A Case Western Reserve University researcher has turned the origami she enjoyed as a child into a patent-pending soft robot that may one day be used on an assembly line, in surgery or even outer space.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927102354.htm
Civils contractor and plant hirer M O’Brien Group has bought Slough-based Lowery Demolition in its second acquisition in ess than a year
The demolition firm established in 1983 will benefit from M O’Brien Plant Hire’s modern fleet of demolition equipment.
Former J Mould (Reading) demolition manager Colin Prendergast has joined Lowery as a director strengthening the management team.
The £30m turnover St Albans-based M O’Brien Group has been steadily expanding and bought Bedfordshire sand and gravel supplier LB Silica Sand at the turn of the year.
Michael O’Brien, Group Managing director, said: “Having been involved with many demolition projects a few years before starting M O’Brien Plant hire, it’s something I have wanted to do for quite a few years.
“It has been worth the wait for the right opportunity and the right management team and I believe that the plan we have laid out will be very successful.
However bad things seem with your club there’s always someone worse off – and at the moment it’s Crystal Palace fans.
As if turning to Roy Hodgson wasn’t bad enough, now the Eagles are being linked with a move for Carlton Cole to solve their striker crisis.
A lot of West Ham fans still have a soft spot for Carlton. He seems a lovely bloke and all that – but not the person you want to fill your number nine shirt during a goal drought.
My gardener is a Palace fan. And he was all gloom and doom this week in between trying to solve the mystery of my apple-less apple tree.
To say he was unimpressed with Hodgson’s appointment would be a bit of an understatement.
In fact some of his language had my perennials wilting.
Palace have failed to score in their first six games and I can’t see life getting easier with a visit to Man Utd on Saturday.
Mourinho’s men are a prohibitive 7/1 on with the visitors an almost insulting 18/1.
So let’s look elsewhere for a price and it pains me to say it as an Iron but I think Spurs could make us some money this weekend.
Tottenham look very well drilled and are a tough, physical team with a touch of flair in all the right places.
They are away at Huddersfield who are just stuttering a bit after an encouraging start to life in the Premier League.
Spurs are enjoying life on the road and I fancy them to make a fast start to try and kill the game early.
Tottenham to be leading after 20 minutes pays 23/10 which looks worth an interest.
Betting Spy has joined forces with Paddy Power to offer all readers a £20 risk-free bet when they open an account. Just click on the link below to visit construction’s favourite bookmaker for full terms and conditions and discover how to set-up an online, telephone or mobile account
Running total of all bets to a £10 stake for 2017/18 season: £-10.00
A team of engineers has created the most functional flexible transistor in the world – and with it, a fast, simple and inexpensive fabrication process that’s easily scalable to the commercial level. It’s an advance that could open the door to an increasingly interconnected world, enabling manufacturers to add ‘smart,’ wireless capabilities to any number of large or small products or objects – like wearable sensors and computers for people and animals – that curve, bend, stretch and move.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170928142110.htm
Researchers have dived down to the atomic scale to resolve every ‘jiggle and wiggle’ of atomic motion that underlies metal strength.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927162015.htm
Engineers have created atomically thin superlattice materials with precision.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927162026.htm
The production of nano-scale devices has drastically increased with the rise in technological applications, yet a major drawback to the functionality of nano-sized systems is the need for an equally small energy resource. To address this, researchers have been modeling new piezoelectric energy harvester technology at the nano-scale level.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170928101245.htm
Chemists have developed and patented an environmentally friendly way to produce flame retardants for foams that can be used in mattresses and upholstery. Unlike previous flame retardants made of chemicals containing chlorine, the new material is non-toxic and effective, researchers say.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170928085147.htm
Galliard Homes in collaboration with its joint venture partner, Apsley House Capital, has finalised a deal to acquire a prime three-acre redevelopment site in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter. This is the third significant acquisition by the duo.
The combined GDV of all recent investments has the potential to total £500 million, once plans are determined for this latest site.
The Northwood Street site is currently occupied by manufacturing and engineering company AE Harris and will be redeveloped to offer a mix of residential homes and commercial units. In keeping with both Galliard Homes and Apsley Capital’s development approach the end product will be focused on retaining the area’s heritage and character.
The joint venture partners will stage consultations with planners, local residents and businesses in the Jewellery Quarter before drawing up final proposals. They are also putting together a highly experienced team of designers, architects, planners and consultants to work on the scheme.
Sitting on a historically significant site, the partners will work with conservation groups to maintain the area’s integrity. It will become a hub for the area and will very much reflect the desires of the existing local residents. It will be a mixed-use scheme, with residential, F&B, commercial and hospitality.
The centre of the site, previously private, will be opened to the public and made a through, pedestrianised road. The end look and feel will very much emanate the existing aesthetic of the Jewellery Quarter and will become home to emerging restaurant brands, a hotel and a host of smaller, creative outlets. Traditional brands, and Birmingham stalwarts such as Deakin & Francis, one of England’s oldest craftsmen of fine cufflinks, will be integrated into the scheme.
Stephen Conway, Chief Executive Galliard Homes, said: “Galliard Homes is known for acquiring and developing some of the UK’s most historically significant and landmark mixed-use schemes. We are very pleased to have worked with our partners, Apsley House Capital, in the acquisition of this new site and we look forward to realising its potential, and upholding its historic integrity.”
Robin Norstrom, director of Apsley House Capital, said: “We believe it is the best site in the best location in Birmingham city centre, and we are fully aware of our responsibility in maintaining the historic buildings and making sure new buildings and tenants add value to the area. This is a wonderful opportunity to create something really special which is full of character and complements the surrounding area.”
This is the second, significant Galliard Homes and Apsley House Capital partnership. The two companies recently announced that they had bought the Soho Loop site near City Hospital from City and Provincial Properties and plan to transform it into an exciting new canal-side community with approximately 800 homes.
Additionally, earlier this year Apsley House Capital also announced it had acquired a sought-after site in Birmingham’s Southside district where, along with Galliard Homes, it will deliver a development of 385 apartments. The development, currently under planning, was recently named after its historic use – The Timber Yard.
Galliard Homes has become known as one of the leading regenerators of brownfield sites in London and the UK, having been one of the first companies to work in the resurgent London docklands, the rejuvenation of London’s South Bank and the regeneration of Butler’s Wharf and Bermondsey. It currently has 47 schemes with 7,480 homes under construction across the UK, including The Stage – a scheme incorporating Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre in London’s Shoreditch.
Galliford Try’s Building East Midlands business has secured a £52m contract to build a 922-bed student accommodation facility at Paradise Street in Coventry.
The new halls for specialist developer, The Elite Group, will be built across a three blocks of 10, 12 and 14 storeys and 21 three storey town houses on the site of a former garage close to the city centre, with an additional two low-rise house blocks.
Further landscaping will also be created including a recreational area for the students, as well as office and maintenance facilities for the proposed management company AXO Student Living.
The student complex has been designed by Fraser Brown MacKenna with building services design by Waterman.
Galliford Try East Midlands Managing Director Jon Marston said that the award comes with the firm already on an existing major student accommodation site in Coventry, building a £47.5m 770-bed facility at Godiva Place.
Eric Wright’s development arm has secured planning for a major out-of-town retail centre near Preston.
The first planned project will be a flagship Ikea store at the site located at the end of the M65 between Lostock Hall and Farington.
Plans for the Cuerden Strategic Site also include five further large format retail units, new cycle and footways, homes, a small foodstore, a hotel, car showrooms, family pub and restaurants.
The scheme was put together by Lancashire County Council and Maple Grove Developments, part of the Eric Wright Group, in association with Brookhouse Group.
Jeremy Hartley from Eric Wright Group said: “It will now allow the commencement of the significant infrastructure required to unlock the site which in turn will lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs for local communities.
“There has been a lot of interest in the scheme from potential future occupiers and we will now work hard to take the project forward.”
Richard Rands IKEA UK and Ireland Property Manager said: “We are delighted that the planning application for the Cuerden Strategic Development has been approved. We are really excited to bring our home furnishing offer to Preston and Lancashire along with the new jobs that the proposed IKEA store will create. We look forward to continuing to work with the Lancashire County Council.”
Buckingham Group is set for a £25m-plus contract to deliver phase one of Peel Investments planned industrial hub at Ellesmere Port on Merseyside.
According to information specialist Glenigan, Buckingham Group has secured the job to deliver premises for a corrugated cardboard mega plant and warehouse facility at South Road.
Designed by UMC Architects the new manufacturing plant for producer Prowel will be located next to junction 10 of the M53.
A total of £65m is to be invested in the plant which will produce up to 235,000 tonnes per year of corrugated board sheets.
Highways England is installing giant funnel litter bins across the North West in a bid to cut down on the 40,000 sacks of rubbish collected from motorways in the region last year.
Road chiefs hope the move will free up more time for highways teams to focus on maintenance work.
The window-height bins are being installed at around a dozen service areas in the North West over the next few months.
The bins allow both car and lorry drivers to reach the half-a-metre-wide funnels from their vehicles’ windows.
Paul Elliott, Service Delivery Team Leader at Highways England, said: “Our teams of workers do a fantastic job removing litter from motorways every year but we’d much rather they were able to spend more of their time carrying out maintenance work.”
It costs taxpayers an estimated £40 for each sack of litter collected from motorways – roughly the same cost as fixing a pothole.
Rubbish has to be collected close to fast-moving traffic – putting workers at risk – and lane closures are often needed, causing needless disruption to drivers.
Paul Cooper, 46 from Bolton, has been collecting litter from motorways in the North West for 19 years as part of his job as a maintenance worker for Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald.
Cooper said: “I think most drivers who sling litter out their windows don’t really think about what they’re doing, and that someone like me has to come along and clear up after them.
“It tends to be worst on slip roads or where there’s standing traffic, as that’s when drivers seem to decide to have a clear out of their cars.
“There’s always an element of risk when you’re working on the network as you’re near traffic so my message to drivers is please stop dropping litter and use the bins or take it home with you instead.”
Margaret Conway of McAleer & Rushe has become the first woman to be named Construction Manager of the Year.
Conway beat 84 finalists to the trophy in her first role as a construction manager on a 9-storey office job in Belfast city centre.
The 9 Adelaide project was completed two months early in 80 weeks with a perfect safety record.
Conway started on the job as bid manager for McAleer and Rushe and was appointed project manager at the pre-contract stage.
Judges as award organsiers CIOB heard how she worked closely with client Belfast City Council on a major redesign, reducing the height of the building and saving them £500,000.
Another cost-saving measure involved adapting the existing raft foundations for the new superstructure, saving a further £750,000.
Her collaborative approach enabled the £22m project to accommodate substantial late design changes without losing valuable time from the schedule.
The job was also the first carried out by McAleer & Rushe to BIM Level 2. Conway also introduced a new software system to streamline the snagging process which proved so successful it is being rolled out across all the company’s sites.
Conway was one of only four women finalists at the CMYA this year.
She used her role to inspire and encourage young people – especially women – to enter the industry.
She fostered a close relationship with local non profit organisation Womenstec, arranging tours and lectures from local colleges as well as placements for joinery, plumbing and electrical students.
Some have since gone on to find work in the sector. Others have enrolled in construction courses.
Conway’s win follows that of McAleer & Rushe colleague, Paul Marlow who won CMYA in 2016 for a £29m student accommodation project in Stratford, East London.
CIOB President Rebecca Thompson said: “Margaret is a true inspiration for anyone thinking of entering this exciting and challenging industry.
“As well as remaining in control of the immense technical and logistical challenges of her day job, her inclusive style has encouraged young people to get involved in construction.
“Our sector badly needs a more diverse workforce and Margaret shines out as a young leader who is making a genuine difference. We will watch her career with great interest.”
CIOB Chief Executive Chris Blythe said: “CMYA is a unique barometer for management talent in our sector, with professionals of all ages and backgrounds battling for gold and silver medals.
“Each of our 85 finalists has demonstrated to an independent panel of experts that they are working to industry-leading standards.
“As ever, competition was extremely fierce this year, but Margaret won our judges over with her surefooted leadership style that inspired incredible performance at every stage of the project.
“She goes into history as the first female project manager to win CMYA. This is an extraordinary achievement, so early in her career, marking her out as one of construction’s greats.”
Martin Doherty, project manager for client Belfast City Councilsaid: “9 Adelaide was a challenging scheme in terms of programme, site logistics and budget.
“Margaret was intuitive to Belfast City Council’s needs, always focused on delivering the scheme on time, whilst never losing sight of the importance of safety or quality. Her ability to communicate all issues and foster a real sense of teamwork set a benchmark for the project.”
For a full list of all the winners click here
Kier has just mobilised to build a 259-bed student block for Liverpool International College at the City’s Paddington Village site.
The firm is delivering the £28m project for Kaplan International and will complete the live-learn centre for the start of the 2019 term.
The 13-storey accommodation block and a three-storey college building for up to 900 students for the college will be a flagship development in Liverpool Knowledge Quarter’s £1bn Paddington Village district.
Architect CPMG designed the centre with Kettering-based Building Services Design acting as M&E Consultant and Curtins on board as structural design consultant.
It marks Kier’s second project in the area, building on the success of its recently completed Sensor City project for Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool.
John O’Callaghan, Kier Construction Northern managing director, said the project added to Kier’s presence in Liverpool, where the firm employs over 130 people.
As well as Sensor city, Kier is responsible for a number of key projects on the Mayor’s Liverpool Schools programme.
It also builds on Kier’s wider portfolio of education projects across the North. The company was recently awarded a £28m contract to deliver student accommodation in Leeds and its 329-bed student accommodation scheme in Newcastle is nearing completion.
Developer Urban & Civic has submitted plans for a £55m leisure scheme in Wolverhampton City Centre.
The Westside development would transform the area surrounding Wolverhampton’s market and feature a 12-screen cinema, restaurants, 150-bed hotel and 700-space car park.
It is anticipated more than 500 construction jobs will be available during its two-year build.
Strong demand from occupiers means construction remains on track to start in 2018.
Construction on phase one of the project is expected to be complete by early 2020.
It encompasses land between Penn Road Island and Salop Street, including the current School Street and Peel Street car parks and the area around Market Square.
Philip Leech, Property Director for Urban & Civic, said: “Our ambition is to deliver a scheme at Westside which transforms this part of the city centre, creating new jobs and providing a sustainable development that people enjoy visiting for many years to come.”
Putting a dollar value on the savings from traffic congestion, noise and air pollution as a result of toll roads and tunnels will make large infrastructure projects more cost effective, according to a new study.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927093400.htm
Researchers have formulated a mathematical solution that could help minimize noise, maximize aerodynamics in design of porous airfoils (2-D wings) to improve wind turbines and air vehicles.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170926235931.htm
Researchers have discovered how graphene, a single-atom-thin layer of carbon, can be forged into three-dimensional objects by using laser light. A striking illustration was provided when the researchers fabricated a pyramid with a height of 60 nm, which is about 200 times larger than the thickness of a graphene sheet. The pyramid was so small that it would easily fit on a single strand of hair.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170926091429.htm
The country’s biggest trade umbrella body has voted yes to backing the CITB training levy putting the skills body on track to secure over 50% of the industry’s vote needed for its survival.
Like other trade bodies backing the levy, BuildUK has qualified the results calling for reforms to overhaul the CITB.
The final outcome of the industry levy vote will not be officially known until late October, after weightings have been added to the mix of trade association and individual levy payer votes gathered.
But Build UK members are understood to account for around a quarter of all levy collected giving the body a powerful block vote.
The Build UK poll involving 26 main contractors and 26 trade associations – each with one vote – delivered overwhelmingly support for the levy, with just one trade body and one contractor voting against.
It is a key result for the CITB on the eve of tomorrow’s voting deadline. So far civil engineers at CECA and a slim majority of Federation of Master Builder firms have also backed the levy for another three years.
Of those already declared just the Home Builders Federation has voted against the levy.
The CITB needs to win more than 50% of the construction vote in terms of numbers of levy payers and value of the levy paid.
In terms of value of levy paid the trade federations make up 59% of the vote and 35% in terms of numbers.
The voting balance in each case will be made up of individual firms.
In a letter to the CITB, Build UK chief Suzannah Nichol called for a clear reform programme on four fronts.
Strategic direction
a) A clear plan with specific measurable objectives to support employers in recruiting, training and retaining the workforce the industry needs now, and in the future b) A focus on core activities with CITB relinquishing non-core activities to those better placed to deliver them c) A principle of Levy in Skills out with grant funds being used to deliver the skills employers require now and in the future
Governance
a) A review of CITB’s governance arrangements enabling industry to contribute to the direction and delivery of the strategic plan including: o Appropriate industry representation on the CITB Board and Council o A rationalisation of the number of CITB Committees and Working Groups and each to have agreed Terms of Reference and objectives o Measurable outcomes and objectives that are regularly reported against o Visibility and accountability of CITB board members, trustees and the executive
Funding
a) A grant scheme that incentivises and delivers the skills required by employers b) Recognition of high quality and consistent training provision c) A flexible and user-friendly means of claiming grants d) An effective and focused use of funding to support short and long-term skills needs
Communication
a) Effective and timely information to employers b) Sufficient consultation with levy payers on both strategy and process related issues c) Transparent and consistent messaging across the industry.
North West developer Capital & Centric has submitted plans to convert one of Manchester’s last derelict mills into upmarket flats.
The Talbot Mill in Castlefield will be turned into 202 flats in a £50m scheme put together by the specialist warehouse redevelopment firm.
Designed by ShedKM, the 1750,000 sq ft scheme straddles the historic textile mill on Ellesmere Street and a new building on Worsley Street which will be connected with a link bridge.
Capital & Centric bought the mill in October last year for £5m.
Tim Heatley, co-founder of Capital & Centric, said: “Talbot is a stunning example of Manchester’s industrial heritage – something the city is quite rightly proud of. Our plans build on the structure’s inherent beauty and create a neighbourhood centred on a shared courtyard garden.
“The essence of a building is in its original features. Our first priority with all our projects is to keep what we can. It’s an essential part of honouring the stories of the thousands of people who’ve passed through Talbot’s doors across the decades.
“We’ve worked with talented designers to make sure the new and old sit well together.”
Shares in Carillion surged up this morning after a report that a Middle Eastern firm is preparing a possible takeover bid.
The report saw Carillion shares climb almost 20% from around 46p to 55p in early market trading.
According to London’s City AM newspaper, the bidder plans to submit a letter of intent to take control of the company but is waiting to see the extent of its financial woes before committing to a bid.
The bid rumours is not related to plans by Carillion to offload its Middle East business as part of a radical cost-cutting and fund raising plan to sell its overseas operations.
Carillion is due to publish delayed half-year results by Friday, which are expected to reveal the full extent of the contracting group’s woes.
The partial extent of Carillion’s problems were first revealed by the firm in July when it unveiled a £845m writedown due to problem contracts sending its shares then valued at 192p into freefall.
Carillion is also saddled with a pension deficit of £650m, more than three times its current £200m market capitalisation.
The Welsh Government has back its red route as the preferred option for the £250m Deeside corridor scheme.
The preferred option will see the A548 upgraded, with a new road linking the A55 and A548 just after the Flintshire Bridge.
It forms part of over £650m of Welsh Government infrastructure improvements in North Wales, with Deeside in particular benefiting from Welsh Government investment.
Economy and Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates said: “I’m delighted to announce the red route as my preferred option to address the congestion problem in the Deeside Corridor, A55/A494/A548, area.
“The next steps will be to develop a preliminary design, which considers the environmental and engineering issues in more detail and looks to address some of the issues raised during the consultation.”
The Economy Secretary also announced he would be progressing the delivery of the A494 River Dee Bridge Improvement scheme to investigate options to resolve the existing traffic bottleneck and overcome issues with the existing bridge.
Scottish contractor and house builder the Cruden Group has seen turnover top £200m for the first time.
The company enjoyed its 18th consecutive year in the black as pre-tax profits hit £10.4m for the year to March from £7.5m last time as turnover increased to £200.6m from £154.2m.
The company specialises in developing and building homes with the construction operation accounting for £160m of turnover – up 18%.
The division’s key market is the construction and refurbishment of residential housing for clients in the public sector
Kevin Reid, Cruden Group Managing Director, said: “I’m very pleased to report that 2017 has been a fantastic year for Cruden, delivering the Group’s highest turnover and profit in its history.
“To have had eighteen consecutive years of profitable trading is a wonderful achievement, especially against the challenging economic backdrop we’ve had in recent years.
“The Group board is delighted with the strong performance of the business, and we look towards our 75th anniversary next year with optimism. We fully expect our business to continue to grow sustainably in the years ahead.
“In terms of residential sales, business remains encouraging in this area as a result of the suitability and affordability of many of our homes for first time buyers, along with our team’s expertise in providing guidance and support to this market sector.
“The continued availability of Help to Buy (Scotland) has also been beneficial to our first time purchasers.
“Training and skills development is a key focus within the Group, so it is also fantastic news that we have continued to retain in excess of 50 apprentices on our books – this will provide a pipeline of skilled and talented employees for the future.”
Plans for a £75m upgrade to the A27 in Sussex have been approved with work penciled to start in Spring 2020.
Four junctions on a nine-mile section of the main south coast route, between Lewes and and Polegate, will be improved, Highways England said.
But proposals to upgrade Selmeston junction were withdrawn over public concerns about the impact on the South Downs national park.
The proposed plans will help to make journeys more reliable, ease congestion and improve safety along this section of the A27, especially at the key pinch points in Polegate and Wilmington.
Highways England Project Manager Tom Beasley said: “People’s input has helped to shape our plans and we’ve made some key changes to our proposals to make sure they deliver the biggest benefit.
“In particular we’ve prioritised improvements at Polegate including the Gainsborough Lane junction, over the Selmeston bypass option and introduced a new enhanced option for upgrading the Wilmington junction – all as a result of people’s input.”
The chief executive officer of Havelock Europa has resigned as the fit-out specialist racked-up a £2.6m loss in the first half of this year.
David Ritchie has quit to “pursue other business interests” and is being replaced by Shaun Allen Ormrod who was previously CEO at conference business Farnborough International.
Havelock saw pre-tax losses rise to £2.6m from £868,000 last time as turnover dipped to £23.2m from £25.4m.
The firm blamed a slow down in public sector work in Scotland and delays to the second phase of the ESFA Priority Schools Building Programme in England.
Havelock has been reviewing its strategy and will announce the results next month.
Chairman Ian Godden said: “Havelock has experienced a difficult first half, with market uncertainty among both public and private sector clients resulting in reduced or delayed activity.
“I believe, however, that our new leadership team, combined with our developing commercial strategy, will set a strong foundation for the future.”
Build-to-rent projects are igniting a building boom in major cities across the country as investors pour cash into schemes.
There are now nearly 96,000 build-to-rent homes complete, under construction and in planning, a near 40% jump on the figures for first quarter of this year.
According to research by Savills for the British Property Federation, London leads the expansion with Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham catching up fast. Taken together the regional cities also now account for a larger pipeline than the Capital, where private rental schemes first took off.
Contractors are also directly joining in the race to supply private rented housing with 19% of planned rooms directly developed by building firms.
Reasearchers also found the size of build-to-rent schemes is growing, with 34 developments currently in the pipeline providing over 500 new rented homes each – compared to 24 developments at the start of the year.
Ian Fletcher, Director of Real Estate Policy, British Property Federation said that at a time when both central government and the Mayor of London are focused on fixing the UK’s broken housing market, the data shows the build-to-rent sector’s capacity to deliver new homes at speed.
When looking only at the number of build-to-rent homes just under construction and in planning, the rate of growth soars to 45% since the Spring, risen from 54,500 to 79,000.
With 54,978 homes complete, under construction and in planning, London boasts the highest volume of build-to-rent.
The region are making more progress in green lighting schemes with 12,316 build-to-rent homes currently under construction – compared to 11,696 in London.
He said:“Correcting the supply-demand imbalance in the UK is fundamental to addressing the housing crisis, and we have demonstrated that build-to-rent has much to offer.
“We are pleased by the Mayor of London’s continued support of the sector and his recognition of its capacity to deliver much-needed homes.
“We look forward to the government’s formal response to the national Housing White Paper, which formally recognised Build-to-Rent in the National Planning Policy Framework. We need all housing tenures to be fully supported by the right policy framework if we are going to reverse the damage caused by years of undersupply.”
Engineers have introduced a new advanced energy harvesting system, capable of generating electricity by simply being attached to clothes, windows, and outer walls of a building.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170926105530.htm
The potential for photon entanglement in quantum computing and communications has been known for decades. One issue impeding immediate application is that many photon entanglement platforms don’t operate within the range used by most forms of telecommunication. Researchers have started to unravel the mysteries of entangled photons, demonstrating a technique that uses semiconductor quantum dots to bend photons to the wavelengths used by today’s popular C-band standards.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170926125149.htm
Future quantum computers promise exponential scaling in computing power with linearly increasing number of qubits. However, harnessing this power is challenging due to the complexity of controlling a large number of qubits simultaneously. A solution to this problem has now been engineered.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170926133045.htm
Researchers have succeeded in developing a method for predicting molecular infrared spectra based on artificial intelligence. These chemical ‘fingerprints’ could only be simulated by common prediction techniques for small molecules in high quality. The team was able to carry out simulations that were previously not possible.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170926105459.htm
Trade body the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has been forced to cut a tranche of senior staff during a restructuring of the organisation.
The Enquirer understands that up to 12 staff are currently under consultation for redundancy.
It is understood that the trade body has suffered a drop in membership while its training organisation has been hit by a delay in government funding.
The restructure follows an extensive review period dating back two years to the appointment of current chief executive Paul McLaughlin.
BESA will now focus more on training while its technical services team has borne the brunt of the cuts.
He said: “In an ever-changing trading environment, it is important that we continually review our strategy.
“A strategic review of activities has been undertaken to ensure that the Association is focussed on providing the products and services that most add value to members, and that these are delivered in the most efficient way possible.
“We are sorry that these strategic decisions have impacted directly on specific roles within the business.
“However, difficult decisions come with the territory and, at a time of considerable economic uncertainty, it is crucial for the long-term success and prosperity of BESA and its members that we focus our resources in the areas where they can make most difference.”
A research team has now developed a DNA nanotechnology-based method that allows for repeated, non-destructive recording of uniquely barcoded molecular pairings, rendering a detailed view of their components and geometries. In the future, the approach could help researchers understand how changes in molecular complexes control biological processes in living cells.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170925113315.htm
Contracts have been exchanged and plans approved by Keepmoat Homes for over 600 new homes in a partnership agreement worth £175m at Northfleet in Kent.
The former industrial site, which forms part of Ebbsfleet Garden City, will be fully redeveloped to provide a mix of homes including two and three storey traditional homes and modern apartments.
Keepmoat Homes is acquiring the land from the Homes and Communities Agency and is working in partnership with them to transform the site into a new neighbourhood.
Development would see the part-demolition of the WT Henley Building, an abandoned 19th century cableworks factory.
Roland Grant, regional managing director of Keepmoat Homes South said: “The Northfleet site is a landmark development for Keepmoat Homes and represents the largest and most significant award in the area, since we expanded the business in to London and the South East in 2014.
“This is an important milestone in ensuring this scheme becomes a reality, and the acquisition and development of Northfleet will meet the clear demand in the region. It is another positive step for Keepmoat Homes’ ambitious growth plans in the Thames Gateway.”
Keepmoat now plans to deliver up to 100 homes per year, while also creating employment and training opportunities in the local area.
The Northfleet development will provide homes for outright sale, for starter homes and for shared ownership and affordable rent.
There will also be some retail uses including a café and local shops and community facilities.
An East London council has ordered the owners of three conservation area houses that were illegally demolished at night to re-build them brick by brick exactly as they stood before.
The owners, suspected to have caused or permitted the demolition of the buildings in Coldharbour Conservation Area on the Isle of Dogs, repeatedly refused to give a credible explanation for their destruction during exhaustive enquiries by the council.
Tower Hamlets Council has now issued enforcement notices to the owners, giving them 18 months to rebuild the properties.
John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “Many local people were understandably distressed by the demolition of these properties. It is right that those who show contempt for our heritage assets and flout the law should face legal action.
East Ferry Road site on the Isle of Dogs after buildings torn down illegally last summer
“I am pleased our legal action will help remedy the harm the loss of these buildings has caused to the area. It was my view at the time that the owners should be made to replace these properties like for like, brick by brick.”
A council spokesperson said:“Three properties at 2-6 East Ferry Road in Coldharbour Conservation Area have been demolished without planning permission.
The demolished buildings were considered to be of historical interest, value and importance and should have been conserved.
A successful prosecution is considered to be in the public’s interest. We believe such flagrant breaches of planning control should not go undeterred and without consequences.”
The owners have just appealed the council’s action. This appeal will be handled by the Secretary of State and interested parties will be able to comment on the appeal once it has formally started.
Plans for a 42-storey skyscraper of build to rent flats have been submitted to Birmingham City Council.
The £183m scheme by Moda Living, a developer and operator of private rented homes, will transform the site of the former Tramps nightclub into a local landmark and help support the wider regeneration of Broad Street.
The new Broad Street tower will feature a 200m podium out-door running track for residents
Once finished, it will be Birmingham’s tallest residential tower and complement the existing architecture of the ‘Ridge’, the city’s designated tall building zone.
Named 2one2 Broad Street, local architect Glenn Howell designed the tower of 481 apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms.
A hotel-style lobby staffed by a 24-hour concierge service will greet residents as they enter.
Around 35,000 sq ft of mixed commercial, retail and leisure space will be provided in a three-storey podium, which will also feature a 200-metre outdoor running circuit on the roof offering panoramic views of the Birmingham skyline.
Tony Brooks, managing director at Moda Living, said: “The Moda Living model of single landlord ownership and taking a 360-degree lifestyle approach – covering everything from work to working out – will help meet this shortfall while also raising the bar in the local rental market.”
Backed by Apache Capital Partners, Moda Living has a £1.5bn pipeline of 6,000 rent-only apartments in city centre sites across the UK. Other schemes are currently underway in Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport is pressing ahead with phase 2 of its worn rail replacement programme.
The rail network has worn down much faster than expected back in the 1990s when the project was first built. This forced the transport authority to call in VolkerRail to replace around 15km of rail between 2013 and 2015 at a total cost of around £20m.
The wear of the embedded rails has now reached a critical condition on remaining lengths of the network that tram wheels run the risk of running on the bottom of the rail groove.
It is now proposed to complete the remaining 10 km of replacement over the summers of 2018 and 2019.
The works element of the programme is estimated to cost £12.5m, with the total cost expected to be around £17m.
Two thirds of this will be funded by the Department for Transport with the SYTP making up the balance.
To the north of the city this will involve a section running from Middlewood to Langsett Road stations and to the south several sections from Springlane to Hackenthorpe stations.
Click for further information.
The hunt is on for a main contractor to build a new £12.5m Veterans Care Village at Broughton House in Salford
Plans for the scheme have now been have been approved by Salford City Council and construction will start next year.
Broughton House is the only home for ex-servicemen and women in the north west.
The redevelopment of the two-acre site is planned to be completed by 2020 and will include:
Dooley Associates will manage the delivery of the scheme.
The project team also includes architects Levitt Bernstein, structural engineers Curtins Consulting, service engineers Building Services Design, landscape architect Exterior Architecture, fire engineers Omega Fire and acoustician Sandy Brown.
Brendan Dooley, managing director of Dooley Associates, said: “We are now focused on getting Broughton House on site alongside our professional team.
“The construction phase will be delicately phased to ensure minimal disruption to existing residents both within and around the site and ensure a high-quality outcome for the residents of the new care village to secure the future of this important charity.”
Ty Platten, chief executive of Broughton House, said: “We are delighted that planning permission has been granted for the development of a Veterans Care Village at Broughton House.
“We are immensely grateful for the support of Salford Council, residents in the area and stakeholders.
“Whilst ex-servicemen and women vary in age from those who served in WW2 to more recently Iraq and Afghanistan, the north-west has always remained the largest recruitment area in the UK.
“Their needs are here now and will be for years to come. The need to expand our level of care is vital to meet the growing and changing needs of veterans, both now and in the future.
“The decision means we can now progress to the next stage, which will involve starting work on the project in early 2018 with a scheduled completion date of 2020.”
The Department of Transport is facing calls to review mobile crane safety regulations and introduce MoT testing in the face of several road incidents.
Currently, mobile cranes are exempt from requiring an annual MoT. Following a three-year long consultation the Department of Transport has recently announced that it will introduce regulations which will require mobile cranes which are on an HGV chassis to undergo MoT’s.
But unions are warning that most mobile cranes are of the all-terrain variety and they will continue to be exempt from MoT testing as many of them are too large to fit into a testing centre.
Construction union Unite is calling for compulsory testing and tachograph systems to be introduced in order to improve safety and to reassure both drivers and other road users the vehicles are roadworthy
National officer for construction Bernard McAulay, said: “Members of the public will be concerned that there are no rules ensuring that these large machines are roadworthy. Mobile crane drivers need to know that they are in a safe vehicle.
“It is also totally wrong that drivers are currently allowed to drive these cranes for hours on end without any requirements to have a break, this is dangerous for both the driver and other road users.
“The government must stop hiding behind cost concerns and hoping the industry will introduce voluntary regulation.
“The only way to improve standards and safety is through statutory testing and clear rules on driving time.
“Chris Grayling must re-think the government’s response. Too often we have seen how penny pinching on safety matters has terrible consequences and we should ensure that this is not the case with regards to mobile cranes including the all-terrain variety.”
Barratt boss David Thomas has made £3.6m selling a chunk of his shares in Britain’s biggest volume house builder.
He sold more than 616,000 shares at around 590p each. Of these around 216,000 of the shares were granted to Thomas, 54, under Barratt’s executive share option scheme. He also sold 400,000 ordinary shares.
Thomas, who became Barratt chief executive two years ago, and still holds more than 1m shares following the sale and has options on 900,000 more.
The move follows disposals by other directors of publicly-listed house builders in the last few weeks triggering fears that major house builders are calling the top of the market.
Berkeley founder Tony Pidgley and chief executive Rob Perrins cashed in shares in the house builder worth more than £40m in the first week of September.
Day later founder of Redrow, Steve Morgan, sold £153m worth of shares held through an investment vehicle and a charitable trust just days after revealling he was stepping back from day to day running of the business to take a non-executive chairman role.
Former Laing O’Rourke infrastructure director Paul Maguire has joined rival contractor Multiplex Europe as commercial director.
Maguire, who has worked at several Laing O’Rourke businesses over nine years, took up the group role earlier this month.
He joins another former Laing O’Rourke director Callum Tuckett, who joined Multiplex as chief operating officer at the start of the year.
Maguire joins as Multiplex topped £1bn revenue in its latest results, with the firm contracted to deliver 6.7m sq ft of commercial space for a total value of £2.14bn.
The strong revenue growth last year failed to drop to the bottom line with pre-tax profits sliding from around £22m in 2015 to £19m last year.
Multiplex is now being more selective in its bidding targetting core large-scale commercial schemes in the Capital.
Robots perform many tasks that humans can’t or don’t want to perform, getting around on intricately designed wheels and limbs. If they tip over, however, they are rendered almost useless. Mechanical engineers and entomologists are looking to click beetles, who can right themselves without the use of their legs, to solve this robotics challenge.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170925133006.htm
Scientists have developed a new way to advance click chemistry.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170925095504.htm
Controlling electronic current is essential to modern electronics, as data and signals are transferred by streams of electrons which are controlled at high speed. Demands on transmission speeds are also increasing as technology develops. Scientists have now succeeded in switching on a current with a desired direction in graphene using a single laser pulse within a femtosecond. This is more than a thousand times faster compared to the most efficient transistors today.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170925132858.htm
Bouygues has got the go-ahead to start construction of a £55m build to rent scheme adjacent to the BBC’s offices at MediaCity in Salford,
The contractor got the thumbs up for the 238 flats scheme after Peel Land & Property sold the site to US firm Atlas Residential and Singapore-headquartered IP Investment Management.
The joint venture will forward fund construction, due to begin next month, on the 190,000 sq ft PRS scheme rising to over 19 floors.
The Salford investment will be Atlas’s third in the UK following deals in Southampton and Birmingham, both of which were completed in a joint venture with Rockspring.
It also marks IPIM’s first investment in the UK build to rent market, following a series of UK student accommodation funding deals totalling £160m and 1,431 beds.
Jonathon Ivory, managing director of Atlas, said: “This acquisition continues Atlas’ thematic ‘first mover advantage’ strategy which we have successfully executed in both Southampton and Birmingham already.
“We are excited to be partnering with IPIM who share our goal of seeking out value and opportunities in regions throughout the UK that display the same fundamentals that we look for in our US acquisitions, namely positive population growth in job engine locations with excellent transportation combined with an acute supply/demand housing imbalance.”
Selina Williams, investment director at IPIM: “We have been monitoring the UK PRS sector for some time, to identify the right operator partner and a site that meets our investment criteria for our first acquisition.
“The UK PRS sector is a natural progression following our investments in direct-let student accommodation.
“The calibre of the operator is critical to the success of a PRS investment, and we have every confidence that in Atlas we’ve found a partner who will be able to capitalise on their longstanding experience in the US to deliver a tenant-focused building in the UK.”
Plans to build the UK’s second tallest building in Croydon have got the green light from local town planners.
Designed by Piers Gough of CZWG Architects, the development will contain nearly 1,000 flats, offices and a glass-bottomed swimming pool spanning the office atrium on the eighth floor
The ambitious 68-storey and 42 storey tower complex would rise to 236m, taller than Canary Wharf but still dwarfted by the 310m tall Shard.
The ambitious One Lansdowne Road mixed-use scheme will contain nearly 800 flats, 35,000 sq ft of offices, bars and restaurants.
Given its scale the plan must now clear one last planning hurdle at London mayor’s office before construction can start.
The approved skyscraper will have 170 affordable flats which will each have two bedrooms and be able to house up to four people.
David Hudson, chief executive of Guildhouse UK Limited, which proposed the plans in conjunction with development partner Rosepride, said construction could start by the end of 2018.
Once existing buildings on the site are demolished, construction is expected to take around five years.
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is vowing to bring existing PFI deals back under public control if Labour win the next general election.
Leader Jeremy Corbyn has already pledged not to sign any more private finance deals.
And at the annual conference in Brighton on Monday McDonnell said: “We have already pledged that there will be no new PFI deals signed by us.
“But we will go further. I can tell you today, it’s what you’ve been calling for.
“We’ll bring existing PFI contracts back in-house.”
He also promised to ramp up spending on infrastructure outside London.
McDonnell said: “We’ll build Crossrail for the north, connecting our great northern cities from west coast to east, and extend HS2 into Scotland.
“We’ll deliver the funding for Midlands Connect, overhauling transport across the Midlands.
“And we’ll overturn decades of neglect and lack of investment in the South-West.
“We’ll electrify railway lines from Cornwall right through to London.”
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