Researchers have demonstrated a way to control light with light using one third — in some cases, even less — of the energy typically required. The advancement, coupled with other developments, could lead to more powerful, energy-efficient computer chips.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161031125253.htm
Artificial muscles made significant gains when a literal twist in the development approach uncovered the tensile or stretchy abilities of polymer fibers once they were twisted and coiled into a spring-like geometry. In a similar manner to the powerful climbing tendrils of cucumber plants, the unique geometry gives the coil a flexing motion when fiber material shrinks a reaction that can be controlled with heat. Now, researchers have improved these tensile properties even further by focusing on the thermal properties of the polymer fiber and the molecular structure that makes best use of the chiral configuration.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161031124905.htm
Technology will benefit display companies in manufacturing low cost and light weight 2-D/3-D convertible displays for mobile applications, say investigators.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161031113245.htm
Results of a large-scale, multicenter study found that treatment with two thin-strut drug-eluting stents were both non-inferior to a durable polymer drug-eluting stent and showed favorable clinical outcomes at one year in treating an all-comers population with a high proportion of patients with acute coronary syndromes.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161031090322.htm
It’s a small change that makes a big difference. Researchers have developed a method that uses a one-degree change in temperature to alter the color of light that a semiconductor emits. The method, which uses a thin-film semiconductor layered on top of a heat-sensitive substrate material, offers a path to electronically triggering changes in the properties of semiconductor materials.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161028090254.htm
An American researcher is working on four projects that will help develop a better, smarter power grid. They’re looking for ways to modernize the distribution system that brings power to our homes and offices. They’re out to make a more reliable power grid for all of us. They want to build a smart grid.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161027094946.htm
Willmott Dixon is further expanding its workload in the science and technology sector with a £20m contract to build Wales’ first science park, located in Anglesey.
It comes as the builder is about to hand over a new home for the Met office’s supercomputer in Exeter, which is 13 times more powerful than the current system used by the Met Office.
Willmott Dixon also recently built the world’s leading satellite testing facility at Harwell Science Campus in Oxfordshire and the world’s quietest building at the University of Cambridge.
The has now been appointed by M-SParc (Menai Science Park), a subsidiary of Bangor University, to build its science park in Gaerwen.
Work begins this year, with Willmott Dixon teaming up with FaulknerBrown architects and Pwllheli-based Trawscoed Studio. When completed in early 2018 the new hub will provide offices, laboratory and workshop space for up to 700 people..
Phase one will consist of a 55,000 sq ft, three-storey building, constructed to BREEAM Excellence standards
The project on the 20 acre site came about after Bangor University secured £10.8m of funding from the Welsh Government and £10.2m of European Regional Development funding.
Anthony Dillon, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the North, said, “The science and technology industry is an important sector for the UK and we are excited about providing cutting-edge facilities for leading businesses and research in North Wales.”
A Luton man has been jailed for 18 months and recommended for deportation for falsely obtaining construction skills certification cards and working illegally working in the country.
The 34-year-old Indian national, Manjit Multani, paid someone to sit the health and safety tests required to obtain the Construction Skills Certification Scheme card and Construction Plant Certification Scheme card.
He then used the cards to work on various building sites across London and Milton Keynes, as well as using a number of fake names in order to work illegally in the UK.
Multani was arrested by Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers in February but failed to answer his bail. He was then arrested again on motoring offences when they discovered he was wanted by police.
He pleaded guilty in Luton Crown Court last month to eight charges including misuse of identity documents and fraudulently obtaining leave to remain in the UK.
Ian Sidney, Fraud Investigator at the Construction Industry Training Board led the investigation into Multani’s cards and qualifications and immediately revoked his CPCS card in February after the tip off from the Home Office.
Sidney assisted the Home Office with their investigation.
Sidney said: “The risks these people pose when illegally working in the construction industry are huge, so it’s encouraging to see that those who do brought to justice. Fraud is incredibly damaging to the reputation of the industry and worse, it puts people’s lives in jeopardy.
“Building sites can be hazardous if workers do not have the relevant training and qualifications, so it is lucky one was injured. We simply will not tolerate any illegal activities and will continue to work with the police to prosecute fraudsters.”
Employers are urged to conduct regular checks on cards either using CSCS smart card readers or the CITB online card checker on our website – please see attached link to check cards.
If you think you know someone using a fraudulent card you should:
BAM Construction has promoted Tim Chell to lead its £120m turnover western region.
He replaces Nick Goff, who is retiring as regional director of the Bristol-based business operation.
Chell, 49, who previously managed the BAM’s Cardiff office, now leads a team of 185 people and a supply chain of around 1,000 firms.
During his time in charge of the Welsh business for BAM, Chell led 26 projects with a combined value above £300m.
He said: “The construction industry faces many challenges. The foremost challenge is creating trust with our clients and supply chain as we ourselves change and develop.
“We’ve achieved this so far by creating quality relationships as a result of our progressive and non-contractual manner. This makes us good partners and problem solvers for both the public and private sectors.
Chell takes up his position from 1 November and lives near Newport.
from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2016/10/31/bam-construction-appoints-western-region-boss/
A Luton man has been jailed for 18 months and recommended for deportation for illegally working in the UK and cheating to obtain industry skills cards.
Indian national, Manjit Multani, paid someone to sit the health and safety tests required to obtain the Construction Skills Certification Scheme card and Construction Plant Certification Scheme card.
A Construction Industry Training Board investigation found he was using the cards to work on building sites across London and Milton Keynes.
Multani also used a number of fake names in order to work illegally in the UK.
He was arrested by Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers in February but failed to answer his bail.
He was then arrested again on motoring offences when they discovered he was wanted by police.
He pleaded guilty in Luton Crown Court to eight charges including misuse of identity documents and fraudulently obtaining leave to remain in the UK.
Ian Sidney, Fraud Investigator at the CITB led the investigation into Multani’s cards and qualifications and immediately revoked his CPCS card in February after the tip off from the Home Office.
Sidney assisted the Home Office with their investigation and provided a witness statement which was considered during sentencing.
He said: “The risks these people pose when illegally working in the construction industry are huge, so it’s encouraging to see that those who do brought to justice.
“Fraud is incredibly damaging to the reputation of the industry and worse, it puts people’s lives in jeopardy.
“Building sites can be hazardous if workers do not have the relevant training and qualifications, so it is lucky one was injured.
“We simply will not tolerate any illegal activities and will continue to work with the police to prosecute fraudsters.”
A roof tile range with built in solar panels has been unveiled by electric car specialist Tesla.
Chief executive Elon Musk believes the tiles are a more attractive way to harness energy than traditional solar panels.
The tiles are made from glass and come in four different styles.
Power generated from the tiles is stored in Tesla’s Powerall 2 home battery system which costs £4,500.
The launch comes ahead of a planned takeover of soaler installer SolarCity.
Musk said: “This is sort of the integrated future. An electric car, a Powerwall and a solar roof.
The range comes in four different styles
“The key is it needs to be beautiful, affordable and seamlessly integrated.”
He added that target markets were house builders and those looking to replace their roofs.
Shed specialist Winvic delivered another year of soaring growth and more than doubled pre-tax profit last year from £9.6m to £22.8m.
The firm is now targeting turnover of more than £500m this year after revenues jumped by over 80% to £418m, in the year to January 2016 with a staff of just 140.
The Northampton firm, which was set up in 2001, has grown rapidly in the last two years on surging demand for industrial and distribution warehouse construction.
Since 2014 sales have jumped from £135m and the firm now delivers an operating margin of 5.2%.
Winvic recently completed a one million sq ft hub in the East Midlands for Amazon. It is now understood to has just won a major distribution warehouse for Lidl at the Exeter Gateway site in East Devon and another in Leicester. Both schemes are together worth more than £40m.
Managing director Simon Girardier said: “The occupier led industrial and distribution opportunities would appear to remain strong, whereas speculative development is always subject to varying conditions.
“Our capability for largescale civil engineering, earthworks and infrastructure projects will allows us to construct a number of new developments throughout the year.”
He added that Winvic would also look towards retail projects for future growth after securing the Rushden Lakes retail scheme in East Northamptonshire this year.
“Our sectors of operation will broaden and we will look to secure work in the out of town retail sector.
“This type of work matches our skillset and can be accommodated comfortably within our existing infrastructure,” he said.
Faltering commercial workloads will be offset by strong growth in infrastructure and school spending over the next two years, according to latest industry forecast.
According to economists at the Construction Products Association construction will avoid a post-Brexit vote recession with slow growth of 0.2% and 0.3% this year and next.
The latest forecast is a sharp revision to the 3.6% predicted for 2017 and 2018 before the EU referendum.
While commercial office building is expected to be worst hit, strong growth is expected in infrastructure and education as the Government pulls the levers to keep the economy running.
Noble Francis, economics director at the CPA, said: “Surveys across the industry highlight that activity in the construction sector has been sustained post-referendum, primarily based upon work on projects that were signed in the 12-18 months before the referendum.
“Looking forward, projects in the pipeline mean that construction activity is likely to continue throughout the rest of 2016 and the first half of 2017, ” he said.
“From the second half of 2017, however, there is likely to be a clear division between the fortunes of privately-funded construction sectors where the current uncertainty is likely to have a major impact, and those that are largely unaffected by post-referendum uncertainty – such as infrastructure and education – which are either publicly-funded or in regulated sectors.”
Francis added that offices output is expected to decline 3% in 2017 and a further 10% in 2018. Industrial construction is also expected to fall 11.6% between 2015 and 2018 as renewal and refurbishment of existing factories continues but large manufacturers make fewer new major investments.
But major projects such as HS2, Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and the Thames Tideway Tunnel are anticipated to provide growth of 6.2% in 2017 and 10.2% in 2018.
Within education construction, activity is expected to rise 5.8% by 2018 due to public sector capital investment in the Priority School Building Programme and private sector investment in universities, including £1bn programmes at Manchester, Cambridge and Glasgow.
“Outside of these sectors, private house building has not been affected by the uncertainty so far and is expected to rise by 2.0% in 2016. It is anticipated to remain flat in 2017 before a 2.0% fall in 2018 due to slower demand as UK economic growth and real wage growth both weaken considerably next year.
“However, private house building could be boosted by new measures in the government’s Autumn Statement on 23 November. The slower real wage growth in 2017, driven by higher inflation due to the recent falls in Sterling, is also expected to lead to a decline in retail construction of 4% in 2017 and 2% in 2018. This in a sector already hit by the shift away from traditional retail towards online shopping.
“With an upcoming Autumn Statement, it is vital that the Chancellor focuses on reducing uncertainty for the private sector, sustaining the housing sector and ensuring delivery of education construction and major infrastructure projects already in the pipeline.”
Ministers are planning new measures to encourage banks to lend to offsite and modular housing specialists to help solve the housing crisis.
They hope the prefabricated housing push will speed up delivery and led to major saving through economies of scale.
A white paper is due out next month designed to galvanise the sector, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph.
More than 100,000 pre-packed modular homes could be created as the government looks at ways to meet its one million homes target by 2020.
Housing and planning minister Gavin Barwell said: “Offsite construction could provide a huge opportunity to increase housing supply and we want to see more innovation like this emulated across the housebuilding sector.
“The £3 billion Home Building Fund will help build more than 225,000 new homes and provide loans for small firms, custom builders, offsite construction and essential infrastructure, creating thousands of new jobs in the process.”
Several major players like Laing O’Rourke and Legal and General are targeting the sector, which has struggled to take off and reach its full potential in the UK.
A former police headquarters in Strathclyde is to be redeveloped into one of the country’s largest built for rent projects in one of the UK’s most significant post-Brexit vote property deals.
Private rented housing specialist Moda is pressing ahead with the £105m development of homes in what will be one of the UK’s most significant post-Brexit property deals.
Moda has engaged HAUS architects to transform the full Glasgow block complex on Pitt Street creating 365 flats with over 20,000 sq ft of ground floor commercial space.
The site, which is Moda’s fist in Scotland, is close to the Royal Concert Hall and Glasgow’s ‘theatreland’ district.
Oscar Brooks, head of acquisitions for Moda, said: “The old Strathclyde Police headquarters is a fantastic site right in the heart of Glasgow, and matches our vision of delivering high-quality housing for rent in city centre locations across the United Kingdom”
The land deal follows new s that Moda has secured planning for an £82m tower dubbed ‘The Lexington’ in Liverpool for 304 apartment as well unveiling plans to transform a 0.77-acre site in Birmingham city centre into a £145m premium rental development of 450 apartments. Both will be fully funded by Apache Capital.
Moda has to date secured a PRS development pipeline of over 5,000 apartments with an end gross development value of more than £1bn.
Schemes are planned in other prime city centre sites such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, London, Manchester and more. Moda continues to actively seek sites across the UK aspiring to become a nationwide market leader in the sector.
from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2016/10/31/former-glasgow-police-hq-set-for-105m-prs-scheme/
A man working for BAM Nuttall has died after sustaining injuries at an electricity substation in Moray, Scotland.
Health and safety inspectors are now investigating the circumstance of the incident, which occurred in Blackhillock substation on Friday morning.
Few details have emerged although the man has been confirmed as an employee of BAM Nuttall, which is working in joint venture with Siemens on the major expansion project.
The joint venture is working under a five-year framework for SHE Transmission to upgrade substation in the region.
BAM is responsible for the design and construction of all civil infrastructure including the substation platform, concrete foundations for electrical equipment, and buried services including drainage.
Stephen Fox, chief executive of BAM Nuttall, said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to all of the family, friends and colleagues of our employee, who was involved in this tragic incident.
“We are working closely with all relevant agencies and authorities and a full investigation is under way.”
The developer English Cities Fund has gained planning for two major schemes in Salford.
The regeneration of the New Bailey area of Salford Central is set to be boosted by a new 11-storey office development while the Middlewood Locks development will see a third major block of flats.
Plans for 2 New Bailey Square, designed by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, will complement the recently completed One New Bailey development, whichwas built by Bowmer & Kirkland.
The building will provide around 250,000 sq ft of office space with ground floor retail. The three-way joint venture between Muse Developments, Legal and General and the Homes and Communities Agency is currently considering funding options with a view to starting work on site in early 2017
Carillion is building two new blocks next to the planned 31-storey residential tower
English Cities Fund has also gained planning for a 33 storey tower of 843 flats and a multi-storey car park also created by architect AHR at Middlewood Locks developments.
DPP has been planning advisers to English Cities Fund, which is a partnership of Muse, Legal & General and HCA, on the Salford Central project for 10 years.
from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2016/10/31/salford-tower-blocks-get-thumbs-up/
Targeted medicine deliveries and increased energy efficiency are just two of many ways that nanoscience will improve our health and lives in the coming years, say researchers.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161026170152.htm
Optical microscopy experts are once again pushing the envelope of biological imaging. A research scientist in electrical engineering has designed and built a fluorescence-detection microscope that combines three-dimensional and high-resolution image processing that’s also faster than comparable techniques.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161025115446.htm
Stroke and spinal cord injury patients often require gait rehabilitation to regain the ability to walk or to help strengthen their muscles. Wearable “robot-assisted training” is quickly emerging as a method that helps improve this rehab process.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161025110318.htm
Patches of chain-like molecules placed across nanoscale particles can radically transform the optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of particle-based materials. Now, scientists have used cutting-edge electron tomography techniques—a process of 3D reconstructive imaging—to pinpoint the structure and composition of the polymer nano-patches.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161028134258.htm
New surface materials that are extremely difficult to wet both by water and oil have now been developed by scientists. Because they don’t need isolating air to stay trapped between the droplet and rough surface to prevent wetting, these surface materials work even when wet by another liquid. Researchers’ novel dual superlyophobic surfaces repel water even when covered by oil and oil when covered by water. So far, this has been regarded as contradictory to each other and not expected to be present on the same surface.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161028111700.htm
Finding the ideal position for interventional needles – as used in biopsies, for instance – is a difficult and time-consuming process. This can now be performed automatically, using a robotic arm to place a needle guide for the doctor at the optimal insertion point. With robotic assistance, doctors need five minutes to position the needle, as opposed to 30 minutes with conventional techniques.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161028085836.htm
Boosting the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles by “harvesting” the energy generated by their shock absorbers and feeding it back into batteries or electrical systems such as air conditioning has become a major goal in automotive engineering. Now, a researcher has made a breakthrough by designing a new system and constructing a prototype that is ready for real-world testing.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161028085833.htm
For scientists listening in on the faint whispers of brain neurons, a first-ever robotic technique for cleaning the tiny devices that record the signals could facilitate a new level of automation in neuroscience research. That could accelerate the gathering of information used to map the functions of brain cells and ultimately provide a better understanding what’s going on between our ears.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161025135956.htm
Liverpool heating engineer and entrepreneur Shaun Maclean has bought Wigan specialist cladding and rendering contractor Astley Facades for £1.
Home improvement group Entu (UK) announced the deal to offload the company just 18 months after buying the business for £200,000 from Gentoo.
Astley specialises in exterior wall insulation, render and specialist cladding for new-build construction and the refurbishment of existing stock.
Entu said that since its acquisition in March 2015, Astley had grown its order book significantly.
“However, in line with the general direction of the specialist facades market, Astley is increasingly engaged as a subcontractor on a number of large, long term, construction contracts which is, typically, lower margin business and not in line with Entu’s core customer base and specialisms,” explained an Entu spokesman.
Maclean, who started out as a heating engineer at the age of 16, rose to prominence in 1996 when he founded Manchester-based Apollo Heating.
After running the business for 10 years he sold it to the Yorkshire outsourcing specialist Spice.
The Duality Group, owned by Maclean and accountant Martin Holmes, is the new owner of the rendering and cladding business.
Health and Safety inspector are investigating the death of an electrician at steelwork contractor Cleveland Bridge’s factory in Darlington on Tuesday.
The man in his 50s is understood to have fallen while working in the vicinity of an overhead travelling crane at the works in Yarm Road, Darlington.
He was described as critically ill when taken to The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, but died later at the hospital.
A spokeswoman for the firm said: “Everyone within the company is deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic accident and our thoughts and prayers are with our colleague’s family, friends and co-workers.
“A thorough internal investigation of the incident has already been instigated and we are working closely with, and fully supporting, the Health and Safety Executive in its review.”
from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2016/10/28/electrician-dies-after-cleveland-bridge-factory-fall/
Joint developers Lendlease and London & Continental Railways have gained consent for the third major building in their International Quarter development at Stratford in east London.
The large office project will rise to 21 storeys offering almost 800,000 sq ft of space. Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, building S4 in Zone 2 of the development plan will cost an estimated £250m to build.
The construction arm of Lendlease will deliver the project, which is nearly the size of the combined two earlier buildings for Transport for London and the Financial Conduct Authority.
Ben O’Rourke, Lendlease’s managing director of International Quarter London, said: “This building reflects International Quarter London’s focus on creating a pioneering workplace for progressive businesses, placing culture, health and wellbeing at its heart.
“The flexible design will allow it to be occupied by single or multiple tenants, and includes a number of technological innovations which are firsts in the UK on this scale.
“For example, it will feature an intelligent closed-cavity façade which tracks the sun with dynamic shading and a supply of 100% fresh air throughout the building.”
The Carpenter Square elevation will offer six large garden balconies
Building S4 is one of several commercial office buildings planned for the IQL south site over the next few years.
A construction firm that operated across the south of England since 1998 has ceased trading with the loss of 14 jobs.
The Construction Partnership Limited – formerly known as Ashe Construction (Southern) – was forced to call in administrators after protracted payment disputes with two councils.
The £11m turnover chartered building company has offices in Southampton and Surrey and operates across London and the Home Counties working up jobs worth up to £4m.
It specialised in new build, refurbishment and alteration work operating in various markets including residential, education, health and commercial – but suffered payment issues on two major jobs.
Matthew Fox, a partner at insolvency and restructuring firm CVR Global, said: “This was a successful, profitable company which has delivered hundreds of schemes but disputes around projects delivered for two local councils left it with serious cash flow problems.
“This meant the directors had no choice but to appoint administrators. All its building projects have ceased and all staff have been made redundant.
“Typically companies in this sector have large networks of subcontractors and in this instance we believe that may number over 200 companies and individuals.”
He added: “We are currently investigating the possibility of further legal challenges over the two council contracts where payment has been withheld.”
from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2016/10/28/200-firms-out-of-pocket-as-builder-collapses/
HS2 is planning a suppliers and contractors day for planned rail system and M&E packages on the £17bn first phase of the project.
The industry day will take place in Birmingham on 18 January, with further details to be confirmed closer to the day.
HS2 aims to highlight the opportunities from the forthcoming railway systems procurement.
This will involve design and construction of heavy rail systems, tunnel M&E services and ventilation, power, network communications and signalling.
Under present plans the rail systems will be split into 4-6 route-wide packages, functionally based with number of systems per package based on market capability and technical interfaces.
Procurement is expected to start in the middle of next year with contract awards penciled in for 2020.
Interested firms can register to attend on the HS2 website.
Mersey Gateway bridge contractors have achieved a key project milestone connecting the first stay cable from the south pylon to the main bridge deck.
Each stay cable consists of up to 91 individual steel strands
The 52m long cable one of 146 that will support Halton’s new 1km long reinforced concrete bridge from three pylons.
Gareth Stuart, Project Director of the Merseylink construction joint venture, said: “This marks a momentous occasion for the project.
“The stay cables will be an iconic feature of this landmark structure making it one of the most recognisable bridges in the UK.
“We’re now entering a new, very visual phase of the bridge construction, where people will be able to see the stay cables connected to the bridge deck as it emerges across the river week by week.”
Over 810 miles of the strands will be used on the project, around the same distance from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
Together the stay cables have a total load bearing capacity of about 53,500 tonnes, which is heavier than the QE2 ocean liner.
At 80 metres high, the central pylon will be shorter than the two outer pylons, which at 110 metres high (north pylon) and 125 metres high (south pylon) will give the bridge a unique look.
Layers of graphene separated by nanotube pillars of boron nitride may be a suitable material to store hydrogen fuel in cars, according to scientists.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161024171653.htm
An electric current will not only heat a hybrid metamaterial, but will also trigger it to change state and fade into the background like a chameleon in what may be the proof-of-concept of the first controllable metamaterial device, or metadevice, according to a team of engineers.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161027121852.htm
The football got a bit forgotten after Wednesday night as the West Ham v Chelsea clash on the terraces made more headlines than anything that happened on the pitch.
That must have been some consolation for John Terry who endured a torrid evening.
It was his first game back after a six-week lay off but it looked like Old Father Time is catching up with JT at a rate of knots.
West Ham’s lightning quick and very mobile Michail Antonio was pulling Terry – and the rest of the Chelsea back line – all over the place.
Terry is rightly a Chelsea legend but this looks like it could be a tricky season for him.
A a former fairly sedate centre half myself I’ve long backed the theory that the first yard or so is in the head.
But when your legs need that to be at least five that’s a bit of a problem.
West Ham deserved their win on Wednesday in what was a good old-fashioned London derby.
The “trouble” wasn’t much more than two groups of beered-up morons shouting at each other from behind the safety of a cordon of stewards.
It’s all a bit embarassing in the cold light of day.
It looked a lot worse on TV than in the stadium on the night and hopefully the club will sort out the few remaining teething troubles.
So let’s get down to business and try and pick a winner for the weekend after last week’s treble bombed out with three unexpected draws.
Betting Spy has been on such a dire run that’s it’s time to break all of our golden rules.
That means backing West ham away up north at an attractive looking 7/2 to beat Everton.
Everton started the season like a train while the Hammers were stuck in the sidings.
But the Toffees have only taken two points from their last four league games while West Ham are undefeated in three.
Football’s a form game so let’s take a gamble on the Hammers’ revival continuing.
Betting Spy has joined forces with Paddy Power to offer all readers a free bet when they open an account. Just click on the link below to visit construction’s favourite bookmaker to find out all the latest prices and follow the easy steps to setting-up an online, telephone or mobile account
Running total of all bets to a £10 stake for 2016/17 season: £-65.00
In the last decades, nanomaterials have gained broad scientific and technological interest due to their unusual properties compared to micrometre-sized materials. At this scale, matter shows properties governed by size. At the present time, nanomaterials are studied to be employed in many different fields, including the nuclear one. Thus, nuclear fuels production, structural materials, separation techniques and waste management, all may benefit from an excellent knowledge in the nano-nuclear technology. No wonder researchers are on the constant lookout for better ways to improve their production.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161027122852.htm
The discovery of chains of atoms in a two-dimensional crystal could help researchers control the properties of matter.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161027094613.htm
Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick has picked up a £20m-plus contract for M&E works pharmaceutical research and innovation facility being built in Hull for Reckitt Benckiser.
Project Wren for Reckitt Benckiser includes both the upgrade of an existing 4,000m² office building and a new 10,000m² laboratory building,
Main contractor M+W Group awarded the job that starts on site now and will see installation of a new ventilation system, small power and lighting systems, fire and intruder alarms and a building management system.
Simon Lafferty, Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick managing director said: “This facility will be a flagship building and will allow us to showcase our wide range of mechanical and electrical expertise, including our design team’s knowledge of hi-tech and process sectors.
“We have collaborated with M+W Group to produce a joint BIM strategy, as well as detailed programme and commissioning plans to facilitate their needs both in the construction phase and beyond.”
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With completion expected late next year, Balfour Beatty will employ a direct workforce of 175 at peak construction and offer four trade apprenticeships to further support Balfour Beatty’s commitment to The 5% Club, a UK employer-led initiative focused on creating momentum behind the recruitment of apprentices and graduates into the workforce.
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Construction output fell by 1.4% in the third quarter in what are the first official GDP figures to be released since the EU referendum.
The fall follows a 0.1% downward blip in the previous quarter and means that construction output against the same period a year ago is down by just 0.2%.
Construction led falls at all major industries including agriculture and production but strong growth from the powerhouse services sector resulted in GDP growth of 0.5% in the third quarter.
The fall in construction GDP was the biggest for four years, but economic watchers said the preliminary estimates were likely to be upgraded when all figures have been returned.
Subcontractors and suppliers across Nottinghamshire are being invited to the latest Constructionline “Meet the Buyer” event next week.
Wates, Kier and the NHS London Procurement Partnership are among the firms looking to boost their supply chains.
Local contractor Jeakins Weir will also be looking for specialists to work on a string of contracts including a new £4.5m primary school job in Northamptonshire.
The Nottingham event takes place on Tuesday November 1 at Goosedale Conference Centre, Goosedale Lane Moor Road, Papplewick, NG6 8UJ from 8am to 2.30pm.
Attendance is free for Constructionline members and £30 for non-members.
To register click here
Arcadis chief executive Neil McArthur has stepped down after a difference of opinion over the consulting giant’s future direction.
He will be temporarily replaced by chief financial officer Renier Vree, the company said in a trading update today.
Arcadis revealed it had suffered a challenging third quarter hit by weakness in emerging markets and the sharp fall in Sterling.
Arcadis said its operating income fell 34% to €43m, missing market forecasts.
In the UK, which accounts for 17% of total revenue, Arcadis suffered a fall in turnover. The decrease in revenue was mainly due to a 9% currency effect.
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Net revenues grew organically with 3% due to good growth in infrastructure and water, but buildings revenue declined due to Brexit-related delays in clients’ investment decisions.
Vree said: “We will continue to focus on winning work with our clients and cash collection.
“Furthermore we will step up the pace in aligning our cost structure to the new market realities and simplify the organisation. The strategy process remains ongoing and we will disclose our strategy update at the beginning of 2017.”
Commenting on his decision to step down McArthur said: “I am proud of what we have achieved as a company over the past five years.
“Together, we have expanded our core business organically and through acquisitions, going from a €2bn 15,000 people organization in 2012, to a €3.4bn global multinational with 27,000 people under a single global brand, with a collaborative structure and culture.
“Now it’s time for someone else to lead Arcadis through the next stage of our journey.”
McArthur receives one year salary of €630,000 as part of the agreement.
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Parts of the Elliott Thomas Group are set to be placed into administration putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
The Enquirer understands the group has been hit by a cash-flow crisis following a payment dispute on a south London apartment and hotel job.
An administrator is set to be confirmed imminently at Elliott Thomas Logistics and Prime Construction.
But group companies Taylor’s Hoists and Rainsford Contracts have been taken over in a joint venture between the existing management and Lyndon Scaffolding which will save the jobs of 90 staff.
The entire group had around 420 staff and self employed workers on its books.
Site staff were first made aware of problems on Monday morning when they were sent home from projects across London.
The cash-flow crisis centred on Prime Construction which was established back in 2012.
The Enquirer understands the firm became involved in a payment dispute with its client at the £11.9m Bear Gardens project in London’s Bankside.
The 75-bed apart-hotel scheme was 37-weeks late which led to claims of around £2.5m.
The dispute went to adjudication but bankers for Elliott Thomas pulled the firm’s overdraft facility while discussions were still ongoing.
The client on the Bear Gardens job was a Guernsey-based property developer and RISE was the project manager.
One contractor said: “This has come as a bit of a surprise and hit a lot of London jobs.
“Elliott Thomas are one of the biggest names in logistics and a lot of sites rely on them.”
Latest accounts show the group made a pre-tax profit of £148,000 on a turnover of £54 m for the year to March 2015.
A deal to save Taylor’s Hoists and Rainsfords Contracts was struck on the eve of the rest of the group’s imminent administration.
Birmingham based Lyndon is the UK’s largest specialist scaffolding contractor employing 500 staff with a turnover of £45m.
Planning approval had previously been granted for an 18-storey hotel next to this first resi tower, but Regal revised its plans due to strong demand for residential properties.
Both buildings have been designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects. With planning approval, work on the second building could start early next year for completion in 2019.
Regal’s Roger Holbeche, said that demand for city centre housing was huge.
“The latest statistics show that Birmingham will need 89,000 new households to meet the growing demand, including family properties, affordable housing and city centre living.
The last update on these figures suggested that the city still has to find space for 38,000 of these homes and it’s schemes such as ours that can help meet this demand.”
Developers are pressing ahead with plans to build the City of London’s tallest tower on the site of the former Pinnacle building project, after several months delay following the Brexit vote.
Axa Investment Managers Real Assets, the property arm of the French insurance group, has decided to back the 62-storey office project at 22 Bishopsgate.
Its decision ends a decade of starts and stops for the key site in the Square Mile. More importantly it signals ongoing confidence in the London office market.
Axa and development partner Lipton Rogers expect to finalise the appointment of Brookfield Multiplex for the main build of the tower within the next few weeks allowing work to start soon after.
The 1.4m sq ft skyscraper will fill an obvious gap at the centre of the City’s cluster of tall buildings.
Firms up for key packages on the £500m construction job include steelwork contractor Severfield, Carey’s for concrete packages, T Clarke is in line for the electricals and M J Lonsdale set for the mechanicals.
Significant preparatory works have already been undertaken on the site, including substantially completing the foundations and ground works, which utilised those from the previously unfinished Pinnacle development, which stalled after the 2008 financial crisis.
This will allow for an accelerated construction timetable, with a target completion date of 2019.
Pierre Vaquier, CEO of AXA IM – Real Assets, said: “Our ongoing commitment to 22 Bishopsgate reflects our firm belief, and that of our clients and partners, in this development project, aligned to the fact we are taking a long term view of this investment.
“The decision to proceed underscores our confidence in the progressive and attractive development that we will deliver at 22, coupled with the anticipated breadth of demand from local and global occupiers for easily accessible space in a prime location in the City of London, as one of the leading global centres for international business, that will respond to their future business needs.”
Brain functions are controlled by millions of brain cells. However, in order to understand how the brain controls functions, such as simple reflexes or learning and memory, we must be able to record the activity of large networks and groups of neurons. Conventional methods have allowed scientists to record the activity of neurons for minutes, but a new technology, known as a bionic hybrid neuro chip, is able to record activity in animal brain cells for weeks at a much higher resolution.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161026104627.htm
Safety specialist JSP has launched a new lighting system for its hard hats to make workers more visibile on site.
The Visilite system clips onto safety helmets and allowing the fibre optic lights to illuminate workers without dazzling their colleagues.
It is easy to fit to the JSP Evo range of helmets and is highly durable to withstand knocks and scrapes.
The Visilite comes in three lighting modes – static, fast flash or slow flash – and is visible up to 50 metres.
The unit is USB rechargeable, comes with a Micro USB cable and can be charged whilst fitted to the
helmet.
JSP said: “The Visilite has been developed in reaction to certain customers who wanted to draw attention to their construction workers to keep them visible on site and when they are travelling back and forth to their working area.”
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J. Murphy & Sons has secured the project to build a converter station in Kent for the Nemo Link connector between the UK and Belgium .
The Nemo Link electrical interconnector project is being developed by a joint venture between National Grid Interconnectors and Belgium’s Elia.
Murphy is working in partnership with Siemens, having partnered successfully to deliver substations across the UK for clients including National Grid, and will develop nine buildings at the eight hectare Nemo Link compound.
Vincent Bowler, operations director for power at Murphy, said: “This promises to be a hugely innovative project for the industry as a whole.
“We are appointing key personnel across our in-house power team, specialists in contracts of this nature, to ensure we deliver all the elements needed to make this international bi-directional project a success.”
Paul Tooth, head of interconnectors at Siemens, said: “We have selected Murphy as our partner for this prestigious project and look forward to working with them again, to build upon our previously successful collaborations in the UK energy market.”
Nemo Link®’s high voltage direct current electrical interconnector will have a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, to transfer electrical power via subsea cables between the UK and Belgium.
The bi-directional power will flow in either direction at different times, depending on the supply and demand in each country.
The work by Murphy begins this month and is expected to be completed next year, when the interconnector is scheduled for commercial operation by 2018.
The Government has started the review into the future role of both the construction and engineering construction industry training boards.
Former chief construction adviser Paul Morrell will conduct the review into the future shape of training boards as the Government prepares to roll out its new pan industry apprenticeship levy next year.
The move has created a complicated training levy and funding structure, which has created confusion in the industry at a time when demand for skills is at its highest.
The announcement follows Mark Farmer’s Modernise or Die report for the Construction Leadership Council, which posed several questions about the ability of the construction sector to maintain and expand capacity, and the effectiveness and future role for the Construction Industry Training Board.
Morrell, a former senior partner of Davis Langdon, and the government’s first Chief Construction Adviser until 2012, produced the ‘Low Carbon Construction’ six years ago for Government.
Robert Halfon, Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills said: “The government’s ambitious infrastructure and housing plans require a step up in capability and capacity in the construction sector.
“Training boards can help deliver the skills we desperately need and I look forward to seeing some real recommendations from this review.”
The first homes in an £800m investment to build new rental properties across England will be delivered in Norfolk Park, Sheffield.
The development of 24 apartments, on land off Park Grange Road, involves the Sheffield Housing Company and Sigma Capital Group.
SHC has already completed 300 of the 2,300 homes it plans to build across Sheffield over the next 15 years.
Most SHC homes are built for private sale but they have recently branched into the shared ownership market with partner Great Places Housing Group, and now private rented homes through Sigma Capital will further diversify the housing options for Sheffield residents.
The Sheffield project has paved the way for regeneration specialist Keepmoat, the construction partner within SHC, to create a wider investment partnership with Sigma Capital Group to deliver a target of 5,000 high quality new homes for private rental across the country by 2021.
The new apartment scheme, which is being built by Keepmoat, has recently started on site. The lettings and property management of the two bedroom homes will be undertaken by SDL Group.
The new apartments are located near the city centre and have the hallmarks of an SHC development with a high design specification, spacious living areas, open plan aspects, integrated appliances and fitted wardrobes included in each. Given their location close to excellent transport links and local amenities, they are expected to strongly appeal to both young professionals and young families.
John Clephan, Project Director with SHC, said: “The choice of housing in any area is crucial for its strength and prosperity. We are already seeing some very positive changes in some of the city’s neighbourhoods as a result of the housing investment which has been made in the past five years. I am certain that the rented homes, through Sigma, will be a great addition to the neighbourhoods in which they are built.”
Martin Smithurst, regional managing director at Keepmoat, added: “We’re pleased to be delivering the first scheme of this major investment in a thriving city like Sheffield, where the need for wider housing solutions is apparent across the board.
“As well as working on significant regeneration projects, we are also delivering homes for sale in the region and so this step into the PRS sector will sit alongside our existing offering to allow the pace of housing delivery on strategic sites to be increased.
“We’re proud to be working in partnership with Sigma and look forward to identifying more sites in the region that could benefit from their investment.”
The joint venture with PRS specialist Sigma represents Keepmoat’s first development activity in the PRS market and further sites are in negotiation.
Graeme Hogg, COO of Sigma Capital, commented: “We are very pleased to announce that, together with Sheffield Housing Company and Keepmoat, we will be providing Sheffield with high-quality new rental homes that also foster a sense of community.
“The rental market has been neglected for too long and, as a result, is often considered to be an unattractive housing option. However, we are confident that our high quality, professionally managed new homes will finally offer an appealing alternative to home ownership and change the perception of the rental market.
“With over 1,500 tenants already in place, we aim to bring thousands more new homes to market over the next few years. Our partnership with Keepmoat is an important step in realising this goal.”
Completion is expected in September 2017.
