A new approach to strengthen polymer gels has been developed by changing the length of polymer “thread” per molecular “bead”.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161201092655.htm
A new method has been developed that enables them to manipulate light to follow any predetermined path along a surface. The innovation has now been described as one of the world’s 30 most exciting discoveries within optics and photonics during 2016.
from Engineering and Construction News – ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161129084237.htm
Seven firms have been contracted by Heathrow to design plans for the airport’s sustainable expansion.
The group – Amec Foster Wheeler, Arup, Atkins, Grimshaw, Mott MacDonald, Jacobs and Quod – will now be known as the Integrated Design Team.
The seven teams have each been awarded 4-year term contracts.
The appointment of the IDT follows the announcement of the partners in the Programme Client Team in March. These included: Arup, CH2M, MACE and Turner & Townsend.
Barry Weekes, Head of Design at Heathrow, said: “With their institutional knowledge of Heathrow, and proven record in building complex infrastructure projects, the members of the Integrated Design Team will allow us to hit the ground running to deliver Heathrow expansion.
“Their appointment is a significant milestone in what will be a fast paced design and engineering schedule. We are now well on our way to delivering Britain’s new runway, providing the additional capacity our country needs to maintain its place in the world as a prosperous, outward looking trading nation.”
Amec Foster Wheeler will continue to assist Heathrow with its sustainability strategies and Environmental Impact Assessment.
Arup will utilise its engineering expertise as well as continuing to lead Heathrow’s passenger experience and baggage improvement programmes.
Atkins was appointed for its engineering capability and record of delivering Heathrow’s IT and asset replacement programmes.
Grimshaw will work as Concept Architect within the IDT after the successful delivery of Terminal 2B
Jacobs will provide airport planning and engineering services and build on the work it has already done with Heathrow.
Mott MacDonald bringsknowledge developing airport masterplans, as well as its significant engineering expertise.
Quod will offer its town and country planning consultants expertise and extensive knowledge on making successful DCO applications.
Transport for Greater Manchester is set to award the £350m next phase of the Metrolink expansion to Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and Thales UK.
Transport for Greater Manchester has been cleared to enter into contracts with the M-Pact Thales consortium and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff for the delivery and management of the scheme to design and construct the line to the Trafford Centre.
The new 5.5km Metrolink Trafford Park line will go from Pomona to Trafford Park via the Imperial War Museum.
Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail will be responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the civil engineering and track, while Thales will deliver the tram operating systems.
Preliminary utility diversions by Electrical NW will start next week allowing the joint venture to start work in late January.
The Trafford Park line will call at six new tram stops – Wharfside, Imperial War Museum, Village, Parkway, EventCity and the Trafford Centre.
The line will leave the existing Metrolink network at the Pomona stop on the Eccles line and continue in a westerly direction, initially on an elevated structure, along the south side of the Manchester Ship Canal.
The route then continues on a segregated section on the existing highway network along Trafford Wharf Road, Warren Bruce Road and Village Way before joining Barton Dock Road, again as a segregated tramway, to the Trafford Centre.
The extension will increase the size of the Metrolink network to more than 106.5km (66 miles).
Developer Dandara Group has received £45m in Government funding to unlock sites for 2,000 private rental homes in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.
The Isle of Man developer is spearheading the project to deliver £400m of housing development with support from the Homes and Communities Agency and banking giant HSBC.
It can now build the trio of projects delivering 995 rental homes in Manchester, 744 in Leeds and 323 in Birmingham.
Funding will come from the government’s Home Building Fund, which makes cash available to help kick-start house building.
It is estimated that up to 1,500 construction jobs could be created across the three cities.
Housing minister Gavin Barwell said: “This is one of the largest private rental sector deals in the UK and will not only create thousands of homes for people in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester – it will create jobs and opportunities for many hundreds of people.”.
744 private rental home scheme in Holbeck Urban Village, Leeds
322 new homes will be located near the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Holliday Street in Birmingham
HCA chairman Sir Edward Lister said: “We’re working on a number of other deals, with builders of all sizes, and we’re also using our investment and land to attract new entrants to the industry.”
Dan Tynan, founder and chairman of the Dandara Group, added: “Dandara has already built more than 2,500 properties of this type in the last ten years in the UK, including Scotland’s largest PRS scheme of almost 300 properties in Aberdeen, acquired by LaSalle Investment Management on behalf of a large Pension Fund.”
HSBC’s head of housing in the UK Hugh Taylor said: “We are really pleased to be supporting Dandara alongside the HCA with development finance on this multi-site roll out of their PRS programme. It is a significant contribution to the ‘housing challenge’ and is further evidence of PRS beginning to emerge as a distinct asset class.”
Researchers at the BRE are creating a “living laboratory” office to see how buildings affect the health of occupants.
The project will see one of BRE’s existing office buildings refurbished at its headquarters in Watford.
It will be renamed the Healthy Research Building and workers inside will be monitored while they go about their day-to-day activities.
The block will be certified under the WELL Building Standard and BREEAM which are being aligned.
Data collected will be analysed by BRE to provide the industry with a greater understanding of how different products, materials and internal configurations affect occupants.
The BRE wants manufacturers to take part and test their products as part of the project.
Martin Townsend, Director of Sustainability at BRE Global, said: “It has been claimed that we spend over 90% of our time indoors and in an office environment.
“It is therefore vital that we better understand the effects that indoor environments are having on their occupants.
“By refurbishing one of our offices to achieve BREEAM and the WELL Building Standard and integrating state- of-the-art monitoring technology we will be creating the UK’s first living laboratory.
“We don’t just want to research our own staff to drive this agenda, we want to work with the industry to create an inclusive agenda on research.
“To ensure we actively undertake the research that the industry needs we’re calling on the industry to work with us on an industry supported health and well-being research programme.”
Student accommodation specialist Watkin Jones Group has forward sold plans for a 24-storey student block in Cardiff city centre.
The Bangor-based developer and builder revealed this morning that the Cardiff scheme and another in Belfast have been forward sold to institutional investors.
The deals paves the way for the builder to start both schemes, which are due for delivery in August 2018.
In Cardiff city centre, the Bridge Street development will provide over 470 beds for students.
Retail and commercial units would be developed on the ground floor using existing buildings on the site and a new alcohol treatment centre will be built, replacing an existing facility.
The site located on land bound by Bridge Street, Charles Street and Wesley Lane already has planning consent.
Watkin Jones also has consent for a separate 42-storey student tower at Custom House Street in Cardiff, which is set to become Wales’ tallest building.
The Belfast project, which also comprises retail and office space, involves demolishing buildings on the capital’s Queen Street, to build a 14-storey, 340-bed student room project.
The existing building facade will be retained at Queen Street.
Mark Watkin Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Watkin Jones, said: “We are delighted to announce today that we have forward sold our developments in Cardiff and Belfast to two institutional investors in purpose built student accommodation, which further underpins the visibility of our earnings and cashflow.
“The interest in the sector remains strong.”
