Phillips Report on Building
The Working Party Report to the Minister of Works: The Phillips Report on Building, was published by HMSO in 1950.
It was the first post war report on construction and set out to assess:
- The organisation and efficiency of building operations, including those specialist and subcontracting trades.
- The position of the professions.
- The arrangements for financing operations.
- The types of contract in general use.
It was written within the context of lower productivity, higher material costs, optimistic reconstruction programmes, an acceleration of electrification, full employment and high wages. During the war, the construction industry lost 230,000 operatives.
Phillips suggest that more certainty should be achievable within the construction industry. He called for greater advance knowledge, better management and more complete preplanning with full working drawings and bills of quantities and the abolition of variations clauses.
He proposed that there should be more collaboration, co-ordination and flexibility across the industry, and suggested pay incentive schemes for workers to tackle the fall in productivity. He suggested some of the problems in the industry could be tackled by a standard contract for public procurement and called for an end to the proliferation of nominated subcontractors.
It was followed in 1962 by The Ministry of Works' 'Survey of Problems before the Construction Industries', commonly known as the Emmerson Report, which again found a lack of cohesion between the parties to construction contracts and proposed the standardisation of contracts and subcontracts.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Industry survey highlights persistent skills gap
Building engineering business survey by ECA in partnership with BESA, SELECT and SNIPEF.
IHBC Conservation Professional Practice Principles
Spotlighted in HEF Historic Environment Overview.
CIAT collaborates with CIOB, CIfA, Icon to launch The Arc
Helping clients find specialist historic environment professionals.
Government building safety remediation data releases
Show some progress, but a 50% gap not yet started.
Testing For A Safer Future; an initial industry response
A response to the Independent Review of the Construction Product Testing Regime.
Requirements for UK buildings in certain circumstances.
CLC guidance for dutyholders and accountable persons.
Types of contractor in the construction industry
A long list, but are any missing ?
The Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill 2023
Unanimously approved to legislation on May 14, 2024.
Asset information requirements AIR
In detail, with links to further resources.
Where it's AT Building Safety podcasts from CIAT
Unravelling the Golden Thread and CIAT’s Principal Designer Register for non-HRBs and HRBs.
What happened to Hadrian's Wall?
Its former stones can be found in buildings near its route.
Strategic ventilation in modern building design
Download your free guide.
Four new types of prior approval for solar developments
Online Planning Portal application types from 5 September.