A project funded by AEW UK Investment Management, which has bought the site from Caddick Group in the stages to start construction. Wakefield 515, which will be speculatively built, marks the second phase of Crosspoint 33, an emerging warehouse & logistics hub by junction 33 of the M62 motorway. Caddick
Built environment specifiers should reconsider approaches to safety flooring when designing for interiors, says global flooring company Tarkett. The traditional look and feel of safety flooring often requires specifiers to compromise on desired aesthetics. But thanks to next generation transparent particles, Tarkett’s Safetred Design collections create limitless options for interiors
Galleries and museums provide a place for the display of important art works, making them available for public viewing. They are places where the public can meet and experience the real essence of art in all its various forms. However, these treasures are often vulnerable to damage as a result
Commonhold is receiving a lot of attention due to the recent Law Commission paper on resurrecting this process. This is part of a long (and some would say overdue) reform of the law concerning leasehold properties and in particular flats. Commonhold is not new and has been around since 2002.
AS Monaco FC is investing in the future with the launch of #thenextlevel program that includes renovations to the Louis II Stadium. Work in Monaco will include VIP boxes in the Louis II Stadium, while ASM Academy student housing is being built in nearby Cap d’Ail. Located above Monaco in
Construction work is risky business, with accidents, injuries and property damage all liable to happen on a site. As a builder, the hazardous nature of your job brings with it a need for a comprehensive insurance policy to cover the financial impact of any incidents or claims. Issues can pop
Freelance contractors are absolutely necessary for the construction industry – without them, most of our homes and offices would be literally falling apart. As a result, anybody wanting to start their own contracting business can be sure of a lucrative opportunity. Whether you are already working in the industry or
A project funded by AEW UK Investment Management, which has bought the site from Caddick Group in the stages to start construction. Wakefield 515, which will be speculatively built, marks the second phase of Crosspoint 33, an emerging warehouse & logistics hub by junction 33 of the M62 motorway. Caddick also built the first phase – a £100m 1.2m sq ft distribution centre now occupied by TJX Europe, parent company of retail brands TK Maxx and HomeSense. Myles Hartley, managing director at Caddick Developments, detailed thoughts on his company’s beds-and-sheds strategy. “As a group, our focus is on structurally-supported asset classes such as build-to-rent and industrial/logistics, where we see long-term growth potential,” he said. Caddick’s build-to-rent housing brand, Moda Living, opened its first development, Angel Gardens in central Manchester, last month. It is also due to start on-site with the first phase of its £300m SOYO neighbourhood in Leeds city centre, a 515-home BTR scheme that Caddick Construction will build for Moda Living.
Built environment specifiers should reconsider approaches to safety flooring when designing for interiors, says global flooring company Tarkett. The traditional look and feel of safety flooring often requires specifiers to compromise on desired aesthetics. But thanks to next generation transparent particles, Tarkett’s Safetred Design collections create limitless options for interiors while ensuring the same safety performance. Developed with architects, designers and end users in mind, the Safetred Design collections offer a wide range of surface visuals and colours to choose from, including beautiful wood grain, a welcoming textile line and the realism of natural stone, making it possible to create an ‘at home’ environment everywhere. Challenging the ‘institutional’ look and feel of safety floors Traditional safety flooring has a ‘speckled’ appearance – these black specks are very hard particles called silicon carbide, which ensure that slip resistance does not diminish over time. From a visual point of view, this is often a source of frustration for architects and designers, as it means placing limits on creativity. To address this, Tarkett’s Safetred Design ranges use a transparent particle called aluminium oxide, which has the same resistance properties but is invisible. This product innovation allows Tarkett to offer a wide selection of designs without neglecting safety: the result is a proven, sustainably slip resistant floor which meets the requirements of the manufacturing standard, EN 13845. Designed for wellbeing The UK has some of the most stringent rules and regulations around safety. Slips and trips may well be the number one risk when it comes to injuries – so the importance of choosing a proven, durable slip resistant floor cannot be underestimated. With a wide range of wood, natural or colourful patterns on offer, Safetred Design allows specifiers to design flooring combinations that create inspiring and beautiful environments while also reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls. This is flooring designed with wellbeing in mind: free from phthalates and with ‘undetectable’ levels of VOC emissions. Closing the loop The products created for the collections are not only beautiful on the outside but beautiful on the inside. Traditionally, safety floors have been problematic in terms of recycling due to the nature of the aluminium oxide or carborundum inherent in them, however the ReStartÒ programme is able to extract these particles for down-cycling so more of the product can be utilised. Safetred is produced using up to 40% of recycled content, and can be recycled via the Tarkett ReStartÒ programme. To download the new Safetred Design brochure or book an appointment to find out more, visit Tarkett’s website.
Galleries and museums provide a place for the display of important art works, making them available for public viewing. They are places where the public can meet and experience the real essence of art in all its various forms. However, these treasures are often vulnerable to damage as a result of physical incidents or environmental issues and present an ongoing challenge for the operators of galleries and museums. Physical damage by the public can be malicious or accidental. There is the well-known case of a deliberate attack on the Leonardo da Vinci cartoon which was damaged by gun shot in the National Gallery in London in 1987. In 2015 a young boy caused extensive damage to a valuable 17th century painting by Paolo Porpora when he accidentally tripped and put his hand through it while trying to break his fall. There are also many accounts of priceless paintings being damaged because of inadequate control of fluctuating temperatures and humidity levels, over exposure to light and airborne particles of dust and dirt. These can lead to the slow deterioration, or even sudden damage, to a painting from fading, discolouration, mould, pests, fungi and warping. A painting by Raphael, was found to be warping dramatically because of a failure to repair a broken air-conditioning system in one of Italy’s best-known museums. However, some gallery directors are sometimes not convinced that the cost of controlling the environment is all that important and regard it as too expensive. While their preservation teams understand that even a modest rise in temperature can double the rate that organic materials deteriorate and the cost to savings ratio might be better than supposed a few years ago. According to a white paper by The National Gallery on Improving the Environment (Joseph Padfield, Steve Vandyke and Dawson Carr March 2013) controlling the environment within an institution is a complicated and expensive operation. In addition, the cost of the energy needed to achieve an appropriate level of environmental control had been increasing rapidly, as has the requirement to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the Gallery. To overcome these issues and to comply with the obligations to reduce CO2 emissions, galleries need to think smart. Checking and monitoring air quality is inexpensive, and the solution may be as simple as opening or closing a window occasionally. Installing proper air quality control systems, if required, can quickly be paid for through more efficient energy management, increased productivity, lower employee turnover and a more attractive environment for visitors, staff and the art works. Philip Hudson, Chairman, The Circles of Art says:” Paintings are the visual testimony of our cultural journey through the centuries, an insight into the, fashions, beliefs and social customs of the times. Therefore, they must be protected for future generations. All galleries large and small bear the responsibility to be vigilant in preserving our treasures. Each time the damage or loss of these magnificent or even humble works occurs it erodes a little bit of our history.” Intelligent Building Energy Management System (BEMS) are widely deployed in many buildings and have helped many galleries and museums to protect art works from the rigours of the environment while improving energy efficiency and saving costs. The precision-controlled indoor environment provides a gallery’s estate team with optimal controls over heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), lights and blinds. In addition to providing a smart controlled environment for a gallery, it also achieves significant cost savings as well as a reduction in CO2 emissions. Estate managers can maintain an accurate view of a building’s climate and energy performance patterns on site or through simple and user-friendly monitoring systems that can be accessed remotely over the internet, which means a site can be managed wherever the estate team is located. Temperature and humidity levels can be maintained at specific points throughout the day which may be needed to help preserve more fragile works and for the comfort of visitors. By pinpointing where and how energy is being used, managers can make informed decisions on energy efficiency measures, while still making sure the conditions are the most suitable for housing precious works of art. Saving on energy costs can free up finances which can be reinvested into gallery improvements or the acquisition of new art work. The procurement of rarer pieces also becomes that much easier if a museum or gallery can offer the best possible environment for hosting works. Other cultural establishments, such as concert halls and opera houses have also achieved significant benefits from lowering energy consumption and reducing their CO2 footprint. By implementing an integrated digital solution these buildings can not only cut costs, but also regulate temperature and humidity to provide well-balanced acoustics for performers and the audience. Intelligent Building Energy Management Systems enable organisations to create environments that look after and care for the individuals in the building as well as protect and care for our cultural heritage with technology that can be cost justified and supports a sustainable future.
Commonhold is receiving a lot of attention due to the recent Law Commission paper on resurrecting this process. This is part of a long (and some would say overdue) reform of the law concerning leasehold properties and in particular flats. Commonhold is not new and has been around since 2002. However, fewer than 20 commonholds have been created since the legislation came into force. The idea of commonhold is to revolutionise the way that flats are owned. Currently, a flat owner owns their property as leasehold. This means ownership is for a limited time (for example a 99 year lease) and only owns part of that property (usually the internal areas). The structure of the building and external areas, such as the communal hallways, roof, etc are owned by the landlord or sometimes referred to as the freeholder. As the lease term shortens, the value of the property decreases. This means that the lease is by its very nature a wasting asset. The flat owner will have to, at some stage, extend their lease to prevent this from happening and thus incur additional costs to prevent their property depreciating in value. If the lease term becomes too short (i.e. less than 80 years) it becomes very expensive to extend. There is also often tension between the relationship of the landlord and the flat owner with a “them and us” attitude being fostered. Often there are competing interests, with some landlords seeing the building as an investment opportunity which competes with the flat owners’ interests of wanting their home and their surroundings in the hands of good management which they often do not control. Commonhold eradicates both of these elements by the flat owners being the “landlords” of their flat and communal areas and are referred to as “unit holders” The unit holder will be responsible for a proportion of the cost towards the management of the building and will agree to abide by obligations set out in a commonhold community statement (CCS) which all flat owners must sign up to through a commonhold association. The idea is to democratise flat ownership with the flat owners being in control of the maintenance of their building. This way of ownership has been adopted in other countries including Australia (known as the strata system) and the USA (condominiums). If this sounds like property utopia why have very little commonholds been adopted? Some of the reasons are you need 100% agreement with all flat owners over decisions (ie management) which can be unrealistic; it is ineffective with those developments that contain commercial premises or houses. There are also very few lenders who are reluctant to lend on a commonhold property as there is lack of certainty over the protection of the lender’s security (the mortgage) should the commonhold association become insolvent. It remains to be seen if commonhold will become a way of ownership in years to come as this will mean a cultural as well as a legal shift away from the leasehold way of ownership that has existed in England and Wales for centuries.
AS Monaco FC is investing in the future with the launch of #thenextlevel program that includes renovations to the Louis II Stadium. Work in Monaco will include VIP boxes in the Louis II Stadium, while ASM Academy student housing is being built in nearby Cap d’Ail. Located above Monaco in the village of La Turbie, the training centre will have three new football pitches, a new fitness and medical centre and a rehabilitation zone. What’s more, everything is set to be finished in time for the 2020-21 football season. Find all you need to know about the changes here. What will change at Monaco’s Louis II Stadium? VIP Boxes We have already seen 18 VIP boxes of 16 m2, luxuriously hosting up to 8 people, reach completion in time for the current football season. Nearly 1,000 seats in the Tribune vanished to create space for these ultra-VIP boxes, which feature eight plush armchairs, tablets integrated into the arms of the seat to keep up with the latest commentary, and a big screen on the wall for if your eyes need a break from the live game. The Louis II Stadium has always been a pull for those living in and visiting in Monaco, but property for sale in Fontvieille, where the stadium is located, is set to be even more popular after the renovations are complete. The Diagonale Meanwhile, accommodation for students of the ASM Academy will spring up close to the Stade Louis II in Cap d’Ail. Youngsters can look forward to 67 bedrooms as well as classrooms, a kitchen, and another medical centre and rehabilitation zone. Investing in the future with the Center for Sporting Excellence A new state-of-the-art multifunctional sports complex will be built, including three football pitches meeting UEFA and French Football Federation standards, a fitness centre, a medical centre, a rehabilitation zone, a restaurant, and a conference hall able to hold up to 80 people. This ‘Center for Sporting Excellence’ has been designed with efforts to not disturb the surrounding landscape and environment, with solar panels built into the roof of the building to supply it with hot water. When will the football renovations – including the Stade Louis II – be finished? The Louis II Stadium Center for Sporting Excellence and the ASM student dormitories are expected to be ready by the 2020-21 football season. How much money has been spent on this project? It is unclear how much has been spent on all three projects, however investments into the construction of the Stade Louis II Center for Sporting Excellence have amounted to €55 million – that’s £47.4 million or $61.1 million. Since AS Monaco President Dmitry Rybolovlev took over in 2011, around €335 million has been invested into the club. Is Rybolovlev planning to sell the football club? There has been ongoing speculation that Rybolovlev wants to sell AS Monaco, however the Russian billionaire has completely denied this. In a management meeting earlier this year, Rybolovlev expressed his commitment to taking the club forward into the future, saying: “Rumours about a potential change of ownership at the club have been repeatedly denied. I believe that the projects presented today speak best about our long-term commitment to ASM.” We can’t wait to see what the Louis II Stadium looks like when it is finished!
Construction work is risky business, with accidents, injuries and property damage all liable to happen on a site. As a builder, the hazardous nature of your job brings with it a need for a comprehensive insurance policy to cover the financial impact of any incidents or claims. Issues can pop up unexpectedly, so if you don’t have insurance in place, read on to learn more about the types of policies your construction business might need to be protected financially. Builders Public Liability Insurance Builders public liability insurance is a fundamental policy to have in place for any type of construction worker. It provides cover against any claims made by a client or a member of the public who has suffered injury, or damage to a property, at the expense of building work you are carrying out. Problems that occur during a building project can often be unpredictable and unavoidable, whether that’s flood damage caused by accidentally nailing through piping or a member of the public injuring themselves by tripping over wires. As insurance expert Tradesman Saver points out, public liability insurance offers compensation for any personal injuries and property damage as well as covering the legal costs involved, giving you peace of mind that unforeseen circumstances won’t jeopardise your livelihood. Professional Indemnity Insurance Although a customer may not have building expertise, the phrase “the customer is always right” certainly comes into play when evaluating the professional standard of your services. If a customer is not satisfied that you’ve met their expectations, they may decide to take legal action. This is where professional indemnity insurance comes in, which protects you against such claims. This type of insurance covers legal costs and expenses that may occur during the process of defending the claim made against you. Mistakes are easily made, but one small error could leave you in a dire financial situation if you don’t have the right cover in place to protect your business. Therefore, if you’re running a construction business, you should carry professional indemnity insurance to cover against mistakes and errors that may occur while providing professional services. Employers Liability Insurance Employers liability insurance is a legal requirement for any business that hires, or plans to hire, a team of staff, regardless of who you’re employing and whether they’re a contractor, sub-contractor, or freelancer. This protects all employees against claims related to illness or injuries sustained during working hours. It only takes one small mistake or accident to injure someone, so it’s vital to check you have insurance to cover all possible risks. Besides, the legal requirement to have employers liability insurance means that businesses operating without are subject to fines of £2,500 for each day they don’t have proof of coverage. Contractors All-Risk Cover This covers any work carried out that is accidentally destroyed or damaged before completion, as well as temporary buildings erected during construction. A contractors all-risk policy will also insure your business against any necessary repairs onsite or if work needs to be redone due to unpreventable causes, such as floods, fires, storms, vandalism and theft. Contractors all-risk covers the two primary types of risks for builders—property damage and third party damage. CAR insurance coverage is common for such construction projects as buildings, water tanks, sewage treatment plans, flyovers, and airports. Tools and Equipment Insurance One final insurance policy to consider for your building business, tools and equipment insurance covers any costs relating to damage or theft of your tools and equipment. According to recent data, 1 in 3 tradespeople have had their tools stolen, costing victims over £3,000 on average. If your tools are stolen, not only will you take a financial hit from the actual cost of the equipment, but projects already under construction may be delayed, leading to further financial strain on the business. Any new business may also have to be declined – you can’t risk being unable to complete a job on time, or without the correct tools. Having a policy in place will protect you against any unforeseen costs. Employment Practices Liability Insurance While the aforementioned insurances are crucial for the physical aspects of your business, it’s equally important to consider the human side. This is where Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) comes in. It covers businesses for legal claims arising from employment-related issues, such as discrimination, harassment, or wrongful termination. A construction business needs to have EPLI, as the construction industry is particularly susceptible to employment-related lawsuits. Some of the common employment-related claims that EPLI covers for your construction company include discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information, claims of sexual harassment, claims of termination without cause or in violation of an employee’s contract, claims of retaliation against an employee for whistleblowing or for exercising their legal rights, and improper hiring and firing practices. EPLI can provide significant financial protection for your business when sued for employment-related claims. The cost of defending against an employment lawsuit is often high, and EPLI can help to cover the cost of legal fees, settlements, and judgments. In addition to financial protection, EPLI can help your company avoid negative publicity from an employment lawsuit. A lawsuit can damage your business’s reputation and make attracting and retaining employees difficult. EPLI can help protect your construction business’s reputation and ensure it can operate without disruption.
Freelance contractors are absolutely necessary for the construction industry – without them, most of our homes and offices would be literally falling apart. As a result, anybody wanting to start their own contracting business can be sure of a lucrative opportunity. Whether you are already working in the industry or it’s something that you are hoping to get into, read on for some ways that you can build a contracting business that’s going to grow and be successful. Improve Your Own Knowledge and Skills: Whether you have a lot of experience behind you or you’re just starting out in the industry, working to improve your own knowledge and skills is a wise idea – you can transfer these over to the business and use them to make sure that you’re taking the right steps when it comes to providing customer satisfaction. ZOTA professional training offers a wide range of courses and programs that you can take to boost certain skills and gain additional qualifications in areas such as mold certification, lead renovation and more. Operate Using Best Business Practices: Agreeing on what are considered to be best practices in the industry is one of the biggest problems that contractors run into when they attempt to improve their business and boost efficiency. After all, most people will have some sort of system in place that has worked well for them so far. So, make sure that you are using the systems that you prefer for all operations including bookkeeping, invoicing, scheduling and advertising, and ensure that any employees are provided with step-by-step instructions for using them. Regularly Assess Your Business: Once you’ve settled on systems that use the best practices for your business, you should regularly conduct comprehensive assessments of your company. Ask some important questions, such as is your business financially stable? Are you getting customer referrals and repeat sales? What’s your employee turnover looking like? How do your customers rate you? Find the answers that you need by paying attention to any buzz about your company online, listening to customers, and reviewing your books. Make Yourself Available to Customers: When it comes to customer service, bear in mind that your customers will want to speak to an actual human during business hours, rather than solely dealing with chatbots and automated messages – although these can be useful in their own way. Being available to your customers when they need to speak to you is necessary if you want to avoid losing them to your competitors, so set your business calls to go to your cell phone if you’re out working or have somebody available to take calls. And, make sure that your business hours are clearly stated on any business cards, website, social media pages and more. Boost Your Marketing: Last but not least, in order to run a successful contracting business, you’ll need to step up your marketing game. A successful marketing campaign means connecting with your customers – you will need a strong online presence and be sure to regularly interact with your audience through a variety of different channels including email, blog posts, social media and more. Offering quality work and great customer service plus working to continuously assess and improve your company is key.
