UK Construction Week London 2026 reinforced its position as the UK’s most influential construction and built environment event bringing together ministers, policymakers and industry leaders to engage directly with the sector on its biggest challenges.

Co-located with Futurebuild and the Stone & Surfaces Show, the event delivered three high-energy days of debate, innovation and collaboration covering housing, infrastructure, planning, skills, retrofit and economic growth. With packed aisles, standing-room-only theatres and high-level networking throughout, it remains unmatched in its ability to bring together government engagement, industry influence and market reach under one roof.

Against this backdrop, UKCW highlighted a sector under increasing pressure to connect across systems, disciplines and information. From façade integration to AI-driven discovery, delivering better buildings increasingly depends on clarity, collaboration and a system-led approach. 

This year’s event reflected an industry under pressure to evolve - driven by stricter regulation, increasing technical complexity, advancing AI technologies and a growing demand for demonstrable performance. For Siderise, our presence across two sessions reinforced a clear and consistent message: 

“Better buildings depend on better connection - between systems, between disciplines, and between the people designing and delivering them.” 

It was fantastic to see UKCW introduce the new Marketing and Procurement stage, offering a dedicated space for these crucial disciplines to discuss their journeys and influence in the built environment.   

Our Marketing Director, Penny Howell-Jones, proudly partook in a panel at the inaugural Marketing stage, for a discussion on ’AI, search and zero-click: what is keeping marketers awake at night?’ 

This Marketing-led discourse a saw UKCW highlight a shift in how construction organisations communicate - by exploring the intersection of brand, demand and artificial intelligence. 

These themes align with wider industry insight from SLG Marketing’s Horizon 2026 Report, which points to a sector navigating increasing complexity in both how products are specified - and how they are understood. 

The construction buying journey is no longer linear. Decisions are shaped earlier, often across multi-disciplinary teams with different priorities and levels of technical understanding. This means influence increasingly happens before direct engagement. 

At the same time, the role of brand is evolving. It is no longer simply about visibility, but about trust - particularly where technical solutions appear similar. In this context, brand becomes the accumulation of: 

• Technical expertise. 

• Consistency and clarity of information. 

• Proven application through real-world case studies. 

• Ongoing meaningful and reliable support across the project lifecycle. 

Artificial intelligence is accelerating this shift. As digital discovery evolves, technical content is no longer simply searched, it is interpreted, summarised and compared across sources. 

For manufacturers, this raises the bar. Intensified by the government’s current construction products reform affecting product information, content not only has to be technically accurate and unambiguous, but it must also be consistent across platforms and touchpoints, and structured to support interpretation.  At a time, which sees a serious overlap of rapid AI adoption vs. AI accuracy, it is fair to say that unclear or inconsistent information introduces more risk than ever. 

Kate Perrin, Marketing Director of Barbour ABI said:

"Attending UKCW/Futurebuild last week was rewarding, especially with the marketing agenda finally being placed front and centre where it belongs.

A personal highlight was chairing a panel of marketing leaders, including Penny Howell-Jones from Siderise. Together we dove deep into the world of AI and tackled the burning questions of what is currently keeping constrction marketers awake at night. It’s clear that our industry is at a massive turning point, and marketing is poised to lead the charge."

We have recently announced that we have successfully undergone the two-year review process for our CW-FS Firestop and had new ranges assessed under the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI). At this milestone, we wanted to reflect on the influence of the CCPI on the construction sector’s expectations and use of product information, and share some of our own insights as we seek to further embed the Code’s call for “clear, accurate, up-to-date, accessible and unambiguous” product data into our everyday processes and our culture. 

Since its launch, the CCPI has gained real momentum in its aim to “raise standards in construction product information and marketing and drive positive culture change.” It has not only provided welcome guidance at a product level but has been highlighted as an example of best practice by leading industry bodies, such as: 

• The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)- committed to support and promote the CCPI, including in its 2025 Guide to Products Critical to Safe Construction. 

• Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)- committed to promote the work of the CCPI to its members in its formal response to Grenfell Tower Phase 2 report recommendations. 

• Construction Leadership Council (CLC) - includes CCPI as a central element of its Building Safety Workstream. 

• Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) - CCPI Organisation Associate to support the code and registration across its membership and network 

• Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) – one of the first to become a CCPI Trade Associate, the ASFP has made CCPI a key criterion for manufacturer members to achieve ASFP Pass Mark.  

• Get it Right Initiative (GIRI) - the CCPI has become a member of GIRI – an industry-led organisation dedicated to eliminating error and improving the UK construction industry. 

Significantly, the Code has also been referenced and supported at a governmental level: 

• It was recommended for implementation by the ‘Independent Review of Construction Product Testing’ led by Paul Morrell OBE and Anneliese Day KC.  

• The CCPI is referenced in the Construction Products Reform Green Paper 2025 as an example of industry-led best practice including calls for “industry to significantly increase the take up of initiatives such as this Code.” 

• The Construction Playbook: Government Guidance on sourcing and contracting public works projects and programmes also “strongly encourage compliance and implementation” of building safety initiatives such as the CCPI.  

• PAS 2000: 2026 Construction products – Bringing safe products to market –  

• Code of practice, sponsored by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) – Clause 8 ‘Safety in construction product information’. 

It is therefore unsurprising that, by the end of 2025, there were 150+ companies registered with CCPI and 3000+ products are now under CCPI Assessed Mark, with 100% of companies undergoing the two-yearly reassessment. What’s more, the Code has evolved to include a separate Code for merchants and distributors and Demand-Side Supporters— companies that use or specify products in the construction and maintenance of the built environment who publicly pledge to champion the Code’s aims to raise standards of product information and deploy CCPI-Marked products where possible.  

A key part of the CCPI assessment process is its review of the Leadership and Culture surrounding the creation, maintenance and distribution of product safety and information. This is repeated every two-years to ensure high standards are continuously upheld. 

Our 2025 reassessment report, which included summarising survey responses from 41 randomly selected employees about the company’s approach, highlighted that there is “a common understanding that Siderise has a strong culture of “doing the right thing,” almost at all costs. This sentiment was consistently expressed in the discussions, particularly regarding fire safety.” 

It also stated that: “Those spoken to consistently expressed a view that Siderise strives to provide the highest quality, safest products, and accurate product information. They also emphasised the strong emphasis on “Integrity” in the daily work, which appears to stem from Siderise senior leadership.” 

Fire safety in glazed façade systems is a critical consideration—particularly in multistorey commercial and residential buildings. At the slab edge, firestopping plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the compartment floor by extending its fire resistance to the façade rear, helping to prevent fire from spreading vertically between storeys and supporting compliance with various fire and building codes and regulations.  

In this insights piece, we explain the performance differences between one-part and two-part perimeter joint firestopping systems to help project teams assess the most suitable option for curtain wall applications 

There are two types of curtain wall perimeter fire barrier solutions commonly available on the market. They can be broadly categorised into one-part dry-fit firestop systems and two-part safing-and-sealant firestop systems (also known as two-part pack-and-spray systems). While both approaches can achieve regulation and code compliance, the choice of system can significantly influence factors such as fire resistance and durability, installation speed and accuracy, long-term resilience, and ease of inspection and repeatability—making product choice a strategic decision on all kinds of projects. 

Ease of specification 

One-part dry-fit firestops can be ordered pre-cut to suit the cavity width and can be supplied as part of a complete system package from a single manufacturer with spandrel insulation, mullion and transom fire protection, plus ancillary components. These products are often tested together in multiple test scenarios, and third-party certified as a perimeter fire containment system for effective passive fire protection in the spandrel zone. 

Two-part wet-seal systems require a firesafing material and an appropriate sealant to be specified. To comply with the criteria of any third-party approvals or listings published by the sealant manufacturer, the safing insulation product should always be the same as that used in the certified tested system. Using substitution products risks undermining the specified fire resistance performance of the complete firestopping assembly, resulting in non-compliance. 

Resilience, durability and fire performance 

As we explore in this Insights blog, firestops installed within curtain walling systems must be durable enough to maintain their form and fit, even when subjected to façade and floor slab movement. The safing insulation component of two-part firestop systems typically comprises standard mineral wool insulation with horizontally oriented fibres. Most certification listings call for cut sections to be rotated 90° by the installation operative to reorient the fibres so that they run vertical to the floor slab when installed. If this does not take place, the fibres will run parallel and while this transverse alignment offers stability, continual exposure to building / façade movement makes the material more susceptible to degradation along its length, resulting in the fibre structure breaking down. This means that the ability of the safing material to recover from repeated compression cycles in-service is reduced. 

This can lead to the firesafing no longer maintaining the compression fit, increasing the risk of a gap forming between the product and the façade over time. Should this occur, the perimeter seal could fail prematurely, resulting in loss of compartmentation.  

Gaps will form between the curtain wall and the firestop if the safing material is unable to withstand stresses and strains from building and facade movement. 

Meanwhile, one-part firestops with a stone wool Lamella composition comprise vertically oriented fibres that run parallel to the substrate when installed. Products with a vertical fibre orientation are highly compressible and flexible laterally (across their width), which enables them to not only overcome challenges presented by curved and inclined façades much more easily, but accommodate the dynamic movement of the curtain wall or floor slab for their designed life. 

Due to their unique structure, Lamella firestops maintain their ability to recover throughout their design life, as demonstrated through extensive age and movement cycling testing. This means that the seal is continuously maintained throughout the lifetime of the building and for the required fire resistance period in the event of a fire. When exposed to fire, the foil facing is designed to delaminate from the stone wool Lamella core, allowing the built-in compression to be released. This enables the product to expand and maintain its compression fit and integrity, even under the greater thermal stresses caused by the fire load that leads to facade and floor slab deflection. 

Safing with a horizontal fibre orientation is resistant to lateral compression, whilst products with a vertical fibre orientation are highly compressible.

Both system types can be tested to UL 2079 for air leakage, determined as the L-rating, to simulate smoke movement through compartmentation in buildings. Leakage testing can assist authorities in determining the suitability of firestopping systems for the protection of floor openings and smoke barriers for the purpose of restricting the movement of smoke in accordance with the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 101 Life Safety Code. 

The difference between two-part spray and pack systems and one-part dry-fit systems is that the latter does not rely on a wet seal to provide an adequate L rating.

UL 2079 tests for air leakage to simulate smoke movement through compartmentation in buildings.

A common installation error with the safing component of two-part systems is the material not being rotated so that the fibres sit perpendicular to the slab edge before being installed, which, as mentioned earlier, negatively impacts durability thus performance. 

Before installing the smoke barrier of two-part wet-seal systems, surfaces must be prepared with extra care to allow adequate bonding and even curing. The wet compound must then be applied with a consistent thickness, in line with system testing as any variations in thickness that fail to meet the specified tested system design risks rendering it non-compliant. Transporting and setting up heavy spray rigs, with specialist equipment such as pumps and mixers, can be time-consuming as can labour intensive manual methods such as portable hand sprays or application by hand, while tight slab-edge zones often lack room for bulky equipment. 

In addition to having to wait for the right application conditions, the ‘curing’ and messy overspray clean up time needs to be accounted for in the project schedule. This installer-driven and weather-dependent approach can also make it challenging to achieve a replicable and verifiable level of quality across whole buildings of multiple storeys, creating bottlenecks. 

Typical installation process for two-part safing-sealant systems

Typical installation process for one-part dry-fix perimeter firestopping systems

In contrast, one-part dry-fit firestops are not as weather or temperature-sensitive and do not require any specialist application equipment or highly intensive surface preparation of the substrate. There are no curing times, wet or dry-film thickness complications. Their straightforward installation approach, including a standardised compression percentage, can streamline the installation process and help reduce the risk of human error. They also provide greater freedom for the installer in areas where access to the firestop zone is difficult after the façade is installed. Dry-fit firestops can also be installed before the façade (including from the soffit).

Joints exposed to water during the installation phase of wet-applied smoke seals can result in ‘washout’.

While traditional two-part firestop systems have been widely used all over the world, they often present challenges related to long-term durability, installation complexity, and inspection consistency. In contrast, one-part firestop systems that have been engineered and tested to key standards such as EN 1364-4, EN-1364-3 and ASTM E2307 offer a reliable alternative. By delivering uniform compression, accommodating façade movement, and enabling straightforward visual inspection, one-part dry-fit systems support code-compliant construction practices and help ensure consistent fire-resistance performance across every floor and project. 

Discover more about our one-part dry-fit Siderise CW-FS Firestop. 

Winning the Learning and Development Award at the HR in Wales Awards 2026 marks a significant milestone for Siderise. This insight shares how a values‑led approach to leadership development is strengthening capability, confidence, and culture across the business. 

Leadership development is a core part of Siderise’s long‑term commitment to building organisational capability, succession, and cultural confidence. Operating in a specialist manufacturing and life-safety critical construction product environment, we depend on strong, consistent leadership to support technical excellence, safety, collaboration, and performance. 

Entering the awards provided an opportunity to benchmark this work externally and demonstrate how a values‑led, structured approach to learning can deliver tangible cultural and commercial outcomes. 

Instead of introducing isolated programmes, Siderise built a connected values‑led leadership development ecosystem aligned to not only how we operate day‑to‑day but which also supported future readiness and a consistent leadership culture across the organisation. 

This included: 

• Clear leadership pathways linked to career progression. 

• Three core programmes: ASPIRE (aspiring leaders), RISE (operational leaders) and ELEVATE (senior leaders and executives). 

• Short, practical learning embedded into everyday work. 

• Coaching and mentoring 

• Integration with onboarding, performance reviews, and succession planning. 

External partnerships and funding were used strategically to extend impact, while maintaining strong internal ownership and cultural alignment. 

Alongside the CIPD, the HR in Wales Awards are among the most respected HR awards in the country. They are judged independently by experienced HR and business leaders across multiple sectors, providing external validation and confidence for customers, partners and regulators. 

The awards focus on impact, not activity—recognising what has genuinely changed and why it matters. Winning confirms that Siderise’s leadership development approach delivers measurable improvements in capability, confidence, and culture, strengthening credibility with colleagues, customers, partners, and regulators.