The construction industry has been battling with supply chain bottlenecks for many products in recent years. The notorious European brick shortage was one, and the last year has seen glass and all types of glazing becoming increasingly hard to come by as well.
Natasha Linhart, CEO of Atlante, said: "Glass in particular has now propped up as a big problem because there seems to be bottlenecks in the ordering system, in the whole supply chain, and in the value of the product, which is affected by the cost of energy.”
A considerable number of delays on site in the UK can be laid at the door of this glass shortage. Developers and contractors are finding it tough to source the required quantities of glazing they need for developments and this is slowing the whole process down.
Putting in windows is often the last step in making a building watertight, which is itself a key step in the continuing development. If a building isn’t watertight, many internal works can be delayed or halted entirely, and therefore a development cannot progress.
For example, some M&E works cannot be done in an environment that isn’t weatherproof. It is also the case that some materials such as plasterboard which are stored internally for use can get wet, damaged and then need replacing – causing even more delays and cost.
So, if you are facing a shortage of available glazing for your project, is there a way to beat this bottleneck?
If you are trying to cope with a glazing shortage that is holding up construction – or you are designing a building you suspect may end up affected by it – then one solution is to use a product like Specwall.
Specwall’s advanced wall system is able to be installed in any weather conditions thanks to the fact it is water permeable and does not promote mould growth at any stage. In contrast to plasterboard, it is not damaged by the elements and so won’t need replacing if it gets wet.
In fact, the situation is quite the opposite. Rather than being negatively affected by the weather, Specwall can actually form a protective barrier for other works like M&E in rooms or risers so that they can continue to progress even if the building as a whole is not yet weatherproof.
In this way, choosing Specwall for your building can allow you to continue building even if the glazing is not in place, and it gives you more leeway to wait out the glass shortages and enjoy a more generous time frame.
This has impacts up and down the construction programme and can lead to huge savings. Time and motion studies of Specwall show that you can reduce the time needed for installation by up to 55% when compared to other wall systems like plasterboard, blockwork and SFS. When that is combined with Specwall’s ability to unlock other areas of the programme, this is a major difference you can benefit from and one which allows you to beat the glazing bottleneck and stay on programme.
Want to learn more about Specwall and all the benefits that come with choosing it for your development? Get in touch today by clicking here.
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