Visitors to this year’s Kent Construction Expo on 3rd October will be treated to an inspirational vision of the future at the start of the day, via an opening keynote from the award-winning architect and broadcaster Piers Taylor.

As one of the brightest architects in the profession, with two architectural practices and numerous awards to his name, Piers will challenge his audience to consider what the key issues are facing the construction industry in the next 20 years.  Known for his resourceful ‘thinking outside of the box’ Piers likes to challenge mainstream convention and tackle head-on how construction professionals can conquer the environmental, structural and technical challenges currently facing the industry.

Kicking off the day with an upbeat call to action, Piers will examine what technological issues we need to reconcile in order to rethink the fundamentals of building and create collaborative networks to address the threat of climate change more directly.

As a leading thinker in this area, Piers is a familiar face on BBC2, co-presenting two series of ‘The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes’ with Caroline Quentin and three series of ‘The House that £100k Built’, which demonstrates to self-builders how to do more with less. The opening episode drew close to 3 million viewers – a first for an architectural TV series.

His other presenting credits include ‘Britain’s Most Spectacular Backyard Builds’, ‘Tricks of the Trade’ and ‘The Final Fix’ and he was also crowned the winner of Celebrity Mastermind in December 2016, his specialist subject being Bob Dylan.

Making his name as an innovative and original architect, Piers has designed a number of influential buildings, including the RIBA Award Winning ‘Room 13’ and the house ‘Moonshine’ which won the AJ Small Project Award. His built work has been published extensively and internationally, and typically pushes boundaries in terms of cost, technique and process.  He is known for his creative and resourceful thinking and has founded two architectural practices: Mitchell Taylor Workshop and Invisible Studio, which recently won 3 RIBA Awards, 2017 RIBA Award, the RIBA Sustainability Award and the RIBA Client of the Year Award for its Wolfson Tree Management Centre for Westonbirt Arboretum.

After Piers’ opening keynote at 9.30am, visitors to Kent Construction Expo can choose from an impressive programme of focused workshops, panel discussions and networking opportunities, designed to showcase new ideas, best practice and all the most important developments in the construction industry. Key topics being covered include incoming VAT changes, environmental law, new technology, skills shortages, gender equality, off-site construction, sustainability, mental health and major infrastructure developments across the South East.

Entry is free of charge, including access to the South East’s largest exhibition of construction suppliers and contractors from every stage of the supply chain.

The event is always very busy so visitors are advised to register in advance at: BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE HERE