Involvement of construction management professionals in property-level flood adaptation

Flooding is a significant concern across the UK that has caused property damage, economic impact and health and safety concerns. The national climate change risk assessment for the UK projects the risk of flooding to increase in the future, and thus flood risk management is identified as an area that requires serious action. Whilst community level flood protection measures have been and are being put in places where there is an economic case for such intervention, the need for implementing property level flood adaptation (PLFA) is increasingly highlighted. This industry is worth £2.1 billion globally; with a forecasted UK growth at a rate of 7.1% by 2017-18. The aim of this research is to identify the ability of construction managers to provide PLFA advice to homeowners. Interviews were conducted with 10 professionals currently involved in flood adaptation product/service provision to gather their views on construction manager involvement within this niche area. Majority of participants interviewed accepted that construction managers could enter the PLFA industry. However, there has been a lack of evidence that suggest that construction managers have played a key role in this field. The paper suggests that there are several barriers that have resulted in the lack of involvement of construction managers in the PLFA industry. Previous research recognises lack of relevant skills and knowledge required to provide PLFA advice as a key barrier, this is supported by participants interviewed mentioning that the qualification, knowledge and training required were a barrier for construction managers to enter into the PLFA industry.