To ensure a consistent global approach on a critical matter, RICS is part of a coalition working to establish International Fire Safety Standards. Gary Strong details the important work this coalition has been doing and looks at the value of installing, or retrofitting, sprinklers in all buildings.

On 1 April, the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards come into force in England and Wales. We outline the implications of the standards and look at the potential impact they could have on dilapidations claims.

Gary Strong reviews RICS policy initiatives since the Grenfell Tower fire, including plans to develop an international standard on fire safety and a government-backed national register of fire risk assessors with other organisations.

As the new academic year starts, the theme of this issue is education, and we focus on careers and training in particular.

We look at the implications of artificial intelligence for the human surveyor and show how satellite-based remote sensing is already helping professionals by monitoring ground movement in London. Building information modelling is another technology that features prominently.

The RICS pathways and competencies framework defines the knowledge and experience required to become a chartered surveyor. To ensure it remains relevant and represents practice, RICS has conducted a review of the framework, and we discuss progress on implementing its outcomes.

At the core of all the services that surveyors provide is the ability to strip a building down into its component parts in their mind’s eye; we concentrate on that ability: building pathology.

As we head into the new year, Building Surveying Journal has an energetic theme.

Focusing on legal matters, we explore a case with implications for all surveyors making party wall awards, and look at how the new building regulations emphasise the importance of sustainable digital infrastructure for broadband connectivity.