This year, the Building the Future podcast has heard from a range of experts in their field – be it commercial real estate, art provenance or coastal regeneration.
We’ve also spoken to guests from the political sphere, and often the episode host has been a senior member of RICS bringing their own knowledge and authority to the conversation.
Here are seven episodes of Building the Future from 2023 that covered a broad variety of topics related to surveying, and should be essential listening for anyone working in the built environment:
The evolution of queer spaces
Our guests discuss the crisis being faced by venues for LGBTQ+ people around the world. What does a ‘queer space’ mean, why are they disappearing and why is it so important to preserve them? Featuring: Kelly Canterford MRICS, Tigrou Consulting; Charlie Smith MRICS, Cushman & Wakefield; Grace Forster, Savills; and Ed Welch, CBRE.
The challenges of art provenance
Three art experts consider the challenges of proving provenance for artworks that have travelled across borders and even continents, as well as how the job of an art surveyor has changed in recent years. The episode is hosted by Marianne Magnin, executive director at Art Identification Standard (AIS) and she is joined by Alvah Beander FRICS, president of Melanin Art Appraisals and Aubrey Catrone, owner of Proper Provenance.
Women of colour in real estate
What challenges are faced by women of colour working in real estate? And how can the industry address issues of representation? Sybil Taunton, head of diversity, equity and inclusion at RICS, speaks to Ally Reid MRICS, Europe real estate associate director at QNB Capital.
Regeneration in the Thames Estuary
The Thames Estuary Growth Board, chaired by Kate Willard OBE, is aiming to regenerate a large area of coastal south-east England, improving infrastructure and boosting local economies. Asking Willard exactly how that’s being done is Justin Sullivan FRICS, RICS Senior Vice President.
The race to net zero
Chris Skidmore is the MP for Kingswood who signed the UK’s net zero pledges into law in 2019, when he was the cabinet minister for energy. Ahead of the COP28 conference in Dubai, Luay Al-Khatib, director of knowledge and practice at RICS spoke to Skidmore about decarbonising buildings and balancing economic growth with a reduction in emissions.
Making a greener Manchester
Emma Causer, UK and Ireland market director at RICS, speaks to Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester. What do devolved powers mean for Greater Manchester and its ability to make independent decisions on its built environment?
'Remember why we became surveyors'
Ann Gray FRICS is the current president of RICS, whose 12-month term began in January 2023. Speaking to Simon Rawlinson MRICS, chair of the RICS Knowledge and Practice Committee, she discusses the highlights and challenges of her tenure, job satisfaction for surveyors and how RICS is implementing the changes recommended in the Bichard Review.
