Festival time for members and the FMB this August in Edinburgh

Once again the FMB will take to the stage at the Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival this August. Taking place just off the Royal Mile and part of the world famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this festival has practical demonstrations on maintaining and repairing traditional buildings. All the shows and demonstrations are free and aimed at the public.

The organisers: the Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum have always been eager to involve the FMB. On Wednesday 21 August Gavin Richardson of HM Raitt & Sons Ltd will deliver a sash & case window repair and maintenance demonstration and answer a range of questions from those attending. My thanks to Gavin for taking time out of his busy schedule to perform at the Fringe.

Sash and case windows

Many members will be familiar with these windows which are two glazed, with timber-framed components: the sashes, which slide up and down, and the case, in whose channels they sit. The channels of the case are formed by the case itself and by two strips of timber called the baton rod and the parting bead.

These type of windows are often seen in traditional properties including tenement flats which comprise around one quarter of all occupied dwellings in Scotland according to the 2019 Scottish House Condition survey.

The Green Home Festival comes to the gardens

In August 2022 Scotland’s first ever Green Home Festival took place, with FMB members playing a leading role during it and also at the 2023 festival. On 12 August, the Green Home Festival returns. As with the Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival it is part of the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe with homeowners as the primary audience. The FMB is a lead organiser of this festival, which is delivered by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV), of which the FMB is a member.

Is this Green Home Festival free to attend?

Yes. All of the shows will be run in-person in a marquee in Charlotte Square Gardens, in the centre of Edinburgh.

Which FMB members are participating in the Green Home Festival?

This year True Build Trade Services and Coldwells Build plus Associate Member The Isle of Skye Paint Company are participating.

Which shows should I attend?

The launch event on Monday 12 August, plus the three shows our members are involved in are my recommendations:

• Retrofit Explained: The Right Way to Deliver Retrofit
• Passivhaus Made Simple
• Sustainable Materials in Construction

The festival runs from 12 to 16 August and you are welcome to attend any of the shows during the week.

Do I need to book tickets?

Yes, all shows are free and although the marquee can hold 100, we are expecting a busy festival. You can book tickets for shows you would like to attend here.

Authors

Gordon Nelson

FMB Scotland Hub Director, Federation of Master Builders

Director, Federation of Master Builders Scotland

Gordon has nearly twenty years’ experience of working in membership organisations in Scotland and joined the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in 2014. Prior to this, he worked at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and for Unilever in business development, membership management and business-to-business marketing roles. Amongst his responsibilities in his role as the Director for FMB Scotland are public affairs, media relations, governance and representing member’s interests to Scottish policy makers and stakeholders within the Scottish construction industry. Gordon is the Secretary of the Cross-Party Group on Construction in the Scottish Parliament, and he is a member of the Scottish Building Standards Futures Board. Gordon represents the FMB on Scotland’s Construction Industry Collective Voice: which is comprised of the leading construction trade and professional bodies. In spring 2023 Gordon was appointed as an industry co-chair of the Construction Leaderships Forum’s (CLF) Transformation Board.

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