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Category Archives: News

29
Jul 2021

Degree Apprenticeships | Helping Bridge the Gap Between Education and the Workplace

Half a century ago, securing a degree from even a semi-prestigious university provided a surety of job prospects and a vocational pathway. These days, thanks to the glut of university courses now out there, degrees don’t hold the same sort of weight they once did. In other words, today, simply having a degree is no guarantee of securing work. In fact, increasingly employers are citing candidates (more often than not recent graduates) being ‘over-qualified’ for the job they’re applying for, or that whilst they may have the grades and the academic knowhow, the requisite practical skills are sorely lacking. Apprenticeships […]

A group of graduates to represent degree apprenticeships
23
Jul 2021

Architectural Design: How Can Existing Building Stock be Made Greener?

In recent years, a lot of emphasis has been put on the construction of ultra-efficient, new-build homes and other buildings, and rightly so. Whilst this remains a core part of our striving towards a greener future, it’s not the only part. By overly focusing on the green credentials of new property, we risk missing out on the benefits of improving existing building stock. The benefits of doing this, in fact, arguably outweigh those of solely investing in the environmental performance of new property. The team here at Munday + Cramer, an architectural design practice particularly interested in seeing more being […]

16
Jul 2021

Building Surveying: Why are Housebuilders’ Costs Rising?

The RICS recently announced findings from its Building Cost Information Service’s (BCIS) Private Housing Construction Price Index (PHCPI) which indicated that, virtually across the board, housebuilding costs were on the rise. But why is this? The team here at Munday + Cramer, a building surveying firm here in Essex, took a look at the report (as well as wider industry commentary) to find out exactly that. The Statistics Of the parties surveyed to help put together the index, a staggering 96% of respondents reported an overall increase in costs, with cost increases in materials, labour and supply chain delays cited […]

A hammer to represent our building surveying post on why housebuilders' costs are rising.
8
Jul 2021

UK Government Announces CIF Funding

The UK Government’s Department for Education recently announced almost half a billion pounds (£483 million, to be precise) is to be set towards improving school facilities across England, as part of its Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). School-age children have been amongst the worst-affected by the Coronavirus, and this announcement from the Government comes as part of its pledge to ‘build back better’ following the pandemic. The team at Munday + Cramer, who offer extensive CIF funding application services in Essex, London and the rest of the South East, wanted to take a look at the announcement in a little more […]

25
Jun 2021

How Can Project Managers Continue To Successfully Deliver School Schemes, This Summer?

Whilst every section of society has been affected by coronavirus, those in education have been hit particularly hard. Around the globe, the pandemic has impacted over 80% of the world’s total enrolled learners. To counteract any further disruption, in the UK, the government has introduced its summer schools programme. The aim of this extra-curricular initiative is to offer those in education who have been negatively affected by the pandemic a well needed chance to catch up on their learning. But with construction schemes within schools typically carried out during school holidays, this understandably presents a conundrum for project managers. Here […]

Project Managers On Site
18
Jun 2021

How Can We Support Young and Aspiring Architects Over the Next Year?

There haven’t exactly been many winners over the past year or so. The pandemic has thwarted plans at every turn – across every industry and not just architecture. Our attention has been turned towards the work undertaken by keyworkers, and unquestionably rightly so. The architecture industry has also played an important role, however. The adaptation of healthcare buildings has drastically minimised levels of contact. Similarly, the reshuffling of hospitality settings has meant that they might continue to operate, albeit at reduced capacity in many cases. Such concerted efforts, however, have meant that architects on the entry-level of the field have […]

Architects at work.
11
Jun 2021

What Homebuyers Are Looking For In 2021 According To Our Surveyors

House prices are on the rise, unprecedentedly so. The extended stamp duty holiday brought in to help during the Coronavirus pandemic (along with other more complex economic drivers) has led to a buoyant market atmosphere in which house prices are increasing at their fastest rate seen in years. Clearly, then, the demand is there – but what exactly is it that consumers are demanding? At Munday + Cramer, we offer an extensive suite of surveying services, including homebuyer reports. We asked our surveyors what homebuyers have said to them that they’re most looking for in a property, and why. Garden […]

An image of yellow garden flowers to represent homebuyers increasingly looking towards garden space as a priority.
31
May 2021

Permitted Development Rights: What’s Allowed? (And What’s Not?)

As a homeowner, knowing what you can (and can’t) do without planning permissions can be altogether mystifying. Most are aware of the existence of permitted developments – those works which can be carried out without planning permissions – but as for what constitutes a permitted development? Well, that’s another story. Here at Munday + Cramer, we offer a variety of surveying services – including homebuyer’s survey – we thought it’d be helpful to run through both what’s allowed… and what’s not. What Is A Permitted Development? Permitted developments are exactly what they say on the tin; works permitted without needing […]

Building surveying: an extension to represent permitted developments
24
May 2021

Bid Applications: Unpacking The New Post-16 Capacity Fund

To cater to a predicted increase in the 16-19 year-old demographic, the UK Government recently announced a new capital funding scheme intended for institutions that offer Further Education (FE). The rollout of the new scheme coincides with the UK’s broader commitment to its ‘levelling up’ agenda; an initial £83 million has been set aside for the scheme’s first year, with the hope of striking a longer-term deal for funding in the near future. The team here at Munday + Cramer offer extensive support for bid applications in the south-east, ranging from CIF funding to Salix loans. We wanted to pick […]

24
May 2021

Architectural Design: The Rise Of Green Buildings

Architectural biodiversity has been around for a while as a concept, however it’s only really started taking root over the past decade or so. Biodiversity, in an architectural context, revolves around the interweaving of several different environmental ‘threads’, including the materials used within a building (and how they’re sourced), its effects on surrounding flora and fauna, as well as the resources needed to then sustain a building upon completion (in terms of energy and water, for instance). Here at Munday + Cramer, we offer extensive architectural design services as a firm; we wanted to look at this burgeoning environmental trend […]