Sir Robert McAlpine has netted the contract to build a roof to cover Wimbledon’s No.1 Court. The contractor has seen off competition from two other firms, having signed a pre-contract service agreement with The All-England Club. Work on the roof will start after the completion of the 2016 Wimbledon Championships,
A near-doubling in office starts will help to drive a 6 per cent increase in total project starts in 2016, according to new forecasts. The data from construction intelligence unit Glenigan points to total growth of 6 per cent in the value of starts during 2016 compared with 2015, driven
Contractor J Tomlinson has appointed a new group finance director as part of the company’s expansion plans. Mel Sowter is the first female director to join the Nottingham-based firm since it was founded in the 1950s. A results driven, commercially astute and strategic finance director with demonstrable success in business
It’s no secret that the UK is in the midst of a housing crisis, and it’s been an ongoing issue for a number of years. Supply simply isn’t meeting demand, and the number of homes built each year seems to have plateaued at a low level for the last five
Between 2013 and 2014, 1.2 million people in Britain were suffering from a work-related illness. There were 629,000 injuries at work and 27.3 million working days lost. Of these injuries, 142 workers were killed. 2,538 people died from mesothelioma in 2013 too, underlining the dangers of working in industrial environments.
Sir Robert McAlpine has netted the contract to build a roof to cover Wimbledon’s No.1 Court. The contractor has seen off competition from two other firms, having signed a pre-contract service agreement with The All-England Club. Work on the roof will start after the completion of the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, with the facility set to be operational by 2019. In 2004, Galliford Try was chosen to build the retractable roof on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. The masterplan for No. 1 Court was put in place 18 months ago and includes two additional tiers with around 900 seats and the creation of a new two-level public plaza in place of No. 19 Court. Robert Deatker, who leads the new Estate Development Team, which was put together to carry out masterplan said the masterplan “will involve the reconfiguring of a lot of the site in terms of public space”. He added: “[Sir Robert] McAlpine won [this contract] through their ingenuity in how they plan to deliver it.” Sir Robert McAlpine this month appointed Tony Aikenhead as its new CEO after a management restructure. It was revealed last month that SRM was one of three contractors in the running for Spurs’ £400m new stadium.
A near-doubling in office starts will help to drive a 6 per cent increase in total project starts in 2016, according to new forecasts. The data from construction intelligence unit Glenigan points to total growth of 6 per cent in the value of starts during 2016 compared with 2015, driven by a 49 per cent increase in office starts. Offices is expected to be by far the strongest performing sector, its growth rate significantly ahead of second-placed private housing, which is forecast to see starts increase by 11 per cent. Other areas forecast to see robust growth in 2016 include community & amenity (10 per cent) and health (6 per cent), with the latter recovering from a low base, having contracted by 21 per cent in 2015. Retail (5 per cent), civil engineering (5 per cent) and hotel & leisure (3 per cent) are expected to record more modest growth in starts during 2016 compared with the previous year. Only three of the major sectors are forecast to see a fall in project starts during 2016: education (-2 per cent), industrial (-3 per cent) and social housing (-17 per cent). The industrial sector is nevertheless declining from a high base, with starts having grown 49 per cent in 2014, and a further 10 per cent rise expected in 2015. However, next year’s predicted fall in social housing represents the third consecutive decline in the sector, following a 1 per cent fall in starts in both 2014 and 2015. Wales is forecast to see the fastest growth in project starts of any UK region during 2016, with an increase of nearly 30 per cent. However, this is from a low base, after starts in Wales declined by an estimated 18 per cent during 2015. Elsewhere, Scotland, the South-west and London are forecast to see significant growth in starts next year, with modest increases expected for the South-east and the North-west. The East Midlands and the East of England are both expected to see a dip in starts during 2016 compared with a year earlier, owing to a decline in industrial starts.
Contractor J Tomlinson has appointed a new group finance director as part of the company’s expansion plans. Mel Sowter is the first female director to join the Nottingham-based firm since it was founded in the 1950s. A results driven, commercially astute and strategic finance director with demonstrable success in business growth, Mel joins J Tomlinson as the company expects to see its turnover increase from £54 million in 2014 to £67 million this year, with a forecast to rise again next year. The firm, which operates across the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire, employs 383 people, and has been named in Deloitte’s Businesses Leading Britain 2014 report, which provides insights into the UK’s 1,000 fastest-growing businesses with annual revenues between £30 million and £1 billion. J Tomlinson CEO Mark Davis said: “The team at J Tomlinson is very pleased to announce the appointment of Mel Sowter as our new group finance director, at a time when the company is going through a significant period of growth. “She has experience of both the construction sector and the service business, bringing a valuable set of skills to the company.” Mel is responsible for the financial and management accounts of J Tomlinson, as well as the human resources and information technology support services. Her position is a newly created post. “I am delighted to have joined J Tomlinson, a well-known company with a good reputation in the market place,” she said. “The company’s expansion plans are very exciting and the company values are very people focused. I relish the opportunity to join the team, add value and make a difference.” Mel has previously worked for organisations including Xylem Water Solutions, a global market leader in water and wastewater transport and treatment for municipal and industrial customers, where she was also the first female to join the board in the UK, housebuilder Westbury Homes, and Leicester Royal Infirmary NHS Trust. J Tomlinson, which has its head office in Beeston near Nottingham, offers services in construction, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance, mechanical and electrical engineering, energy efficiency, renewables, and facilities management, and works across a range of sectors including social housing, emergency services, healthcare, education, retail and commercial property.
It’s no secret that the UK is in the midst of a housing crisis, and it’s been an ongoing issue for a number of years. Supply simply isn’t meeting demand, and the number of homes built each year seems to have plateaued at a low level for the last five years, following 2008’s financial crisis. So how is this issue looking to improve, and do industry trends suggest improvements in the likelihood of meeting housing targets? An upturn in the industry is likely to see the need for protection for firms, as the increase in work leads to an increase in risks. In this post we look at the industry, what the trends are and how this equates to risks and insurance for your firm. Confidence in an increase in workloads has risen significantly in the last four years for architects, peaking earlier this year. In the last three months, however, that confidence has seemed to maintain a relatively consistent level year on year since 2012’s spike. While it’s good that we’re not seeing confidence in the industry falling, it’s indicative that firms are calling out for work – something which makes tackling this crisis so much more feasible. If the trends are correct and we see an increase in work then it’s vital for firms to not let issues creep in to projects due a surge in demand. If this happens then an architectural firm is going to be liable for issues relating to designs or final builds, and this has the potential to enormously impact maintaining contracts or operating at the same level. This is one of the key areas where protection through PI insurance policy can help minimise these risks. Staffing confidence for the architecture industry has, as with the workload, increased over the last four years, though not to the same levels. Similarly with workload trends, the general consensus is there is far more confidence that there will be increases in staffing needs compared with five years ago. This could be another indicator that the industry predicts an upturn in work – work increases so the need for more staff is certain to do the same. Obviously with an increase in new members of staff, regardless of which area of the firm they may be in, creates a number of new opportunities where liability issues may arise. This really hammers home the need for protection and justifies the importance of the RIBA and ARB regulations dictating that Professional Indemnity Insurance policies are a requirement for all members. The number of new homes being built took an understandably sharp downturn in 2008 in the wake of the financial crisis, although before this the rate of building new homes had been relatively steady over the previous 20 years. Since the drop, rates seem to been broadly maintained, but if the industry’s trends in confidence of growing contracts and staffing levels are correct, we could see this start to slowly grow back to pre-crisis levels. This is essential for meeting demand – Government targets put in place eight years ago dictate that 240,000 homes need to be built each year in the UK to keep up with the demand for more housing. As we can see, the UK is almost 100,000 homes behind this target and, although this is an increase from the previous year, it’s still a concerning way off what’s needed to meet demand. If trends continue, and predictions in the industry are correct, we should be seeing the rise in completed builds reaching a level the country so sorely needs. Are There Any Future Risks? The good news for architects is that the demand is there, it’s just not being met. Suggestions are that, with proper planning and strategies from both central and local government, rates will start to creep closer to demand which also brings prospects of work back into the equation for architects. The trends would indicate that, due to building rates being at their lowest for 40 years and the significant drop in the 2008 financial crisis, the demand is here to stay; in all likelihood, it’s not a short term ‘bubble’ which is likely to burst any time soon. With this in mind, architects need to prepare for this increase in workload carefully. Need for more permanent staff will increase (trend predictions have seen this increase noticeably in the last four years), so financial planning will be key to balance investment in projects with affording the staff needed to carry these projects out effectively. How You Can Be Protected Protection in this area is vital; firms with smaller numbers of projects will need to ensure issues with these don’t cause a large impact on the business, whereas larger firms will see the risk increase as the number of contracts does the same. Specialist insurance policies do exist that offer protection for specific aspects of the architecture and building industries, and it’s a requirement of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB) that some form of insurance policy is held. Here at Cavendish Munro, we’re able to offer specialist cover for architects that, in addition to areas covered by general policies, focus on specific aspects of the architecture industry. You can read more on our Professional Indemnity Insurance for architects through our website, and start filling out a proposal form for architects here.
Between 2013 and 2014, 1.2 million people in Britain were suffering from a work-related illness. There were 629,000 injuries at work and 27.3 million working days lost. Of these injuries, 142 workers were killed. 2,538 people died from mesothelioma in 2013 too, underlining the dangers of working in industrial environments. Of all the industries, construction, agriculture, forestry and manufacturing had a significantly higher rate of injury than others. Slingsby, a workplace equipment supplier, has provided a guide to some of the most common injuries workers may experience and how to avoid them. Asbestos-related disease 5,500 cases of work-related cancer are estimated each year in the construction industry. Of these cancers, lung and mesothelioma are the most common. The leading cause of death is exposure to asbestos. Solution: Your employer should have rules regarding asbestos. If you suspect there’s asbestos present, stop working and speak to the building owner or your employer. Ensure you have the correct protective equipment and a proactive policy around washing and cleaning to avoid contamination. Avoid methods that will throw up dust such as power tool usage. Avoid smoking or reusing disposable clothing. Slips, Trips and Falls If you’re stationed in an office, don’t think you’re out of danger — far from it, in fact! The most common workplace injuries come from trips and falls on slippery flooring. In 2007 to 2008, four of every 10 injuries at work were due to slips and trips. Solution: Slippery flooring should be marked with signage or protected with carpet or anti-slip tape. Muscle Strains Every time you’re required to lift something, you should take the right precautions. One of the highest percentages of injuries comes from manual handling, as lifting with incorrect form can strain your back or neck, so take care when lifting even trivial items like boxes. Solution: Lift from your legs rather than your back and ask for proper training if it’s going to be a frequent part of your job. Make sure your back is straight when lifting and ask a colleague to help if it feels too heavy. Falling objects Depending on your workplace, falling objects can be extremely dangerous. On building sites especially, a dropped object can become a fatal projectile. Solutions: Wear your protective equipment whenever you’re on site. Always be aware of people working above you and know the risk. Repetitive strain injury Even if you’re involved with construction but don’t spend much time on site, you’ll have to be aware of the risk of RSI. The problem can grow if left unchecked, so mention to your employer. Solutions: RSI can be prevented with regular breaks, so make sure you take time away from your desk to reinvigorate yourself and prevent injury. You can also ask your employer to bring in ergonomic workstations. Cuts and lacerations When you’re handling any equipment with a bladed edge you should be extra careful. Often this is a case of common sense, but you should always wear gloves and eye protectors when you need to handle bladed equipment such as circular saws. Solutions: A first aid kit or qualified first aider should be near any cutting equipment. Sound pollution If you work in a factory or near loud machinery, you need to be aware of industrial deafness. 130 claims were made in 2014for industrial deafness, a rise on figures in 2012 and 2013 but still an overall fall from figures in 2003 and 2004. Solutions: Ear protectors should be worn if working close to machinery. Frequent breaks should be permitted. With the right precautions, you’ll be protected from the most common injuries in the workplace. You can read more about other injuries here.
