. As our Group Bid Director, Cathie Moreira CPP CAP.APMP FF.ISP, said: "When experienced professionals share ideas and learn from one another, everyone benefits. It helps us strengthen the way we work and deliver even greater value for our clients." Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the discussion.

The Middle East is moving fast in the global data centre race. AI, cloud and digital transformation is driving demand for capacity at unprecedented scale. Traditional delivery models are struggling to keep pace. As developers look for ways to meet increasingly demanding delivery expectations, modularisation is becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation. Too often, however, it is treated only as a construction method, and its wider value can be missed. When modularisation is considered early, it can influence the delivery approach. We help clients work out where it will genuinely make a difference by testing it against programme, cost and risk before key delivery decisions are made. Read our latest insight: https://lnkd.in/eUx2y3_u

Uncertainty in the Middle East continues to affect the cost of building data centres. The knock-on effects are still feeding through global supply chains. So what does that mean for developers? Paul Fitch explains. He shares practical ways to reduce risk. Earlier procurement. Modularisation. Better planning. ▶️ Watch the video below.

Congratulations to the Miral team on 15 years of creating world-class destinations and experiences in Abu Dhabi. We’re proud to have supported Miral across numerous projects over the years, contributing our expertise to the delivery of its ambitious vision. We look forward to seeing the next chapter unfold.

How can we build greater certainty in UK healthcare delivery? Last year, we undertook research among UK healthcare organisations and found that: — UK healthcare organisations reported losing an average of 13.2% of their project pipeline value to uncertainty in the past year (around £440 million per organisation). — On average, 29% of projects were delayed, 32% were scaled back, and one in four was cancelled. So, how can the sector reduce disruption and deliver better outcomes for patients? In their recent article for Healthcare Design & Management, our Global Head of Healthcare, Helen Pickering, and UK Head of Healthcare, Martin Clark, examine the causes of uncertainty in healthcare delivery. They outline four foundations for building resilience. They also show how these principles are being applied on the Monklands Replacement Project to improve cost certainty, strengthen collaboration and support better long-term outcomes. Read the full article to see how healthcare organisations can build greater certainty: https://lnkd.in/ed2zNaab