Construction is often described as innovative. New materials appear, new regulations arrive, and modern building techniques are frequently discussed. Yet when it comes to the everyday tools used on site, progress can sometimes move more slowly.
One example sits right in front of us on building sites across the country: scaffolding.
Traditional scaffolding has been the backbone of construction for generations. Tube-and-board systems have surrounded buildings for decades, forming the familiar steel skeleton seen around housing blocks, offices and refurbishment projects. It is a system the industry knows well, and familiarity naturally brings confidence.
Yet alternatives exist, and one of the most interesting is mast climbing work platforms, often simply called mastclimbers.
These systems use a motorised platform that travels vertically up a mast tower fixed to the building. Workers can raise or lower the platform to the exact height they need, carrying both operatives and materials. For façade work, cladding installation, bricklaying or refurbishment projects, the system can change the way work is carried out.
One of the immediate differences is speed.
Mastclimbing platforms can often be erected far more quickly than traditional scaffolding. Once installed, the working platform can be moved up and down as required rather than crews having to dismantle and rebuild lifts as the work progresses. That alone can alter the rhythm of a project.
Then there is the working environment itself.
Traditional scaffolding often means wrapping buildings in sheeting and dense frameworks of steel poles. For residents living inside those buildings, particularly during refurbishment or remediation projects, that can dramatically reduce natural light and alter the atmosphere inside the property for months at a time.
Mastclimbing systems can offer a different experience. Because the structure is far lighter and more open, the building does not need to be enclosed in the same way. More daylight can enter the property, which can make a noticeable difference to people continuing to live there while works are underway.
That human side of construction is sometimes overlooked.
Residents inside buildings undergoing cladding replacement or major external repairs are often living through months of disruption. Noise, restricted views and reduced light can take a toll on people’s wellbeing, along with security and privacy issues. Approaches that reduce that impact are increasingly part of the wider conversation about responsible construction.
There is also the question of cost and efficiency. With Mastclimbers outperforming scaffolding in both areas.
Where mastclimbing platforms are suitable, contractors often find that projects can progress faster. Operatives can work at the exact height required, materials can be placed directly on the platform, and teams can move vertically without repeated reconfiguration of scaffolding lifts.
Despite these advantages, mastclimbing systems are still far less common on many UK projects than traditional scaffolding.
That raises an interesting point.
Construction is an industry built on experience and proven methods. When something works, many teams prefer to stay with the familiar. Yet new approaches can sometimes offer improvements that only become clear once they are seen in action.
This week on Construction Matters, Gareth Wax will be joined by myself, Hamish McLay, alongside Rob Munns, Head of Sales at BFT Mastclimbing.
Rob has spent years working with mastclimbing systems and has seen first-hand the pushback that new approaches can sometimes receive on construction sites. At the same time, he has also seen the difference these platforms can make once contractors begin using them.
It will be interesting to hear his perspective on why the industry can hesitate when faced with change, and how greater awareness might open the door to different ways of working.
Construction has always evolved. The question is rarely whether change will come. It is how quickly the industry chooses to embrace it.
Construction Matters airs live on Tuesday at 1pm.
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