The RSPB has teamed up with Manthorpe Building Products and Barratt Homes to develop a brick that doubles as a nesting box for swifts. RSPB – the UK’s largest nature conservation charity – says thaf swift numbers have almost halved in 20 years and that new nesting boxes are needed
A survey released by international real estate advisor Savills and the British Council for Offices (BCO) has revealed what workers in Aberdeen really want from their offices. The What Workers Want poll of 1,132 office workers across the UK investigates the factors that are important to employees in the workplace,
Paul Drechsler, previously chief executive of Wates and now the president of the CBI, warned UK contractors that if they cared about the outcome of the referendum, they should “do something about it”. “That means make sure that people who work for you understand what it means for your business.”
Highways England has revealed details of a project that involves the construction of a triple decker roundabout. Above: The triple decker roundabout The structure is being built by contracting joint venture Sisk Lagan as part of its A19/A1058 Coast Road junction improvement North Tyneside. The plans will go on public
Technology has impacted every corner of our lives at a pace so rapid it’s sometimes hard to keep up. The construction industry is no exception to that, and the sheer number of tech solutions on offer to companies can be daunting It’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff,
When you are choosing a material for your new construction project, it is important that you think about the benefits of the different types. One of the most popular building materials for construction projects recently is steel. This is because steel is a very durable and cost-effective material. In this
Vivalda, the UK’s largest distributor and fabricator of architectural cladding systems, has welcomed the Government’s intention to ban the use of combustible materials on all high-rise developments. Announced by housing minister James Brokenshire at the Conservative Party Conference, the new building regulations will be introduced for external wall systems banning
Firstly, if you’ve got to the stage where you are thinking about making the first hire for your company, a huge congratulations is in order. After all, we don’t need to remind you about all of the damning statistics that do the rounds about new companies, and how many of
The binding of an oral contract does not match that of a paper one, but there is hope. Despite best intentions, there are occasions where companies can find themselves caught up in a commercial relationship without a formal written contract. This could be due to the need to get underway
In nearly six months’ time, on 29 March 2019 at 11pm UK-time to be more exact, the Brexit is expected to happen and the UK will leave the EU. The construction industry has already started to feel the impact of Brexit, and has ongoing concerns about, amongst other things, skill
The RSPB has teamed up with Manthorpe Building Products and Barratt Homes to develop a brick that doubles as a nesting box for swifts. RSPB – the UK’s largest nature conservation charity – says thaf swift numbers have almost halved in 20 years and that new nesting boxes are needed to help numbers recover as they return to the UK to breed every summer. Swifts complete a 6,000 mile migration to nest in the UK. However with falling population numbers there are now less than 90,000 breeding pairs arriving in the UK, down from almost 150,000 pairs two decades ago. Part of this decline is being linked to a reduction in potential nesting sites. British manufacturer Manthorpe Building Products has worked with RSPB and Barratt Homes to produce the new swift brick, which is designed for easy incorporation during the construction of new homes. The first new swift nest boxes have just been fitted at the Kingsbrook development in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. In total Barratt will be installing up to 900 of the swift boxes in new homes at Kingsbrook. Providing more nesting sites for swifts has been one of the aims of the partnership between RSPB and Barratt Homes, which launched in 2014 to look at how nature and wildlife could be incorporated into new communities. Working together, they commissioned Manthorpe to develop a new swift nest box design that could be easily installed during construction. Michael Finn, group design and technical director at Barratt Developments, said: “The bricks are an industry first – they are fully drained, ventilated and are unobtrusive, by matching the colour of the bricks. They also help nurture chicks by giving them room to stand when they hatch. Crucially too, they are much, much cheaper than any other swift brick on the market, which will help their uptake. We actively want other developers to use the brick so we can all help build swift populations. It’s a great example of how we are working together with the RSPB and the wider industry to support nature.” Darren Moorcroft, RSPB’s head of species and habitats conservation, said: “The swift is an iconic species, its appearance announces the start of summer as they swoop and soar above our gardens. Sadly like many UK species the swift is in trouble, their numbers have dropped dramatically, putting them at risk of disappearing completely from the UK. “We are working hard to reverse this decline. In previous centuries builders would often create spaces for swifts, but these techniques have fallen out of practice with modern homes. Our partnership with Barratt Homes has allowed us to share ideas and look at how we can bring this practice back in a way that works for builders, home owners and the swifts.” Gareth Wright, sales director at Manthorpe Building Products, said: “The product is already gaining a lot of interest and due to its ease of fitting and competitive price builders are able to incorporate this product into their new homes with no disruption to the build and no need to incorporate any design changes to existing house types.” Further Images This article was published on 18 Aug 2016 (last updated on 18 Aug 2016). Source link
A survey released by international real estate advisor Savills and the British Council for Offices (BCO) has revealed what workers in Aberdeen really want from their offices. The What Workers Want poll of 1,132 office workers across the UK investigates the factors that are important to employees in the workplace, and how much they believe that their current environment satisfies those requirements. In Aberdeen, employees prioritise having a clean office, which is easily accessible by public transport, with both aspects being ranked as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ by over three quarters of office workers, but further analysis reveals that current offices may not be delivering on these factors. By comparing the importance workers assign to various aspects of the office with their current satisfaction levels, it is possible to identify the size of the ‘frustration factor’ and what organisations need to address in order to attract and retain staff. Aberdeen workers are most frustrated by what they consider to be a lack of quiet spaces in the office available for focused work, with 72% of respondents saying this is important to them in the workplace, but only a third are satisfied with the provision of quiet areas in the their current office. Public transport connections and office cleanliness round out the top three, receiving middling satisfaction scores despite their importance to workers. Simpson Buglass, director in the business space team and head of Savills Aberdeen, comments: “It comes as no surprise to see in this survey that connectivity polls strongly for Aberdeen office occupiers, coming joint first and third in importance, due in part to the high incidence of peripheral office parks and growing council intolerance to private car use in and around the city, which highlights the need for a good public transport network and service. Meanwhile, office cleanliness ranks joint first in terms of importance, which perhaps reflects staff frustration with full bins and untidy offices towards the end of each day. We are aware of some companies already introducing daytime office cleaning to avoid this problem.” “Aberdeen office workers are also clearly frustrated with the lack of quiet areas in their offices”, adds Steve Lang, director of Savills research and author of the report. “While there are many benefits to employees meeting and sharing ideas in the office, when the time comes to concentrate clearly most feel their environment hinders their work. Organisations must create as much choice as possible to enable employees to vary noise levels to meet their needs depending on what they’re working on.” Bill Ritchie, incoming Chairman of the Scottish Chapter of the BCO, comments: “What Workers Want is a very important piece of research as it allows both office developers and employers to fully understand what their employees actually need. This in turn could significantly help with attracting and retaining staff, which will help Aberdeen in the long term. Our research throws up some very interesting findings – for example, that Aberdeen workers are most frustrated with a lack of quiet spaces, which is perhaps at odds with current development thinking that shared, open spaces are best. There is also a clear frustration with transport connections, which we hope will inform future planning. “Research of this nature, which we have commissioned to promote ‘best practice’ and inform businesses, is vital – we need to really understand how to create the best possible working environments by listening to employees and finding out what they really need.” Top 10 factors most important to Aberdeen office workers Top 10 factors Aberdeen office workers are most dissatisfied with Source link
Paul Drechsler, previously chief executive of Wates and now the president of the CBI, warned UK contractors that if they cared about the outcome of the referendum, they should “do something about it”. “That means make sure that people who work for you understand what it means for your business.” He said construction leaders should spend the next week talking about the issue at “toolbox talks, site talks, talks in the office”. He warned that if Brexit led to staff being laid off in two months’ time they would ask why they had not been warned beforehand. Mr Drechsler also told contractors to be clear with their suppliers about what the consequences of a vote to leave would be. “Your supply chain has to understand what it means for you. “If your customer thinks it’s very important for them, it should be important for you if you care about your customers.” He warned that the Brexit would cause a “very significant shock” to the UK economy. “The last time that happened was in 2008/09 and on the surface it was quite a straightforward issue [a bank failing] but nobody ever understood what that would mean. “What it meant was years of significant job losses for the UK construction industry.” He said there was no upside in the short to medium term. “I think for the construction industry it would be more of what we have just been through and some are still recovering from. “That’s why people should be talking about it.” In the event of a vote to leave the EU, the first area of construction to be hit would be the commercial sector, he said, followed by housebuilding as the economy lost confidence and public sector and infrastructure projects as tax receipts fell. The UK construction industry was reliant on the free movement of labour from across Europe, he said, because it needed to access talent from its other 27 member countries. Projects such as the Olympics would not have been built on time without it, he added. Source link
Highways England has revealed details of a project that involves the construction of a triple decker roundabout. Above: The triple decker roundabout The structure is being built by contracting joint venture Sisk Lagan as part of its A19/A1058 Coast Road junction improvement North Tyneside. The plans will go on public display in Newcastle next weekend. Sisk Lagan will be lowering the A19 beneath the existing A1058 Coast Road and roundabout to reduce congestion. Work starts in August 2016. Sisk Lagan’s contract is valued at £40m. The overall scheme cost for Highways England is £75m. The £scheme is on the main route to and from the Tyne Tunnel and will mean that people travelling along the A19 will no longer have to queue at the roundabout to go straight on. Instead drivers will be able to use a new section of road which will run under the existing junction. Highways England project manager Julie Alexander said: “Once complete, this scheme will improve journey times on the A19 by reducing congestion and improving safety for the thousands of drivers that use this junction each day as well as cyclists and pedestrians. “The A19 is a vital strategic link providing access to the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate, Silverlink Retail Park, Cobalt Business Park and South East Northumberland. During construction we will do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum and ensure that traffic does keep moving.” The public information exercise, to explain what disruption can be expected by local motorists, includes a display at the Village Hotel on Cobalt Business Park, West Allotment, Newcastle, NE27 0BY on Friday 1st July between 2pm and 8pm and on Saturday 2nd July between 10am and 4pm. Representatives from Highways England and Sisk Lagan will be on hand. This article was published on 29 Jun 2016 (last updated on 29 Jun 2016). Source link
Technology has impacted every corner of our lives at a pace so rapid it’s sometimes hard to keep up. The construction industry is no exception to that, and the sheer number of tech solutions on offer to companies can be daunting It’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to figure out what’s just a flash in the pan and what’s worth investing your money in. In this blog, Advantage AHCI aims to help you do exactly that – as they tell you about the five technologies which will change the construction sector forever. Drones When a camera is attached to one of these aerial vehicles, it allows for site managers and teams to not only receive real-time progress updates but also to check for and monitor health and safety hazards they may not have otherwise been able to spot. So significant is their anticipated impact that US start-up company, Skycatch, have made supplying drones to construction projects their primary focus. Furthermore, from a marketing perspective, being able to use drones to capture time-lapse footage of schemes being constructed is a brilliant calling card for surveyors and agents. 3D printing 3D printing has already made a big splash, but many people believe that we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of its capabilities. One Chinese construction company has started building houses using a giant version of the technology, spraying layers of cement and construction waste to create them. Many in the industry are convinced that this could, eventually, help to solve the global housing crisis – reducing the time and costs involved with building new homes. AR & VR (incl. BIM) Augmented and virtual reality are already revolutionising many sectors, but their effect on the world of construction is set to be huge. Thanks to this advanced technology, construction managers will be able to oversee every element of a project on as granular a level as necessary – aiding with health & safety, co-design, digital job guidance, progress monitoring and more. Additionally, BIM (building information modelling) is already making waves in the construction industry, providing contractors, developers and professional teams with the ability to conduct virtual walk-throughs of projects. It’s started to replace traditional blueprints and is slated to transition from 3D to 5D in the very near future. Carbon nanotubes Engineers have created this incredibly thin, lightweight material which – contrary to what you might think – can be used to add greater strength and density to metal, wood and glass. Despite being only a nanometre (one-billionth of a metre!) in thickness, the carbon walls which the tubes create have the highest strength to weight ratio of any material on earth. This could streamline the construction process at breakneck speed, making buildings faster and easier to erect. Smart H&S gear From responsive clothing to “smart” hard hats, PPE has had a 21st-century makeover and is now poised to keep on-the-ground teams even safer. The “Smart Helmet” is a piece of wearable tech from Uvex which is equipped with special lenses, 4D augmented reality and more – meaning that its wearers can be warned of potential hazards, and be given detailed information about their surroundings.
When you are choosing a material for your new construction project, it is important that you think about the benefits of the different types. One of the most popular building materials for construction projects recently is steel. This is because steel is a very durable and cost-effective material. In this article, we are going to discuss the benefits of using steel when designing a building. Make sure to keep reading if you’d like to find out more. Cost Effective Although steel might not be extremely cheap to buy, you will find that it is a very cost-effective way to construct a building in comparison to others. This is often because it is a recycled material and it lasts a long time, so you don’t need to worry about investing in more any time soon. On top of this, steel is lighter than other materials, so it won’t cost as much to transport it and you’ll even save on fuel costs. Durable Steel is a very strong metal and it can last a very long time. The strength of the material also means that it can stay standing when it comes to extreme weather conditions. You don’t need to worry about heavy snow or wind knocking your building down. The steel building company armstrongsteel.com emphasise on their website that they are made to withstand any extreme weather and are also “non-combustible so it’s unlikely they will be destroyed by fire”. Environmentally Friendly Building materials often cause problems when it comes to keeping the environment safe and so it is important to choose a material that is eco-friendly. This is why steel is a great material to use because it is actually often made from recycled metal. Steel is very recyclable so make sure to use it if you are looking for a building material for your project. Adaptable If you are looking for a building material that is adaptable then you should think about using steel on your next project. Steel can be used for many different projects and is often used on large scale projects that need walls to be repositioned or altered. Having an adaptable material is very important so consider this carefully if you are unsure about which route to take. Design The final benefit of using steel as a building material is the fact that steel buildings can be designed to look great. Steel buildings do not need to have columns and so they often have a lot more space to include other great features. This gives designers the freedom to come up with something brand new and so it is a very good material to work with. Final Verdict If you are thinking about choosing a material for your next big construction project, you should think about choosing steel. This is because of the many great benefits such as the fact that it is extremely durable, it is great for creative design and it is very environmentally friendly. Make sure to invest in some steel if you want to create something really amazing on your next project.
Vivalda, the UK’s largest distributor and fabricator of architectural cladding systems, has welcomed the Government’s intention to ban the use of combustible materials on all high-rise developments. Announced by housing minister James Brokenshire at the Conservative Party Conference, the new building regulations will be introduced for external wall systems banning plastics, wood and other products that include combustible materials found in some aluminium composite panel systems. However, Vivalda’s managing director, Ben Jayes, is calling for further clarification on whether the ban would apply to any material in wall construction from the internal face of the wall through to its external face, as first proposed. He said: “For months now, we’ve been calling for a much more robust approach from the regulators, who should treat all proposed cladding systems as a single, integrated product; not a group of unrelated sub-components. For this reason, we decided last year to supply only A1 and A2 products to all high-rise building projects. The devil is certainly in the detail where complex cladding systems are concerned. Specifiers and contractors want clear and robust guidance on cladding safety – that’s why we’re pushing for the regs to include complete systems, fixings, insulation and all.” “A total ban on all combustible materials on high rise developments is still the gold standard for which we’re lobbying. Whatever the government concludes on this issue, we think the industry needs to take action and set new, unrivalled standards of building quality for all cladding systems used on tall buildings.”
Firstly, if you’ve got to the stage where you are thinking about making the first hire for your company, a huge congratulations is in order. After all, we don’t need to remind you about all of the damning statistics that do the rounds about new companies, and how many of them fail during the first years of operation. However, when it comes to that first hire, you might need to talk yourself round to the idea. This is the point in your company’s life where suddenly, you are responsible for someone else. The success of your business, or lack of it for that matter, could have a monumental effect on someone else. This is probably the reason so many myths about the early recruitment process are doing the rounds. Following on from the above, let’s now address some of these misconceptions and highlight the real truths about making that elusive first hire. Myth #1 – You’re not ready for your first hire This is something that a lot of young companies tell themselves; they fool themselves into thinking that they are just not ready for a first hire. Of course, there are times where this isn’t the case, and this is something that we will look at shortly. However, you need to remind yourself that there is only so far you can go with the DIY approach. Your time is limited; you might work as many hours as physically possible, but this is capped. As soon as you hire someone, your output can be doubled. It’s this impact what you really need to think about; you need to assess just how much more value someone else will bring, not about the salary that you are now going to have to pay out. Myth #2 – You are ready for your first hire To play devil’s advocate, some businesses are the opposite as above. They think that they are ready for their first hire on day one and unless they have huge budgets, this is seldom reality. Unfortunately, not all businesses are a success. You need to realize that there is a time to make a hire and if you still don’t have a steady stream of paying customers, taking on someone too early is a risky strategy. Myth #3 – You have to start with permanent employees Following on from the previous two points, there is a midpoint. We are now in the gig economy age; meaning that temporary work is more fashionable than ever before. A quick look at immediate start jobs London from Staff Heroes shows just how developed this market is, and there’s nothing stopping you from tapping into it. A lot of skilled workers are looking for temporary work, for personal circumstances, and by opting for this route you don’t have to commit to a full-time salary. To suggest that your first employee should be a permanent member of staff is ridiculous. Myth #4 – You have to pay top dollar for the best employees Does money play a part in the recruitment process? Of course, it does. Fortunately, there are other ways that you can play the recruitment game to your advantage. Being a young start-up, you need to prove your worth somehow, and offering the likes of flexi-time and smaller benefits can make you attractive for some people. Whether or not you will get the best in the business is another matter, but if you can show you will treat people well you might be surprised at the number of candidates who turn to your role.
The binding of an oral contract does not match that of a paper one, but there is hope. Despite best intentions, there are occasions where companies can find themselves caught up in a commercial relationship without a formal written contract. This could be due to the need to get underway with a job as quickly as possible, leaving a contract till a later date, or due to an administrative error. If this happens, one party may fail to perform their promised part in the agreement, leaving a disappointed and aggravated party to pick up the pieces, and more so, unable to cover any losses suffered from the lack of written communication. There is however, a potential for business who have been unrightfully let down, be it intentional or not, to recover losses. Regardless of Samuel Goldwyn’s famous maxim that a verbal contract “is not worth the paper it is written on,” there could be a chance that an oral agreement will stand up in court, as recent cases have been considering contract establishments that take place in person, rather than on paper. The afflicted party could have the chance to establish their right to claim through the legal system if they can prove a breach of an oral contract has taken place. The aggrieved member must also show that the non-performing party did not follow suit in relation to duty of care systems. Levels of compensation and chances of success in claiming are dependant on the aggrieved parties ability to prove acts of tort from the other party. If a wronged party can establish a contract’s basic terms and intentions, that did not go through as discussed, precise terms and breaches can be considered without the official paperwork in place. A duty of care in the tort of negligence can be proven by undergoing two tests that will need to satisfy a court of wrongdoings. The first is the Threefold Test, in which the court will obtain knowledge of whether the loss was reasonably foreseeable, if there was a sufficient relationship of proximity between both parties and if the circumstance was/is fair/reasonable. The next text is titled the Assumption of Responsibility, in which it is determined whether the non-performing party has undertaken any form of responsibility towards the other party to exercise any reasonable care. If it comes to light that the non participating party did not provide a duty of care service, and this can be established as fact, the afflicted party will, in principle, be able to claim. Professional negligence is being taken seriously, with a no contract, no fee, no problem, type of attitude coming forth. A recent example of a successful court win from no contract sufferings comes from a duty of care in tort case between Burgess & Anor vs Lejonvarn. Mr & Mrs Burgess were made a promise by an Architect friend, who agreed to provide them with free architectural services with no need for a contract in place. The project failed which has lead to the Burgess’s claiming £265,000 for economic loss from the Architect. The claim was successful due to the Architect owing the Burgess’s a duty to exercise reasonable skill and care in tort but failing to do so, a duty of care has been imposed on the Architect despite the problems being arguably foreseeable. Various other examples of no contract, no problem claims are coming forth which means that there is hope for aggrieved parties. Samuel Goldwyn was partly right in his speech and a written contract is the best way to ensure business can run smoothly, with legal, documented plans that will ensure courts know the facts much easier than with an oral contract. The binding of an oral contract does not match that of a paper one, but if you have suffered negligence from a party who didn’t deliver the services you were assured, you can pursue a claim if you are able to prove your case.
In nearly six months’ time, on 29 March 2019 at 11pm UK-time to be more exact, the Brexit is expected to happen and the UK will leave the EU. The construction industry has already started to feel the impact of Brexit, and has ongoing concerns about, amongst other things, skill and labour shortages, the increasing price of materials, potential import and export tariffs. Another area of concern for the construction industry has been how the system of advertising UK contracts for works, goods and services to EU companies would work post-Brexit and how businesses in the UK construction industry would be able to continue to bid for work, goods and services in Europe. This is important because many UK construction and consultancy businesses benefit and need to continue to benefit from smooth and open working relationships with EU businesses. The government’s position While the government continues to negotiate with the EU, in the hope of reaching agreement on a number of key points in the next few months, it is also starting to prepare for a ‘no-deal Brexit’. As part of that, a couple of weeks ago the UK Cabinet Office released guidance entitled ‘Accessing public sector contracts if there’s no Brexit deal’ which sets out how works, goods and services can continue to be accessed across the UK and EU in the event of the UK leaving the EU without an agreement in place. The current system At the moment, UK public bodies and authorities can procure certain works, goods and services for construction projects, including from EU businesses, by advertising them on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) via Tenders Electronic Daily (TED). Equally, UK contractors, consultants, manufacturers and other construction businesses can bid to provide works, goods and services to EU public bodies through OJEU via TED. This means that, for example, a UK public authority procuring specialist offshore trenching and vessel services for a government-funded offshore renewables project can receive tenders from specialist construction companies throughout the EU. It also means that UK companies, for example a UK architectural business, can tender for a commission to design a high profile development project in Spain on the same basis as companies based in other EU member states. But post-Brexit, without a deal, this position would change. The government’s guidance There are two key messages in the government’s guidance ‘Accessing public sector contracts if there’s no Brexit deal’: First, the UK is aiming to accede to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). The GPA is an international trade deal that the UK currently participates in by virtue of its EU membership, but in a No-Deal Brexit world the UK will need to become a member itself. Whilst this is not a new position it does confirm that there has been no change to the government’s position on the need to seek GPA membership. Second, the UK will develop a UK version of OJEU / TED, which it refers to as ‘a replacement UK- specific e-notification service’. The guidance states that: UK-based contract opportunities would no longer be advertised to the EU on OJEU / TED and would instead be advertised on the new replacement UK-specific free-to-use e-notification service This UK e-notification service will be available from ‘Exit day’ The requirement to advertise and ability to access other UK domestic systems will remain eg on Contracts Finder, MOD Defence Contracts Online, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI UK businesses who wish to tender or bid for EU contract opportunities may continue to do so via OJEU / TED and To enable the above, some changes to how the current procurement rules operate may be necessary, and these will be made by amending existing UK legislation. The government has also said that further information will be provided nearer to the Brexit date. So, has the government provided clarity? In part, yes. The government has at least given some insight into its thinking about how works, goods and services can be advertised and procured across the EU in the event of a No-Deal Brexit. However, there is very little detail around how this will work in practice. In particular, while the guidance says that “Suppliers who wish to access contract opportunities from the EU may continue to do so via OJEU/TED”, it is not clear whether this position would be agreed to by the EU or whether they would have to access OJEU/TED as third country participants. UK public authorities, construction companies, construction industry professionals and other construction industry businesses may also be concerned that, during a period in which they dealing with other challenges that may arise for their businesses due to Brexit (such as skill and labour shortages), they will potentially also have to familiarise themselves with a new UK e-notification service. One thing is clear though, with no agreement yet reached with the EU, and with the Brexit date looming in a matter of months, the government should be working hard behind the scenes to flesh out its guidance, to provide certainty for UK public authorities and the construction industry before 29 March. We would hope to hear more on this by the end of this year.