Client: Composites UK (on behalf of the Composites Leadership Forum, Construction Sector Group).

Industry: Construction & Advanced Materials.

Challenge: 

Despite their performance advantages (light weight, durability, low maintenance, corrosion resistance, etc.), FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymer) composites remain under-utilised in the UK construction sector. Barriers include cost (especially procurement focusing on first cost rather than whole life cost), limited awareness among architects, specifiers, and engineers, uncertainty around standards and regulation (fire, smoke, toxicity, durability), supply chain capacity, and a lack of robust data on life cycle performance and repairability. There was no coherent, up-to-date roadmap to guide the use of FRP composites across construction applications, align with UK government initiatives such as the Construction Sector Deal, or reflect the insights of the wider construction and composites communities.

Fluency’s Solution:

Fluency partnered with Composites UK to co-author a comprehensive, action-oriented roadmap for FRP composites in construction. Our approach included:

Stakeholder Engagement: Led a series of workshops and an industry-wide survey to capture insight from manufacturers, specifiers, designers, contractors, and regulatory bodies across building, infrastructure, and industrial applications.

Data Analysis & Strategy: Identified the key industry drivers, challenges, and opportunities, categorising findings into actionable themes such as economics, standards, skills, sustainability, and supply chain development.

Roadmap Development: Produced individual application roadmaps for priority construction use cases including platforms, bridges, modular buildings, and embedded technologies, outlining benefits, barriers, required actions, and timescales.

Vision & Alignment: Defined a clear industry vision and set of cross-application actions designed to align stakeholders, influence policy, and drive market adoption.

Results:

The collaboration produced the Vision & Roadmap for the Use of FRP Composites in Construction, a strategic framework now used by industry, government, and funding bodies to guide innovation and adoption. Outcomes include:

  • Increased awareness of the opportunities and barriers to FRP adoption among construction stakeholders.

  • A shared industry vision supported by actionable, time-bound steps for priority applications.

  • Clear alignment with government initiatives such as the Construction Sector Deal and Transforming Construction programme.

  • A catalyst for follow-on actions, including demonstrator projects, standards development, and skills initiatives.

Through structured engagement and expert authorship, Fluency Group helped create a blueprint that accelerates the adoption of composites in construction, supports the UK’s net zero ambitions, and drives innovation across the built environment.

Looking to develop an industry roadmap or strategic framework? Contact Fluency today!