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The business was established when our co-founders Liam and Sam decided they wanted to have business culture that valued their staff members as an absolute priority. They believed in the philosophy of treating your employees and clients with care and overall providing an excellent service. We understand that it is the people who really make the company. That is why we continually invest in our “home grown” talent.

We have an extremely vibrant and open culture here at Highfield that the directors have worked hard to provide. We make it a priority that hard work is not only recognized here, but also rewarded. 

Every single employee has contributed their ideas in creating the 2021 vision that we have placed on two walls around our office. This vision was created to highlight the company’s future objectives. This includes career development from our employees, business performance, our growing headcount as well as the overall culture for Highfield. The idea of placing this vision around the office has proved to be beneficial for our employees as it shows them the importance of their work and how it contributes to their company. 

No matter what level or role we recognise that people learn differently, in a variety of ways.  So, we will always accommodate this and find a course tailored to the individual, whether that’s in a classroom, online or telephone. This is why we created ‘The Highfield Academy’, a specialist in-house training programme for all current employees and new starters. This training programme will enable all current and new staff to keep refreshed on new industry skills that they may need for their specific sector.

On top of training and investing in our staff, we want the whole team to feel appreciated and rewarded; the more effort they put in the more rewards they will receive. We run regular Friday incentives for employees – if they meet their targets then they get an early finish (1pm) to enjoy a slightly longer weekend with their friends and family as well as having their birthday off. For us the work-life balance is key to creating an atmosphere people want to work in and the team react really well to these rewards.

We also take pride in the opportunities that we provide to our employees. For example, our two first ever employees are now a Team Leader and a Senior Consultant. The effective leadership from the Company Directors and the ongoing training means that they have been given an opportunity to flourish in a company that can genuinely provide the path for a long and successful career.

Highfield places substantial focus on talent management ensuring we retain and attract top talent from diverse backgrounds and at any level of their career. Our two company Directors sit amongst the Consultants and are always on hand to provide support and guidance. They also teach “The Academy” meaning their expertise is utilized and shared.

Last year, we moved into new offices with the incentive to further build a team, but to also make sure we are catering for the fun and motivating side of coming to work. In order to do this we created a breakout room filled with everything from table tennis to pool to make sure that our employees had somewhere to go at lunch to get away from the hustle and bustle of the sales floor.

As well as this we have put a great deal of thought into the mental wellbeing of our employees. We have a room which we provide our employees with weekly yoga and personal training which enables everyone to get some form of healthy physical activity whilst mining a positive inclusive workplace. We also believe that positive mental attitude is key to a great work place which is why we put on meditation sessions, we think that’s it’s important to work on your mental clarity as well as physical.  Our financial Controller has become a certified mental health aid champion, who is open to anyone who needs to confide in someone.

We value our employees and ensure that none of their hard work goes unnoticed, which is why we put a lot of emphasis on career progression. We have created a clear company progression guide that all employees have access to so that they know exactly what they need to do in order to grow. Since creating this we have seen an increase of promotions made in the company.

We started the Highfield Academy which sees every new hire enrol in our training academy and benefits from:

– Interactive training with each department & managers

– 2 days classroom training with expert external sales trainer

– 10 week structures training programme with weekly focus

– Feedback and awards

Through a combination of workshops and specialist training tailored to their career goals and preferred learning methods. We give them the best foundations to build on. It’s important to make sure we are giving everyone an equal opportunity and supporting them in achieving individual goals as well as team ones. 

Every employee has a quarterly review with one of the directors, giving them a chance to discuss their role and progress, air any concerns, and talk about what improvements they would like to see. Having a working environment where all employees, no matter what seniority level, feel they can openly talk to Directors is great!

At Highfield we understand the importance of allowing our employees to express their feelings and opinions in the work place. We have provided a platform in the form of OfficeVibe which allows our employees to leave feedback and give their opinion on anything that we do or could do better at Highfield. We found that this has been useful at empowering employees to give new ideas or express current feelings in a safe, managerial operated space.

As well as this we have a suggestion box that is placed in our communal kitchen area where all employees can leave anonymous suggestions that are considered and implemented by Directors. An outcome of this is a monthly car wash service attend the office so that our employees can have their cars washed whilst they are at work.

We focus on the long term and set a high priority on attracting and keeping better and more committed employees as well as more loyal customers. We believe the key to a successful company is keep your employees happy and make sure they are valued, in doing so, they will ensure that our customers are happy.

To apply to one of our fantastic job roles available please email Kay on: [email protected] or click on the link below to apply:

https://careers.highfieldps.co.uk/apply-now

Connect with us:

Like the Highfield Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/highfieldpro… Like the Highfield LinkedIn page:https://www.linkedin.com/company/2404… Follow Highfield on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highfieldrec/ Follow Highfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HighfieldREC

Did you know that the recruitment industry goes as far back as 55 BC? When Julius Caesar effectively introduced the first referral programme for soldiers who brought other soldiers into the Roman Army. The reward by Caesar amounted to 30% of a soldier’s annual pay, making it a massive jackpot for those who took him up on it. And while such a substantial reward would largely be out of the question for most within recruitment circles these days, the premise of recruitment and referrals lives on.

If we skip ahead to the 1940’s when WWII started recruitment really became big. This was due to the skills shortage people were faced with when millions fought in the war and vacated their jobs. Employers took this opportunity to advertise jobs and filled the positions from people who didn’t serve in the war. As the war ended and soldiers started to come home, recruitment agencies quickly sprang into action to secure employment for them. Thanks to the war, veterans had new skills that fitted into the workforce and recruiters learnt to highlight these and put candidates forward for job roles. 

In the early days of recruitment there was no internet, so everything was very manual. Recruiters utilized notice boards, newspapers and word of mouth. CV’s were stored in their paper formats and there was no automatic screening or even key word searching. The focus was always very much on the candidate, however things started to change in the 1970s as a strong economy saw large organisations increasingly outsource their recruitment needs to niche agencies.

The new wave of the internet allowed recruiters to experiment with different ways of attracting viable candidates.  ATS was launched (Applicant Tracking Systems), followed by candidate databases. The first ever job board was launched in 1992(Online Career Center) which featured all jobs from all industries. However, in the late 1990s to 2000s niche job boards started to make an appearance which meant recruitment agencies became increasingly specific.

Over the last few decades, we have seen a massive development in social media. Showing us new ways of networking across social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. This has given recruiters and infinite amount of information and resources, as well as making passive targets easier to meet, due to the more blurred lines between candidate’s personal and professional lives.

The £37 billion industry in the UK is finally adapting to modern technology. With new algorithms affecting what information the public see, timing, and speed become even more crucial than ever before. New software can now sort applicants and target potential candidates on the go via their smartphones. The public is immersed in their smartphone to the extent where 9/10 jobseekers will actively look for roles on their phone. It’s now time for recruiters to see this opportunity of social media to attract the best talent.  Jobseekers now want to know a company’s reputation and are able to access this almost instantaneously meaning brand recognition is essential in an increasingly competitive industry.  

To apply to one of our fantastic job roles available please email Kay on: [email protected] or click on the link below to apply:

https://careers.highfieldps.co.uk/apply-now

Connect with us:

Like the Highfield Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/highfieldpro… Like the Highfield LinkedIn page:https://www.linkedin.com/company/2404… Follow Highfield on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highfieldrec/ Follow Highfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HighfieldREC

The Engineering field has been dominated by men, but we ask ourselves why?

Women are stereotyped engineering related topics do not typically interest them. Combined with the misconception of men performing better in subjects such as maths or science. This produces the problem of underrepresentation of women in the field, making them much less likely to choose an engineering programme at university as a result.

With the rapid technological advances, there is a major push for more professionals in the field to meet the demands. That it is sad to see such a loss of untapped talent in the world.

Despite this, the paradigm is shifting. Some universities are beginning to break the gender barriers to ensure all students – both male and female – are equipped with the full range of employability skills needed to thrive as engineers in the 21^st-century.

With all that said and done, we will now look at the most innovating programs that are helping women get into engineering.

WES

The Women’s Engineering Society is a charity and a professional network of women engineers, scientists and technologists offering inspiration, support and professional development. Working in partnership, they support and inspire women to achieve as engineers, scientists and as leaders; they encourage the education of engineering; and they support companies with gender diversity and inclusion.

The charity quotes that there is only 11% of female engineers in the UK, and possibly the lowest rate in Europe. They believe there is still much to do in regards to support employers to increase diversity and opportunity.

Here is just some of their current projects, initiatives and schemes:

• STEM Returners – starting in 2018, a programme for returners and transferrers across science, technology, engineering and mathematics
• MentorSET – a mentoring programme for women in STEM
• WE50 – an annual awards scheme to recognise 50 influential women in engineering and STEM 
• The Karen Burt Award – recognising the best newly chartered young woman engineer.
• WES Centenary – this year, they will be 100 years old!

They also spend time connecting with women through conferences, lectures, e-newletter, The Woman Engineer journal, social media, clusters and student groups.  They make it a priority to use opportunities to present at conferences and seminars. WES, they’re members and partners are also helping to evolve workplace cultures so that women feel supported in the workplace and have:

• Appropriate working conditions, facilities, and role models to inspire and support them.
• the full range of flexible working options are available
• that equal work is rewarded with equal pay and
• women are empowered to flourish as technical women and managers at all skill levels

Charities like this are really making a difference and providing young women with opportunities that they didn’t know existed.

STEM

Stem stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. It is the largest provider of education careers support and work with schools and colleges across the UK. They are dedicated to raising young people’s engagement and achievement in STEM subjects and careers.

Although STEM does help boys and girls across the UK, we are going to look at how they help to support women in engineering. They make it a priority that women are made aware of their services. They ensure that they are connecting with relevant female groups on a weekly basis, utilising Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to work with groups such as Women in Computing (Imperial), WISE, Women in Technology, woinco and Science grrl. They post content, comments and live vacancies; in turn attracting female visitors to STEM Graduates.

Here are just a few examples of organisations/campaigns they work with:

• The WISE Campaign – A campaign to inspire girls and women to study and pursue careers within women in STEM fields.
• STEMettes – An organisation running panel events, hackathons and exhibitions aimed at inspiring the next generation of women into STEM.
•  Women’s Engineering Society – A network of female engineers, technologists and scientists offering both support and professional development opportunities. 
• Women in Technology – An information resource aimed to promote female employment within IT and technology. 
• ScienceGrrl – A grassroots organisation representing the female face of science in the UK, working to inform women in STEM policy at a national level.
• STEMNET – A network of ambassadors working to encourage young people who are under-represented within women in STEM subjects and careers to pursue their interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths. 
• CodeFirst:Girls – An organisation working with companies and young women with the intention of increasing the number of women working in tech.
• Sparxx – A division of the Women’s Engineering Society focussed on inspiring girls to become part of the next generation of innovative thinkers.
•  BCSWomen – A specialist group aligned to the Chartered Institute for IT, providing a networking platform for professional women in IT. 

The great thing about programs like these is the value they provide to women across the UK. This is something as technical Recruitment Experts that is really close to us as we make it our responsibility to contribute to STEM incentives.

Each generation that is born, is becoming more and more different. And defining this is important. Why? Because it tells us how we are growing and evolving, as well as predicting what might come next. New paradigms mean new strategies and with millennials as the globalization era, generation Z is the digital era. They have probably never gone into a bank (all their banking is online) and they are always wired to a phone, tablet, iPad… the list goes on. And let’s not forgot their currency is social media.

Who is Generation Z? 

Generation Z is roughly people who were born between 1996 to 2010. This age group is ranged between 8 to 24 years, which means they are already in various workforce industries. Which is why companies need to start thinking about their strategy for recruiting this generation – they have probably learnt to swipe before they can speak…

Defining Generation Z’s Characteristics 

So let’s go through some of the characteristics that Gen Z has:

• Their social media habits differ from previous generations – even millennials. For example on average, Gen Z uses their smartphones 15.4 hours per week—more than any other type of device.
• They prefer cool products over cool experiences – while it shows millennials are in for the experience over the product (77% vs 23%). Generation Z is the opposite and prefers to buy products from cool brands (60% vs 40%).
• They believe in an ‘always on’ culture – having multiple devices on, and they never switch them off.

• They are the most diverse generation yet – They are very open to new ideas/concepts and don’t like being stereotyped.

Generation Z and Social Media as their Currency

Millennials were the ones that saw the birth of social media – however generation Z are the ones who came out of the womb using it. Statistics show that:

• They spend an average of 15.4 hours a week on a smartphone
• 78% of people between the age group of 18 – 24 years use Snapchat
• 71% of people between the age group of 18 – 24 years use Instagram
• 95% of people between the age group of 18 – 24 years use YouTube
• 42% of Gen Z thinks social media has a direct impact on how they feel about themselves.
• Gen Z people using Facebook dropped by 20% between 2015 to 2018. During the same duration, usage of snapshot and Instagram increased by 28% and 20% respectively.

While a few millennials used LinkedIn, statistics show how hardly any of Gen Z use the platform.

Why is recruiting Gen Z Different?

Recruitment generally speaking, is a combination of marketing and sales. You want to attract candidates and convert them into successful hires. When finding the right candidate, you look for the most relevant skill set.

Millennials go straight to job boards such as Indeed & CV library – and use email a form of communication. This makes it easy for companies to post on job boards and then follow up with emails to get the candidates attention.  But… things are starting to change now. It shows that generation Z have an even lower attention span and they prefer visual mediums, rather than text driven content. They like to shift from platform to platform – the newer for them, the better!

‘Isn’t Facebook for old people… ?’

Generation Z love for content to be right in front of them, which is why they like in-app notifications, push notifications and social media over email. They are mobile only people.

What changes can we make in Traditional Recruitment for Generation Z?

Recruitment is very traditional – they rely on email, job boards and telephoning people. So how can we up our game? Here are a few strategies we could be using to recruit Gen Z:

• Get a company YouTube Channel – remember they are a visual generation. If they have to look you up and they find just a load of text… they are not going to read it. On the channel, show the behind the scenes and the companies achievements.
• Messenger Bots – email is outdated, they are most likely to respond to a chat bot push notification. It can be used for building a sales funnel.
• Facebook Advertisement – Using ads that will crop up across all social media channels is a great way to recruit candidates. Also makes the process a lot quicker. Facebook can target certain audiences with the interests and skills that you want.
• Make your website interactive – put on your website as many videos you can, over big lengthy text. Don’t forget as well, the longer someone stays on you website the higher your SEO will rank.
• SMS text marketing – instead emails, send follow us messages through text. This is the mobile generation… they are constantly attached to this device! 

Summary

Now that we have observed how generation Z use social media and technology, we can see how different they are… even from the generation just before! They look at the world differently, and that’s because they can see the world from just a touch of a button. So get those visuals in place because with generation Z, if they can’t see you, they won’t use you.

With the Quantity Surveyor market busier than ever, it’s only natural that even the most content professionals are curious to know what the market is paying. If that’s you, and you are curious to know how you could boost your potential earnings, then you have come to the right place.

These are the top 5 ways you could boost your earning potential

Training/Skills

The more skills that you have on your CV and can demonstrate, the more valuable of an asset you are to an employer due to your versatility within the business.

Typically, employers seek Quantity Surveyors who have skills in the following areas:

1. Budgeting
2. Experience on Major Projects
3. Long-Term Planning
4. Risk Assessment
5. Leadership Skills
6. Negotiation
7. Strong Contractual Knowledge
8. Creativity
9. Continued commitment to further education
10. Financial Management

If you continue to hone in on these skills then you are in a good position to boost your earning potential. If your current employer isn’t able to offer you training or progression then why not look for a new opportunity where you are able to improve your skills and knowledge.

Relocate

Relocating can be vital for boosting earning potential as Quantity Surveyor and career location does often have an impact on salary. This is because it is well known that you can earn more in a big city rather than those a bit further afield.

Therefore, one of the best places to work as Quantity Surveyor is, London.

If you were looking to relocate and work within London and the surrounding counties you can typically expect to earn around 20 – 30 % more to not only compensate those increased costs of living in the capital but there is a much higher demand in the city. London has many projects going on and therefore plenty of work for Quantity Surveyors. Because of these qualities, the average base pay for Quantity Surveyors in London is £39,585 per annum, well above the national average.

Explore New Opportunities / Switch Sector

If you’ve been in your current role for a while then maybe it is time for a change and a great time for you to explore new opportunities. You will have accumulated many skills in your current role that will enable you to boost your earning potentials. If you are a QS with anywhere between 2-10 years relevant experience, you will be a sought after candidate.

With your experience you can move into a more senior position which will likely increase your salary to around £45,675 per annum. If you are someone who is looking to move into more of a management position then you can look at earning around £45,000 – £50,000 per annum. Of course the best way you can achieve this is to continue on your path of gaining experience and working towards learning as many new skills as you can.

Networking

This is something that is becoming more and more important when it comes to getting ahead of the game. Ensuring that you build a network of professionals, whether that be within your current place of work or those outside, it is extremely important and will be key to you being able to progress within your career. Networking doesn’t only connect you with individuals who can offer you advice and mentor you in the right direction it can also connect you with individuals who can help you find you your next move. Recruitment Consultants that specialise in your niche market can be fundamental when it comes to bringing you the right career move.

So what do you need to do?

Network, that’s right. You need to be networking with the right individuals, whether that be via LinkedIn or at expos.

Qualifications

Obviously having the most relevant qualifications is going to help you with your earning potential. However, it is surprising at the amount of people who have yet to gain notable QS qualifications, such as being RICS qualified.

As the leading property professional body, becoming a member of RICS opens up a world of opportunities. Over 118,000 professionals worldwide have now attained RICS status, gaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace. It is a known fact that individuals that are RICS qualified are more likely to earn more money due to the qualification being so highly recognised.

If you are wondering what to do next in your career as a Quantity Surveyor then download our free guide to give you all the tips you’ll need. – Open Guide

Check out some of our other QS Blogs: Here

World Water Day takes place on 22nd March every year. It is held to act on and tackle the world’s water crisis, with a target to make sure everyone on the planet has access to safe water by 2030. The theme for World Water Day 2019 is ‘Leaving no one behind’. This is an adaptation of the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: as sustainable development progresses, everyone must benefit. We are going to focus on 5 ways you can reduce your water waste.

So, how can you help?

Shower over Baths

It is well known that taking a shower will use much less water than having a bath. On average a bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons. So, you could have a 5 minute shower a day for 1 week which would accumulate to the same amount as having just one bath!

Leaks

We are all going to experience some leaky plumbing in our lives and if you’re like me you may put it off for as long as possible before you get someone out to fix it. This isn’t good, ignoring a small leak in your home could amount to a huge amount of water waste. Leaks from pipes, plumbing fixtures and fittings are a significant source of water waste for many households. Research has shown that the typical home can lose 2,000 to 20,000 gallons of water per year due to leaks.

Turn off those taps

We use taps to run our baths, brush our teeth, and wash our hands and for many other everyday tasks. According to waterwise.org ‘a running tap wastes over six litres per minute’, this means if adults brush their teeth the recommended twice a day for two minutes they could be wasting over 24 litres of water a day, this is more than is used in the average dishwasher cycle.

Don’t wash your clothes

Now, I don’t mean literally don’t wash your clothes. However, ensuring you’re not doing wasteful washes will ensure that you keep your water usage to a minimum. Washing a full machine load of clothes uses less water and energy than 2 half-loads . This is a bonus too as it means lower bills as well.

Get a low-flush for your toilet

The average UK household flushes the toilet 5,000 times per year . Which is why modern dual-flush systems save huge amounts of water. These systems use just 6 litres or 4 with a reduced flush which is much less than the 13 litres for each old-style single flush.

These few tips are super easy to change in your lifestyle every day and it could mean a huge amount for our environment! Do you have any other tips? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The 8^th of March has come around again and that can only mean one thing, International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. International Women’s Day has occurred for well over a century, with the first​ ​IWD gathering in 1911.

This year the theme of the day is Balance for Better which is all around making sure that a balanced world is a better world. Asking yourself how you can you help forge a more gender-balanced world as well as celebrating women’s achievement and raising awareness against bias behaviour. And above all else making sure that we all take action for equality.

At Highfield we are passionate about paving the way for equality and will always employ and reward for hard work and dedication and not based on gender. Recruitment can be a heavily male dominated industry, this is certainly not reflected at Highfield. We have a 60/40 Male/Female split at present and we are working to get that to 50/50. We have many amazing women working at Highfield, both part and full time across the sales floor and the operations team.

Kirsty has been with Highfield for three and a half years and is a prime example of how hard work and dedication provides you with a rewarding career and work life balance. From promotions to incentives, Kirsty has achieved a lot in the last few years.

Kirsty is a mother of 3 young boys which includes a set of twins that keeps her very busy at home! When asked about her work/life balance she commented on it saying “It’s excellent, I work for 24 hours over 4 days which gives me the perfect work/life balance so I can still enjoy taking and picking my children up from school and spend the evenings with them.” This is something we are passionate about at Highfield, we offer part time, flexible hours which helps parents especially to enable them to look after their children and work the hours that fits around their home schedule.

She got into recruitment when a good friend of hers encouraged her to go to an assessment day and since then she has not looked back. Before working at Highfield she had been working for another recruitment company but decided to join Highfield for many different reasons. One of those being the incentives and rewards available, which she consistently achieves for going above and beyond in her role. Another reason is the Highfield Culture, we aren’t corporate or a start-up but she still gets the family feel of working in a close knit team with an excellent reputation in the market.

Since starting at Highfield Kirsty has had many great achievements. The biggest one being promoted to Principal Consultant. As a part time employee this is an outstanding achievement. This promotion was achieved because of her constant hard work and dedication. In the last 12 months Kirsty has hit many incentives including numerous lunch clubs and being able to treat her husband to dinner in Hu Tong on the 33^rd floor of The Shard. Kirsty is consistently one of the top sales performers at Highfield and made the top 10 in 2018 which is even more impressive when she only works part time.

At Highfield we will continue to employ and appreciate all the women we have in the company. Everyone is treated exactly the same and will always be recognised for the work that they put into their job.

Are you thinking about starting a role in recruitment? Do you want to work for a company that supports women? Take a look at our Instagram @highfieldrec or check out our careers page.

Does architecture inspire you? Does it make you want to stop, look up and reflect on the time it has taken to construct this work of art?

Some of the most amazing architecture in the world has been created from a simple drawing and turned into a piece of art that will stand still. It is not like a painting hung on a wall that can be moved around. It is a still 3D image that can be admired by millions of people.

The Dancing House, Prague.

Famously nicknamed The Dancing House, Prague’s Nationale Nederlanden Building was designed by two architects. Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in cooperation with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry.

The very non-traditional design was controversial at the time because the house stands out among the Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous. The style the dancing house has taken is known as deconstructivist architecture due to its unusual shape. The “dancing” shape is supported by 99 concrete panels, each a different shape and dimension.

Lotus Temple, New Delhi

Situated in New Delhi, The Lotus Temple welcomes worshippers of all faiths. Giving it the status of the most visited building in the world, attracting 100 million people per year. The building was completed in 1986 and consists of 9 sides, 9 doors and a central hall, 40m high to accommodate 2,500 people at once.

It is called The Lotus Temple, quite simply because it is shaped like a Lotus Flower, consisting of 27 structures which resemble each individual petal.

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

The Petronas Towers stand at 451.9 meters tall, they once held the title of being the tallest buildings in the world, from 1998 – 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world. Construction started in 1993 and cost $1.6 billion dollars to complete. The twin towers were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur’s race track and have 88 floors.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Building work began in 1173 and went on for a further 199 years before completion in 1372. Construction of the tower occurred in three stages over 199 years. Work on the ground floor of the white marble campanile began on August 14, 1173, during a period of military success and prosperity. This ground floor is a blind arcade articulated by engaged columns with classical Corinthian capitals. The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor in 1178. This was due to a mere three-metre foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil, a design that was flawed from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for almost a century.

The Shard, London

If you are ever visiting London, then you will definitely not miss the shard as it is the tallest building in the UK. The Shard’s construction began in March 2009 and was eventually topped out on 30 March 2012, with it being inaugurated on 5 July 2012. The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor, at a height of 244 metres. The project’s architect designed The Shard as a spire-like sculpture emerging from the Thames.

Does Architecture inspire you? What is your favourite building in the world? Let us know and tweet as @highfieldrec 

Following the devastating damage caused by the hurricanes overseas, protection from water damage is the talking point for many people in the UK. But is it really possible to protect our homes and businesses from flooding when the worst occurs?

There has been a significant amount of flooding in the UK in the past 10 years, with the most recent damage affecting the South West in 2016. Manual measures are put in place relatively quickly when we receive warning from the Met Office of flood risk, but is there more that can be done earlier to minimise the need for manual intervention? Can nature help us to reduce the damage to flooding?

Blue Print for Water have outlined a number of opportunities that are coming up where the initial preparation for flooding can change;

• Water companies are producing their business plans and could propose to investigate the impact of measures to mitigate flooding on water resource resilience. As water companies now have a duty towards company and environmental resilience, this surely makes sense as a win-win?
• DEFRA is spending £15 million on natural flood management schemes, but has not allocated any money for monitoring. These schemes need to be monitored, not just for one year or three, but long-term to highlight the multiple benefits they provide, such as environmental resilience to dry weather events and water resources resilience.
• DEFRA’s 25 year environment plan has the potential to not only help the environment adapt in the face of climate change, but to help our communities adapt by creating, enhancing, protecting and restoring our natural spaces, and clearly recognising the benefits that the environment brings us.

What do you think? Can water companies really help to reduce the flooding risk in the UK? Or is manual intervention the best option to protect our livelihoods when we suffer the effects of climate change?

Contact us on Facebook or Twitter, or drop us an email [email protected] – we’d love to hear your thoughts.