27 June 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Spie UK has won a maintenance contract with aircraft manufacturer Airbus. The assignment represents the first contract of its kind for Spie UK, the scope of which covers the maintenance and repairs at Airbus’s Broughton plant in Cheshire, which has responsibility for assembling
The Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) has launched two inquiries into how the vote to leave the EU could hit UK policy. The first of the two will focus on the impacts on climate change policy, whilst the other will assess the implications on UK energy
The case of Leeds City Council v Waco UK Ltd provides a lesson for those engaged in exploiting loopholes, warns Sarah E Phillips. Above: Sarah E Phillips is a solicitor with Thomas Eggar LLP The Technology & Construction Courts appear to be seeing an increasing number of enforcement actions in
Aqualisa to increase prices from January 2017 Published: 01 September, 2016 Shower specialist Aqualisa has announced it is to increase its prices by an average of 7.9% from January 2017. Prices on selected product lines will increase by up to 10%. The company has said this decision is partly due to the increased cost
Head of Communications, Head of Internal Communications, Head of Media and Head of Strategic Engagement. Closing date for applications 4 September 2016. Source link
When we think of concrete, we might think of its less elegant modern uses: brutalist architecture, bridges and paving slabs. Yet the material has proved itself one of mankind’s most enduring creations, surviving literally and figuratively for thousands of years. It continues to be one of the most popular choices
Anco&co, a build-to-rent (BTR) development, has just launched in the heart of Manchester with the help of me&dave that created an innovative language-led brand identity for the company. As the development is located in a popular up-and-coming neighbourhood – Ancoats – the fly-poster campaign was inspired by protest placards. me&dave
Soil mixing solutions for foundations are being used for the first time by soil stabilisation and ground remediation specialist Deep Soil Mixing Ltd as an alternative to piling on a high quality housing project in St Mary’s Bay, Kent, aiming to prevent extreme settlements from variable ground. These works are
In a world first, a UK firm has launched a biodegradable, 92% plastic free glitter designed for use with the decorative, craft and interior design industry. Traditional glitter is a microplastic, and can be potentially harmful in the environment, as a result there has been a rising consumer pressure for
Put it down to perfect timing, with the heightened interest in offsite technology, combined with the abundance of outstanding projects and product innovations it is easy to see why the 2018 Structural Timber Awards surpassed all previous events in terms of the calibre of entries and attendance. Construction professionals gathered
27 June 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Spie UK has won a maintenance contract with aircraft manufacturer Airbus. The assignment represents the first contract of its kind for Spie UK, the scope of which covers the maintenance and repairs at Airbus’s Broughton plant in Cheshire, which has responsibility for assembling the wings for all Airbus civil aircraft. The site is where such aviation classics as De Havilland’s Comet and Mosquito were produced. The contract began on 1 April and includes planned and reactive maintenance works for the manufacturing plant’s mechanical and electrical assets, such as paint booths, compressors, boilers, sealing machines and vacuum delivery systems. Spie Group has an existing 15-year relationship with Airbus in France, and has recently started delivering support in Germany. But this will be the first time that Spie has worked with Airbus in the UK. Source link
The Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) has launched two inquiries into how the vote to leave the EU could hit UK policy. The first of the two will focus on the impacts on climate change policy, whilst the other will assess the implications on UK energy policy. In the climate change inquiry, the ECCC aims to understand the implications of the UK’s departure from the EU on the country’s climate-change commitments and ambitions, and determine which climate policy areas will need to be addressed during the UK’s exit negotiations. It seeks guidance on an appropriate timeline for these developments. The deadline for written submissions is Monday 22 August. In the energy policy inquiry, the committee aims to understand the implications of the UK’s departure from the EU on UK energy policy, and determine which policy areas will need to be addressed during the exit negotiations. The deadline for submissions for this inquiry is Wednesday 14 September. Source link
The case of Leeds City Council v Waco UK Ltd provides a lesson for those engaged in exploiting loopholes, warns Sarah E Phillips. Above: Sarah E Phillips is a solicitor with Thomas Eggar LLP The Technology & Construction Courts appear to be seeing an increasing number of enforcement actions in relation to what has become known as the ‘smash and grab’. No, these are not matters that you might expect to find in the criminal courts; rather this somewhat unattractive term has been coined to describe perfectly legitimate adjudications started when a payment that is due under a construction contract has not been paid by the final date for payment and no valid payless notice has been issued. The term has arisen because, provided that i) the claimant can demonstrate that the payment was properly applied for, ii) the final date for payment has passed and iii) there is no payless notice, the adjudicator will generally find for the claimant without inquiring into the amount being sought. The strict application of the payment terms of the Housing Grants & Regeneration Act 1996 (as amended) (the ‘Act’) does not require the amount applied for to be validated in any way. The application just has to state the sum due and how it has been calculated. If no payment notice or payless notice is served by the payer, the amount stated in the application must be paid regardless of how excessive or otherwise it may be. Just as adjudicators will generally award such payments, the court will generally enforce the award, provided the adjudication process is sound. While this is a perfectly valid way of getting paid, it has become what many consider to be the exploitation of a technicality – applying the letter of the law with little thought for the spirit that had intended to support the cashflow of the supply chain. In light of the above, the recent case of Leeds City Council v Waco UK Ltd [2015] EWHC 1400 (TCC) could be considered a moderate rebalancing of the scales towards the payers in ‘smash and grab’ cases. It is a timely reminder that technicalities can be worked both ways. Therefore it is worthy of careful note by all those who might at some time need the assistance of the Act to get paid. Waco UK Ltd (‘Waco’) won a ‘smash and grab’ adjudication against Leeds City Council (‘LCC’). LCC did not pay, so Waco started summary judgment proceedings. LCC resisted the action and applied to the Court for permission to challenge the adjudicator’s decision. Summary judgment was not given and LCC was awarded permission to challenge on the proviso that it paid the sum awarded by the adjudicator first, which it did. LCC applied to the court for a declaration that the payment application, which formed the basis of the adjudication, was invalid because it was submitted too early. For example, it was submitted before the contractual due date and that, because of this, the adjudicator’s decision was wrong and the money paid over should be re-paid (plus interest). It succeeded and got its declaration. In arriving at this decision, the details of all the payment application submissions made by Waco throughout the contract were scrutinised. The submission dates were compared to the contractual due dates to see if they complied with the contract provisions and, if they did not, evidence of any agreement between the parties to accept the non-compliance was sought. No contractual justification was found for interim applications to be made on any dates other than those stipulated in the contract. On the particular facts of the case, it was found that by their conduct (repeatedly accepting and paying interim applications that were submitted a few days after the contractual valuation date) the contract administrator and LCC had agreed that small degree of flexibility in the submission dates but no evidence was found to support a similar agreement to the early submission of applications. The relevant application was submitted six days early, it was not valid and could not therefore form the basis for an entitlement to payment. Even though the detailed findings are specific to the case, the message to be taken from it is that if you are going to try to enforce your rights on a technicality, you should make sure your own administration is bullet-proof first. Do not let the submission of applications drift and if there is going to be a delay, get specific agreement to any change from the Employer’s side and, as always, keep careful records. About the author: Sarah E Phillips is a solicitor with Thomas Eggar LLP This article was published on 29 Jun 2015 (last updated on 29 Jun 2015). Source link
Aqualisa to increase prices from January 2017 Published: 01 September, 2016 Shower specialist Aqualisa has announced it is to increase its prices by an average of 7.9% from January 2017. Prices on selected product lines will increase by up to 10%. The company has said this decision is partly due to the increased cost of imported components as a result of the exchange rate movement seen since the result of the EU Referendum. “We protected our customers from an unplanned increase by swallowing the currency loss in the second half of this year,” said Aqualisa’s chief executice officer, David Hollander. “However, with current expectations for component cost increases to be long term, we now have no option but to pass on some of the cost increase to customers.” The company’s most recently introduced product lines, such as Sassi Electric and Infinia (pictured) will not be affected by the increase. Source link
Head of Communications, Head of Internal Communications, Head of Media and Head of Strategic Engagement. Closing date for applications 4 September 2016. Source link
When we think of concrete, we might think of its less elegant modern uses: brutalist architecture, bridges and paving slabs. Yet the material has proved itself one of mankind’s most enduring creations, surviving literally and figuratively for thousands of years. It continues to be one of the most popular choices for modern structures, and it’s not going away anytime soon. While concrete still holds the edge in price, though, it is steadily being superseded by more modern building materials. From steel and hempcrete to entirely new composites and materials, developers now have more viable materials to choose from than ever before. Here is a rundown of the benefits and drawbacks of concrete and steel, and the many pretenders to their thrones. Benefits of concrete If a technology can go missing for over a thousand years and still be heralded as revolutionary, it’s clearly doing something right. Concrete was first devised by the Ancient Egyptians and nearly perfected by the Romans, whose finest examples of concrete masonry still stand to this day. The Romans weren’t just the first civilisation to deploy concrete structures en masse around the world, either. They also struck upon a form on concrete that healed and strengthened itself, something that’s only just entering back into modern construction in a cost-effective way. Concrete remains the most widely used building material in the world by weight, and not without reason. The benefits of concrete include: Price Concrete is still seen as the cheapest material for large builds, although this often only accounts for the price of the material, and not the process of installing it. Using concrete can save on property insurance, while its price has always remained stable compared to other materials, whose production tends to fluctuate. This said, there are increasing reports that the sand used in the most popular forms of concrete is running out, making this a more pressing issue. Safety Concrete is seen as a structurally reliable material, with a high tensile strength and natural fire resistant properties. Its weight, mass and strength allow it to resist most impacts, as well as winds of up to 200 mph. Thick concrete casing is routinely used by even the most high cost and safety conscious builds, including the new ‘Freedom Tower’ at 1 World Trade Centre. Design While unadorned and facade-free concrete can be considered an eyesore, it’s also been used in many iconic and beautiful constructions, from the Roman Pantheon to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, concrete can be used in a number of beautiful ways. Part of this is the ability to pour it into all different kinds of shapes, which has led to myriad creative, cascading designs. Benefits of steel Traditionally the preserve of tall buildings and large projects, steel has a reputation as being sturdy but slow when it comes to deployments. This is an increasingly dated attitude, however, and many of the traditional caveats of steel construction have been overcome with newer designs and methods. Some of the chief benefits are: Flexibility This is a literal benefit as well as a metaphorical one. Steel is much more ductile than concrete – in other words, less rigid – making it more appropriate for earthquake-prone and windy regions. It also has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any popular building material, making it the primary choice for high rises as well as long, column-free spans. While it doesn’t offer as many opportunities for visual flourishes, it does facilitate a wide variety of flexible designs. Availability We’re running out of concrete. This isn’t scaremongering, just a fact of natural resources. Modern concrete – the kind known as Portland cement – relies on a particularly course kind of sand that’s proving to be in limited supply. Sustaining the world’s demand for concrete has led to widespread destruction of habitats, and that demand is still outstripping supply. While structural steel supplies can fluctuate, there is currently a large surplus, and the material is also recyclable. Efficiency It’s often said that the ‘two day cycle’ of concrete installation makes it the fastest means to build a structure. What this fails to account for is the many contributory factors in a quick build, and the ways in which steel can be deployed. Structural steel framing systems can now be built to spec using CAD software, reducing installation time by as much as 50%. It is also far less labour intensive than concrete, which requires an enormous amount of manpower for larger projects. Application Steel’s versatility renders it indispensable across numerous applications, spanning from residential to commercial and agricultural domains. In the residential sector, steel finds utility in various structural components like beams, columns, and frames. Its robustness ensures structural integrity, providing safety and longevity to buildings. Additionally, steel’s adaptability enables architects and designers to explore innovative construction techniques, resulting in modern and aesthetically pleasing residential structures. Within the realm of commercial establishments, steel serves as a cornerstone for constructing offices, warehouses, and retail spaces. Its inherent strength makes it applicable in vast open spaces without the need for cumbersome support columns, thus maximizing usable floor area. Moreover, steel’s ability to withstand heavy loads and adverse environmental conditions makes it ideal for commercial structures requiring durability and resilience. In agricultural settings, steel plays a crucial role in the construction of barns, storage facilities, and other farm buildings. Steel barns offer several advantages, including ease of assembly, durability, and customizable designs to accommodate various farming needs. Their resilience against harsh weather conditions and pests ensures the protection of valuable livestock, equipment, and produce, contributing to the efficiency and success of agricultural operations. Furthermore, steel’s sustainability credentials make it an environmentally conscious choice across all applications. Its high recyclability reduces carbon footprint and minimizes waste, aligning with modern sustainability goals. Additionally, steel structures can incorporate energy-efficient features, promoting sustainable construction. Alternative materials While concrete and steel continue to form the core of building design, scientists are always looking to augment these materials. New composites and designs can enhance many of the key
Anco&co, a build-to-rent (BTR) development, has just launched in the heart of Manchester with the help of me&dave that created an innovative language-led brand identity for the company. As the development is located in a popular up-and-coming neighbourhood – Ancoats – the fly-poster campaign was inspired by protest placards. me&dave has also referenced Manchester’s world-famous music scene – the iconic bands, and gig posters by artists like Peter Saville of Factory Records fame. me&dave were asked by real estate investors DTZ Investors to create a strategy that would demonstrate how Anco&co is moving the rental sector into a new era. To achieve this, the brand takes a cheeky dig at some of the problems that old-school tenants face, highlighting the benefits of this new ‘hotel style’ living. The campaign has been deliberately designed to pique interest and get people talking. Hoardings surrounding the whole site have been covered in fly posters and a dedicated website has been set up so that people can register interest. Some of the messages are explicit, such as ‘There’s a new landlord in town’, while some are intentionally abstract, such as ‘Sorry Billy, we’re over’. As well as being humorous and aesthetically striking, the campaign stands for a cause: “It’s saying, ‘We’ve had enough of being fobbed off with old mattresses, exploitative landlords and damp, substandard accommodation,” said Mark David, co-founder and creative director of me&dave. Anco&co tenants, who will be able to move in next summer, will enjoy ready-to-live, fully furnished one- and two-bedroom apartments with en-suite bathrooms, private kitchens and living rooms. They’ll also have access to communal bars, cafés, co-work spaces, a common room, cinema, rooftop terrace and concierge service. Everything has been conceived to strike the perfect balance between the need for privacy and hanging out with neighbours. “There aren’t many schemes like Anco&co out there, so when it came to branding and marketing there was no blueprint. We knew that me&dave was the right agency as it nails what’s right for a brand, even if that means breaking the ‘rules’. This project needed a creative team to think outside the box and disrupt the rental sector, and me&dave delivered,” said Christian Birrell of DTZ Investors.
Soil mixing solutions for foundations are being used for the first time by soil stabilisation and ground remediation specialist Deep Soil Mixing Ltd as an alternative to piling on a high quality housing project in St Mary’s Bay, Kent, aiming to prevent extreme settlements from variable ground. These works are shaving more than a year off the programme for a conventional ‘Surcharge’ solution as well as providing improved stability behind coastal defences for client Compass Builders Ltd. “In response to a foundation enquiry from the client’s consulting engineers Considine Ltd we put forward various options that soil mixing could provide to deliver a design solution that saved the client time and reduced cost comparable to alternative ground engineering solutions such as dig and cart away and piling. Deep Soil Mixing Ltd always advise getting involved with clients and their designers as early as possible in their development process to create engineered solutions that offer real cost savings for projects including real benefits such as reduced vehicle movements and the efficient use of onsite materials on their projects, which reduces the carbon footprint and offers environmentally friendly sustainable solutions,” said Deep Soil Mixing Ltd’s MD Robert McGall. The site is in an enviable position, close to a beautiful sandy beach with stunning views out across the English Channel and planning permission has been granted by Shepway District Council for the development which will be called ‘The Sands’ on a brownfield site of a former hotel and military base which has been demolished. The scheme will consist of a range of 3, 4 & 5-bedroom houses and 1 & 2-bedroom apartments and will also include a new landscaped coastal park area, car park and children’s play area. The Cutter Soil Mixer was specifically used on the St Mary’s Bay project to overcome some isolated areas of very stiff layers of clay which had softer soils below so it was necessary to mix through the clay into the soils below to enable remediation to take place. The project is due to be completed later this year.
In a world first, a UK firm has launched a biodegradable, 92% plastic free glitter designed for use with the decorative, craft and interior design industry. Traditional glitter is a microplastic, and can be potentially harmful in the environment, as a result there has been a rising consumer pressure for products to use eco friendly glitter alternatives. Deco Bioglitter®, manufactured by Ronald Britton Ltd, is the world’s first glitter proven to degrade in the natural environment, such as soil, rivers, and lakes. Based on a plant material, cellulose rather than plastic, the product has been specially formulated to perform in decorative coatings and printing applications. Stephen Cotton, commercial director at Ronald Britton Ltd, said: “The new Deco Bioglitter®, developed in particular for the decorative and coatings industry, replaces the plastic core used in traditional glitter, with a plant based product, a special form of cellulose unique to Bioglitter®, made primarily from Eucalyptus trees. The new plant glitter is completely durable on the shelf, but once it enters the environment, where microbes can act on it, it will degrade naturally, similar to a leaf.” The product has recently undergone testing by the independent testing organisation OWS Belgium, which revealed it has excellent biodegradability in fresh water environments, like streams, rivers and lakes, with the vast majority of the biodegradable content in Bioglitter®, biodegrading in just four weeks. Stephen said: “Tens of tonnes of plastic glitter are used in products for interiors, from use in wallpapers to paints to general coatings and even glues. It’s a major microplastic issue and one that has seen a backlash from consumers who would normally buy products using glitter. There’s political, retailer and consumer pressure to move to eco friendly options and Deco Bioglitter® has been developed to address the issue. It’s the first glitter in the world proven to biodegrade in the natural environment and offers businesses working in the industry an eco friendly option for interior decoration.” Deco Bioglitter® with its biodegradability credentials coupled with it being 92% plastic free represents a truly eco-friendly alternative to plastic glitter. However, the Ronald Britton team are still determined to drive on with the Bioglitter® journey, not only so it biodegrades in the natural environment but also to attain the ultimate 100% plastic free goal, therefore removing the plastic pollution issue from glitter for good. Stephen summed up: “The Bioglitter® journey is all about making our products both plastic free, so they are not microplastics and biodegradable in the natural environment, so they leave minimal or no trace. We are extremely pleased about the progress we have made so far, removing 92% of the plastic and obtaining independent proof of its ability to biodegrade in challenging natural environments. However, we are determined and excited about achieving our 100% plastic free goal and ensuring that glitter has minimal impact on the environment.” For more information on Deco Bioglitter® visit www.discoverBioglitter®.com and www.Bioglitter®.com
Put it down to perfect timing, with the heightened interest in offsite technology, combined with the abundance of outstanding projects and product innovations it is easy to see why the 2018 Structural Timber Awards surpassed all previous events in terms of the calibre of entries and attendance. Construction professionals gathered at this prestigious award ceremony on October 10, at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham – to celebrate the great, the good and the simply outstanding. The Awards were hosted by compere Mark Durden-Smith and as anyone who has attended this event will know – his infectious humour is just one of the reasons this is a fantastic night out. With nearly 250 outstanding submissions, this year’s Structural Timber Award judges had an onerous job of selecting the winners. The big winner on the night was The Macallan Distillery project, which scooped the Winner of Winners plus two other categories. One of the judges commented: “The Macallan Distillery project and the precision installation of the engineered timber gridshell roof should be highlighted as a case study, par excellence, to the entire structural timber sector”. The head of the judging panel and Chief Executive of the Structural Timber Association, Andrew Carpenter said of the night: “The depth of expertise across all categories was impressive and the exceptional number of entries clearly demonstrates the upturn in the industry. The Structural Timber Awards is a high-point in the construction industry calendar and it is truly inspiring to see so much activity in the sector.” The full list of award winners are: Architect of the Year: Chadwick Dryer Clarke for The Stephen Perse Foundation Sports & Learning Building Client of the Year: Bloomberg LLP for Bloomberg European HQ Commercial Project of the Year: Heyne Tillett Steel & Studio RHE for The Import Building Contractor of the Year: Balfour Beatty for Abbey Wood Custom & Self-Build Project of the Year: STREIF UK for Skyfall Education Project of the Year: Eckersley O’Callaghan for Freemen’s School Engineer of the Year: Arup for The Macallan Distillery Installer of the Year: L&S Baucon GmbH for The Macallan Distillery Low Energy Project of the Year: Ruth Butler Architects for Hampshire Passivhaus Pioneer Award: Urban Splash for HoUSe Private Housing Project of the Year: Barratt Homes Yorkshire East Division for St Wilfrids Walk Development Product Innovation Award: Moduloft for Chippenham Bungalow Project of the Year: AKT II & Fosters & Partners for Bloomberg European HQ Project or Construction Manager of the Year: Barratt Homes Yorkshire East Division – Mark Greenley, Site Manager Retail & Leisure Project of the Year: METSÄ WOOD for Center Parcs, Elveden Forest Social Housing Project of the Year: CCG & Stora Enso for Ellerslie Road Development Best Use of SIPs: Innovaré Systems for Glasdir School Best Use of Solid Wood: METSÄ WOOD for Center Parcs, Elveden Forest Best Use of Timber Frame: Stewart Milne Timber Systems & Barratt Homes Yorkshire East Division for Barratt’s St Wilfrids Walk Development Winner of Winners: Arup, L&S Baucon GmbH, Robertson, Wiehag GmbH & Rogers Stirk Harbours + Partners for The Macallan Distillery There has already been a large amount of attention focused on next year’s awards, which will be returning October 2019. The Awards once again will reward excellence, celebrate expertise in timber technology and the ways it contributes to an attractive, energy efficient and sustainable built environment. For the hundreds of construction professionals who have attended the Structural Timber Awards, there is no need to explain the promotional opportunities that go hand in hand with this event. The Awards provide one of the most effective platforms to promote brands or companies alongside the best of the best. For details on sponsorship packages and promotional opportunities and to register interest to either sponsor the 2019 Structural Timber Awards or to enter your project into the awards, please contact Amy Pryce – amy.pryce@radar-communications.co.uk Please note that the Submission deadline for entries into the 2019 Structural Timber Awards is 31 May 2019.