Following the recent earthquake in Nepal, the RIBA has the following advice for members who would like to support the aid efforts: In the first instance, money is the most important resource. It needs to be channelled through organisations with wide experience of disaster relief, already present in the country,
The line-up of Theresa May’s front-bench has been finalised with a raft of new appointments. Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, has been assigned to the Department for Education (DfE) as the Skills Minister. Mr Boles resigned from the post just hours before Theresa May was confirmed as the new Prime
Parents have been urged to promote careers in the house-building industry to their children, with research pointing to great opportunities for progression. Past CITB studies have shown that 38% of people who embark on house-building apprenticeships reach managerial level, while seven in 10 entering the construction industry stay there until
New home lending to owner occupiers in Australia saw solid growth during April, up 4% month on month but still 5.9% lower than a year ago. The figures, published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, also show that loans for building new homes increased by 4.4% and for buying new
©Reuters The crisis in coal mining has claimed its biggest victim yet as Peabody Energy filed for bankruptcy protection after being ground down by low prices and falling demand from China. The world’s largest private-sector coal producer by output filed a petition for Chapter 11 protection in Missouri weeks after
A national crane hire company has been sentenced for failings that led to the death of two men as a crane collapsed in London. Southwark Crown Court heard crane operator Jonathan Cloke, 37, died after falling from the crane as it collapsed. It fell onto Michael Alexa, 23, a member
The Mövenpick Hotel Stuttgart Airport & Messe has been setting a number of targets since 2010 in order to reduce their CO2 usage and energy consumption in order to be more sustainable. The hotel has revealed that these targets have led to a total saving of 36%. The Hotel has
Erika Pärn has carried out studies to look into how construction methods that are more technologically advanced could change the industry and how they carry out mapping for entire buildings, cities and road networks. Erika is a Lecturer at Birmingham University and specialises in Architectural Technology. She has shown through
Northampton-based Fusion Building Systems has recently appointed two new team members and advertised for a further seven, in response to new contracts being won by the business as the popularity of offsite construction methods increases. Mark Webb has joined the light gauge steel superstructure manufacturer as a Project Site Manager
ProCon Partners is a project control consultant business that works as part of the engineering and construction industry. The consultants have announced that they have managed to win a number of new projects that will be carried out alongside Highways England and will make sure that smart motorway systems that
Following the recent earthquake in Nepal, the RIBA has the following advice for members who would like to support the aid efforts: In the first instance, money is the most important resource. It needs to be channelled through organisations with wide experience of disaster relief, already present in the country, familiar with the territory and well-connected with local organisations and agencies. In the UK, the main channel for making donations is the Disasters Emergency Committee, representing the 13 major relief agencies. Alternatively, Article 25 has launched its own urgent appeal for donations. RIBA is working with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help identify Nepalese nationals or others with relevant local or regional experience to provide technical expertise. The IFRC has already deployed approximately 100 people to support the Nepal Red Cross in search and rescue efforts, emergency health, water and sanitation, relief, shelter and interagency coordination as well as support services such as telecoms and logistics. Given the operational constraints in the country, most agencies are wary of overloading country teams at this stage. However, the IFRC anticipates there will be a need for additional technical expertise in due course. RIBA members or practices with the necessary expertise and experience to help – particularly those who would be fully funded or self-resourced – are encouraged to register their interest with RIBA Head of International, Marcus Deeley. Ends Notes to editors: 1. For further press information: Melanie Mayfield, RIBA Press Office: melanie.mayfield@riba.org 020 7307 3662 2. RIBA’s International Task Group led by RIBA International Vice President Peter Oborn set out a detailed plan for RIBA’s role in engaging with international communities facing natural disaster, civil conflict and human rights violations. The full report: http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Aboutus/Whoweare/RIBACouncil/InternationalTaskGroupreport.aspx 3. RIBA is hosting Designing City Resilience 2015, a two-day Summit on disaster prevention and resilience in June 2015. The Summit is supported by the Commonwealth Secretary General, the Government Office for Science and the Rockefeller Foundation. www.designingcityresilience.com 4. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com 5. Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA Posted on Tuesday 28th April 2015 Source link
The line-up of Theresa May’s front-bench has been finalised with a raft of new appointments. Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, has been assigned to the Department for Education (DfE) as the Skills Minister. Mr Boles resigned from the post just hours before Theresa May was confirmed as the new Prime Minister. His successor-in-waiting, a former minister without a portfolio, will be responsible for skills, apprenticeships and education. Mr Halfon is a known supporter of on-the-job training, having won an award from training provider Avanta in 2013 for his work promoting apprenticeships. Elsewhere, Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell has been appointed to the role of housing and planning minister and minister for London. He said he was looking forward to working with councils, housing associations and developers to boost Britain’s housing stock. Working within the Department for Communities and Local Government, he will answer to Sajid Javid. Brandon Lewis, former Housing and Planning Minister, has been moved to the Home Office. Mrs May has also put Ipswich MP Ben Gummer in charge of overseeing the Government’s construction strategy. Among his responsibilities will be procurements, cost-cutting, and implementing BIM. His appointment comes after the Government committed to saving £1.7 billion from the cost of public construction works. During Theresa May’s first cabinet meeting as Prime Minister on Monday, she called on ministers to help her build education, skills and social mobility to allow everyone to prosper. She added that the new Government should focus on the needs of working people, and not just the privileged few. Mrs May’s reshuffle follows David Cameron’s resignation in the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union. Since winning the race to become Britain’s new Prime Minister, Mrs May has reshaped the Government, with only a handful of her predecessor’s top team keeping their jobs. Source link
Parents have been urged to promote careers in the house-building industry to their children, with research pointing to great opportunities for progression. Past CITB studies have shown that 38% of people who embark on house-building apprenticeships reach managerial level, while seven in 10 entering the construction industry stay there until they retire. However, new polling from the NHBC Foundation has warned that four in 10 parents would not encourage their youngsters to consider careers in the house-building trade. The group, which acts as the research arm of the National House Building Council, indicates that parents may be preventing children from entering a thriving industry which is benefiting from strong demand. Some 29% of the parents with children under the age of 10 said they would not promote house-building careers to them, with this figure rising to 42% among those whose offspring are 11 or older. The NHBC Foundation said 60% of parents are keen for their children to benefit from good pay and opportunities for career progression in their future jobs, with 51% keen for them to do something worthwhile. NHBC chief executive Mike Quinton said house-building can offer all of these things. He said: “Parents play a major role in influencing and informing their children about future career choices … With demand for high-quality new houses at high levels, there has never been a better time to begin a career in house-building.” In an effort to promote the opportunities available in the house-building sector, a new online film has now been launched by the foundation, using Lego characters. The NHBC Foundation has pointed out that four major house-building firms are currently listed on the FTSE 100 – highlighting the sector’s clout. But it said the industry is facing skills shortages at present, with figures from the Office for National Statistics indicating that it has around 20,000 job vacancies. Mr Quinton said: “We hope that our new online film encourages more parents and young people to consider a career in one of the UK’s most thriving and successful industries.” Source link
New home lending to owner occupiers in Australia saw solid growth during April, up 4% month on month but still 5.9% lower than a year ago. The figures, published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, also show that loans for building new homes increased by 4.4% and for buying new homes there was a 3.3% rise. The official figures confirm that demand for new home purchase across Australia remains very strong, according to Housing Industry Association, the voice of the residential building industry. ‘Even though the amount of new home lending for owner occupiers peaked over a year ago, current loan volumes remain elevated by historic standards. This means that activity on the ground over the remainder of 2016 will be healthy,’ said HIA senior economist Shane Garrett. He pointed out that May’s interest rate reduction is likely to provide some impetus to new home lending over the coming months. The HIA believes that 2016 will be another remarkably strong year overall. ‘Further easing on the interest rate front would augur even better for the short term outlook in residential building,’ added Garrett. Compared with a year earlier, the number of loans to owner occupiers constructing or purchasing new homes increased in four of the eight states during April 2016. A breakdown of the figures show that in the Australian Capital Territory there was a 30% rise, in South Australia and increased of 9.7%, in Victoria a rise of 4.5% and in New South Wales a rise of 1.1%. But there were declines over the same period in Western Australia with a fall of 18.9%, a fall of 15.2% in Tasmania, a fall of 2.2% in Queensland and a fall of 1.8% in the Northern Territory. Source link
©Reuters The crisis in coal mining has claimed its biggest victim yet as Peabody Energy filed for bankruptcy protection after being ground down by low prices and falling demand from China. The world’s largest private-sector coal producer by output filed a petition for Chapter 11 protection in Missouri weeks after warning of its potential inability to continue as a going concern and after delaying two bond interest payments. More On this topic IN Mining The indebted miner blamed “unprecedented” factors affecting the global coal industry, including a sharp drop in the price of metallurgical coal and weakness in the Chinese economy. Peabody also pointed to “overproduction” of shale gas in the US, which has made coal less competitive, as well as regulatory challenges, such as moves to reduce carbon emissions, that have put pressure on the coal industry. “This was a difficult decision, but it is the right path forward for Peabody. We begin today to build a highly successful global leader for tomorrow,” said Glenn Kellow, chief executive. “Through today’s action, we will seek an in-court solution to Peabody’s substantial debt burden amid a historically challenged industry backdrop.” Shares in the miner have been suspended. Its operations will continue. Peabody said its operations in Australia were not included in the filing and would not be affected. The US group also said the planned sale of mines in New Mexico and Colorado had fallen through “after the buyer was unable to complete the transaction”. Peabody had $6.3bn of debt at the end of 2015. The company said it “intends to reduce its overall debt level, lower fixed charges, improve operating cash flow and position the company for long-term success, while continuing to operate under the protection of the court process”. The filing for bankruptcy protection follows a string of similar actions by other US coal producers, including that of Arch Coal earlier this year. Peabody posted a $2bn net loss in 2015, underscoring the pressure on the industry from low prices. However, the company said all of its US operations were cash flow positive last year. Along with the filing Peabody said it had arranged $800m of “debtor-in-possession” financing facilities with Citigroup. You need JavaScript active on your browser in order to see this video. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link
A national crane hire company has been sentenced for failings that led to the death of two men as a crane collapsed in London. Southwark Crown Court heard crane operator Jonathan Cloke, 37, died after falling from the crane as it collapsed. It fell onto Michael Alexa, 23, a member of the public, and also killed him. The court heard how sections of the tower crane, which was on a housing development in Thessaly Road, Battersea, separated when 24 bolts failed due to metal fatigue. The 24 bolts were a significant safety feature on the crane’s slew ring, which connected the mast (tower) to the slew turret. This allows the arms of the crane (jib) to rotate through 360 degrees. When the bolts failed the slew turret and jib separated from the mast and fell to the ground. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident, in September 2006, found Falcon Crane Hire Ltd did not investigate a similar incident which happened nine weeks before, when the bolts failed on the same crane and had to be replaced. HSE found the company had an inadequate system to manage the inspection and maintenance of their fleet of cranes. Their process to investigate the underlying cause of components’ failings was also inadequate. It told the court the particular bolts were a safety critical part of the crane. The court also heard the bolts failing previously was an exceptional and significant occurrence, which should have been recognised by Falcon Crane Hire. Lilliana Alexa, Michael’s mother, said on behalf of her family: “Michael was a lovely son, a wonderful big brother and a devoted father. His son has had to grow up without the love and support of Michael, who adored him. He was denied that opportunity because his life was taken away and with his, ours too. “The memories of that day will never leave our family. We heard the crash and felt the ground shake. I found Michael and it’s an image that haunts my nightmares. If only we had stopped to chat or parked the car somewhere else he would still be alive. We know we are not to blame but it does not stop us all feeling guilt. “We cannot comprehend how our beloved son, brother, father and friend who was so full of live has gone. The whole crane industry must learn from our tragedy and the devastation it has caused. We do not want another family to endure the same pain of losing their child.” Mike Wilcock, HSE Head of Operations, said: “Jonathan and Michael’s deaths were tragic, needless and entirely avoidable. These two men need not have died had Falcon Crane Hire taken the right, decisive action when the bolts failed the first time. The company fell far short of its health and safety obligation.” Falcon Crane Hire Ltd were fined £750,000 and ordered to pay costs of £100,000 for breaching Sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act. Ends Notes to editors The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/ and guidance at HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link
The Mövenpick Hotel Stuttgart Airport & Messe has been setting a number of targets since 2010 in order to reduce their CO2 usage and energy consumption in order to be more sustainable. The hotel has revealed that these targets have led to a total saving of 36%. The Hotel has recently been honoured with the Green Globe Certification in order to recognise their achievements. The Hotel is seen as one of the leading hotels in Stuttgart and the surrounding area and it is thought that the company are striving to create a ‘Green Spirit’ as they aim to help the environment and be more sustainable in the running of the hotel. The Mövenpick Hotel Stuttgart Airport & Messe has changed the lighting in their public space and have adopted LED lighting and lamps wherever they were able as well as the installing motion sensors throughout the public and back of house areas in order to cut down on energy usage. The Key cards for each of the guests’ rooms are also connected and can automatically control the temperature and lighting in the room. The rest of the temperature I the hotel is set to change automatically with a fixed maximum and minimum setting that responds to the weather conditions. The hotel also looks to offset any CO2 that they generate through business trips by using Atmosphere projects which look to provide 100% CO2 savings and has been awarded the CDM Gold Standard which is the highest possible certification for projects that focus on carbon offset. The Hotel also prides itself on providing staff with a safe and healthy working environment that offers both fairness and transparency. Any and all new employees at the hotel must go through training at a Welcome Day where they are educated about the Hotel, the Brand and the sustainability programmes that have been set up. There are also shorter sustainability trainings during the daily 10-minute briefings that are held by department managers.
Erika Pärn has carried out studies to look into how construction methods that are more technologically advanced could change the industry and how they carry out mapping for entire buildings, cities and road networks. Erika is a Lecturer at Birmingham University and specialises in Architectural Technology. She has shown through her research that technology could have a significant impact on the mapping abilities of the construction industry. It is thought that digital building techniques can be used in order to radically transform infrastructure and communities. This could be the redesigning of an international tourist hotspot or the redevelopment of slums and shanty towns. It is thought that the work in to this field that has been carried out by Erika Pärn is groundbreaking. Her research was recently presented as part of one of the major international infrastructure conferences which took place in Ghana. At this conference Erika gave the keynote speech. The speech was delivered by Erika to a large audience, among them was the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology as well as the Ashanti Minister and the Mayor of Kumasi. As part of her presentation of the conference in Ghana, Erika Pärn showed that using the technology that is slowly coming on to the market can give a clearer idea of how people use land and infrastructure in order to be cleverer with designing and create communities that are more responsive as well as delivering a number of different cost savings when carrying out schemes that ae government funded. Erika Pärn’s research focused on technologies that are currently being utilizes when creating modern commercial spaces and how they can be adapted in order to design smarter cities that are built with the proper facilities and amenities to suit the inhabitants’ needs whether they are affluent or more deprived. Technology like Building Information Modeling are usually used individually on a project, but it is thought that by merging them with other both new and established technologies can be used together in order to help decide on the best locations for infrastructure development.
Northampton-based Fusion Building Systems has recently appointed two new team members and advertised for a further seven, in response to new contracts being won by the business as the popularity of offsite construction methods increases. Mark Webb has joined the light gauge steel superstructure manufacturer as a Project Site Manager from Stewart Milne Timber Systems, and Ahmed Sharif has been appointed as a Trainee Structural Engineer. Ahmed will combine his role at Fusion with studying for an MSc in Structural Engineering at the University of Surrey. In addition to these new appointments, Fusion has recently advertised seven new positions which require varying skillsets and levels of experience – two Site Managers, an Assistant Site Manager, a Structural Engineer, a Graduate Structural Engineer, a Design Team Leader and a Technical Designer. Mike Fairey, Fusion Building Systems director, said: “We’re clearly starting to see a shift change in the industry as more and more developers are sitting up and taking notice of the opportunity which offsite construction methods and light gauge steel presents. Every part of our business is experiencing this increase in demand so we’re excited about attracting new talent into the team to help us deliver on our promises, and open our eyes to new ideas.” The roles already filled and those being recruited for provide a snapshot of the expertise involved in offsite manufacturing. From creating building designs using state-of-the-art BIM (building information modelling) software, to managing the safe delivery and erection of a panelised, or smart modular, superstructures on site, Fusion is looking for graduate applicants through to those with engineering Chartership status. Mike continued: “Our new Trainee Structural Engineer, Ahmed has a blend of technical knowledge and onsite experience which will be of enormous benefit to our business and strengthen our in-house engineering team. While as Project Site Manager, Mark brings with him an enviable amount of industry knowledge and practical working experience of construction sites. Both are already considered valued team members and I look forward to seeing their careers develop with us.” Further information on the current vacancies at Fusion can be found at www.fusionbuild.com/vacancies or by emailing hr@fusionbuild.com
ProCon Partners is a project control consultant business that works as part of the engineering and construction industry. The consultants have announced that they have managed to win a number of new projects that will be carried out alongside Highways England and will make sure that smart motorway systems that are being installed around the country are undertaken and carried out successfully and efficiently. The consultancy company that work with project controls has been awarded the contracts that have an estimated value of around £2.4 billion. The projects will cover the M4, M1, M6, M20, M23, A14, and A21. It is thought that order to help out throughout the construction of these new smart motorways, ProCon will be making use of their bespoke Live Reporting and Analytics Service. This system that will be deployed while the smart motorways are being built will allow Highways England the opportunity to improve traffic conditions for the 100,000s of different drivers that use the motorway network each day. ProCon as the project controls consultants on the Highways project will be working with the construction and planning teams that are part of the site and will be making sure that the client, Highways England, are able to follow through on the planned road upgrades in a safe and efficient manner. The company will be analyzing the project throughout to make sure the Highways England are carrying out the works that will see a larger capacity of vehicles while also keeping the volumes safe and making sure that the road users experience as little delay as possible while the work is being carried out. The analytics and observation technologies and services that can be provided by ProCon will allow those carrying out the construction work to get almost a live-feed of news regarding the construction work which will allow them to make informed and speedy decisions when faced with a challenge. The service provided by the Project controller will also forecast any problems, meaning that problems can be addressed before they arise.
