Today, Thursday 2 May 2024, marks the British Board of Agrément’s 58th birthday.

Formed in 1966, the fundamental principles of the business were founded on safety, quality and to play our part in creating a safe built environment for all. We continue to do that to this day. Over the years, we have seen remarkable changes to industry with innovation becoming a fundamental driving force towards disrupting and defining a new approach to sustainable product creation, and safer working practices.

In our 58 years, we have seen a boom in efforts to reduce the ongoing housing shortage with more homes being built in the UK than any other time, which included residential tower blocks as a major part of the new housing mix. We’ve seen changes to building regulations to drive safety and improved building standards, and the development of ‘new towns’ aimed at creating more homes. We’ve seen dramatic changes in the way we insulate and heat our homes, and we’ve seen the development of initiatives like Runcorn’s Halton Brow residential development, which pioneered estate design that prioritises pedestrians over cars. We’ve seen new takes on improving homes as opposed to demolition, as a result of the 1969 Housing Act. We’ve seen a boom in the development of technology that drives safe, secure and comfortable homes, with safety standards in homes improving significantly in the 80s and 90s. New approaches to design and connectivity have seen the emergence of smart homes and smart cities placing our health and well-being at the core of how we design, build and live. A new norm for building housing established sustainability at the heart of the construction sector with binding national targets set around carbon emissions.

And the industry is not done yet. Innovation is growing; the path is set. And while we reflect on where the industry has been, our remit as a sector as a whole is that there is more work to be done to enable and embrace innovation as a critical disruptor to adapting quickly and easily to market requirements. We are proud to play our part in the chain that enables a safer built environment for all.

At the heart of our success lies the dedication, passion, and hard work of our staff – the backbone of our business.

And as we look to the future, our role is clear. We look forward to working with industry as we continue to enable innovate, accountability and making the construction industry fit for purpose and future-ready, built on the same rigorous and robust fundamentals that were at the core our early beginnings, all those 58 years ago.

We thank all of our clients, partners and supporters that have played an important part in our organisation and who continue to support and work with us.