Green building demand rises

Mordor Intelligence values the global green building materials market at USD 333.03 million in 2026 and forecasts it to reach USD 531 million by 2031, naming Kingspan, Holcim, Owens Corning, Saint‑Gobain and BASF as major market players. (mordorintelligence.com) The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government published the Future Homes and Buildings Standards on 24 March 2026 and laid amendment regulations that come into force on 24 March 2027, with specific provisions for higher‑risk building work taking effect on 24 September 2027. (gov.uk) The government’s written statement says homes built to the new standards will be “zero carbon ready” and expected to reduce operational carbon by about 75% compared with 2013 standards, and the policy introduces new requirements for on‑site renewable electricity generation such as rooftop solar PV. (questions-statements.parliament.uk) Technical guidance published alongside the standards sets out compliance via the Home Energy Model or an updated SAP methodology (SAP 10.3) during the transitional period. (gov.uk) Parliamentary and policy targets envisage a rapid heat‑pump scale‑up—committee analysis referenced a 600,000‑per‑year installation ambition by 2028 while the Warm Homes Plan cites a target of 450,000 annual installations by 2030—and official deployment records show roughly 183,294 subsidy‑backed heat‑pump installs between January 2018 and September 2025. (publications.parliament.uk) Industry responses noted welcome clarity but flagged risks: trade press and builder groups warned the new standard could create viability pressures for SMEs and exacerbate supply‑chain and installer‑training gaps unless rollout and procurement are co‑ordinated at scale. (propertyweek.com)