The RICS Podcast

In April 2022, the Building Safety Act gained Royal Assent, an act which promises to fundamentally change how we design, build and manage properties.As with any lengthy bill with hundreds of clauses, though, it’s important to know the key issues surrounding the Act. Who better to lead us through an episode of The RICS Podcast than RICS’ Global Building Standards Director, Gary Strong.In episode 58, David Savage & Andy Thomas take us through some of the key amendments, protections for leaseholders, classification of defective premises, and much more.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:The RICS Building Safety Act Information Centre and other sources of useful documentationProtections in place for leaseholdersAmendments to what classifies defective premisesCurrent, unaddressed issues in the legislation which may need extra consideration in the near future

The real estate industry has the power to create tangible, large-scale change, and opportunities within the sector are becoming increasingly accessible to those from more diverse backgrounds.With an incredibly prolific CV of experiences to draw on, Sue Brown is a leading figure in evolving the real estate sector as Managing Director of Real Estate Balance.We hear from Sue on The RICS Podcast as she shares real estate’s true impact, how it can be best shared, and the initiatives that are embedding diversity, equity and inclusion throughout real estate.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:The real, positive impacts of the real estate industry and how that can be better publicisedEmbedding diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the sectorReal Estate Balance’s focus on a broad range of issues, from gender and race to social mobilityHow firms can better reach out into schools with schemes to help young, budding professionals

Alongside the surveying profession comes the responsibility to become a key decision maker, with aspects such as being an expert witness, compulsory purchase and telecoms disputesPeter McCrea is a member of the Upper Tribunal of the Lands Chamber, and calls upon his vast experience to settle legal disputes concerning land and property issues.We hear from Peter in this week’s podcast episode as he talks us through his career in the Upper Tribunal, how you can prepare to gain experience with tribunal work, and Peter’s vital charity endeavours as Chair of LionHeart.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:The role of the upper tribunal in the lands chamberAdvice for those looking to be involved with tribunal workThe expert witness role, and common weaknesses identifiedPeter’s personal commitment to charity work with Lionheart

In this podcast, Gill Quinn, Head of Candidate Support, will discuss the five steps we think are important to focus on when submitting for Final Assessment. And we are joined by Mike Pain, FRICS, Assessor, Chair, and all-round champion of all things candidate-related! If you are based outside of the UK & Ireland or would like to view further candidate support material, visit our dedicated page here: Candidate support (rics.org)This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:How to focus your content to prove competenciesWhy attention to detail is key Support available for those with learning difficulties like dyslexiaResources discussed during podcast: RICS Assessments Hub

As we move towards a net-zero world, the need to achieve sustainability will require us not only to consider new projects, but retrofitting existing buildings for the long term.Leading this key conversation with consideration for social value and the role of technology in this WBEF episode of The RICS Podcast, we hear the valuable insights of Susanne Eickermann-Riepe and Christopher Seymour.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:Current attitudes to retrofitting in different global regionsThe need to speed up decarbonisation in citiesWhy social outcomes should be a key consideration for improvementThe role of technology, its promises and its pitfalls

In our latest episode, our director of thought leadership, Ken Creighton speaks to Stuart Fraser a disaster risk expert. With most of the world susceptible to some kind of natural disaster and as the risks increase, this wide ranging discussion hones in on areas such as the importance of reliable data to inform risk management and mitigation and to assess the cost of recovery and reconstruction. For more information on the World Built Environment Forum please visit: https://www.rics.org/uk/wbef/You can also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram

Mark D. Fergus is a man whose career path demonstrates the incredible breadth of roles that those in the surveying profession can undertake, as far afield as the US and Dubai.Now based in Los Angeles as Executive Vice President of Cumming Group, we hear from Mark as he details the growth of ESG within global roles, adapting to differing regional approaches, and advice for those beginning their journey within the sector.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:Mark’s incredibly global experiences in Dubai, Egypt and the USThe unique regional approaches found in different regionsESG and diversity playing a growing role in the professionAdvice for those at the start of their journey as a surveyor, looking to gain a broad range of experiences

In this episode of the Modus podcast Building the Future, RICS’ senior vice president Ann Gray FRICS speaks to Native American architect Sam Olbekson, a citizen of the White Earth Nation of Minnesota Ojibwe.Olbekson, who works with indigenous organisations across the US, describes how and why he launched a Native American-owned architecture practice, Full Circle Indigenous Planning & Design. He says that having a small company has allowed him to develop a sense of trust with people that is harder to achieve if you are a large practice coming into a small community.They also discuss the fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural specificity, as well as the process of working with communities who have never undertaken a building project before. Olbekson highlights the different goals and priorities of the wide range of indigenous communities living in the US and describes the value of a well-executed project.

With September 2022’s Joint Position Statement on moisture and its effects on traditional buildings, we’ve seen one of the largest voluntary, collaborative, cross-industry commitments to improve standards.The document represents a remarkable step towards a unified understanding of the principles and competencies that should be used in the assessment of moisture within a traditional building.To break down the JPS 2022 and how it affects current practices, Sam Piplica speaks with Duncan Philips this week on The RICS Podcast.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:Context surrounding the creation of the JPS 2022 and why it was developedThe amount of specialist knowledge required to apply the principles within the statement

Accessibility & inclusion are among the fastest moving areas of development, and since 78% of disabilities are acquired in adult life, it’s an issue that’ll affect many of us even beyond our current awareness.The built environment plays a huge role in creating an accessible and inclusive world, and joining us on this week’s World Built Environment Forum podcast to discuss this pressing topic are Jean Hewitt (Senior Consultant in Inclusive Design at Buro Happold), Sharon Slinger (Owner of Constructing Rainbows Limited) and Vanessa Curtis (Co-Founder and Co-Chair at AbilityRE).This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:Why accessibility is a key issue for all of usHow early consideration of inclusion guides better, less costly projectsWhat can be achieved on an individual level and within organisationsSources of information to learn more