The world of design and construction has shifted dramatically over the past 30 years and it is widely accepted that our industry suffers serious and significant problems of knowledge sharing, clarity of responsibility and mutual understanding. At best this leads to inefficiency, at worst it can lead to disaster.

The consequences of the most catastrophic recent failure – Grenfell Tower – have produced waves of reform in terms of regulation and working practice recommendations. While these measures are welcome, we may be collectively missing a bigger opportunity for reform because many of the fundamental problems encountered in design and construction are rooted in our education system.

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