August 21, 2018

Riverside Redevelopment Backed by Adur Council

A multi-million pound plan to revamp a Shoreham yacht club and open up the riverside to the public has been backed by Adur District Council. Sussex Yacht Club (SYC) applied for permission to create a new premises in Brighton Road. The project will see the riverside opened up to the

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IDOM Makes Strategic Appointment in the UK

IDOM (through its local branch IDOM Merebrook Ltd) is investing further in the field of asbestos management in the United Kingdom with the appointment of industry specialist Steve Hurst to spearhead the consultancy’s further business development in this area. The IDOM asbestos team has extensive experience of contaminated ground investigation,

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Who Are the Brexit Winners and Losers in UK Property Sector?

The first concrete look into how the UK market has performed on the two-year anniversary of the country’s decision to leave the EU has been provided by the latest UK HPI release of property price data for June. With the headlines showing house price growth is at a five year

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Sherwin-Williams supports global fire safety coalition

Leading manufacturer Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings is supporting a new initiative to raise the level of fire safety standards worldwide. The International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition – led by a range of professional bodies worldwide –  aims to develop a set of common high-level standards to address fire

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Issue 323 : Dec 2024

August 21, 2018

HVAC and smart energy will fall by £95 million post-Brexit, says BSRIA

HVAC and smart energy will fall by £95 million post-Brexit, says BSRIA Published:  16 September, 2016 BSRIA has released its first snapshot of the UK HVAC and smart energy market landscape for products post-Brexit. The HVAC and smart energy product market is estimated to be worth £4.5 billion in the UK per annum. Market growth was expected to be a healthy 3.1% for 2016 prior to the Brexit vote but Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) research with suppliers post-Brexit now anticipates this will shrink to 1.1%, a reduction of £95 million compared with the pre-Brexit view. Specifically for air conditioning, predicted growth has dropped from 12.8% down to 5.5%. Smaller splits have suffered due to cool summer in the first half of the year, plus issues with the distribution chain, higher than expected residual stocks and a weakening in the critical retail market. VRF and central plant products are much more closely linked to larger projects close to completion: typically offices and hotels. Project delays resulting from Brexit may have a small effect in 2016 but will mainly impact the market between 2017 and 2019 according to BSRIA. However floor space statistics suggest a big growth in completed projects in 2017 so this will likely mask any Brexit effect until 2018, according to the snapshot. Andrew Giles, director of worldwide market intelligence at BSRIA, said: “Around 80% of the £2.2 billion market is domestic boilers, water heaters and radiators. Renewable alternatives remain niche markets: heat pumps are falling with RHI having a limited impact. The main heating markets are saturated and over 90% of sales are for replacement and extensions/refurbishment.” The UK has the biggest boiler market in the world, by a considerable distance, with nearly 1.7 million boilers sold a year and this is expected to be the case until 2020. There are, however, no longer any British-owned boiler manufacturer companies in the UK: the boiler market is entirely controlled by EU-owned companies, with their headquarters elsewhere in the EU. Post-Brexit, subsequent trade deals between the UK and the EU could prove difficult once Brexit negotiations are defined and Article 50 is invoked. Because of likely increased red tape, importing boilers or components into the UK could be harder. In the short term, BSRIA predicts that companies manufacturing in the UK will gain competitive advantage in the UK because of the lower pound. Building control products should follow a similar pattern to central plant but growth is lower as many sales are to public areas (health, education, central government). Mr Giles said: “For domestic controls, the main markets are valves and actuators, thermostats and domestic controllers. This is a very large market ranging from simple thermostat and valves to very sophisticated smart home devices linking in with apps and other housing devices and services. It has a strong link with the heating market and is principally sold for refurbishment and replacement applications. There will be a maximum effect on the market in 2016 of 2% lower growth, a large chunk of which of which can be attributed to Brexit. Looking further ahead: the uncertainty could start to affect the market adversely in 2017, however it will not be until 2018 that suppliers see the full implications.” Source link

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Riverside Redevelopment Backed by Adur Council

A multi-million pound plan to revamp a Shoreham yacht club and open up the riverside to the public has been backed by Adur District Council. Sussex Yacht Club (SYC) applied for permission to create a new premises in Brighton Road. The project will see the riverside opened up to the wider public, flood defences improved and lead to the creation of pedestrian and cycle access along the southern section of the A259 coast road for the first time. “These are exciting plans which first and foremost will see a stunning new building created for the members of the Sussex Yacht Club. Committee members were unanimous in the view that the proposal will go beyond a recreational use; it will have a big impact on the wider community too with the improved transport links and new riverside public space a major boost to the area,” said Councillor Carol Albury, chairman of the planning committee. The approved plans are part of a wider project to revamp the Brighton Road site and surrounding area. As part of the project, Adur District Council has been transforming Shoreham Harbour from industrial units into new homes and workspaces with an expansive waterfront promenade. Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has been installing more than seven kilometres of tidal walls defences on the River Adur, reducing the risk of flooding to thousands of residential and business properties in Shoreham and Lancing. “I’m delighted we have been able to work with Sussex Yacht Club, the wider community and partners to bring forward the first stage of this development,” said Councillor Neil Parkin, Leader of Adur District Council. “Not only does it feed into our wider vision of regenerating the harbour arm but it will plug the gap in the flood defences and open up the southern section of the coast road to cyclists and pedestrians. I look forward to seeing construction work progress in the coming months and am certain that, when complete, the project will have a tremendous impact on the thousands of residents and visitors to our district,” he concluded.

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IDOM Makes Strategic Appointment in the UK

IDOM (through its local branch IDOM Merebrook Ltd) is investing further in the field of asbestos management in the United Kingdom with the appointment of industry specialist Steve Hurst to spearhead the consultancy’s further business development in this area. The IDOM asbestos team has extensive experience of contaminated ground investigation, management and detailed knowledge of handling asbestos in buildings. The team offers a wide range of services including risk assessments, surveys, clearance, remediation and training. “This is a strategic appointment for us. Steve is a leading authority in the field of asbestos. We have been working within this sector for many years and believe it has real potential for further growth and is therefore an area we are keen to develop,” said IDOM’s Chief Operation Officer, Nigel Huish. “Managing asbestos projects is an incredibly complex process. We offer our clients a pragmatic approach to ensuring compliance, so Steve’s skillset in providing clients with workable, economically efficient solutions will be a valuable asset to the business,” he added. Steve brings a wealth of specialist expertise to the role, with over 30 years’ experience in environmental sector, having held senior positions in both business development and strategic operational leadership. He specialises in contract and client management, project management, training and quality delivery, strategic innovation, liability assessment, due diligence and decommissioning advice. “I have always held IDOM in very high esteem and watched them develop and grow as a global engineering powerhouse, whilst successfully retaining their high standards and exceptional levels of customer care. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity of becoming part of their success story and expanding their asbestos management capabilities  – it is an exciting time to join the business and I very much look forward to the challenges this role brings,” commented Steve on his appointment.

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Who Are the Brexit Winners and Losers in UK Property Sector?

The first concrete look into how the UK market has performed on the two-year anniversary of the country’s decision to leave the EU has been provided by the latest UK HPI release of property price data for June. With the headlines showing house price growth is at a five year low across the UK, leading Hybrid Estate Agent, Emoov.co.uk, has crunched the numbers to see where has suffered and where has shrugged off the wider market slowdown to enjoy strong price growth. The UK Nationwide, prices are up 7.3% since the vote, with England and Scotland both enjoying the same increase, while price growth in Wales trails slightly at 7.1% and has hit 7.7% in Northern Ireland. Regionally, the West and East Midlands are ahead of the rest with price growth hitting double-digit figures in the last year, 10.9% and 10.3% respectively. The North East has suffered the most with prices increasing by just 0.3% in the last two years. The high cost of living in the capital has also taken its toll with London the second worst performer at 1.8%. This is largely due to central London and when split, Inner London price growth falls further to 1.2% while Outer London picks up the pace at 4.1%. The Best Across the UK it’s the Orkney and Shetland Islands that have enjoyed the largest growth since Brexit, up a huge 36.1% in the Orkney’s and 19.9% in the Shetlands. England compiles the rest of the top 10 largest increases with Thanet (18.8%), Harborough (18.4%), Kettering (18.4%), Tendring (17.8%), Maldon (17.7%), Sandwell (17.2%), Blaby (17.2%) and North Norfolk (17.0%). The Worst The City of London has been by far the worst area of the UK for property price growth with a drop of -21.9%. However, with an average house price of over £900,000, homeowners aren’t completely out of pocket. The City of Aberdeen is the second worst and only other area to see a double-digit drop at -12.3%. With an average house price of £1.2 million, Kensington and Chelsea has also seen a notable drop at -7.4%, with the Western Isles (-6.2%), the City of Westminster (-6.0%), Three Rivers (-5.7%), wider Aberdeenshire (-5.4%), Hammersmith and Fulham (-4.4%), Wandsworth (-2.9%) and Southwark (-2.9%) all seeing some of the largest declines in price growth.

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LANDMARK MANCHESTER EMERGES ONTO ST PETER’S SQUARE – Concrete Core Complete at Major Office Development

Barings Real Estate, part of Barings LLC, one of the world’s largest diversified real estate investment managers, has announced that Landmark Manchester (Landmark), a 180,000 sq. ft. office development that it is undertaking on behalf of an institutional investor, is emerging onto St Peter’s Square with the concrete core now complete. With Castlebrooke Investments retained as development manager, benefiting from their strong track record in project delivery, and having spent over a year in the demolition and basement formation phase, construction work is well underway with the Grade A, BREEAM Excellent office building set to be launched in Summer 2019. Appointed contractor Bowmer & Kirkland has completed the basement levels, which will support 14 floors of virtually column free office space and a double-height reception at ground level. The building’s concrete core is now visible on the Manchester skyline and, when completed, the scheme will add to the vibrancy of one of the North’s most significant public squares. Designed by world-renowned architects Squire & Partners, Landmark has been created with the next generation occupier in mind. The building is being constructed with an offset core to enable large and efficient floorplates to be designed offering maximum flexibility to occupiers. In a market that is currently experiencing strong levels of demand coupled with limited supply, Landmark is one of only two new build office developments due to be completed in Manchester City Centre in 2019. The scheme has received overwhelming support from Manchester City Council and will complete the Council’s vision for St Peter’s Square and the Civic Quarter. Situated in the heart of Manchester’s central business district at St Peter’s Square, Landmark is in a prime location close to St Peter’s Square Metrolink and several train stations. The development also has easy accessibility to the M60 via the M602 with the location being furthered strengthened by the planned High Speed 2 railway project which will connect Manchester with major cities across the U.K. Charles Weeks, Head of Barings Real Estate – Europe, said; “The city of Manchester is thriving. It is consistently one of the strongest, most active city centre office markets outside of London. Landmark will play a pivotal role in enhancing what the city has to offer by providing businesses with a destination that is both modern and flexible as well as providing excellent infrastructure and connectivity. Barings Real Estate has a proven record of accomplishment adding significant value to investments both within the U.K. and globally and we are delighted to oversee this important development project.” Agents on Landmark are CBRE and Colliers International.   Barings Alternative Investments (BAI), part of Barings LLC, is a 450+ associate team located across 11 countries that manages $52.3 billion in client capital (as of March 31, 2018). BAI seeks differentiated sources of returns by incorporating decades of investment experience in alternative assets offering investors access to a diverse range of opportunities across private equity, real assets, asset-based investments and the four quadrants of real estate. We serve as a trusted partner to clients, leveraging our global presence and robust origination capabilities to identify the most attractive risk-adjusted return opportunities. The Barings Real Estate team offers a broad range of investment opportunities globally across the public and private debt and equity markets. The team invests across all major property sectors with a focus on global relative value and trend-backed preferred strategies. Barings Barings is a $306+ billion* global financial services firm dedicated to meeting the evolving investment and capital needs of our clients. We build lasting partnerships that leverage our distinctive expertise across traditional and alternative asset classes to deliver innovative solutions and exceptional service. Part of MassMutual, Barings maintains a strong global presence with over 1,800 professionals and offices in 16 countries. Learn more at www.barings.com

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Sherwin-Williams supports global fire safety coalition

Leading manufacturer Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings is supporting a new initiative to raise the level of fire safety standards worldwide. The International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition – led by a range of professional bodies worldwide –  aims to develop a set of common high-level standards to address fire safety in buildings. Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings endorses the aim to set and reinforce the minimum requirements professionals should follow to ensure building safety in the event of a fire. Bob Glendenning, global fire engineering manager for Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, said: “We wholeheartedly support this initiative to improve the standards for fire safety across the board from design through the fire engineering process. With our own developments in technology and science, we are continually looking at ways of improving product specification to meet the most exacting of standards.” The IFSS Coalition says that as the property market has become increasingly international with investments extending across national borders, the sector still lacks a consistent set of high level global standards that informs the design, construction, and management of buildings to address the risks associated with fire safety. Once the standards are developed, the IFSS Coalition will work with professionals around the world to deliver them locally. The standards will be owned by the IFSS Coalition and not by any one organisation. The IFSS Coalition will create a Standards Setting Committee that will draw on a group of international technical fire experts to develop the details and ensure they are fit for purpose across global markets. Members of the IFSS Coalition include the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), Local Authority Building Control (LABC), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), the Singapore Institute of Building (SIBL), the Australian Property Institute (API), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and The World Bank. Sherwin-Williams has supplied its diverse range of fire protection coatings to a number of landmark construction and engineering projects including London’s The Shard, Azerbaijan’s Flame Towers, and the Leadenhall Building, known as The Cheesegrater.

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EXPERTS FROM BIFM, INTEGRAL UK, HERMAN MILLER, KEY FM, ATALIAN SERVEST FM, SODEXO AND MORE CONFIRMED TO SPEAK AT FACILITIES SCOTLAND

Facilities Scotland, the only event dedicated to the Scottish FM and workplace industry, has today announced a host of senior leaders from the UK’s FM and workplace industry who will be taking part in the Facilities Scotland conference programme when the show returns to the SEC, Glasgow on the 12 – 13 September 2018. The programme will be delivered by leading voices and experts and feature a combination of panel discussions, keynote presentations and case study insights all curated under the theme ‘Building a Scottish FM Powerhouse’. The event comes at a time of great unrest in the UK’s FM industry and Western Business Exhibitions, organisers of Facilities Scotland, have promised sessions will showcase the very best of Scottish FM and give focus on the latest trends shaping the FM market in the region. In addition, these series of talks are specifically designed to give attendees vital information on the state of the FM industry today and help facilities managers enhance their CPD. Tim Else, Director, Western Business Exhibitions comments, “We wanted to design a programme that was pertinent for the FM community in 2018 and of real value to our attendees. The session topics will give members of the industry the opportunity to hear the views from the top and give FM’s visiting the show this opportunity to be part of the conversation. Never has there been a more urgent time for FM’s to get involved in their community and help shape the future of the industry.” SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Wednesday 12th September  (Opening keynote session) Can Scottish FM plot a new value-driven path for the sector? A panel discussion featuring Mark Whittaker, business development manager at Integral UK (part of JLL) and Sandy McNaughton, BIFM Scotland chair: Facilities management can often feel like a sector in the doldrums – much of which is down to the constant flurry of negative outsourcing stories in the national press which of course are sometimes justified. Carillion’s collapse, for example, shined a light on areas in need of real reform including public sector procurement and the ‘race to the bottom’ that now pervades the outsourcing of facilities services. But good FM practice does exist. In fact, there are thousands of FM businesses and practitioners across the UK who are doing fantastic work, delivering real value for customers. From FM to workplace: What does this change mean for FM practitioners? Presented by Chris Hood, director of consulting EMEA, Advanced Workplace Associates: A growing movement of individuals and organisations within the FM profession recognise the effective role that facilities managers can play in the design and management of the workplace. Most recently, BIFM members voted to change the name of the 25-year-old membership body to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management. This shift has huge implications for FM, as it evolves into a more strategic discipline. Chris Hood, director of consulting EMEA at Advanced Workplace Associates, discusses the growing significance of ‘workplace’ to the FM role and how practitioners should prepare for the changes ahead. Are existing FM service delivery models fit for purpose? A panel discussion featuring Sandy McNaughton, BIFM Scotland chair, Mike Floyd, managing director, Atalian Servest FM and Graham Box, managing director – Scotland, Sodexo: The FM market may soon need to develop new service delivery to meet a plethora of contemporary challenges. A panel of experts will discuss the merits of existing service delivery models, and what a new option could look like? Thursday 13th September How do international standards affect me? Presented by Stan Mitchell, CEO, Key FM and former chairman of BIFM: Developing international standards for FM is more important than ever. In an increasingly globalised world, it is now a must that the entire FM community uses the same language and terminology. Stan Mitchell, a past chairman of the BIFM and CEO of Key Facilities Management which is based in Scotland, will guide delegates through the new ISO 41001 Management Systems Standard (MSS). This benchmark standard will enable facilities managers and procurement professionals to assess whether an organisation is fit for purpose to deliver FM, and how that delivery should be structured. Learning & development in FM: What’s next? A panel discussion between Michael Kenny, soft services manager, FES FM, Fraser Talbot, head of professional development, BIFM and Jo Manifold, director of learning & development UK & Ireland, Sodexo The BIFM’s embrace of workplace management as a bona-fide discipline is just one of the factors switching the demands on facilities managers. These new challenges require up to date knowledge and skill sets. A panel of FM professionals and academics will debate the skills today’s facilities managers need to succeed and the steps necessary to become strategic leaders within their organisations.

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From the Great Fire to Grenfell: How tragedy has shaped UK fire safety laws

News of a deadly fire in a Russian shopping centre in March – which I examined here – had a particular resonance for onlookers in the UK. We might once have thought that this kind of thing couldn’t happen here, with stricter safety standards and a system of inspections and penalties. Unfortunately, events at Grenfell Tower last year showed that we too have improvements to make in our prevention of deadly fires. Grenfell is likely to bring about legislative change when the investigation finally concludes, if not before then; it is wholly unlikely that the cladding used on that tower block will ever be used in the UK again. The unfortunate legacy of fires is that we know more about how they start, spread and consume. The fortunate part is that we can legislate to change things for the better, and prevent such needless death and damage in future. The Great Fire Ask the average person to name a significant fire from history, and they will most likely start with the Great Fire of London. The bookend to a period of strife, Civil War and then plague in England, the Great Fire did immense damage and led to some loss of life, but was also a cleansing for London. It burned out the plague more or less for good, and awoke the city’s populace to the risk of fire in the narrow, ramshackle streets. The layout of the streets didn’t change – their occupants rebuilt the houses too quickly – but the appreciation of fire did. King Charles had been wary of this issue, as had many onlookers. Tower Bridge, the length of which was crammed with houses and shops, had previously been damaged by fire, and Charles had decreed that no house should use thatching. In reality however this was flouted, as was a regulation that tiered houses – which expanded outwards with each layer – should never meet each other at their highest level. The fire even jumped the river at one point When a fire broke out in a bakery on Pudding Lane, the result was unsurprising – wooden and thatched houses, stuffed against each other in winding streets, caught light and spread rapidly. Inaction by the mayor and a refusal to deploy the King’s soldiers led the fire to ravage the city centre; it even jumped the river at one point, thanks in part to basement stores of gunpowder left over from the Civil War. Gunpowder from the Tower of London’s stores was finally used to create breaks in the fire’s path, and it eventually died down. Early legislation The fire had raged for four full days, destroyed some 13,500 houses and many more buildings, and displaced as many as 200,000 people. Action was swift, although not swift enough to realise grand ambitions of rebuilding the city in the baroque style. King Charles decreed that houses in London would hereon be built from stone, that streets would be made wider, and that the river banks should not be obstructed by buildings. Another law followed in 1705, stipulating that no open cooking fires be allowed in the attics of thatched houses countrywide. The Great Fire and smaller incidents in Edinburgh prompted similar laws in Scotland, decreeing that no building should exceed five stories. More substantial change did not follow for over a century, however. The Fires Prevention (Metropolis) Act of 1774 was the first major fire safety act passed by Parliament, and established many of the principles of modern fire safety that we still adhere to today. The act divided buildings into different classes, each with their own required wall thicknesses, and maximum floor areas for warehouses. More important however was the appointment of surveyors, and the requirement for parishes to provide at least three fire ladders for use in emergencies. While this was not the first fire safety equipment – ‘fire hooks’ and rudimentary fire engines were around during the Great Fire – this is one of the first laws pertaining to the mandatory protection of human life. Pre-modern laws This early legislation was far from comprehensive, yet fire safety would go largely unaddressed until the late Victorian era. The rise of ballistic weapons leds to the Explosives Act of 1875, which handed powers for the safe storage, inspection and licensing of explosives to local fire departments. The law was not superceded until 2005, and much of the methodology remains the same to this day. Technology driving safety laws would be a consistent theme. The rise of the personal motorcar would lead to new regulations on petrol storage in 1928, requiring a local license for the first time. Factory owners were legally obliged to have a fire escape plan from 1937 onwards The pre-war period also saw efforts to enforce building bylaws for the first time. Factory owners were legally obliged to have a fire escape plan from 1937 onwards, and other buildings were required to meet certain standards. However, these laws were only enforced in London, and remained optional in other counties. You might think that the bombing raids of World War 2 would have prompted new fire laws. Yet there was little further action until the 60s and 70s, when a spate of deadly incidents shocked the government into action. Two separate acts were passed after nightclub and factory fires in 1961. The acts bolstered safety requirements in public establishments and in factories, which now had to demonstrate fire separation and a fire fighting plan. A safer future It would take another deadly fire at a multistorey hotel in 1969 to prompt more comprehensive fire safety laws. The resulting investigation led to the Fire Precautions Act 1971, requiring most properties with sleeping accommodation to be fire certified. This law would be extended over the coming years to cover most factories, offices, shops and railway premises. In 1987, it was amended to require maintenance of all fire fighting impliments and escape routes – and for the first time, required that employees be trained in

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