The new managing director will oversee the planning, investment and delivery of billions pounds of planned enhancements across the North in the coming years. However, Network Rail has stopped short of creating a ‘Route for the North’ as suggested by former HS1 boss and National Grid chief executive Ms Shaw
14 October 2016 | Martin Read One in four installers of fire and smoke detectors (24 per cent) believe the FM service sector will feel ‘the greatest impact” of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the way it integrates into the coming generation of smart cities. A survey by fire
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Fri, Mar 18th 2016 The MAXifloor system from Fermacell is now supported by two new brochures. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Leading specialist building boards manufacturer Fermacell has launched new literature to support
A gas fitter from Walsall has received a suspended prison sentence after he fitted a hob at a house in Tamworth when not on the Gas Safe Register. Alan Nicholas Price’s work came to the attention of HSE after a registered fitter subsequently carried out repairs on the gas hob.
U.K. occupiers negotiated shorter leases or more flexible long-term tenancy commitments in face of Brexit uncertainties and sluggish economic growth, according to the annual UK Lease Events Review compiled by MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of research-based indexes and analytics. MSCI’s research, sponsored by BNP Paribas Real Estate
A new study has revealed the shocking extent of England’s empty homes crisis, with more than 600,000 homes remaining vacant. The study, conducted by Good Move, has found that a third of empty homes are classed as long-term vacant, after being empty for more than six months. The city of
As a society, we seem to be more conscious of our wellbeing than ever before. In all aspects of life, we’re more aware and informed of the things that have an impact on our bodies and minds, and an ongoing stream of new research continues to fuel that fire. Amidst
Paul Casebourne, a leading expert in materials handling, has warned of the impact of Brexit on the industry. He runs the Materials Handling Hub and believes that the industry has been forgotten as one of the potential casualties of the UK leaving Europe. He claims the industry is already suffering
Solutions to five of Brighton and Hove’s most challenging urban development sites were created at the third annual City Charrette, a partnership between Design South East, Brighton and Hove City Council and DesignBrighton on 19 October. This event brought local architecture, development and planning professionals and Brighton University students together
Increasing Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) throughout the construction sector supply chain is one of the challenges facing Julie Timothy of Bouygues UK, as she has been appointed one of Wales’ first FIR ambassadors. As part of the work of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, FIR Ambassadors have been trained
The new managing director will oversee the planning, investment and delivery of billions pounds of planned enhancements across the North in the coming years. However, Network Rail has stopped short of creating a ‘Route for the North’ as suggested by former HS1 boss and National Grid chief executive Ms Shaw in her review of Network Rail’s future structure and financing. Currently, Network Rail is split into seven routes across England and Wales as well as another route in Scotland. Its London North-west route stretches from London to Scotland via the East Midlands, while the London North-east route covers London to the Scottish border via Newcastle. In her report, which was published in March, Ms Shaw said it was important that the routes “represented the right geographies” and proposed merging the northern sections of Network Rail’s LNE and LNW routes to form a new single ‘Route for the North’. Ms Shaw said this would align the North’s political and economic geography and support the newly created body, Transport for the North. But Network Rail said merging both routes would cause significant disruption and cost too much to implement. Instead it has proposed that both LNW and LNE operate as they do now, with a Northern route MD overseeing the planning and delivery of enhancements across region. Under plans for further devolution, Network Rail will also create a number of new roles for each of its routes across the UK. These include: a chief operating officer and a head of maintenance across the seven routes in England and Wales; new route project sponsorship directors to oversee the specification and management of enhancements; and new business development managers to secure third-party funding for rail improvements. Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne said: “We are appointing a ‘railway upgrade tsar for the North’. “This new role will ensure a clear focus on future rail expansion, modernisation and investment across the whole of the Northern Powerhouse. “Better railways are a great driver for delivering more jobs, housing and economic growth.” Transport secretary Chris Grayling said: “Passengers are set to benefit from huge levels of investment in our railway across the North. I welcome the focus that Network Rail is bringing to future investment in the North.” Source link
14 October 2016 | Martin Read One in four installers of fire and smoke detectors (24 per cent) believe the FM service sector will feel ‘the greatest impact” of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the way it integrates into the coming generation of smart cities. A survey by fire detection product manufacturer Hochiki Europe, conducted with ‘life safety’ installers across EMEA and India, saw respondents suggesting that the growth of cloud-based monitoring systems in their own sector would change significantly as a result of integration with smart cities. Respondents also suggested that the healthcare, education and construction sectors were the most likely to have to adapt as building systems link together across smart cities. Simon May, technical manager at Hochiki Europe, said: “With smart cities now a focus for many global planning authorities given their potential to improve the sustainability and liveability of the built environment, urban planners are only now scratching the surface of how advanced communications infrastructure can help enhance life safety provision to city residents. “Examining the value of smart technology in city planning provides a breadth of information to help explore the impact of smart cities on life safety, both in terms of the possibilities they offer and the challenges that will need to be addressed to ensure we succeed in further improving fire safety in the built environment.” Source link
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Fri, Mar 18th 2016 The MAXifloor system from Fermacell is now supported by two new brochures. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Leading specialist building boards manufacturer Fermacell has launched new literature to support its MAXifloor hollow flooring system. A four-page A4 snapshot guide gives a preview of the simple tongue and groove system for new-build and retrofit while its 16-page big brother brochure goes into detail about its characteristics, applications, installation, accessories and finishing. Designed to help specifiers smoothly integrate building services and communications in modern flooring systems in domestic and commercial applications, it guarantees the three Fs – a future-proof, functional and flexible solution. Sitting on pedestals between a reinforced concrete structural floor and floor covering such as laminate, parquet and tiles, MAXifloor’s 39mm thick gypsum fibreboard performs to fire protection class F30 and to impact sound levels of 13 to 26dB. As well as the pedestals, accessories include perimeter strips, adhesive and joint filler. The boards can be cut to size with just a circular saw, jigsaw or handsaw. Both pieces of literature also give guidance on layouts for working loads of between 2 kN and 4 kN. ENDS Source link
A gas fitter from Walsall has received a suspended prison sentence after he fitted a hob at a house in Tamworth when not on the Gas Safe Register. Alan Nicholas Price’s work came to the attention of HSE after a registered fitter subsequently carried out repairs on the gas hob. Price, 57, from Pelsall, was charged with breaching Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations. He failed to appear in court on two separate occasions and was arrested. At Stafford Crown Court, he pleaded guilty and was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and pay £100 towards HSE’s costs. Gas Safe Register maintains the register of businesses and operatives who are competent to undertake gas work. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations, for a gas engineering business or operative to legally undertake gas work within the scope of the regulations, they must be on the Gas Safe Register. Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Wayne Owen said: “When working on gas systems it is vital that the person has sufficient knowledge, training and experience so that they are aware of safe working practices and standards. This is due to the level of risk if gas systems are not worked on and fitted safely. The risk is posed not only to the person carrying out the work but to anyone else who may be in the vicinity of the systems afterwards; in this case the occupants of the house.” Notes to Editors The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at:www.legislation.gov.uk HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link
U.K. occupiers negotiated shorter leases or more flexible long-term tenancy commitments in face of Brexit uncertainties and sluggish economic growth, according to the annual UK Lease Events Review compiled by MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of research-based indexes and analytics. MSCI’s research, sponsored by BNP Paribas Real Estate and the British Property Federation, showed that new leases with a duration of less than five years accounted for 42.1% of new tenancy agreements signed to the end of December 2017. That compared with a 39.4% share for the same period a year earlier. The shift to shorter new leases reversed the trend since 2011, in which occupiers increasingly signed medium-term leases. MSCI’s latest findings highlighted that the proportion of new signed leases with a duration of five to nine years declined to 36.9% from 39.1% a year earlier. This came as exports and business investment slowed against a backdrop of uncertainty over the outcome of the U.K.’s negotiations to leave the European Union. The average lease term was unchanged by the shift at 7.1 years, the study showed. Will Robson, Executive Director, MSCI, said: “Many businesses seemed to be looking for flexibility when they leased space, so they are best placed to adapt to the fast-moving environment. For instance, risks such as rising inflation and prospects of higher interest rates as the Bank of England ‘normalized’ monetary policy meant that some occupiers may have wanted room to maneuver and adapt to business conditions.” When MSCI reviewed the new leases data by weighting it according to the size of contracted rent, this revealed that large tenants were increasingly signing short or very long leases. This was particularly the case in the retail and office sectors, where average lease lengths declined by 12 and 15 months respectively. Occupiers with large estates of rented space typically favor longer leases because it allows them to capitalize the cost of installing themselves in new premises. The weighted data show that leases of one to four years accounted for 22.2% of new tenancies in the first half, up from 16.9% a year earlier. Meanwhile, leases of 20 years or more represented a 17.9% share, or a 3.9 percentage point increase from a year earlier. The proportions for all other new lease term brackets declined. MSCI’s analysis of 2017 data found that 28.1% of leases of more than 21 years had “break” clauses in their rental agreements that allow the tenant to vacate the property they are occupying. There has been a steady rise from a 15.5% proportion for these long-term leases in 2009, highlighting how occupiers increasingly built in flexibility when they signed very long-term rental commitments. Break clauses were included in 38.5% of leases as of the end of the first half, MSCI observed, noting the increase from a 22.7% proportion in 2007, or shortly before the escalation of the Global Financial Crisis. While these clauses were exercised in about one in five leases in 2017, there were significantly higher levels of break clause exercise in London’s West End and the City of London office markets as well as in the industrial sector. Andy Martin, UK Chief Executive, BNP Paribas Real Estate, said: “In a world that it is ever more difficult to predict, the ability to align property horizons to operational horizons becomes paramount, and macro drivers including demographics, technology, and globalisation have resulted in many companies seeking flexibility. It is therefore not surprising to see the proportion of leases shorter than five years increase, a reversal on 2017, while leases between five and nine years have declined. For larger tenants, stability is increasingly important and the longest leases again increased in 2018, highlighting that the leasing market is becoming ever more polarised.” At lease expiry, just 32% of tenants chose to renew their leases and in 61% of these cases their rents rose. MSCI also found that for 65% of new leases rents were either the same or higher than before. The levels of rent free incentives granted to tenants by landlords remained stable from the previous year, MSCI found. Higher rents were most prevalent in the industrial sector and the Central London office markets, while only 28% of new leases in the retail sector registered higher rents, its study showed. The steady decline in tenant default rates seen since 2012 continued and fell to 2.3% of all tenancies in 2017, or the lowest level since 2007. Ian Fletcher, Director of Real Estate Policy, British Property Federation, said: “”The commercial lettings market is proving resilient in the face of domestic and Brexit turbulence. A lot of short lets negotiated in the aftermath of the recession are coming up for renewal and providing rental growth for the time-being. Occupiers, however, remain cautious and this is reflected in use of short leases and high incidence of break clauses. This survey is relatively positive on tenant defaults, but doesn’t pick up the spate of retail CVAs in the retail sector this year. The breakdown of the various parts of the retail sector provides glimpses of the significant structural changes affecting retail, and landlords adapting to those.” MSCI compiled the study from a sample of 89,000 existing leases in the IPD UK Annual and Quarterly Property Universe as well as more than 9,300 new leases.
A new study has revealed the shocking extent of England’s empty homes crisis, with more than 600,000 homes remaining vacant. The study, conducted by Good Move, has found that a third of empty homes are classed as long-term vacant, after being empty for more than six months. The city of Liverpool takes the crown for the most vacant properties, with a staggering 10,512 properties laying empty last year. The data comes despite efforts by Liverpool City Council to reduce the amount of unused homes with a free matchmaking service to introduce buyers and sellers of empty homes, in a bid to bring more empty homes into use. Birmingham follows closely behind, with 10,386 empty homes. The city famous for its Bullring accounts for 17% of West Midlands’ total number of unoccupied homes. The Yorkshire city of Leeds has the third highest number of empty homes throughout the country, with 10,263 properties vacant. Leeds’ empty homes equates to 14% of Yorkshire and the Humber’s empty homes. The North West has the most unoccupied properties, with 102,847 homes laying empty across the region, and 38% of those being vacant for longer than six months. Liverpool has the most empty homes in the North West, and the country as a whole, with 10,512 properties that are not in use in 2017. Following closely behind the North West is the South East, with a staggering 86,693 vacant properties last year. Of the 86,000 empty homes, 29% of those have been unoccupied for longer than six months.
As a society, we seem to be more conscious of our wellbeing than ever before. In all aspects of life, we’re more aware and informed of the things that have an impact on our bodies and minds, and an ongoing stream of new research continues to fuel that fire. Amidst a sea of eye-opening discoveries, architecture and building design stand as two islands of opportunity – and within this field, glazing has proven to be a key influencing factor for progression. Over the past few decades, innovations in our use of glass have been some of the most important developments in the design and construction industries. Facilitating some of the most progressive work in architecture, and opening the door to a whole new avenue of biophilic and sustainable design, glass is helping us build a world geared towards productivity and wellness. Here’s how: Glazing for healthier building design: An area of significant importance to an increasingly large cohort within the field of architecture, wellbeing and design have proven to be symbiotic. We now know that our buildings have a direct impact on how we feel, both physically and mentally, in a number of specific ways. Air quality, acoustics, interior climate, aesthetics, and importantly lighting all have a part to play. This isn’t speculation – specific cells in the hippocampal part of our brains have been identified as directly attuned to our spacial awareness and the geometry of the physical environments in which we spend time. One of the most significant factors in this is the amount of natural light we are exposed to. We now know that our circadian rhythms – our internal ‘body clocks’, are massively impacted by our exposure to natural light. We spend a huge amount of time indoors, and if our buildings are going to galvanise our wellbeing, they need to provide us with plenty of natural light. Several new design and architecture schools and initiatives have emerged, which focus on creating ‘healthy’ buildings that actively contribute to the wellness of their inhabitants. Structural glazing is central to many of these designs, presenting an opportunity for buildings to include literal ‘walls of light’ and flood interior spaces with sunlight throughout the day. With new innovations in silicone bonding, and glass beams now viable as a structural support solution, it’s possible to ‘chain’ glazing installations together, and create entire sections of a building from low-iron glass (which is clearer, with less of the ‘green tinge’ glazing can sometimes suffer from). This means that as things like biophilic design become increasingly popular, it will become increasingly easier to construct buildings that keep our bodies in tune with the outside world. This in turn makes us more productive, attentive, and improves both physical and mental health. Sustainability With new research into the impact of humankind on the environment emerging regularly, few can deny the importance of sustainability in construction. As we build onto the natural world, the multiple ways we can reduce any negative consequences are becoming more apparent, and both our choice of materials – and the way we use them – are two key areas for concern. This is another area in which glass has a big role to play, particularly when it comes to energy efficiency. Windows are typically one of the most significant areas of thermal loss in a building, particularly if those windows are built using dated construction techniques such as single glazing. Even with the emergence of double glazing in the mid 20th Century, the energy efficiency of a home is still usually dictated by its windows – but thankfully new glazing technology is minimising this problem. Triple glazing is now an increasingly viable option, and innovative technology such as ‘low-e glass’ is improving the thermal capabilities of windows, doors, and other glazing solutions. A new era of glazing As we move ever further into the era of integrated ‘smart design’, glass is also becoming an intrinsic part of a new era of building design and construction. With the ‘Internet of Things’ (physical devices and installations working together through wireless online connection) now a popular part of many modern homes and commercial spaces, it isn’t just the smart devices we’re filling our buildings with that are changing the way we live – it’s the buildings themselves Glazing specialists have been working to develop new solutions that can improve the functionality of a building – particularly when it comes to the ways glass can integrate with other ‘smart solutions’ for things including interior climate, and lighting. Glass doors and windows can now integrate with remote electronic control systems, and technology such as switchable glazing means architects and designers can still feature glazing even when privacy is an issue. Glass is also now viable as a construction material in its own right. ‘Structural glazing’ is now an industry standard term, and using toughened glass, entire walls and glass facades can be built that are able to bear weight in their own right. This opens entirely new avenues for conceptual design, and creatively speaking, means architects are able to approach spaces in entirely new ways. Walls aren’t the only installations that benefit from advances in architectural glass technology – glass roofs and even glass floors are now no longer solely the remit of large-scale commercial architecture. As manufacturing and installation techniques improve, even small-scale residential projects can now feature these kind of installations in both practical and aesthetic ways. There have also been leaps forward in the application of glazing for security. As well as long-standing safety features such as lamination and tempering, bullet-proof and even bomb-proof glass can now be used for all kinds of installations.The result is a universally broad spectrum when it comes to the use of glass in architecture: almost any project, of any scope, can use almost any type of glazing, in any solution. Could glass be the future? While the overall functionality of glazing has developed rapidly and undeniably, there are also encouraging signs that glass could be at
Paul Casebourne, a leading expert in materials handling, has warned of the impact of Brexit on the industry. He runs the Materials Handling Hub and believes that the industry has been forgotten as one of the potential casualties of the UK leaving Europe. He claims the industry is already suffering as a result of the uncertainty about the country’s relationship with the EU. The materials handling industry currently accounts for some of the biggest imports and exports in the UK, with machinery and vehicles accounting for a combined worth of £55 billions. “The UK currently benefits from the free movement of goods within the EU. This means imports from other EU member states have no import duties, taxes or customs clearance,” he said. “More to the point the harmonisation of engineering standards requires representations if we are to keep up with international projects. We currently have EU rights to be included in tenders within the EU, I have heard of no plans to make up ground in this respect. Forty years of work in the balance and not a word of comfort from the political structure,” Paul continued. The expert also expressed his concern on the situation in the UK around export and import duties. “Following Brexit, the UK will be back to custom clearing its EU imports as well as paying taxes and import duties on them and it’s possible that some goods will require an import license after Brexit,” he said. Although many industries have expressed their concern about what Brexit means now nobody seems to have looked at the impact this will have on the materials handling industry. Mr Casebourne, who has worked in the industry for more than 40 years and supplies equipment to a range of industries and also creates bespoke solutions, added that “we’ve already seen a number of big projects put on hold and people are reluctant to invest in new equipment.” “The whole situation really is intolerable at the moment while we are neither in or out. The UK has launched itself headlong into a 20-year project with no plan B, in fact without any plans at all whilst still handcuffed to the EU, powerless to put the plans in place that we need to get on with investing in our future,” he concluded.
Solutions to five of Brighton and Hove’s most challenging urban development sites were created at the third annual City Charrette, a partnership between Design South East, Brighton and Hove City Council and DesignBrighton on 19 October. This event brought local architecture, development and planning professionals and Brighton University students together to help shape the future of the city. The hypothetical proposals were produced at a day-long collaborative design workshop held at Hove Town Hall on 19 October and could inform future redevelopment in the city. Sponsored by Edward Street Quarter Ltd, a £210m development in partnership First Base and Patron Capital, the collective closely examined five local development sites, chosen in collaboration with the city council, with the aim of producing design solutions and guiding principles for each. The sites in focus were Madeira Drive, Elder Place, the area north of Hove Station, Portland Street and Foundry Street cluster and Coombe Farm in Saltdean. Teams of design professionals and students identified the key issues of each site and proposed practical solutions to better suit the needs of the community. For more information regarding DesignBrighton and to learn how to get involved, please visit www.designbrighton.org or search #DesignBrighton on Twitter. For more information regarding Design South East, please visit www.designsoutheast.org or @DesignSouthEast on Twitter.
Increasing Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) throughout the construction sector supply chain is one of the challenges facing Julie Timothy of Bouygues UK, as she has been appointed one of Wales’ first FIR ambassadors. As part of the work of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, FIR Ambassadors have been trained and appointed in the construction sector to imbed principles of equality and diversity into their companies. With that in mind, Julie Timothy, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager for Bouygues UK for South Wales and the West, has been appointed as a FIR Ambassador. Speaking of her new role, Julie said: “Bouygues UK is already a forward-thinking and inclusive company, but with my FIR Ambassador role I can work to further imbed these practices into our supply chain, to ensure that all who work with Bouygues UK, whether a sub-contractor or employee, are treated with fairness and respect. “Construction is seen as a bullish and macho industry, but in truth it is a professional and highly skilled sector which employs a diverse and varied workforce, which is why I feel it is even more important that FIR Ambassadors are in place to ensure these key behaviours are maintained.” The Supply Chain School in Wales has been created to provide support to organisations by providing free resources enabling construction companies to understand what sustainability in construction means in Wales. It is funded by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). The CITB predicts that Wales will lead growth in the UK’s construction sector until 2020, with an estimated 12,250 jobs created over the next five years. The industry also has to tackle the challenges of different regulations on building sites in Wales because of devolution. FIR Ambassadors are important for the future of the construction sector; the skills shortage in the industry means that organisations need a wide talent pool so increasing diversity in this talent pool helps to address this – and a diverse workforce also ensures that companies are able to reflect the diverse needs of their clients. Small to medium construction businesses are being encouraged to join the FIR Ambassadors scheme, to help encourage these good behaviours throughout the construction sector, support compliance within the sector and help create an open, positive and inclusive working environment. As the FIR Ambassador scheme is funded by the CITB, e-learning modules, workshops and training are all free to access. The benefits to SME building businesses in embracing the FIR scheme include better productivity, improved staff engagement and innovation, a way to attract new talent to the business and an improved reputation. For more information about the FIR Ambassador Scheme, please visit https://www.supplychainschool.co.uk/uk/fir/construction/ambassadors/ambassadors.aspx