The July 2026 issue is out now! Read your copy here

Editors letter

As I started to write my welcome message, I was amazed that the 2026 Football World Cup was just around the corner and that, by the time you are reading this, it will already have started and we will have watched the opening games for Scotland and England. Like many of you, as a kid I looked forward to watching the biggest characters and best footballers in the world before heading down to the local park to try and emulate them in a chaotic 20 a side game, or a game of Wembley, where you picked a World Cup team and had to score a goal to get through to the next round, with the last player left being knocked out, all alongside friends and footballing foes.

What always struck me was that, while the winning World Cup teams usually had some of the world’s best individual players, they were rarely successful because of individual talent alone. More often, they were the most connected, fluid, and collaborative teams, groups that worked together and understood that collective effort almost always outperforms individual brilliance.

These tournaments always remind us of the importance of teamwork, adaptability, and pulling together towards a common goal, values that are just as important in our industry and day to day work as they are on the football pitch.

These values are clearly demonstrated on page 12 of this issue, as we hear about the FIS Acoustic Classification Scheme which will allow pod manufacturers to submit test data that can be translated into a classification, replacing previously inconsistent approaches to acoustic performance reporting.

We take a look at a new guide from the Building Engineering Services Association to encourage those who commission building work to accelerate the adoption of building safety standards. You can read the full story on page 18.

On page 25, we hear from three FIS members who collaborated on a seamless ceiling installation at the Butlins Centre Stage building in Minehead.

David Crowson, Editor

April 2026

January 2026