The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) uses the PIPIN (PIPeline INtegrity) model to determine failure frequencies of major hazard pipelines. PIPIN calculates the failure rates for four categories of failure of pipelines (pinhole, small hole, large hole, and rupture). PIPIN uses two approaches to determine failure rates: an approach based
Paragon announces new five year BTL fixes Paragon Mortgages has announced this morning that it is launching a new range of five year, fixed rate buy-to-let mortgage products for individual and limited company landlords, with interest rates starting from 3.75%. Fixed rates are available at loan to value ratios (LTVs)
Interserve has secured a £17 million contract to design and construct a three storey development at the University of York’s Campus East. The new Piazza Learning Centre will be home to learning spaces and teaching facilities, as part of a £27 million project on the campus. This will be Interserve’s
Nine contractors have scooped £500 million on the Cambridge University framework scheme, as part of the university’s current £600 million capital building project. SDC, RG Carter, Quinn, Laing O’Rourke, Kier, Conamar, Bouygues, Bam and Balfour Beatty have all secured places on the framework, which will last for two years, with
BAM Construct UK has seen its profits rise by 80% in 2015, while turnover increased marginally to almost £900 million. Having filed the company’s accounts for last year, it revealed that Bam Construct UK made a profit of £13 million before tax last year, which is a significant increase on
British manufacturing firm QRL Radiator Group has launched a campaign to introduce an energy labelling system for radiators. The group wants the system to be similar to the one used for hot water cylinders, renewables, boilers and other household essentials. QRL’s ‘Don’t Omit Emitters’ campaign was launched on August 23
As a construction engineer or planner, there’s bound to be a number of wires, cables and other equipment in your arsenal of gear that you’ve got no use for. However, one classic piece of equipment that every engineer should have in their toolkit are tri rated cables. Not only do
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) uses the PIPIN (PIPeline INtegrity) model to determine failure frequencies of major hazard pipelines. PIPIN calculates the failure rates for four categories of failure of pipelines (pinhole, small hole, large hole, and rupture). PIPIN uses two approaches to determine failure rates: an approach based on operational experience data, which generates failure rates for four principle failure modes (mechanical failures, ground movement and other events, corrosion, and third party activity); and a predictive model that uses structural reliability techniques to predict the failure frequency due to third party activity only. The predictive model uses historical data in the form of damage data distributions and strike rates as inputs to the fracture mechanics equations. HSE asked the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) to rewrite PIPIN using a Monte Carlo solution approach, to update the science in the model based upon peer review recommendations, to update the damage data used in the predictive model, and to update the historical operational experience data. The effect of the revised model on the results generated from a set of 584 pipelines has been investigated and it was shown that the combined effect of all the modifications is to reduce the failure rates, on average, for all hole sizes compared to the original model. Assistance in the use of Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our FAQs page. Source link
Paragon announces new five year BTL fixes Paragon Mortgages has announced this morning that it is launching a new range of five year, fixed rate buy-to-let mortgage products for individual and limited company landlords, with interest rates starting from 3.75%. Fixed rates are available at loan to value ratios (LTVs) of up to 75% and the range includes funding for self-contained units as well as more complex HMO properties. These new longer term fixed rate products feature a revised interest coverage calculation based on an interest rate assumption of 4% with the interest coverage ratio (ICR) set at a minimum of 125% for single self-contained units and 130% for more complex HMO properties. John Heron, Managing Director of Paragon Mortgages, said: “With the outlook for interest rates now much lower for longer, we have been able to deliver these longer term fixed rates aimed at professional landlords including those borrowing through limited companies and those purchasing HMOs. These are the first products we have launched which feature an ICR that reflects lower interest rate expectations and the reduced risk that customers on longer term fixed rates benefit from.” Source link
Interserve has secured a £17 million contract to design and construct a three storey development at the University of York’s Campus East. The new Piazza Learning Centre will be home to learning spaces and teaching facilities, as part of a £27 million project on the campus. This will be Interserve’s second project with the University of York and will include 36 flexible learning spaces, including two laboratories, a large restaurant, a 100 seat lecture theatre, a 350 seat auditorium and offices spread across 70,000 sq ft. The University’s International Pathway College will use the new building, along with providing further teaching space for Campus East. A joint venture between Kaplan and the University of York, the International Pathway College will provide academic preparation programmes for international students before they progress to their undergraduate and postgraduate studies within the university. Director of the International Pathway College, Dr Matthew Perry, commented: “This will be a fantastic teaching and learning space for staff and students and is indicative of the scale of ambition at the University of York and our confidence in the IPC’s ability to attract students from all over the world. We’re already looking forward to moving in.” Work on the site will commence this week, with groundworks getting underway next month. Interserve will hope to achieve a ‘very good’ BREEAM rating for the project. Earlier in the month, shares in Interserve rocketed after the decision to close its energy from waste business. The FTSE-250 company’s share price soared following proposals to stop building plants that generate energy from ‘green bin’ residual waste in the group’s financial results presentation on Wednesday (10 August). The main reasons cited for ditching the renewable energy operations were cost over-runs and delays with the Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre in Glasgow, with the Scottish gasification project reportedly landing the company a £70m charge on a £146m contract.
Nine contractors have scooped £500 million on the Cambridge University framework scheme, as part of the university’s current £600 million capital building project. SDC, RG Carter, Quinn, Laing O’Rourke, Kier, Conamar, Bouygues, Bam and Balfour Beatty have all secured places on the framework, which will last for two years, with the potential for a further three year extension. The agreement has an overall value of £500 million. The framework is broken down into three value bands: lot one, for projects ranging between £250,000 and £5m; lot two, for jobs in the £5m-£30m bracket; and lot three, for work valued at £30m-plus. On the first lot, places have gone to SDC, RG Carter, Quinn, Kier and Conamar, while Barnes and Ashe Construction have been chosen as reserves. SDC, RG Carter and Kier will deliver projects ranging from £5 million to £30 million in the second lot, while M+W Group, ISG, Bam Construct and Balfour Beatty have been named as reserves. On the final lot, places have gone to Laing O’Rourke, Kier, Bouygues, Bam Construct and Balfour Beatty, who will deliver projects worth over £30 million. Included in the framework is the construction of new laboratories, libraries and lecture spaces as well as work on accommodation, catering and sports facilities and conservation areas and listed buildings. Mark Dady, Kier Construction Easter Managing Director, said that the group was “extremely pleased” to have been awarded a place on the framework. Dady added: “We have an excellent working relationship with the university and are looking forward to the next phase of work with them.” Meanwhile, the construction arm of Bedfordshire-headquartered Kier Group has been awarded three major construction frameworks totalling more than £5bn. The listed company said the frameworks, which have been secured since its trading update on 4 July 2016, provide a long-term pipeline of potential contract awards.
BAM Construct UK has seen its profits rise by 80% in 2015, while turnover increased marginally to almost £900 million. Having filed the company’s accounts for last year, it revealed that Bam Construct UK made a profit of £13 million before tax last year, which is a significant increase on the 2014 figure of £7.2 million, on a turnover of up 1.2% to £897.5m (2014: £887.1m). The firm started this year with a forward order book of £1,723.5 million and £95 million of working capital. Graham Cash, BAM Construct’s Chief Executive, said that the profit margin was 1.4% compared with 0.8% the previous year, which reflects an improved market and a more favourable economic environment. Cash continued: “2015 was another steady year with profit increasing as BAM Construct UK emerged from the recession.” Cash said that the company has an aim of growing margin rather than turnover, and that last year’s results bear this out. He added: “We aim to improve profitability through greater efficiency, especially at pre-construction stage, through developing technology, and by maintaining and developing long term relationships with like-minded clients, particularly in the health, higher education, commercial and leisure sectors.” The company CEO also commented on the recent referendum of the UK’s membership of the EU, insisting that the company has not yet experienced and direct implications as a result of the Brexit vote, adding that he believes their core strategy will ensure they stay resilient in the face of any economic or political uncertainty that may arise in the next few years as a result of Brexit. BAM Construct UK does not include BAM Nuttall, which reports its results separately. Earlier in the month, BAM Construct UK appointed Bruce Dickson as their new regional director in Scotland, taking over from Douglas Keillor who stepped up to the board position of executive director.
British manufacturing firm QRL Radiator Group has launched a campaign to introduce an energy labelling system for radiators. The group wants the system to be similar to the one used for hot water cylinders, renewables, boilers and other household essentials. QRL’s ‘Don’t Omit Emitters’ campaign was launched on August 23 and has called for the industry to join in with a petition to the government to include radiators in mandatory efficiency ratings. Currently, radiators are not covered by the Energy-related Products (ErP) Directive and its colour coded energy labelling system, with efficiency bands ranging from A+++ to G. This means that manufacturers are not required to produce and energy label for radiators, or for installers to include radiators when producing the package label to indicate the efficiency of the whole system. Chief Executive Officer at QRL Radiator Group, David Kerr, commented: “At a time when everyone connected with the heating industry – from government right through to manufacturers and installers – is putting efficiency at the top of the agenda, it’s ludicrous that there is no energy labelling system in place for radiators.” “Of course it’s important that we focus on insulation and the heat source, but if emitters aren’t included as the third piece of the efficiency puzzle then we risk undermining the performance of the system as a whole.” In the manifesto for the ‘Don’t Omit Emitters’ campaign, the firm argues that proper energy labelling would make it easier for people to identify high efficiency emitters – ones that will reduce emissions, cut costs and improve the performance of heating systems. QRL Radiator Group Product Development Manager, Mike Wright, added that inefficient emitters are costing businesses and homes thousands, as well as having a detrimental impact on our collective carbon footprint. Wright believes that the introduction of clear, recognisable and universal energy labels is the most effective way for the trade (and their customers) to confidently pit one product’s performance against another’s.
As a construction engineer or planner, there’s bound to be a number of wires, cables and other equipment in your arsenal of gear that you’ve got no use for. However, one classic piece of equipment that every engineer should have in their toolkit are tri rated cables. Not only do these kinds of cables provide your construction business with a safe way to wire panels, but they’re also flame retardant and temperature resistant. We’ve shared exactly how using tri rated cables can benefit your construction business and the reasons why they’re such an important piece of equipment: How can my Business Use Tri Rated Cables? There are many uses for tri rated cables and can be used within a variety of construction sectors. Electrical cabinets, switch control boards and motor starters are just a handful of items that can benefit from using this kind of wiring, and can also be used within smaller electrical devices. 1. Temperature Resistant From wiring home appliances to completing complex lighting solutions, tri rated cables are one of the only pieces of high-quality cable that are able to withstand extreme temperatures. This kind of cable is designed to suit with the British Standard BS6231 specification, yet achieves many more benefits beyond this. The tri-rated cable has a maximum operating temperature of 105 degrees Celsius and also complies with the UL758 and CSA 22.2 No. 210 regulations. Not only does this provide you with a robust piece of cabling for areas of high temperature, but it also aids to ensure that the safety of the building or component you’re fitting is kept intact at all times. 2. Flame Retardant Another notable benefit of tri rated cables is the fact that they’re flame retardant; meaning that the cables themselves are able to run beside areas that have the potential to be exposed to fire. This can benefit your construction business as it simplifies the amount of wiring you’re using, and making the entire cabling system more streamlined. As you can see, there are many benefits of using tri rated cables within the construction industry. Created with a layer of insulation of heat resistant polyvinyl chloride (PVC), we’re sure that you’ll find the perfect use for them.
