Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed by Derbyshire County Council to deliver a new £5.3 million primary school on Tutbury Avenue in Littleover, Derby. The project has been procured through the Scape Regional Construction framework (RCF). Morgan Sindall Construction will celebrate two years on the framework in February 2020. A
Tarkett has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the sustainability of the built environment by becoming a member of The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC). The mission of the UKGBC is to improve the sustainability of the built environment by transforming the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated.
Too many people sit down with a real estate agent and share a string of adjectives that are difficult to define. Terms like luxury, cute, comfortable, spacious, and efficient don’t give your real estate agent as much information to work on as you may think. Let’s outline what you must
Whether it’s the food takeaway industry utilising mobile apps or sports events using video assisted refereeing, technological advances are helping our world progress and become better. With this in mind, it’s clear that technology is evolving across every business, allowing companies to become more productive and efficient. Computer systems, such
So, what are the top characteristics of the best realtors in San Antonio? What separates the top realtors in the city from the rest? What do they offer to their clients? Detailed Local Knowledge The top realtors in San Antonio offer detailed knowledge of the real estate market. It isn’t
Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed by Derbyshire County Council to deliver a new £5.3 million primary school on Tutbury Avenue in Littleover, Derby. The project has been procured through the Scape Regional Construction framework (RCF). Morgan Sindall Construction will celebrate two years on the framework in February 2020. A ground-breaking ceremony was held this week to celebrate the beginning of onsite works. It was attended by representatives from the main contractor and Derbyshire County Council, alongside members of the Spencer Academy Trust and Lungfish Architects. Spencer Highfields Academy will be governed by the trust, which runs primary, secondary and sixth form provisions across the East Midlands. Derbyshire County Council has commissioned the scheme in anticipation of a population surge generated by Highfields Estate, the new build housing development where the school will be situated. Once complete, the school will provide 210 primary and 26 nursery places. Plans outline a single-storey, 15,510 square foot main building. This will house seven general purpose classrooms, a reception, nursery and a double storey main hall. External facilities include a soft play area, a large playing field, and a MUGA pitch. Students will also benefit from a visitors’ garden and allotment area. There will also be a parking area and cycle storage facilities. Designed by Lungfish Architects, the new development is using offsite modular construction methods. Modular building allows for greater time efficiency within the build programme, alongside considerably decreased carbon emissions. Offsite work has already commenced on forty-five pre-fabricated modules at subcontractor Eco Modular’s factory in Hull. These will then be delivered to site and completed in time for the new academic year. Rob Cant, Framework Director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Modular building is proving incredibly popular in the education sector – and with good reason. Advances in technology mean that modern methods of construction can deliver high-quality 21st century learning environments within constrained time scales and with minimal disruption to day-to-day school life. “Offsite construction results in reduced subcontractor traffic, and embodied carbon, while the expandable nature of the design facilitates easy expansion should population growth necessitate it in future. “We’re naturally very pleased to be working with Lungfish Architects on another key education project for Derby; and to be delivering it through Scape Group’s Regional Construction framework (RCF), which we celebrate two years on next month.” Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Young People Councillor Alex Dale said: “We’re very pleased to be working in partnership on this exciting project and making the best use of our resources to provide a high-quality modern school for local children and for use by the wider community. “We approved the requirement for a new school to respond to the need for more school places due to significant housing developments in the area and also to provide much-needed nursery provision. “We were pleased to be involved in its design and it is our first whole school modular build – a building innovation recommended by the Department for Education – which makes it quick, efficient and cost-effective and also reduces construction disruption for local residents.” Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive, said “future proofing our education facilities now in preparation for the increase in population is vital to ensure that education standards can continue to improve. It is reassuring that Derbyshire County Council has taken this strategic approach and is further investing in its constituents’ education with Spencer Highfields Academy.” Simon Reid, Lungfish Architects Managing Director, commented “By working collaboratively with Derbyshire County Council, Morgan Sindall and utilising our expertise in designing schools using offsite modular construction techniques, we are creating innovative, engaging spaces that will enhance the learning experience for the pupils.” Work is expected to complete on the project by September 2020. Last year, Morgan Sindall Construction and Lungfish worked together on the nearby Hackwood Primary Academy which opened in September. The modular project has been hailed for the speed of delivery, which saw work progress from planning to completion in less than a year.
Tarkett has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the sustainability of the built environment by becoming a member of The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC). The mission of the UKGBC is to improve the sustainability of the built environment by transforming the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated. This mirrors Tarkett’s belief that through collaboration, industry can make a positive impact on people and the planet. As part of its pledge of ‘Doing Good Together’, the global flooring manufacturer aims to create healthier spaces by making sustainable flooring that is good for both people and the environment. In particular Tarkett uses a circular economy approach to product design. It strives to select materials that can be recovered, recycled and transformed. The focus on Cradle to Cradle design principles allows products to be manufactured using healthy components and help preserve natural resources whilst mitigating the effects of climate change. Through its ReStart© takeback programme, Tarkett manages flooring waste effectively by transforming it into new, high-quality products. And thanks to breakthrough technology at its Waalwijk facility, Tarkett has increased its industrial capacity to separate the two principal components of carpet tiles – yarn and backing, so they can also be recycled for future use. Ross Dight, Technical and Sustainability Director at Tarkett, commented: “As a global flooring business we believe we go well beyond our peers, in the built environment supply chain, by making sustainable flooring that is good for both people and our environment. Following such principles also provides our customers with the opportunity to advance their own sustainability goals. Joining the UK Green Building Council allows us to collaborate with the wider industry, share best practice and be part of a movement that is creating a vision of a better built environment.”
Too many people sit down with a real estate agent and share a string of adjectives that are difficult to define. Terms like luxury, cute, comfortable, spacious, and efficient don’t give your real estate agent as much information to work on as you may think. Let’s outline what you must tell your real estate agent in order to find the right home for the best price as soon as possible. Your Budget Whether you’re looking for a starter home or luxury homes for sale in Calabasas, CA, discuss your budget with your real estate agent. How much money can you put down on the property? How much can you afford to borrow? If you clearly communicate your financial situation to the realtor, you won’t be shown homes that are beyond your budget. This will both save you time and heartache, such as when you’re shown a perfect home that’s 30K more than you can afford. Discuss your ability to pay carrying costs like insurance, property taxes, homeowner’s association dues, and so forth with the realtor. If these costs are an issue, the realtor won’t show you a property that comes with great amenities paid for by steep HOA dues you can’t afford. It would be a good idea to use the Zilculator real estate analysis on the property you want to purchase to get a better idea of whether it’s a smart investment or not. Your Ideal Home Size Simplify life for everyone and tell your real estate agent how many bedrooms you consider an acceptable minimum. Would you be happy with a two-bedroom condo? Do you need at least four bedrooms to give your family enough space? How large is large enough? This saves you from trips to properties that are too small for your needs or your tastes. And how large is too large? Some people want a smaller home to reduce the required upkeep though they could afford something larger. This is why sales of McMansions have stalled. Do you want a 1500 square foot luxury home or a basic 3000 square foot property? Your Timeframe Be upfront about your time frame with real estate agents. Let them know that you want to close on a property before school starts to minimize disruption for the kids. Tell them when you need to close on a property on your one or two visits to the area before you move there permanently. Let them know when you do have several weeks to renovate or repair a property before you move in, since this may make modest fixer-uppers a possibility. Tell them when you will put a premium on move-in ready properties so that they only show you properties that fit your needs. Your Preferences What do you want in your new home? And what do you want to avoid? Do you consider a swimming pool a pro or a con? Do you want a chef grade kitchen and entertaining spaces in your new home? Would you be willing to trade a home in the suburbs for a massive zero lot property in downtown? Would you like to be able to age in place in a home that’s already accessible? Do you want to have the ability to add a mother-in-law suite? Give the realtor a list of must-haves, nice-to-haves, and deal-breakers so that they can winnow the list of properties to show you to only those that are a perfect fit.
Whether it’s the food takeaway industry utilising mobile apps or sports events using video assisted refereeing, technological advances are helping our world progress and become better. With this in mind, it’s clear that technology is evolving across every business, allowing companies to become more productive and efficient. Computer systems, such as warehouse management systemsand CRM’s have the possibility to increase productivity of staff, while analytics allow you to judge what updates are needed and when. What printing techniques are there available? In any manufacturing company, human error can be extremely costly. That’s where 3D printing can come into play. While it’s still early days for the technology, digital printinghas the potential to have a massive impact on practicality. It’s expected that this invention will transform nearly every industry as it changes how manufacturers will do business and will impact material costs, the traditional assembly line and product pricing strategies. They are particularly handy as automated printers, like those used by Voodoo Manufacturing, don’t need to be manned anymore and can continue working 24 hours a day. The use of robotics isn’t aimed at replacing humans, but more so making employees’ jobs easier. Drones Drones can impact a company massively, saving almost 12 hours on each inspection and reducing the time it takes to check the equipment from 12 hours to 12 minutes. Not only can drones provide a quick and thorough inspection, but they eliminate the health and safety risk of someone needing to scale up to 150 feet to look at gantries. They have started to use drones to help perform risky inspections on the factory’s equipment in it’s Dagenham engine plant. The company is benefitting massively, Drones are also particularly good at providing the company with video and still footage that can be stored to allow the plant to compare its findings over a period of time to monitor any changes or patterns that are noticeable. This has become an indispensable tool for the factory, with the drones greatly improving productivity and efficiency. What does the future of embedded metrology bring? The process of quality control can traditionally be a very time-consuming and expensive project. There would be randomly selected machine-made parts that would be individually tested, and if they passed the test, the batch it came from would be validated. This process can’t be too reliable, as faulty parts may well be produced in a batch and slip through after the checks. That’s why the ever-improving embedded metrology will continue to help manufacturers produce a better product. This quick and convenient solution is a lot more accurate and requires little human interference. Bodysuits It was announced in 2017 that line workers in the plant would pilot exoskeleton suits — wearable technology that can help support a worker’s arms while they undergo tasks above their heads. Ford’s Michigan plant is also using innovative technological developments to help its workforce. These suits can also be adjusted to support different weights, depending on the wearer’s needs. While such suits were more likely to appear on the big screen in movies such as Iron Manjust a few years ago, the creation is having positive feedback from its users in the real life world. In the future, it’s anticipated that this human aspect can be removed completely, with technology helping to provide a fully integrated and fully automated form of quality control. While some of the public are concerned that jobs will be lost as it keeps progressing, it can only be a good thing for manufacturing companies as it continues to help improve productivity and efficiency. It will be interesting to see what we welcome to factories next! Technology is continuing to amaze us in all walks of life. The automotive industry is no different, either, taking advantage of new inventions. It’s not only our cars that are benefitting from technological advances, though — the manufacturing industry is, too. Lookers, Ford Servicingspecialists, are an example of this too! Sources https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/31/ford-is-using-drones-to-keep-an-eye-on-its-factories.html www.thedrive.com/sheetmetal/15921/exoskeletons-unveiled-at-ford-manufacturing-plant https://matrixrecruitment.ie/5-innovative-technologies-solve-manufacturing-problems-2018/ https://www.insight.com/en_US/learn/content/2017/04112017-3-manufacturing-technology-trends-shaping-factories-of-the-future.html
So, what are the top characteristics of the best realtors in San Antonio? What separates the top realtors in the city from the rest? What do they offer to their clients? Detailed Local Knowledge The top realtors in San Antonio offer detailed knowledge of the real estate market. It isn’t enough to say that a neighborhood is affordable, desirable, or up-and-coming. They know which neighborhoods provide a fast commute to downtown or are the lowest cost homes assigned to a top school. They have detailed knowledge about specific property markets, whether you’re looking for a condo or luxury single family home. Note that this means a realtor who specializes in luxury properties may not be of much assistance when you’re looking for an affordable family home, and someone who is knowledgeable about downtown may not able to give much advice about the San Antonio suburbs. Attention to Detail The best realtors in San Antonio have an eye for detail. They find issues with the property that can be used to lower the price. For example, they may be able to bring up the HOA dues owed or upcoming neighboring development that affects the property’s value. They find overlooked properties that may be available at a bargain. They can advise clients on legal matters and their own unique situation instead of giving canned advice. Negotiating Skills Great realtors don’t just set or offer a good price for a home. They’ll negotiate the value of the home. And they’ll negotiate other aspects of the deal such as property repairs, cash toward home renovations, and associated closing costs. Note that negotiating skills are very different from listening skills, but a realtor who won’t listen to you won’t be able to adequately argue your case. Nor will they be able to find the right property for you. Speed Real estate is a classic example of Pareto’s law. The top 20 percent of realtors sell 80 percent of the homes. The best realtors are able to move real estate far faster than everyone else. They’ll sell your home in weeks, not months. They’ll home in on the perfect property for you based on your budget, desired amenities, and personal requirements. You don’t waste time touring thirty homes while debating which of the four mediocre candidates are good enough. Instead, your checklist is compared against a massive inventory, and you’re shown two to four properties that are all perfect. The realtor has a team working to maximize efficiency. This means you are shown the best homes for your situation so that you can close on it as quickly as possible. Honesty and Integrity Real estate is the largest single purchase any of us make. You can’t afford to make a mistake. Attention to detail can reduce the odds of accidents, but it won’t make up for fraud or deceptive marketing. This is why the best realtors have honesty and integrity. They’ll admit when they don’t know something before referring you to someone who can answer your questions.
