As many as 2,500 jobs in construction are to be created as plans to turn a former hospital site into a learning hub get under way. The Glasgow University project is also expected to attract around £1 billion of investment into the city over the next 10 years, more than
Lendlease has appointed a new managing director of property for its European business. Source link
A survey of CBI member organisations found that 77 per cent of construction firms felt remaining would be better for their business. Overall, 80 per cent of CBI members said they believed the UK remaining a member of the EU would be best for their firm, with just 5 per cent
Construction of the biggest wastewater tunnel in Scotland reached a key point this week with the arrival of the front sections of the tunnel boring machine (TBM). Above: Local lad Lewis Bennett won a competition to name the TBM with his suggestion of Daisy the Driller The £100m Shieldhall Tunnel
Managing Director of O’Donovan Waste Disposal, Jacqueline O’Donovan, has been appointed to The South East Centre for The Built Environment non-executive Board, in recognition of her continued commitment to the construction sector. O’Donovan joins Ian Lyon, Director of Oxford Properties and Jonathan Rickard, Head of Land & Planning at Radian,
Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting, today announced the launch of the Philips GreenPower LED flowering lamp 2.0, an even more energy efficient way to extend daylight or interrupt the night growing cycle in greenhouses for growers that cultivate strawberries, cut flowers, bedding plants and cuttings.
The global search for the best built environment photographer in the world has returned with the launch of Art of Building 2016. Art of Building attracts thousands of entries each year and is open to professional and amateur photographers from across the world. Every year, the images that reach the competition’s elite
More than 400,000 landlords (22%) who pay the basic rate of tax will be forced into a higher tax bracket from April next year as planned changes to landlord taxation come into force. The changes, once fully phased in over the next five years, will mean that landlords will no
Belzona’s industry experience indicates that 90% of roofing problems usually arise from a mere 10% of the roof’s total area. In fact, the occurrence of these problems tends to bear a significant correlation to traditional roofing materials and installation methods. Therefore, how can these problems be eliminated through maintenance? This
As many as 2,500 jobs in construction are to be created as plans to turn a former hospital site into a learning hub get under way. The Glasgow University project is also expected to attract around £1 billion of investment into the city over the next 10 years, more than twice the budget of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. It will see the university’s Gilmorehill campus extended over the 14-acre site of the old Western Infirmary, in what is said to be one of the largest educational developments in Scotland. As part of the scheme, a research and innovation hub will be constructed, as well as new buildings for social sciences, health and engineering. There will also be new public routes and a central square linking to Byres Road, and commercial opportunities in the form of restaurants, bars and a hotel. The university moved to the Gilmorehill site in 1870 to allow closer cooperation between academics and medical professionals. At the time, a clause was signed stating that if the hospital, which opened in 1874, ever ceased to be a hospital then the university could buy back the site. Hospital facilities have now been transferred to the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, which started taking in patients in April 2014 and is one of the largest acute hospitals in the UK. It is now hoped the extension will help to maintain the university’s position as a world-leading institution. Glasgow University principal and vice-chancellor Professor Anton Muscatelli said: “We hope to use the new site as a catalyst to attract and grow the very best academics, to attract the very best students and to ensure that Glasgow continues to be one of the top universities in the world.” According to CITB’s latest Construction Skills Network report, 4,270 new construction jobs are expected in Scotland each year by 2020. Source link
Lendlease has appointed a new managing director of property for its European business. Source link
A survey of CBI member organisations found that 77 per cent of construction firms felt remaining would be better for their business. Overall, 80 per cent of CBI members said they believed the UK remaining a member of the EU would be best for their firm, with just 5 per cent backing the case for a Brexit. The CBI said it would be making the economic case for Britain to remain in the EU after the results of the survey, which was carried out by ComRes. The survey had 773 responses among small, medium and large firms. CBI president Paul Drechsler said: “The vast majority of our members tell us their businesses have gained from being in the EU. ”We have consulted every one of the CBI’s councils in the last three weeks, involving firms of all sizes and sectors across the UK. All councils agreed, many unanimously, that the CBI should make the economic case for remaining. “The referendum is a matter for the British people and it’s clear that the public will base their decision on a range of factors. The business and economic case is only one part of the story, but it is a vital one.” CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn said: “The message from our members is resounding: most want the UK to stay in the EU because it is better for their business, jobs and prosperity. “Walking away makes little economic sense and risks throwing away the many benefits we gain from being part of the EU.” Look out for our full analysis on the implications of Brexit for the industry on constructionnews.co.uk tomorrow Results by sector Percentage that said it would be better for their business for the UK to remain in the EU: 77% – construction 78% – production (manufacturing, utilities etc) 81% – financial and insurance sectors 83% – professional scientific and technical 83% – education Source link
Construction of the biggest wastewater tunnel in Scotland reached a key point this week with the arrival of the front sections of the tunnel boring machine (TBM). Above: Local lad Lewis Bennett won a competition to name the TBM with his suggestion of Daisy the Driller The £100m Shieldhall Tunnel project is being built by Costain-Vinci Construction Grands Projets Joint Venture (CVJV) for Scottish Water. The tunnel will follow a 3.1-mile route under Glasgow between Craigton and Queen’s Park and is expected to take more than a year to build. The 360-tonne front sections of the German-made Herrenknecht TBM were shipped to Rosyth and taken by road with a police escort along the M8 in central Glasgow to the project site at Craigton in the southwest of the city. The remaining parts are being delivered and assembled in the next few weeks before the start of construction of the tunnel in the summer. The Shieldhall Tunnel is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. When assembled, the TBM will weigh 1000 tonnes and be 180 metres long. It will be launched into a 200-metre long cut-and-cover trench, six metres wide and 10 metres deep. Construction of the trench, which began in October 2015 and is due to be complete by the end of May 2016, has required the excavation of more than 25,000 tonnes of material and is taking place in a restricted working area alongside local residents. Sub agent Ian Bowley said: “On paper this piece of work was always going to be a challenge and on occasions these challenges have been greater than expected. However the open cut team are managing to overcome the obstacles to achieve the excavation. “Balancing the movement of considerable levels and size of plant, mobilising our excellent team and dealing with the worst of the weather in such a tight area has proved to be difficult, but we are dealing with these challenges and will deliver something to be extremely proud of.” Local lad Lewis Bennett won a competition to name the TBM with his suggestion of Daisy the Driller. He visited the project site and met Scottish Water chief executive Douglas Millican (pictured above). Pictured below is the TBM being tested at Herrenknecht’s headquarters in southwest Germany in February. Further Images This article was published on 29 Apr 2016 (last updated on 29 Apr 2016). Source link
Managing Director of O’Donovan Waste Disposal, Jacqueline O’Donovan, has been appointed to The South East Centre for The Built Environment non-executive Board, in recognition of her continued commitment to the construction sector. O’Donovan joins Ian Lyon, Director of Oxford Properties and Jonathan Rickard, Head of Land & Planning at Radian, as one of the three newly appointed members of the non-executive Board. The new appointments will bring new ideas and strategic insights that will directly influence the actions of the SECBE, as an industry-led catalyst for change, supporting business growth in London and the South East. The SECBE engages and supports leaders in construction to improve performance and win more work, by supporting companies to adopt new processes for sustainability, building performance and digital construction. Under O’Donovan’s dynamic leadership, O’Donovan Waste Disposal has become one of the leading waste management firms in the South East, operating within London and the surrounding region. Running the business for more than 30 years, O’Donovan has grown the business to a turnover of over £16 million, with 150 staff and a fleet of 85 HGVs. As part of her role at SECBE, Jacqueline will bring her passion for Health & Safety and credibility as one of the first firms to be become a Construction Logistics and Cyclist Safety (CLOCS) champion, also achieving the Fleet Operation Recognition Scheme (FORS) Gold accreditation five years running. Her experience will be of great value to SECBE, which has recently been appointed by Transport for London to drive the national roll out of CLOCS. FORS and CLOCS are integrated Standards that encourage Fleet Operators to demonstrate compliance to protect vulnerable road users and commit clients to take ownership of road safety throughout the supply chain. O’Donovan is a multi-award winning company, including two wins at this year’s Constructing Excellence in London and South East Awards, in the categories of ‘Health & Safety’ and ‘Achiever of the Year’ for Jacqueline.
Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting, today announced the launch of the Philips GreenPower LED flowering lamp 2.0, an even more energy efficient way to extend daylight or interrupt the night growing cycle in greenhouses for growers that cultivate strawberries, cut flowers, bedding plants and cuttings. The new Philips GreenPower LED flowering lamp 2.0 builds on the first generation of Philips GreenPower LED flowering lamp and comes in two different spectral versions with light recipes for growing cut flowers and soft fruit. The new highly energy-efficient lamp is designed to increase the yield, quality and consistency of crops and accelerate flowering. Its design draws upon over twenty years’ experience that Philips Lighting has in horticultural lighting to serve the needs of growers. The first generation of the Philips GreenPower flowering lamp provided an important benchmark for energy efficiency following trials in 2014 and 2015 at the Research Centre Hoogstraten in Belgium, an independent horticultural research center. The next generation lamp provides an optimum spectrum and high light output and allows growers to save electricity costs by being 90% more energy efficient than conventional incandescent lamps. The lamps have a standard E27 or E26 fitting allowing them to be used in existing installations, avoiding unnecessary modifications and reducing set-up costs. To help growers achieve the best results for their crops, Philips Lighting has invented light recipes which combine the following elements: light spectrum, intensity, uniformity, timing and positioning. The Philips GreenPower LED flowering lamp 2.0 is available with two different spectral versions: one offers a combination of deep red and white (DR/W) and the other a combination of deep red/white/ far red (DR/W/FR). The DR/W light version inhibits flowering of short-day plants, and has for example been very effective with chrysanthemums. The DR/W/FR light version is ideal for photoperiodic lighting of bedding and perennials. It can extend the day or interrupt the night cycle to promote elongation of the stems of strawberries and stimulate flowering.
The global search for the best built environment photographer in the world has returned with the launch of Art of Building 2016. Art of Building attracts thousands of entries each year and is open to professional and amateur photographers from across the world. Every year, the images that reach the competition’s elite shortlist are published on international broadcast and print media. They are viewed by millions of people as the public vote to decide the best photograph gets under way. The competition is now in its seventh year and is free to enter, with the overall winner receiving a cash prize of £3,500. Following strong public demand, a new category for young photographers has been introduced this year. It offers under-18s the opportunity to unleash their creative talents to win a £1,000 prize. Art of Building is judged by a team of professionals from the world of art criticism, photography and publishing. They are seeking striking photographs that offer new insights on the built environment and the way we interact with it. The competition’s wide-ranging brief welcomes a number of styles such as architectural and fine art photography, abstract images, social commentary and reportage. The type of equipment used to take the picture is not as important as the composition, intention and overall effect. Past images that have reached the shortlist have been shot on mobile phones as well as state of the art photographic equipment. Art of Building champion Saul Townsend commented: “Art of Building is renowned for the richness of its subject matter which ranges from heritage and historical structures to new architecture, the construction process, cultural insights and the way buildings interact with nature. “The competition documents not only how buildings shape our lives, but also how humans shape the environment, from remote rural outposts to sprawling metropolitan skylines. Every year, we receive astonishing images of structures in all stages in their life cycle, from creation through to use, abandonment and decay. The diversity of locations is breathtaking.”
More than 400,000 landlords (22%) who pay the basic rate of tax will be forced into a higher tax bracket from April next year as planned changes to landlord taxation come into force. The changes, once fully phased in over the next five years, will mean that landlords will no longer be able to deduct mortgage interest payments or any other finance-related costs from their turnover before declaring their taxable income. At present, mortgage interest payments are one of a number of expenses that landlords can deduct as a business cost, including insurance premiums, letting agent fees, and maintenance and property repair costs. However, while 440,000 basic-rate tax payers will be forced into a higher bracket, all landlords could be at risk of seeing their tax liability rise regardless of their existing rate of tax, with landlords in Central London (31%), the East of England (30%), and the West Midlands (28%) particularly hit. A full regional breakdown can be seen below. The amount by which landlords will be affected will depend on their personal circumstances, such as whether or not they generate income from any other sources. Landlords’ tax liability will go up depending on their existing annual mortgage interest payments, which are broken down by portfolio size below. Single property – £3,600 2-3 properties – £8,600 4-5 properties- £16,300 5-10 properties – £18,200 11-19 properties – £24,900 20+ properties – £38,000 The news comes as the National Landlord Association (NLA) met with Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell to discuss the matter. The NLA also hopes to meet Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Jane Ellison, in the near future after Chancellor Phillip Hammond responded to the association’s request to discuss the forthcoming changes, and last year’s stamp duty surcharge on addition property purchases.
Belzona’s industry experience indicates that 90% of roofing problems usually arise from a mere 10% of the roof’s total area. In fact, the occurrence of these problems tends to bear a significant correlation to traditional roofing materials and installation methods. Therefore, how can these problems be eliminated through maintenance? This article examines the evolution that roofing materials have undertaken and how roofing maintenance solutions have adapted to effectively cope. Adapting to change Charles Darwin considered “adapting to change” the most significant part of his evolutionary theory, a statement that holds similar relevance to the evolution of roofing materials. Historically, roofing materials such as tar and lead have been eclipsed on flat roofs by roll-on materials like single-ply rubber sheeting, bitumen and felt. However, despite being easier to apply than their predecessors, the safety and effectiveness surrounding their application and subsequent maintenance is not increasingly better. Fundamentally, the repair and maintenance of these materials is carried out using the exact same materials, or ineffective accessory products which can create future problems in the long term. As a result, roofing maintenance is evolving once more, and this time it is with the advent of liquid-applied polymeric membranes. Challenges found with traditional roofing maintenance and repair In order to understand why polymeric membranes are now used so frequently in roofing maintenance, it is necessary to examine the challenges relating to the repair of traditional roofing systems and why these methods are prone to failure. Many traditional roofing materials are applied using hot work, including asphalt, bitumen and rubber. If a failure should arise in one of these materials, more often than not, the method of repair and maintenance would be additional hot work. In line with increased health and safety precautions, this method is now being neglected in favour of safer alternatives. Not only does the increased amount of equipment on site incur more issues with manoeuvrability, but the method also uses aggressive chemicals and solvents, leading to the production of harmful VOCs. This endangers the health of both the applicator and the surrounding environment, often causing severe disruptions. Roofing maintenance can involve dangerous hot work methods Moreover, rubber sheeting and bitumen, which are both widely used in roofing, represent particular challenges in terms of maintenance due to the joints and seams present. Alongside materials such as felt, these pre-formed sheets are rolled out alongside one another, or cut to fit around more intricate sections, creating significant faults. In particular for felt, a frequent recommendation for the repair of a torn or blistered area would simply be reapplication of that material as a patch. Crucially, this causes an increase in the number of seams on a roof and thus an increase in the number of potential failure points. Poor finishing of just one joint can result in water ingress and issues associated with internal damp. On a complex roof, if one joint fails out of tens or hundreds, then tracking a leak can result in both lost time and investment. If another joint fails, this process will continue, causing further complications. Continuing with the reparation of joints and seams, repair and maintenance can involve administering either additional contact adhesive or lap sealant, to limit the risk of leaking joints. Similarly, “cut and stick” type sealants and tapes are among further repair alternatives, yet all of these can be thwarted over time by exposure to UV rays and weathering. Poor UV resistance can cause these materials to become brittle and unsympathetic to the movement of the building, increasing the stress applied to these joint areas. Other accessory products known to be used in the repair and maintenance of roofing materials include roofing cement and nails. Offering more rudimental repair options, these materials can be used in tandem and are regarded as quick fixes, not necessarily long-term alternatives. In terms of roofing cement, this has the potential to be applied to most roofing materials, in particular for damaged or blistering felt; meanwhile nails are predominantly used to repair raised seams or close exposed tears. However, these materials increase the number of dissimilar materials present, making adhesion more difficult. In addition, any method which necessitates nailing, requires penetrating the roof cover, adding vulnerabilities and potentially more damage. Finally, a challenge that is frequently associated with traditional roofing materials and is compounded further by the aforementioned repairs, is that of breathability. As an essential factor in any successful roofing solution, breathable materials allow any vapour trapped inside a building to escape, while remaining watertight. If there is inadequate breathability, moisture can become trapped, resulting in rot and damp issues. Ensuring sufficient waterproofing simultaneous to breathability can be challenging; therefore, evolution of roofing maintenance materials is required to adapt to these necessary changes. Waterproofing and breathability is essential to the evolution of roofing repair materials A new breed of roofing maintenance In the face of these challenges and alongside the advancement in technology, traditional materials for roofing maintenance are being eclipsed by the advent of polymeric membranes. Typically, these are liquid-applied, single component materials and when compared to patch repairs or system replacement, they feature several key advantages. Fundamentally, they are cold-applied materials which require no hot work and can be applied in all weather conditions; even during winter months. Not only does this remove the need for specialist equipment and personnel, which can complicate applications, but it makes roofing maintenance far safer by removing hazardous hot work techniques. The health and safety element of liquid-applied polymeric membranes is enhanced further because of the absence of VOCs. These roofing maintenance solutions can be water-based and thus solvent-free which, unlike some traditional methods, is odourless and causes no disruption due to smells. In addition, its liquid-applied nature creates a single, seamless barrier that removes the problem element of joints and seams, an issue which significantly contributes to the troublesome 10% as previously mentioned. In the event of a defect arising, repairs can be performed using the same system, which makes certain that the seamless barrier remains
