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Guiding the highest technical standards across the built environment

1st Feb 2024

As climate change throws new challenges our way, building future-proof homes that stand the test of time is more crucial than ever. The National House Building Council (NHBC), the UK's leading authority on new home warranties and insurance, is at the forefront of this vital conversation.

This year, new benchmarks have been set with the 2024 update of NHBC's renowned standards, and, as part of a select cross-industry review panel, our very own Ian Gardner, technical fellow in our geo division, played a pivotal role in shaping the earthworks guidance (Chapter 4.6).

Ian Gardner, technical fellow — geotechnics and earthworks, said:

“I’m extremely proud to have been invited to steer these standards and take great satisfaction from knowing they’ll be the catalyst for construction excellence, delivering positive and lasting change. “The revised standards, and this chapter on earthworks, has been widely anticipated by the industry, and we’re already seeing the guidance being put into practice.”

Published in January, these enhanced standards are more than just guidelines for housebuilders; they're blueprints for resilience. Applying the specification will ensure homes that are far more robust, have intrinsic resistance to ground movement, including additional measures to keep rainwater out, and will achieve high energy efficiency levels.

As a resource for the industry, it will now also define the technical requirements and performance standards around the sustainable management of earthworks and reinforces what we’ve been practicing for over a decade.

Paul Shelley, divisional director, added:

“For Ian to be part of a select number of experts feeding into these standards truly emphasises his standing in this area of his field. NHBC standards set the bar with an emphasis on quality that the industry trusts — and, importantly, transcends housebuilding and is also applicable to construction across the wider built environment.”

Ultimately, homes built to these NHBC specifications will be better equipped to handle the increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather events we face.

Whilst there’ll be a transition period for existing sites, within 12 months these standards will be mandatory on all residential developments where NHBC are involved.

Visit our service page to find out more about the geotechnical design support we can provide to shape the sustainable infrastructure behind your development.