Raising a glass of codswallop to glass. In the USA, September is Glass Recycling Month. Jane Embury, marketing director at advanced glazing system supplier Wrightstyle, takes a look at the wonders of glass – and suggests that we should also have a glass recycling month. As a building material, glass
Frost & Sullivan is a Growth Partnership Company working to allow their clients to leverage innovation that could address global growth related opportunities that can make or break the participants in today’s market. The company’s Environment has carried out research in to the demand and supply imbalance within the oil
AEW UK REIT owns a portfolio of diverse portfolio of 31 commercial properties in different regions around the UK. The company has announced that they have acquired a number of industrial assets in Basildon in Essex, and Runcorn in Cheshire. These acquisitions are thought to have been obtained for around
Hillingdon Council has been shortlisted for a prestigious award at the London Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards for its rebuild of Northwood Secondary School. The £35 million project will offer 1,080 school places for pupils in Hillingdon, and has been shortlisted for an award for ‘Best Educational Building.’
NHBC has released new technical guidelines regarding best practice for the application of render. This guidance was given as part of the publication of the NHBC Standards 2017. These Standards came in to force at the start of this year. As part of Chapter 6.11 of the NHBC publication the
Last week it was announced that the International real estate development company, HB Reavis, has acquired Elizabeth House. The site is located on London’s South Bank known as One Waterloo. The 945,000 sq. ft. development on this site has been given planning permission. This acquisition is the fourth development for
New guidance to help facilities managers manage the transition to agile working within their organisation has today been published by BIFM. The Agile Working Change Management Guidance Note is aimed at FMs working at a senior and/or operational level and covers the benefits of agile working and how to successfully
Civils contractors today warned that the infrastructure sector – a key driver of growth in the UK economy – is at risk of stagnation on the eve of the General Election. A report published today by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) found that order books in firstquarter of 2017
Elliott, a private investment firm founded in 1977, and its affiliates (“Elliott”), a top 5 shareholder of Akzo Nobel N.V. (“Akzo Nobel” or the “Company”), hereby provides the following response to Akzo Nobel’s announcement yesterday rejecting a third proposal from PPG Industries Inc. (“PPG”) of 24 April, 2017. Elliott views
NEWRY FIRM BUILDS ON SUCCESS WITH GROWTH LOAN FUND SUPPORT – Newry-based Healthy Buildings (Ireland) trading as HBE has secured a £500,000 loan from the Growth Loan Fund. The funds will be used to create 10 new jobs and support the group’s BlueZone Technologies subsidiary, to further develop and market
Raising a glass of codswallop to glass. In the USA, September is Glass Recycling Month. Jane Embury, marketing director at advanced glazing system supplier Wrightstyle, takes a look at the wonders of glass – and suggests that we should also have a glass recycling month. As a building material, glass is both ubiquitous and timeless. It’s been with us, in the form of obsidian from volcanoes, since the Stone Age. In the form we know it now, glass has been around since at least 3,000BC when the Egyptians, Syrians and Mesopotamians mastered how to make it. Since then, the history of glass has been largely about its functional and decorative development – from the beauty of the Portland Vase to the rose windows of Notre Dame cathedral. But the history of glass is much more than that and has, in a very real sense, helped shape the modern world in which we live. So for a moment, let’s forget about glass as a material for life’s fripperies, like windows or wine glasses. Let’s not forget about the 13th century invention of the spectacles, which added years to the useful lives of scientists. In the 17th century, the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza also made his living as a lens-grinder. The humble mirror also has its part to play, used by the 14th century Italian architect and engineer Filippo Brunelleschi to establish the laws of perspective, which had a huge impact on Renaissance painting – let alone the design of buildings ever since. It was glass beakers that helped to create modern science, creating knowledge and cures for diseases, and the microscope and telescope, invented in the 16th century, advanced our understanding both of our world and the cosmos beyond. Let’s also celebrate the humble window, and not just for keeping the elements out. Glass windows, which became more widespread from the 17th century, made homes lighter and brighter – and, partly as a result, plague was eradicated from most of Europe by the early 18th century. In the mid-19th century, glass containers allowed the French chemist Louis Pasteur to disprove the theory that germs spontaneously sprouted from rotting matter – obvious now, but a huge stride forward in our understanding of disease. And then, of course, came the light bulb, changing our world completely. (By the way, recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a 100 watt light bulb for nearly an hour). As a supplier of advanced glazing systems, Wrightstyle is also playing our small part in the history of glass – helping, for example, to develop safer systems to withstand fire or the detonation of a terrorist bomb. But we’re also aware of our environmental responsibility and do what we can to ensure that, whenever possible, all waste materials from our facilities are recycled. Indeed, the UK now recycles well over 1,500,000 tonnes of glass bottles every year – an annual reduction of some 385,000 tonnes of CO2 emission, equivalent to taking more than 120,000 cars off the road. Data published in 2015 by the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) found that the EU28 average recycling rate for glass packaging hit the 73% mark for the first time. The UK rate was 68%. So, although the UK lags behind some European countries, the good news is that waste glass, or cullet, is 100% recyclable, and can used again and again for a whole variety of glass products. But we can and should be doing more – and that means all of us involved in the building or demolition industries. Which is why I’m going to raise a glass of codswallop to our see-though friend, glass, and suggest to the powers-that-be that the UK should also have a glass recycling month – to help raise awareness of the wonders of glass, and encourage greater responsibility for its disposal by both companies and individuals. Why codswallop? Well, that’s all down to the Victorian engineer Hiram Codd who, in 1872, patented a glass bottle which could be filled under pressure and then stoppered with a marble. It was a hugely-popular invention and used mainly for fizzy soft drinks. In the 19th century, cheap beer was called “wallop” – and, so the story goes, beer drinkers dismissively called the contents of the new-fangled bottles as a “load of codd’s wallop.” It may not be true, and it’s completely irrelevant for glass recycling month. But it’s a lovely useless glass fact. For once, let’s copy the Americans! Does anybody out there agree?
Frost & Sullivan is a Growth Partnership Company working to allow their clients to leverage innovation that could address global growth related opportunities that can make or break the participants in today’s market. The company’s Environment has carried out research in to the demand and supply imbalance within the oil & gas industry. This imbalance has had wide spread economic and geopolitical implications on the global market over recent years. There has been a strong production of oil & gas in the North American and Russian markets which led to an oversupply, causing a price crash and leading to some economic instability within the Eurozone. Challenges have also been faced with the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Africa as well as the low demand in Asia-Pacific. On top of this, the low revenue inflow has led to oil & gas major players to reduce their capital expenditure as well as their oilfield services. Frost & Sullivan’s Outlook of the Global Oil and Gas Industry is a part of the Growth Partnership Subscription. The Outlook projects the possible industry opportunities and challenges from 2015 all the way to 2020. The study is normally divided in to three different sections: upstream; midstream and downstream. The Environment team at Frost & Sullivan have found that companies that are vertically integrated are in a better position to make the most of any growth opportunities in an industry that is being quite volatile. The number of oil rigs in the US has almost doubled, which has led to a surge in productionf4rom tight oil. Because of this some of the members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries had to decrease their production in order to restore the balance in global production. However, these countries may not be able to reduce their oil production for extended periods, because they have to produce enough to make sure that they break even. In this situation the environment team have found that oil companies that are vertically integrated will be in the best position for getting the most out of the market.
AEW UK REIT owns a portfolio of diverse portfolio of 31 commercial properties in different regions around the UK. The company has announced that they have acquired a number of industrial assets in Basildon in Essex, and Runcorn in Cheshire. These acquisitions are thought to have been obtained for around £2.6 million. The Basildon asset is a 33,000 sq. ft. single-let industrial use building that is situated on the already established Pipps Hill Industrial Estate. This site is located close to the A127 and is around five miles away from Junction 29 of the M25. The purchase price of this asset was £2 million because of the attractive net yield of 9.3% for the site as well as a reversionary yield of 8.8%. The asset has a low capita value of £64 per sq. ft. and the industrial building will be let to Merson Signs Ltd on a new 10-year lease for a passing rent of £6 per sq. ft. The second asset is the Runcorn asset has had an initial yield of 7.8%. This Runcorn asset marks the completion of AEW’s acquisition of the whole Sarus Court industrial estate. The company already owned five of the six units on the industrial estate, which provides modern units that are finished to a high specification and are between 11,000 and 17,000 sq. ft. These industrial units have been let to several light-industrial occupiers through a weighted average unexpired lease, or WAULT, from more than 4 years. The new acquisition is currently let to Dimension Data until 2020 and it is thought that the unit offers a great deal of reversionary potential. The passing rent for this property is £4.50 per sq. ft. Sarus Court is a part of the Manor Park industrial estate located to the west of Runcorn and five kilometers away from the Mersey Gateway Project due to finish in autumn this year.
Hillingdon Council has been shortlisted for a prestigious award at the London Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards for its rebuild of Northwood Secondary School. The £35 million project will offer 1,080 school places for pupils in Hillingdon, and has been shortlisted for an award for ‘Best Educational Building.’ The school building has three storeys, measures 9,800 square metres in size and promotes an academic focus on performing arts. The building features 53 classrooms, specialist design and technology rooms, a sports hall and a sixth form study. A stage area with retractable seating sits at the heart of the school, and additional arts facilities include an outdoor amphitheatre and performing arts specialist rooms. Mark Anderson, Headteacher at Northwood School said: “We officially opened Northwood School in October last year, and I’d like to thank staff at Hillingdon Council for all their support. This school is about inspiring staff, students and the local community, and already the new building has brought an added energy and ambition to our staff and students, as well as enormous sense of pride. We are also very pleased that the building is being used by the community seven days a week. With our new building, we are creating an outstanding school which the whole community can be proud of and rely upon.” The project was delivered in partnership with Farrans Construction and the Education Funding Agency, who contributed £7 million to the project. The construction company has created a time-lapse video which shows the school being built from start to finish. Councillor David Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “We are delighted that Northwood School has been recognised by the LABC, and the school’s exceptional new facilities will provide young people in Hillingdon with a high quality education. We’ve invested more than £314 million into our school expansion programme, which is one of the largest programmes in London. Academic attainment for children and young people in Hillingdon is very positive, and we will continue to ensure that education is a top priority for the council.” The awards will be held on Friday 16 June at the Guildhall in London. You can view the time-lapse video of the Northwood School’s construction here:
NHBC has released new technical guidelines regarding best practice for the application of render. This guidance was given as part of the publication of the NHBC Standards 2017. These Standards came in to force at the start of this year. As part of Chapter 6.11 of the NHBC publication the ‘Render’ section is thought to become a key element of NHBC’s on-going campaign reduce the number of reported defects on external walls. Due to the nature of the product. Render can be exposed to varying degrees of weather types and severities. This means that after a relatively short period of time the durability of the product will be tested. Therefore, the National House Building Council is thought to have provided technical guidance for the rendering of a house that will help towards reducing the damage inflicted by the weather. In order to explain the reasons behind creating this new chapter, Paul Cribbens the NHBC Standards Manager suggests that it is important to make sure that the rendering of a property is done properly because any shortcuts and poor design can become apparent very quickly. Whereas if the rendering was properly considered and carried out, there would be a reduction in the level of damage. In order to reduce the chances of preventable damage, the chapter in NHBC Standards 2017 includes some specific guidance to support the building designer. Pieces of the new guidance includes movement joints should be continuous through the render and the background in order to make sure the building is made weather tight with the appropriate seal. It Standards also state that joints should be positioned so that they do not pass through rigid wall components like lintels or bed joint reinforcement. Other pieces of guidance include making sure that the accommodation of the movement to the rendered parts of the home is considered at the design stage.
Last week it was announced that the International real estate development company, HB Reavis, has acquired Elizabeth House. The site is located on London’s South Bank known as One Waterloo. The 945,000 sq. ft. development on this site has been given planning permission. This acquisition is the fourth development for the London portfolio of HB Reavis. The project is an office-led development and is situated on York Road and next to Waterloo Stations. This high-profile development has been ear-marked for regeneration for over ten years. Elizabeth House is a 1960s office building that is looking dated and in need or refurbishment. It is thought that planning permission has been granted for two new buildings to be constructed. There is the possibility that this permission will lead to wider regeneration in the surrounding area. Elizabeth house, though dated, is located in a strategically import and well-connected section of the South Bank, so wide regeneration plans will be positive. The proposed new development will be made up if a 29 story building to the north of the site that will hold offices and residential units and a 10 storey building that s located in the south of the site that will provide office and retail space. The proposed development scheme will create a 945,000 sq. ft. of developed space which will include 753,000 sq. ft. of commercial floor space and 142 homes. There will also be public space that will amounts to 192,000 sq. ft. For HB Reavis, Elizabeth house is a great property to have in their portfolio, especially since it has been considered for development for more than a decade. This successful acquisition follows the launch of the company’s flagship project, Varso Place in Warsaw. Varso Place is a 1.5 million sq. ft. mixed use development scheme that will be Europe’s tallest high rise building when it is completed in 2020
New guidance to help facilities managers manage the transition to agile working within their organisation has today been published by BIFM. The Agile Working Change Management Guidance Note is aimed at FMs working at a senior and/or operational level and covers the benefits of agile working and how to successfully plan and implement an integrated approach to deliver sustainable change in working behaviour. Agile working describes a range of work settings that allow people and organisations to make new choices about when, where and how they work. It is underpinned by mobile technology and applies to people working both in and away from the traditional office, such as at home, on the road or remotely in other locations. BIFM’s research and information manager Peter Brogan said: “As an Institute, we recognise the importance of the workplace agenda for FMs and this newly commissioned Guidance Note aims to address the current lack of knowledge around some of the emerging workplace practices. “Workplace change is a particularly hot topic in FM, and was highlighted in The Workplace Advantage report by The Stoddart Review, of which BIFM is a founding partner, which argued the need for businesses to invest financially and intellectually in ensuring their working environment optimises employee performance. “The work environment is shifting rapidly, and this will result in new challenges and opportunities. As the workplace landscape is redefined, FMs will be at the forefront of eliminating barriers to enable people to work more effectively, helping to play a key role in the creation of flexible environments that not only meet the evolving needs of employees but help forward-thinking organisations increase productivity and the performance of their business.” The document has been authored by workplace expert Andrew Mawson, co-founder of Advanced Workplace Associated Ltd (AWA), who has worked with organisations such as Microsoft, Lloyds of London and UNICEF to help them realise the economic, social and productivity benefits linked to agile models of work, place and organisation. He is also the lead for Workplace Week, which is supported by BIFM. Mawson said: “Managing the behavioural transition to more agile, modern ways of working is a key capability for those involved in managing the modern workplace. But it takes more than a few briefings and a nice PowerPoint presentation to change the habits of a lifetime to work. “At AWA our day job is to work with leaders to help them change the world of work, and so we were delighted to be invited by BIFM to develop this guidance note to help FM professionals put in place some key steps to aid the transition.” The Agile Working Change Management Guidance Note is available to download here.
Civils contractors today warned that the infrastructure sector – a key driver of growth in the UK economy – is at risk of stagnation on the eve of the General Election. A report published today by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) found that order books in firstquarter of 2017 fell for the first time in four years. CECA’s Workload Trends Survey found that 9 per cent of firms, on balance, reported decreasing order books. Just 5per cent of firms expect workloads to increase in the next twelve months, the lowest percentage expecting higherworkloads since 2013 Q1. In the same quarter growth in actual work on the ground fell from 11% to 8%, on balance. Commenting, CECA Director of External Affairs Marie-Claude Hemming said: “These results are extremely concerning. “They show that not only is the rate of growth in infrastructure workloads currently sluggish, but that order books have moved into the red, indicating that the sector is at real risk of stagnation. “Unless action is taken, our sector runs the risk of falling into a recession at exactly the time that we need it to be driving growth in the economy. “As the country prepares to go to the polls next month, we call on all parties to commit to the projects outlined in the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan, and ensure steps are taken to boost investment in all regions of England, Scotland and Wales. Key driver of economic growth. “Failure to act could undermine the sector’s ability to deliver. This will imperil the British economy at the very time we need this key driver of economic growth to secure the future of the UK.”
Elliott, a private investment firm founded in 1977, and its affiliates (“Elliott”), a top 5 shareholder of Akzo Nobel N.V. (“Akzo Nobel” or the “Company”), hereby provides the following response to Akzo Nobel’s announcement yesterday rejecting a third proposal from PPG Industries Inc. (“PPG”) of 24 April, 2017. Elliott views Akzo Nobel’s rejection of PPG’s third proposal without entering into any constructive form of engagement with PPG as a flagrant breach of Akzo Nobel’s Boards’ fiduciary duties and of Dutch corporate law, and as an arrogant dismissal of recognised principles of proper corporate governance. In addition, Elliott considers the reasons outlined by Akzo Nobel’s Boards for declining PPG’s third proposal to be unconvincing and unsupported by any available evidence. Akzo Nobel claims that, by rejecting this third proposal from PPG, it is acting in the “best interests of shareholders and all other stakeholders“, stating that after an extensive review and a meeting with PPG “its own strategy is better and does not contain the risks and uncertainties inherent in PPG‘s proposal. “Elliott notes, however, that PPG has stated that the meeting “lasted less than 90 minutes,“ and was predicated at the start by a statement from Mr. Burgmans and Mr. Büchner that they “did not have the intent nor the authority to negotiate,“ and that Akzo Nobel “did not share any concerns regarding PPG‘s proposal, or analysis or comparison of their new standalone strategy versus PPG‘s proposal“ during the meeting. Following the meeting, Akzo Nobel needed little more than a day to conclude its “extensive review and careful consideration.“ It appears therefore, that this meeting, like Akzo Nobel’s meetings with its shareholders, was conducted for the sole purpose of being able to claim to have “met” and “engaged” with the relevant party, without the true intention to engage in a constructive manner. Elliott does not regard the meeting, as described by PPG, as clearing the threshold for constructive engagement with a bona fide bidder that stakeholders expect from boards properly fulfilling their duties, and that many Akzo Nobel stakeholders have been explicitly seeking. Elliott believes that PPG’s third proposal sufficiently addresses the concerns expressed by the Boards to warrant Akzo Nobel’s sincere and constructive engagement with PPG. Moreover, Elliott notes that such engagement would be in the best interests of all stakeholders, including shareholders, pensioners, employees and customers. Akzo Nobel’s Supervisory Board, under the Chairmanship of Mr. Burgmans, has failed to fulfil its corporate governance duties by refusing to obtain, through constructive engagement with a credible bidder, the necessary information required to fully evaluate a bona fide proposal. Elliott is furthermore disappointed that Akzo Nobel continues to wilfully ignore the wishes of its shareholders, who strongly support sincere and constructive engagement with PPG. Not a single shareholder has publicly backed the Akzo Nobel Boards’ stand-alone strategy and stance of non-engagement, while 8 out of the 20 largest shareholders have publicly urged Akzo Nobel to constructively engage with PPG. In Elliott’s view, the combination of Akzo Nobel and PPG has the potential to create a stronger company with superior growth and employment prospects than a stand-alone Akzo Nobel with a separate Specialty Chemicals business. However, irrespective of Elliott’s views in this respect, in order to fulfil their duties to stakeholders, the Akzo Nobel Boards must engage with PPG in a sincere and constructive manner and then undertake a full, detailed and fair analysis and comparison of both strategic alternatives. The muted market reaction to Akzo Nobel’s Investor Day on 19 April, 2017 demonstrates that few investors share the Company’s belief that its current management is best placed to unlock the value in the Company. Yesterday’s share price reaction is also telling in that regard. Akzo Nobel’s Boards continue to demonstrate a disturbing and inexplicable tendency to act in their own, self-entrenching interests and against the interests of shareholders and other stakeholders. Elliott filed a petition with the Enterprise Chamber to enforce the rights of Akzo Nobel’s shareholders to hold the requested EGM to vote on the dismissal of Mr. Burgmans for failing to discharge his fiduciary and corporate governance duties. Elliott believes there is nothing “irresponsible, disproportionate or damaging“, as alleged by Akzo Nobel, about allowing shareholders to hold a democratic vote on Mr. Burgmans’ suitability to continue as Chairman and member of the Supervisory Board.
NEWRY FIRM BUILDS ON SUCCESS WITH GROWTH LOAN FUND SUPPORT – Newry-based Healthy Buildings (Ireland) trading as HBE has secured a £500,000 loan from the Growth Loan Fund. The funds will be used to create 10 new jobs and support the group’s BlueZone Technologies subsidiary, to further develop and market its innovative ‘manager’ software platform. Finance for the £50m Growth Loan Fund – which provides loans to established Northern Ireland SMEs seeking to access growth finance – has been provided by Invest Northern Ireland and private investors, Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC). BlueZone Technologies is a specialist software solutions company that develops products for the management of Supply Chain, Health & Safety, Inductions and Compliance eLearning within the built environment. Adrian Byrne, CEO, commented: “BlueZone Technologies has been developing our manager product for the past 18 months and launched it into the market in March. Research has shown that many customers want less software in their organisations. With each department having their own software packages to undertake one or two specific compliance tasks, this has led to data variations between systems, which makes decision-making and planning difficult. There is a clear demand for an all-in-one solution to optimise business operations. ‘manager’ is a unique system that can control, monitor, report and manage all aspects of health and safety within the built environment. BlueZone Technologies will help eliminate paper records and allow companies to access critical data about their estate, anytime and from anywhere. The program also includes a number of eLearning courses and an induction module for staff and supplier development. Customer response to date has been excellent. We’ve started rolling manager out to a number of existing clients within our sister company, HBE, and we’ve recently secured contracts with two major brands, one in Northern Ireland and one in Scotland.” Looking ahead Mr Byrne added: “The support from the Growth Loan Fund will enable BlueZone Technologies to continue with the software development and will support our marketing initiatives. We’re currently developing mobile apps and will add further eLearning modules to meet the needs of different sectors. Over the next two years we will build new relationships in Great Britain and Ireland and plan to break into mainland Europe. With busy times ahead, we expect to take on an additional ten staff this year, with four of these positions already filled.” Jenna Mairs, Investment Manager at WhiteRock Capital Partners, commented: “With more businesses shifting to digital data management, Adrian and his team have created an innovative product that will be used by some of the world’s largest brands. “The IT sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Northern Ireland economy and it continues to go from strength to strength. The company has ambitious targets for growth over the next two years and we look forward to supporting the firm’s future successes.” Brian Murphy, Partner at BDO Northern Ireland, commented: “As advisers to the Group we are delighted that BlueZone Technologies has secured such a positive outcome to this funding round. “The investment by WhiteRock not only underpins the financial foundations of the business; it also enables the management team to establish the necessary structures for the successful launch and growth of the manager product throughout Great Britain. It represents an excellent opportunity for BlueZone Technologies to grow to the next level with a dynamic new partner and we wish the business and the team every success as they do so.” WhiteRock Capital Partners LLP, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA, was established in 2012 to manage the Fund and is owned by a consortium of three partners – WhiteRock Finance Limited, NEL Fund Managers and Clarendon Fund Managers. Companies seeking funding from the Growth Loan Fund must be based in Northern Ireland, demonstrating growth and generally be in the manufacturing, engineering or tradable services sectors. Loans will be typically unsecured and personal guarantees will not be sought. The loans provided are expected to be complementary to existing sources of finance, including banks, trade finance sources and equity investors. Loans are provided on a fully commercial basis, with monthly loan repayments required over typically a five-year term. For more information about the Growth Loan Fund’s criteria please contact info@whiterockcp.co.uk or go to www.growthloanfund.com. Follow BlueZone Technologies on Twitter @BluezoneTech1 or LinkedIn.
