Newcastle build-to-rent firm creates £600m pipeline

The developer of Newcastle’s tallest building, Hadrian’s Tower, has secured an agreement for a build-to-rent scheme in Birmingham city centre.

Newcastle property developer, The High Street Group of Companies, now has a total pipeline of proposed private rental projects worth more than £600m.

The £120m scheme close to the Mailbox shopping complex has planning permission for around 500 flats in a cluster of blocks.

It will be delivered in partnership with the site’s owner – Taylor Grange Developments – with construction hoped to begin later this year.

The partnership is also proceeding with a similar proposal in Digbeth for an eight-storey complex of 220 flats worth £50m.

Two further sites are also being seriously considered, which could see The High Street Group’s investment in Birmingham rise to more than £300m, creating over 2,000 rental homes.

Founder of the High Street Group, Gary Forrest, said: “Our developments offer extremely attractive investment opportunities for institutional and individual investors who can enjoy yields and capital growth in excess of 7% per annum. 

“These are none volatile, high quality assets offering attractive, long term returns, which we can maximise for our partners.”

Projects already under construction include Silbury Boulevard in Milton Keynes. A £30m seven storey facility containing 139 apartments being forward funded by listed residential landlord Grainger. 

With planning permission granted earlier this month for a site adjacent to Middlewood Locks in Salford, the start of work on a £26m, nine-storey building known as Middlewood Plaza is expected to commence this summer. 

It will deliver 127 apartments and town houses.

Other announced High Street Group projects include Cheshire Junction in Warrington – a £46m eight-storey, 362 unit development adjacent to the railway station and a £22m, 1o-storey, 156 unit development in Trafford, Manchester.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/30/newcastle-build-to-rent-firm-creates-600m-pipeline/

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Water-repellent surfaces can efficiently boil water, keep electronics cool

Surfaces that repel water can support efficient boiling if all air and vapor is removed from a system first, according to new research.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180430131807.htm

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A first for quantum physics: Electron orbitals manipulated in diamonds

While defects in a diamond are mostly undesirable, certain defects are a quantum physicist’s best friend, having the potential to store bits of information that could one day be used in a quantum computing system. Applied physicists have demonstrated a technique for engineering some of the key optical properties of those defects, providing a new tool for exploring quantum mechanics.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180430102514.htm

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Topological insulator 'flips' for superconductivity

A groundbreaking sample preparation technique has enabled researchers to perform the most controlled and sensitive study to date of a topological insulator (TI) closely coupled to a superconductor (SC).

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180430102451.htm

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New materials for sustainable, low-cost batteries

A new conductor material and a new electrode material could pave the way for inexpensive batteries and therefore the large-scale storage of renewable energies.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180430075631.htm

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James Brokenshire named new housing secretary

Former Northern Ireland secretary James Brokenshire has replaced Sajid Javid as new housing, communities and local government secretary.

His appointment comes as Sajid Javid becomes home secretary, replacing Amber Rudd who resigned last night.

Brokenshire, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, stepped down as Northern Ireland secretary in January for health reasons, but now returns to the cabinet.

He takes the lead role at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government  at a critical time, as the Government is being forecast to miss its house building pledge to build a million new homes by 2020 by over 80,000 homes, assuming even most recent high building rates are maintained.

Mark Farmer, chief executive of Cast, said: “Once again, an unplanned cabinet reshuffle is going to potentially leave the housing industry without strong and contiguous political leadership at a crucial time.

“As an industry, we can only hope that the creation of MHCLG really was an indication that housing has been pushed higher up the agenda and that the new Secretary of State is able to pick up his new brief quickly, is prepared to learn, listen and engage the housing industry as we face a deteriorating skills crisis, growing concerns around new-build quality and multiple government initiatives in play looking at intervening to fix the broken housing market.”

Johnny Caddick, Managing Director at Moda, said: “The housing crisis is not going to solve itself, it will take strong leadership from the Government and a consistent approach to oversee the changes needed to build a home for everyone.

“The lack of ministerial continuity should worry the entire sector, so we hope that James Brokenshire can buck the trend of past ministers and provide stability to the government’s housing approach and see through the much needed reforms.”

He added: “Sajid Javid oversaw the biggest policy shift towards the rental sector we have ever seen.

“James Brokenshire must also focus on making renting aspirational, and Moda is delighted to support that effort with a promise of family friendly tenancies, quality homes and a level of management and service that people deserve.”

 

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/30/james-brokenshire-named-new-housing-secretary/

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Wates clinches £58m Nottingham College hub

Wates Construction has been appointed to build the City Hub building for Nottingham College.

The new 6-storey building designed by architects Bond Bryan will provide college and community facilities, together with a new business hub in Nottingham.

It will be built on disused brownfield land next to the Broadmarsh Centre and tram overpass at the foot of Lace Market Cliff.

The new City Hub campus building forms part of an ambitious £250m Southern Gateway regeneration scheme, spearheaded by Nottingham City Council involving the redevelopment of the intu Broadmarsh Centre, the rebuild of the Broadmarsh bus station and car park, as well as the remodelling of road and pedestrian routes in the area.

The £58m City Hub was procured via Major Works – UK, part of the Scape National Construction framework.

Wates has committed to engaging with a local supply chain and providing training and employment opportunities for local people.

It will also work closely with the college’s construction team as part of a significant student engagement programme that will demonstrate the wide variety of career opportunities within the built environment.

John Carlin, Business Unit Director, Wates Construction Midlands, said: “We are very proud to have secured the contract to build what will be an exceptional centre for education in the East Midlands.

“As well as being a superior facility for students, the Hub will also be of excellent use for community groups and the business sector and will play a key role in creating a new destination within the city centre.”

The City Hub will house college students, as well as providing community amenities including a restaurant, cafe, and a new performing arts centre.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/30/wates-clinches-58m-nottingham-college-hub/

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Sainsbury’s-Asda merger heralds £600m refit and IT spend

The proposed £13bn mega-merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda is expected to trigger a £600m refit and computer integration programme across the UK store network.

While Sainsbury’s said there would no store closure programme because of the merger, with both brands to operate side, the competition authority is expected to insist on disposals where both retailers predominate in local markets.

Announcing the agreed merger plan today, Sainsbury’s said it saw the opportunity to roll-out its Argos brand in Tesco stores as a result of the tie-up, funded by part of the expected £600m business integration capital spending programme.

Sainsbury’s operates over 600 Sainsbury’s supermarkets and more than 800 Sainsbury’s Local convenience stores, as well as over 800 Argos stores, amounting to more than 2,200 locations. Asda operates through a network of 584 grocery stores, 18 standalone petrol filling stations and 33 Asda Living stores.

Asda’s US owner Walmart would receive just under £3bn in cash plus a 42% stake in the combined business, in a deal which values the Leeds-based chain at £7.3bn. Sainsbury’s market value, before trading opened on Monday, was £5.9bn.

David Tyler, chairman of Sainsbury’s, said: “The proposal will bring together two of the most experienced and talented management teams in retail at a time when the industry is undergoing rapid change. We welcome Walmart as a significant shareholder and look forward to working closely with them.”

Roger Burnley, Chief Executive Officer of Asda, said: Asda will continue to be Asda, but by coming together with Sainsbury’s, supported by Walmart, we can further accelerate our existing strategy and make our offer even more compelling and competitive.

From my six years with Asda and ten years with Sainsbury’s, I know first hand that both organisations are fortunate to employ some of the most talented and customer-focused colleagues in this market and I am excited by the opportunity of the two coming together.”

The merger will impact on both retailers’ land banks, which has led to a call for unwanted sites to be set aside for housing.

Dipa Joshi, director at Assael Architecture, said: “The brownfield sites that don’t survive the merger would be extremely well placed to provide new homes and communities, amid a well-documented housing crisis in the UK.

“The majority of the sites have great road connections and are near public transport links, as well as being located on the fringes of key urban locations, making them ideal sites to bring forward for development.”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/30/sainsburys-asda-merger-heralds-600m-refit-and-it-spend/

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Interserve suffers £244m loss after further write-offs

Debt-stricken Interserve plunged to a £244 loss after a full contracts review saw a further wave of write-downs.

The core business delivered a trading profit of £54m, mainly from the RMD Kwikform business, before nearly £300m of write-offs.

Revenue was stable at £3.25bn, while operating profit was adversely impacted by poor performances in both Support Services and Construction.

The latest wave of write-downs included a £77m impairment against goodwill, £86m write-downs from a sweeping contracts review, a further £35m from energy from waste projects and £33m in restructuring.

The review carried by accountant PwC covered 18 contracts, nine financially complete, seven where final accounts need to be settled and two that are still in construction.

Chief executive Debbie White said:  “2017 was a difficult year for Interserve, but it was also a year of significant progress.

“As a new management team, we have stabilised the business and taken the first actions to establish a solid foundation from which we can both serve our customers effectively and underpin improved future operational and financial performance.

“This work has focused on refinancing, conducting a thorough assessment of the contract portfolio, and introducing new management disciplines, processes and cost controls under the ‘Fit for Growth’ programme.

“We are confident that the cost savings and management actions identified will contribute at least £40-50m to group operating profit by 2020, with the 2018 benefit estimated to be £15m.

She added: “The refinancing we recently agreed with our lenders is a major step in securing a firm financial platform to underpin the Group’s future. Of course there is much still to do. “

She added the ongoing cost-cutting programme would cost a further £15m this year, with the construction business expected to shrink further as it adopted a more selective approach to securing work.

Further progress was made on our remaining Energy from Waste contracts during the year.

But slippages in the anticipated completion date for some of the contracts.

Interserve said an extra £35m provision – in addition to the £160m provided in 2016 -was required to enable it to complete the outstanding projects in Derby, Margam, Templeborough and Dunbar.

“We expect to complete substantially the construction of the projects in the first half of 2018, though significant uncertainty remains on the timing of commissioning,” she added.

Interserve’s debt began to mount from just £40m in 2014 after buying cleaning and repairs specialist Initial Facilities for £250m.

Its new financing deal gives Interserve access to almost £300m of cash and bonding, and runs until 2021.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/30/interserve-suffers-244m-loss-after-further-write-offs/

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North West new housing registrations outstrip London

The North West is pitched into a housing boom after new figures revealed that new housing registrations in the region have now outstripped London.

Latest NHBC figures for new homes to be built in the 2017/18 financial year reveal that registrations shot up 21% in the north west to just over 18,000, while London saw registration plunge 23% to just below 15,000.

The region has strongly benefited from growth in private flats and build to rent schemes, particularly in Manchester.

London’s fall was entirely down to private new build, which slumped from 12,000 in 2017/16 to around 8,000 this last year. Affordable new homes registrations were stable at around 6,600 units.

London registrations are now broadly in line the west Midlands, east Midlands and south west.

Across the country registrations dipped 2% from 2016/17’s record high for the decade of 157,805. Six out of 12 of the UK regions still maintained growth with the Midlands and North West surging as the south and east of England slid .

With growth in the first three quarters of FY 2017/18, compared to the previous year, 116,451 new homes were registered in the private sector (compared to 117,987 in 2016/17) and 38,247 homes were registered in the affordable sector (compared to 39,818 in 2016/17).

NHBC registrations
Region	Total	% change YOY	Private	Affordable
North East	6,466	-2%	5,826	640
North West	18,272	21%	15,206	3,066
Yorkshire & Humberside	9,331	-10%	7,498	1,833
West Midlands	14,587	9%	10,390	4,197
East Midlands	14,314	12%	10,653	3,661
Eastern	16,448	-3%	12,190	4,258
South West	14,122	-15%	10,055	4,067
London	14,795	-23%	8,183	6,612
South East	25,475	-5%	18,700	6,775
England	133,810	-3%	98,701	35,109
Scotland	11,891	1%	10,780	1,111
Wales	5,384	11%	3,951	1,433
Northern Ireland (incl. Isle of Man)	3,613	7%	3,019	594
United Kingdom	154,698	-2%	116,451	38,247

Latest figures revealed a slower start to 2018, with 14% fewer new homes registered in the first three months of the year, compared the same period last year.

Anecdotal reports from some house builders suggest that up to 30 days were lost on site in the first quarter of the year as a direct result of the arctic conditions.

NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said: “New home registration figures for the last financial year have reached the second highest level in a decade, despite a challenging start to 2018, with freezing weather conditions affecting building sites up and down the country.

“Business confidence in both the private and affordable sectors remains high with clear routes to continued growth in 2018, and NHBC will continue to help support house builders to build the high quality new homes that people across the UK need.”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/29/north-west-new-housing-registrations-outstrip-london/

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RC frame arm to drive Keltbray growth this year

Keltbray Group’s expansion into new specialist markets helped to lift group revenues past the £400m point for the first time.

The specialist contractor, which has expanded from demolition and decommissioning to offer full remediation, rail, environmental services and reinforced concrete structure solutions, raised turnover 13% to £417.5m.

Keltbray CEO, Brendan Kerr said that pre-tax profits remained stable at £23m, with operating margin slightly down from 6.6% to 5.6% in 2017, due to tightening trading conditions and higher overhead costs reflecting investment in management, systems and infrastructure to manage revenue growth.

Looking ahead, Kerr said: “While we expect the demand for our demolition and civil engineering services to slow down this year, we estimate this reduction to be partially offset by Keltbray Structures, which ended the year with a pipeline of more than £120m worth of work.

“The change in the nature of project spend under Control Period 6 announced by Network Rail has led us to review other markets to diversify our client base for overhead line electrification opportunities.

“As previously announced we are working with Aecon to assist them in the delivery of major overhead line electrification projects in Canada.

He added: “We remain committed to the UK rail market and the opportunities in Canada will assist us build a more sustainable rail business for the future”.

“We remain committed to our specialist contractor roots and the continuing investment in our self-delivery model which means we employ, manage and train our own employees using our own specialist plant and equipment, but have developed a mitigation strategy to meet the challenging times ahead.

“This will see the Group continuing to diversify into specialist services that are aligned to our existing portfolio, and strengthen our position in other construction-related sectors, such as residential, infrastructure, industrial and utilities.”

Keltbray Group

Now directly employs around 1,500 people across the following three business streams

1. Specialist Contracting Services (SCS): demolition, engineering design, reinforced concrete structures, piling and sheet piling, asbestos management, remediation, waste and soil treatment and supply of plant and haulage services
2. Rail: civil and rail engineering, permanent way (track), piling, overhead line electrification design an installation, and plant hire.
3. Services: labour agency hire and recruitment, training and development and occupational health services serving mainly internal companies.

Last year, the SCS business raised revenue 15% from £269m to £311m. This was primarily driven by demolition, civil engineering and piling businesses.

The rail business stream increased turnover by 6% from £100m to £106.5m

 

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/29/rc-frame-arm-to-drive-keltbray-growth-this-year/

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Bid race for £600m southern new housing panel

Local authority procurement specialist LHC has launched the bid race for a £600m new-build housing framework across southern England.

Projects to be delivered under the framework will range from single smaller sites to complex multi-site projects. The four-year framework will be structured to encourage SME’s to tender.

Public housing framework

Projects for up to 15 units (bidding firms need £500,000+ turnover)

lot 1: Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol / Bath Area. Lot 2: Dorset and Somerset. Lot 3: Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. Lot 4: Devon

Projects for 16 to 49 units (firms need £5m turnover)

Lot 5: Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol / Bath Area. Lot 6: Dorset and Somerset. Lot 7: Cornwall. Lot 8: Devon

Projects for 50 units or more (Firms need £12m turnover)

South West England

Across the country. over 200 publicly funded organisations throughout use LHC frameworks to procure works, goods and services to construct, refurbish and maintain social housing, schools and public buildings.

Companies interested in this opportunity should register on the proContract website.

In a separate procedure LHC will shortly be renewing its £1bn modular housing framework. The Framework is currently split into 3 workstreams: Volumetric Systems, Panelized Systems,Construction using offsite systems.

Around a dozen firms are presently on the off-site suppliers panel which runs until October 2018.

These include: Accord Housing Association T/A LoCal Homes, Caledonian Modular, CCG (Scotland), City West Works T/A ForWorks, F1 Modular, Galliford Try, Hill Partnership, Keepmoat, Mi-Space (UK), Rollalong, Seddon Construction, Stewart Milne Group.

The prequalification notice is expected to be published on 15 May.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/29/bid-race-for-600m-southern-new-housing-panel/

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New way of producing intense radiation could offer less harmful alternative to x-rays

A new source of intense terahertz (THz) radiation, which could offer a less harmful alternative to x-rays and has strong potential for use in industry.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180427100238.htm

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Energy conversion: Speeding up material discovery

Researchers have developed an algorithm that can discover and optimize thermoelectic materials for energy conversion in a matter of months, relying on solving quantum mechanical equations, without any experimental input.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180426125950.htm

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FLI Group acquire Carlow Precast

The FLI Group has acquired Carlow Precast Concrete Engineering Ltd.

The firm will now trade as FLI Carlow focusing on its traditional storm water attenuation market and expanding in the renewable energy sector.

FLI Carlow Ireland will focus on manufacturing off-site concrete products for water infrastructure, roads infrastructure, specialist civil engineering, marine, energy and coastal erosion.

The Carlow Precast Concrete Engineering client base and that of the FLI Group subsidiary companies FLI Water and VertaseFLI share many links and synergies already. FLI Carlow will build on the solid foundation of the FLI brand together with the well known and established “Carlow” brand in the UK and Irish markets.”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/27/fli-group-acquire-carlow-precast/

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Cell membrane inspires new ultrathin electronic film

Researchers have developed a new method to build large areas of semiconductive material that is just two molecules thick and a total of 4.4 nanometers tall. The films function as thin film transistors, and have potential future applications in flexible electronics or chemical detectors. These thin film transistors are the first example of semiconductive single molecular bilayers created with liquid solution processing, a standard manufacturing process that minimizes costs.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180426102908.htm

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Major contractors on the hunt for Yorkshire suppliers

Major contractors will be looking to boost their supply chains across Yorkshire at a “Meet the Buyer” event at the home of Leeds United.

Local subcontractors are invited to attend the networking morning to discuss upcoming contracts with some of the area’s biggest buyers, including Balfour Beatty, Kier, Farrans, Wates and McGoff Construction.

The event will give subcontractors the chance to talk to leading contractors and public-sector authorities face to face.

Constructionline Sales Director, Andrew Lowe, said: “Meet the Buyer events aim to give construction SMEs a unique opportunity to secure meetings that would otherwise take months to secure in just a day.

“It is incredibly exciting; it saves many businesses time and money and allows projects to move much faster. We look forward to meeting you all at the event.”

The event is open to members and non-members of Constructionline, and will feature reprsentatives from:

• • Acclaim
  • Plastic Surgeon
  • Centurion Site Services Ltd
  • Newark & Sherwood Homes
  • Torsion Group
  • Farrans
  • Balfour Beatty
  • McGoff Construction Ltd
  • Orbis
  • Wates Construction Limited
  • Kier Services East Region
  • BESA
  • MCP Environmental

The event will be held at Leeds United Football Club, Elland Road, Leeds, LS11 0ES, from 8:30am to 2:00pm, on 3rd May 2018.

Tickets are free, however the event is expected to be in high demand, so all wishing to attend must book here.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/27/major-contractors-on-the-hunt-for-yorkshire-suppliers/

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Mansell Finishes wins £1.2m care home package from Seddon

Mansell Finishes has won another deal from Seddon for drylining, rendering and plastering at the Gifford Lea Care Village in Tattenhall, south Chester.

Mansell completed phase one of the works and has now started on the £1.2m phase two package which will take 30 weeks to complete.

Works will include 18,000m² of drylining, 15,000m² of ceilings, 250m² of internal render and 35,000m² of plastering.

Working closely with Seddon Construction and British Gypsum, Mansell ensured that the walls and ceiling materials met the exact requirements of the specification to ensure full compliance, including collaborative technical pre-start meetings with all parties.

Due to access and space limitations, Mansell has developed a concise logistics plan that includes delivering materials to site on a just-in-time basis.

The initial phase of 48 luxurious apartments at Gifford Lea currently offers the over 65s exclusive one and two-bedroom homes.

Once completed in early 2019, phase two will see the completion of 56 one and two bedroom extra care apartments and has been specified to achieve a BREEAM Very Good rating.

Designed by architect Pozzoni for client Inspired Villages in partnership with Legal and General, phase two will also see the development of a wellness spa and pool, restaurant, bowling green and garden room.

Once fully completed the retirement village will have 162 apartments, penthouses, homes and other on-site facilities plus a wide variety of social and leisure activities and a range of care packages, altogether offering an ‘active and luxurious’ lifestyle.

Chris Ellison, Senior Project Manager at Seddon said: “This is a high profile development, a luxury care village and the quality of the internal finishes need to be first class.

“Having worked with Mansell on numerous previous projects and on the first phase we had no hesitation in appointing them to work on phase two.

“Not only have they delivered high quality work, but they also added value throughout the construction process offering the benefit of their experience and ensuring everything runs smoothly and on time.

“Inspired Villages with Legal and General are partnered with Seddon on several of these schemes across the UK both now and with a pipeline looking several years into the future. We are keen to commit to consistent quality across their portfolio and using the best subcontractors is key to that delivery.”

Mike Foy, Commercial Director at Mansell Finishes, added: “Our role is so much more than just turning up on site and doing the works. We want to add value throughout the whole process and get involved early on to ensure we do the best possible job.

“This project is no exception, as we have taken a key role in ensuring that the specification and all the materials that will be used will deliver to the requirements while ensuring the Main Contractor and client are happy with the budget – no easy task but one that we have vast experience with.”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/27/mansell-finishes-wins-1-2m-care-home-package-from-seddon/

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Murphy scoops £44m Gosport oil tanks rebuild

J Murphy & Sons has secured a £44m contract to rebuild Gosport oil fuel depot on the south coast for the Ministry of Defence.

It will replace riveted plate fuel tanks, some over 100 years old that are approaching their end of service life.

Tanks will be cut down individually and replaced in rows of two at the site, allowing the Navy to maintain operational fuel reserves during the rebuild.

The project will ensure that the depot will be fully equipped to meet the future requirements of the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth Class carriers.

Around six primary storage tanks with 5 smaller supporting tanks will be built alongside associated pipework and fuel delivery systems.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/27/murphy-scoops-44m-gosport-oil-tanks-rebuild/

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Interserve shareholders back new borrowing cap

Interserve’s shareholders have voted to approve increased borrowing limits of £834m ahead of the release of  annual results on Monday.

The firm is expected to make significant fresh write-downs in its 2017 annual results after a group-wide contract review.

It is anticipated that net debt at year-end 2017 would be £513m. The extended funding deal agreed with bank last month crucially does not pay down debt, expected to rise to £600m this half.

Extended borrowing limits needed to be ratified by shareholders after extra cash facilities of £197m and fresh bonding up to £95m was agreed with banks.

As part of its extra financing , Interserve’s banks have options to buy new shares, presently worth 104p, for 10p per share, which if exercised, would give them a 20% stake in the group.

Interserve’s banks have also agreed to extend a looming covenant test to the end of April to allow documentation to be finalised for the refinancing.

The new facilities will mature in September 2021.  

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/27/interserve-shareholders-back-new-borrowing-cap/

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Construction activity falls 3.3% in first quarter

Construction activity slid by 3.3% in the first three months of 2018, impacted by Carillion’s collapse and bad weather.

The fall contritubed a 0.2% fall to UK GDP, which grew by jus t0.1% during the first quarter.

It is the first preliminary estimate of GDP by the ONS and incorporates 45% of total data for the quarter, so be subject to further revisions.

The ONS today published its preliminary estimate for GDP in the first quarter of 2018.

Rebecca Larkin, Senior Economist at the Construction Products Association, said: “This preliminary estimate gives the first full indication of how construction was affected by the liquidation of Carillion in January and the adverse weather at the end of February and beginning of March.

“The quarterly decline of 3.3% was the worst since 2012 Q2 and implies a £1.3bn loss of output in the opening months of 2018.

“Some degree of catch-up is expected throughout Spring and Summer, but on the CPA’s forecasts, amid continued economic uncertainty and weakness in commercial construction, output for the year is still expected to be flat at best.”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/27/construction-output-falls-3-3-in-first-quarter/

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'Infinitely' recyclable polymer shows practical properties of plastics

The world fell in love with plastics because they’re cheap, convenient, lightweight and long- lasting. For these same reasons, plastics are now trashing the Earth. Chemists have just announced another major step toward waste-free, sustainable materials that could one day compete with conventional plastics.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180426141530.htm

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Hong Kong investor buys stalled £77m Manchester scheme site

Hong Kong developer Far East Consortium has bought a central Manchester site previously owned by collapsed developer Pinnacle (Anglegate).

The firm bought the Angelgate development site on Dantzic Street at auction for a reported £5.2m and will now draw up its own residential scheme for the central Manchester site. Planning permission is expected to be lodged before the end of the year.

Pinnacle (Angelgate) was a special purpose vehicle for developer Pinnacle, which continues to trade. The previous consented twin tower scheme consisted on 344 flats.

Around 70 investors from South East Asia paid more than £30m up front for flats in the failed scheme, which was the subject of complaints to Greater Manchester Police.

Gavin Taylor, regional general manager of FEC Manchester, said: “Having acquired the Angelgate site at auction, we will prepare new plans for a residential development and hope to submit a revised planning application to Manchester City Council before the end of 2018.”

FEC has several residential developments in the pipeline in the including in London Alpha Square in Canary Wharf, Hornsey Town Hall in Crouch End, the Walkabout building in Shepherds Bush.

In Manchester it is tendering plot 4 of its Angel Meadows scheme (pictured above). Ardmore, Bouygues, Russells Construction and Eric Wright are in the bid race for the a 20-storey residential project.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/26/hong-kong-investor-buys-stalled-77m-manchester-scheme-site/

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Transparent eel-like soft robot can swim silently underwater

An innovative, eel-like robot developed by engineers and marine biologists can swim silently in salt water without an electric motor. Instead, the robot uses artificial muscles filled with water to propel itself. The foot-long robot, which is connected to an electronics board that remains on the surface, is also virtually transparent.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180426102906.htm

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Retentions Bill second reading pushed back to June

The second reading of the private members bill to overhaul the hated cash retentions system has been pushed back seven weeks.

Tory MP Peter Aldous was due to deliver the bill’s second reading tomorrow but now the process has been put back to 15 June.

The change come after concern that tomorrow’s crowded parliamentary schedule risked it not being read and abandoned by parliament.

Aldous is seeking to amend the 1996 Construction Act and ensure that retentions are held in a third party trust scheme.

There is a strong groundswell for reform in both parliament and the industry.

In recent weeks political support for holding cash retentions in trust has soared to over 120 MPs in favour of ring-fencing subcontractors’ money. Cross-party support for reform includes Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, SNP, DUP, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party.

And earlier this week a delegation representing 76 specialist trade bodies – representing over 355,000 companies and many self-employed professionals – petitioned the Prime Minister for urgent reform to payment practices and the retention system.

Aldous said: “The industry loses around £1m for each working day, mostly from SMEs. There have been proposals to stop the abuse of retentions before, but this time there is the largest coalition on fair payments ever.”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/26/retentions-bill-second-reading-pushed-back-to-june/

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Midlands builder Stepnell expands south

Expanding regional contractor Stepnell has opened a new office on the outskirts of Southampton after tripling revenue across the south in the past four years.

The £156m turnover builder headquartered in Rugby plans to extend the reach of its south coast construction operations, which presently boast orders worth £20m. 

Stepnell is also set to relocate its Poole regional office to a new base at the Holton Heath Trading Park in the town, and has appointed Rob Acton as regional manager.

The overall region will continue to be led by Stepnell board member and regional director Rob Speirs, who has driven Stepnell’s expansion across the South Coast where it currently employs 69 staff.

Stepnell joint managing director Tom Wakeford said: “The purchase of these two new offices underlines our plans for continued strategic growth.

“Our new Southampton office puts us in the heart of our South Coast operating area. At the same time, the relocation of the company’s Poole office reinforces our commitment to maintaining our well-established presence in Dorset – a key market for Stepnell – with our new premises set to further enhance our construction service offering.”

Major Stepnell projects in the South Coast region include an £11.6m 64-bed nursing and dementia care home under construction for Brendoncare at Otterbourne Hill, near Winchester; a £4.2m clubhouse for Parkstone Yacht Club and Figbury Lodge, a major care home development for the Borough of Poole and a new base for Travis Perkins in Worthing.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/26/midlands-builder-stepnell-expands-south/

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Heathrow calls for fresh ideas on airport expansion

Heathrow Airport is launching a pitch process to court innovative ideas on how to deliver its planned airport expansion.

The call for fresh thinking from UK businesses and entrepreneurs includes the possibility of taking on board radical ideas within the existing scope of the third runway plan.

The airport owner has already floated a cut-price option for the third runway project, which includes dropping plans for a new terminal in favour of expanding existing passenger facilities at Terminal 2 and Terminal 5.

This includes phasing construction to incrementally increase terminal capacity in blocks to better match growing demand.

This option would slash £2.5bn from estimated costs bring the project down to £14bn.

Its call for new ideas about how to improve affordability, sustainability or passenger experience comes as Heathrow Airport prepares to finalise its preferred masterplan by the end of the year.

Any organisation or individual that can bring significant value to the critical infrastructure project could be in the frame to become a future commercial development partner.

Interested businesses and entrepreneurs will be told in the next fortnight how they can register their interest and details of the eligibility criteria will be posted online.

From there, time will be given for long listed parties to form top line business cases.  Those that make it through to the short list will be invited to a pitch process with senior Heathrow decision makers.

John Holland-Kaye, Chief Executive Officer at Heathrow Airport said: “We have had a number of people approach us during this year’s public consultation, so we have decided to open up a competitive process that will give those with the best ideas a chance to work with us.

“We are willing to work with anyone who shares our values and who is committed to delivering on the promises we have made on the environment, to our neighbours and to the country.”

“As we prepare the final masterplan, it is a good time to listen to any proposals that can help us to make Heathrow the most successful hub airport in the world, in a way that is sustainable, affordable and financeable.”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/26/heathrow-calls-for-fresh-ideas-on-airport-expansion/

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BAM wins Bristol engineering building

The University of the West of England has selected BAM Construction to deliver a £20m engineering building that will attract and inspire the engineers of the future.

Enabling work will start in the summer on the 8,500 m2 project at the University’s Frenchay Campus, next to new Bristol Business School.

When open in Summer 2020 it will become home to more than 1,600 undergraduate and postgraduate students along with 100 academic and technical staff.

It will provide a host of teaching and research facilities such as engine test cells, wind tunnels and dedicated learning spaces for engineering disciplines such as composite manufacturing, machining and metrology.

Craig Allen, BAM’s Construction Director, said:“This excellent win was against strong competition. Our success builds on an established relationship with UWE for whom we completed the Student Union and Enterprise Zone buildings. This building will attract future engineers, responding to emerging demand for degree apprenticeships in engineering.

“We are carrying out enabling works this summer and main works are planned to start November, completing in summer 2020.”

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/26/bam-wins-bristol-engineering-building/

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Competition fear over Tarmac Breedon concrete plants swap

The competition watchdog has raised concern about Tarmac’s deal with Breedon to swap four quarries for 27 ready mixed concrete plants.

The Competition and Markets Authority said that its initial review of the proposed deal raised competition concerns in the supply of ready-mixed cobncrete in the Cardiff, Bridgend and Carnforth areas, where both companies are close rivals.

It warned that the lack of other strong suppliers of ready-mixed  in these areas could mean that customers would face increased prices or a worse quality of service as a result of the proposed merger.

At the same time it cleared Breedon’s plans to acquire four quarries and an asphalt plant from Tarmac.

Tarmac now has until 3 May to address the concerns to prevent the merger being referred for an in-depth  investigation by an independent group of CMA panel members.

Quarries being exchanged are located in Scotland, Cumbria and North Wales, together with a quarry and asphalt plant in West Wales.

Ready-mixed concrete operations being offloaded from Breedon’s network of 200 plants are in multiple locations extending from Dumfries in Scotland to Exeter in Devon. 

Tarmac assets

            Daviot Quarry, Inverness

            Low Plains Quarry, Penrith

            Borras Quarry, Wrexham

            Minffordd Quarry & Asphalt Plant, near Porthmadog

 

Breedon ready-mixed concrete plants

           

Alrewas                                                           Llandybie

Banbury                                                           Llanelli

Boroughbridge                                                Llynclys

Bournemouth                                                  Meriden

Bridgend                                                          Pembroke

Briton Ferry                                                     Portsmouth

Cardiff                                                             Scorton

Cardigan                                                         Shawell

Carmarthan                                                     Southampton

Colchester                                                      Stancombe

Dumfries                                                         Tongwynlais

Dunald Mill                                                       Tredegar

Exeter                                                              Wellington

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/26/competition-fear-over-tarmac-breedon-concrete-plants-swap/

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Engineers get a grip on slippery surfactants

A group’s innovative surfactant theory removes limitations of a 100-year-old model for interfacial behavior in enhanced oil recovery.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180425162002.htm

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Drug-filled, 3-D printed dentures could fight off infections

Researchers have developed 3-D printed dentures filled with antifungal medication to better treat oral fungal infections.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180425162010.htm

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Switch controls light on a nanoscale for faster information processing

Researchers have helped design a compact switch that enables light to be more reliably confined to small computer chip components for faster information processing.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180425131823.htm

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Einstein's 'spooky action' goes massive

The elusive quantum mechanical phenomenon of entanglement has now been made a reality in objects almost macroscopic in size. Results show how two vibrating drumheads, the width of a human hair, can display the spooky action that famously troubled Albert Einstein.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180425131858.htm

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Egis takes on M40 upkeep role from Carillion

French engineering group Egis has taken on Carillion’s M40 motorway operations and maintenance contract.

The move will safeguard the jobs of around 95 Carillion employees.

The deal marks a return to working on the M40 for Egis who worked on the the initial startup of the operations and maintenance contract on the motorway between 1997 and 2007.

Work will now be carried-out through a newly created company called Egis Road Operation M40 Ltd.

Egis will now cover 23km of 2 x 3 lane motorway, with over 300 structures on a 30-year contract until January 2027.

Core services undertaken will include network management, safety inspections, cyclical and routine maintenance, accident and emergency response and winter maintenance.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/25/egis-takes-on-m40-upkeep-role-from-carillion/

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Watching nanomaterials form in 4-D

A team has developed a new type of electron microscope that takes dynamic, multi-frame videos of nanoparticles as they form, allowing researchers to view how specimens change in space and time.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180425093817.htm

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Nanowires could make lithium ion batteries safer

From cell phones and laptops to electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries are the power source that fuels everyday life. But in recent years, they have also drawn attention for catching fire. In an effort to develop a safer battery, scientists report that the addition of nanowires can not only enhance the battery’s fire-resistant capabilities, but also its other properties.

from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180425093831.htm

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Science Museum seeks builder for vast storage building

The Science Museum Group is on the hunt for a builder to deliver a major storage facility for much of its vast collection near Swindon.

The 300,000 sq ft shed building will be built at its former RAF airfield site next to Wroughton in Wiltshire.

Called “Building ONE”, it is the SMG’s single largest project for 20 years and has been designed by GWP Architecture with Atkins providing structural design and London consultant DESCO handling building services engineering.

SMG is hoping to appoint a contractor in October this year to complete the 300m long steel clad building, which will be around 90m wide and rise to 12m, a year later.

Once finished the building will house over 80% or around 340,000 items from  the SMG’s Collection in stable, accessible conditions.

Objects from the SMG collection will also be prepared in the new facilities before they go on display across its family of museums: Science Museum in London; the National Railway Museum in York; the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester; the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford; and Locomotion in Shildon.

The building will be low-energy and operationally efficient and set new standards for sustainable collection care.

More details are available from the Mytenders website or contract Anthony Latham by email at the Science Museum.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/25/science-museum-seeks-builder-for-vast-storage-building/

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Robertson bolsters north west arm with O’Rourke hires

Robertson has continued to strengthen its North West business team recruiting more former Laing O’Rourke staff.

The latest management hires follow Dirk Pittaway, who was a former LOR project manager in the north west, and joined Robertson as North West managing director at the turn of the year.

Now, Peter Grieve, former North West building operations chief at Laing O’Rourke, has joined Robertson NW as new operations director.

He joins just after another Laing O’Rourke newcomer, Beth Santangeli, took up the role as business development manager, after previously working on the Alder Hey in the Park and the Transforming Cancer Care major projects.

Pittaway said: “It is a real coup that we’ve been able to secure two highly impressive individuals to the business.

“Peter comes to Robertson North West with vast knowledge and a highly regarded reputation, especially across the region. I have no doubt that his appointment will drive us forward in 2018 and well beyond.”

He added: “In her previous role, Beth was instrumental in different aspects of project delivery from bid, pre-construction and delivery. The appointments show the ambition of the business, as we continue to grow across the region.”

The news comes after Robertson North West was chosen by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council to take over the Vision Tameside redevelopment.

Work on the second, £36m phase of the massive ‘Vision Tameside’ development in Ashton-under-Lyne stopped halfway through when Carillion collapsed.

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/25/robertson-bolsters-north-west-arm-with-orourke-hires/

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Green light for Liverpool Monarchs Quay scheme

Liverpool City Council has given the green light to latest plans to redevelop Monarch’s Quay at Liverpoool’s King’s Dock on the waterfront.

Developer YPG in partnership with the city council, which is the landowner, plan a large mixed-use scheme to create a new leisure, commercial and retail destination.

The latest part of the scheme to gain planning is a 6-storey apartment block, which follows on from the green light for a landmark office scheme for Wirral-based call-centre The Contact Company late last year.

Willmot Dixon is understood to be in line to build the office project.

Further phases of development include a 2,000-seat ice rink, a hotel, restaurants, bars and shops and a car park. A new Winter Garden, new public realm, ten pin bowling

from Construction Enquirer http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/04/25/green-light-for-liverpool-monarchs-quay-scheme/

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