What do you get if you take one giant wicker worm, six chickens, 20 BAM volunteers, 1,000 plastic bottles, two plots of earth and celebrity chef, Raymond Blanc?

The challenge has been set for the construction industry to reach the Government’s ambitious 2025 targets. These include lowering construction costs and the whole life cost of built assets by 33%, lowering emissions by 50%, and delivering projects 50% faster. So how are we going to do it?

Routines, habits and finding comfort in what we know are strange quirks of human behaviour which influence our actions, as much at work as they do at home. We all probably have a favourite mug, pair of trainers, holiday destination, brand of beans or side of the bed. But is resorting to what is familiar limiting us? Is it worth stepping out of our comfort zone to be more productive?

Another year, another interesting three days at Ecobuild, the annual sustainable design, construction and energy exhibition at Excel. With an upcoming national election and an EU referendum round the corner, the future of sustainability in the UK was hotly debated: retrofitting (or not) houses, green infrastructure, and how buildings can improve health and wellbeing were all prominent themes.