The price of glass in Europe has risen 50% because of increased use in offices and supply shortages. Buyers say that lead times for some grades have risen to four months and they fear that more price rises are around the corner. Bovis Lend Lease facade construction specialist Richard Hart said that the price rises were creating problems for contractors. He said: "At Bovis we have had to put a lot of pressure on glass companies to make sure we can meet our project deadlines and ensure we get capacity down on paper at an early stage. In a recent project the only price to go up between phase one and phase two was for glass." Hart said dwindling supply was part of the problem. He said: "Glass companies are reluctant to increase capacity for what they see as short-term market demand." QS Davis Langdon & Everest said the glass shortage had been particularly felt in the UK because of increased construction activity. Partner Simon Rawlinson said there was a particular shortage in coated glass for glazed facades. Rawlinson said: "The market is quite unsettled, with curtain-walling companies at the high-quality end of the market finding it difficult to secure adequate supplies. "Glass procurement is the principal difficulty facing the high-quality curtain-walling industry in the UK.
