14/10/2026
Two themes shaped yesterday’s Construction Leaders Roundtable at The Building Centre: competence in building safety, and the role of human judgement as AI adoption accelerates.
Benx Facades and our co-sponsors, CHPK Group were delighted to welcome senior design and construction professionals to the Building Centre in London for our second annual event.
Architects, designers, specifiers, contractors, and building compliance and risk specialists brought perspectives from across the industry to a lively day of discussion.
The morning focused on the implementation of the Building Safety Act. Last year, Gateway 2 bottlenecks dominated the conversation. This year, competence took centre stage.
There was broad agreement that competence is essential to changing construction’s culture, but significant uncertainty remains about what it means in practice across different roles and organisations. Delegates also raised concerns about cost pressures compromising building safety and the potential impact of the Building Safety Levy on development activity.
The encouraging message? Progress is being made, and organisations are increasingly embracing the importance of competence.
In the afternoon, we turned to AI: its adoption, practical uses and potential risks.
Every company represented was somewhere on the journey of exploring how AI could improve efficiency and productivity. While larger organisations have been investing in implementation for some time, it was particularly interesting to hear the innovative thinking and strategies in place at SMEs.
Our discussion ranged from AI’s role in building design to its implications for workforce structure, competence and succession planning. The consensus was clear: AI can deliver positive outcomes, but oversight by competent professionals remains essential. We should never be completely “pilotless”.
A thread connected both sessions: progress depends on people with the skills, judgement and accountability to put change into practice.
On behalf of Benx and CHPK group, a big "thank you" to all our delegates for their candour, insights... and humour. We look forward to seeing how these conversations —and the industry— develop before we meet again next year!
