August 27, 2020

It’s time to address the elephant in the room

With anxiety affecting more people than ever before, it is time for employers to address the issue and provide additional support to help improve their employees’ wellbeing. iHASCO, a market-leading provider of eLearning, has launched a brand new course to help with Managing Anxiety. The company, who provide essential workplace

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Green Light for Smart Renewable Heating Scheme in Oxford

A pioneering smart renewable heating scheme in Oxford, part of the £41m Energy Superhub Oxford project, has been given the green light to proceed following lockdown disruption, providing a confidence boost for the construction and renewables industries as they rise to covid-19 operational challenges, and a positive step towards the UK

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Latest Issue
Issue 323 : Dec 2024

August 27, 2020

J F FINNEGAN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES THE CONSTRUCTION OF AVION (PLOT 3C) AERO CENTRE , DONCASTER

Construction Contractor J F Finnegan announces the successful completion of Avion Plot 3C, Aero Centre in Doncaster for Trebor Developments. Plot 3C Aero Centre, located at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, consists of the construction of two industrial/logistics units totaling approximately 105,111 sq ft, inclusive of first floor office accommodation.  J F Finnegan are no strangers to working in this region having delivered the Concrete Sleeper Production Facility at Ten Pound Walk for Trackwork Moll Limited and Warehouse & Office Units at First Point Business Park for The Catesby Property Group. Avion at Aero Centre provides two high quality mid-size industrial units suitable for manufacturing or distribution uses, located adjacent to one of the fastest growing UK airports with excellent traffic links to the M18, A1, M62 and M1. Therefore, providing outstanding transportation possibilities and a prime location for occupiers. Mark Wright, Partner at Trebor Developments, added, “We’re delighted to take PC of our Avion development from the J F Finnegan team. The development is a great example of collaborative working to create very high-quality buildings, which are great additions to our national industrial and logistics portfolio with our partners Hillwood Investments”. Shaun Pearson, Construction Manager at J F Finnegan commented, “JF Finnegan are delighted to add this high-quality industrial scheme to their project portfolio. The whole project team have worked tirelessly to bring the project in on schedule and within budget through such challenging times. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Trebor Developments on these speculative units and look forward to continuing our relationship in the future”.

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Hardhat cameras enable remote project management & solve photo chaos

Covid-19 has been particularly tough on construction but one big positive has been the way it has encouraged companies to experiment with new ways of working.  Mastercraft, a Northern Ireland based contractor, is a prime example of this as it has been using site scanning software developed by  Oculo.ai, at its Claridge’s Hotel project in Mayfair, London. “We saw Oculo as a way to reduce visits and as a way to be able to look at the whole building in your own time…  We used to fly over once a week and whatever was the crisis that week, is what you would go to deal with, but what you’re not seeing then are all the other small issues and the progress that is or isn’t happening elsewhere, so if you have this software you can see what needs to be the next big priority.”                                                                                                                                                         Oculo uses a 360 video camera mounted on a hardhat to record site progress each week during the usual job walk.  Mastercraft adopted the technology when the travel ban came into force as the project manager was based in Belfast, but with social distancing regulations also limiting the number of people allowed onsite, it has played a vital role in giving other professionals, such as the QS and design team, access to the site as well, so that inspections and valuations can be carried out remotely.  Oculo does this by creating a virtual copy of the site that is navigable, so it’s just like having a Google Streetview of your own site.  Users can then move around the site via the online platform, zoom in on areas of interest and pin notes in the virtual space which allows them to log RFIs, snags and notify clients or contractors about specific issues. With construction delays often resulting in delayed contractor payments, the Oculo system also has the potential to help improve cashflow management. It does this in two ways, firstly by allowing valuations to be carried out on the due date so they can more accurately reflect  work completed up until that exact point and, secondly, by creating a permanent, visual record of onsite progress.  For Mastercraft, this is one of the key benefits that the software has over other approaches they’ve tried such as taking camera phone photos. Mastercraft does an Oculo scan once a week, so in the unfortunate event of a dispute, they have a body of evidence that would allow them to clarify what was done when in a matter of minutes.  Crucially, Oculo uses 360° video footage so this doesn’t rely on the team anticipating what might be a problem and taking hundreds of photos of that exact area because everything on the jobwalk is captured. Oculo is currently offering free trials to companies impacted by COVID-19. For more info see our website, oculo.ai

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It’s time to address the elephant in the room

With anxiety affecting more people than ever before, it is time for employers to address the issue and provide additional support to help improve their employees’ wellbeing. iHASCO, a market-leading provider of eLearning, has launched a brand new course to help with Managing Anxiety. The company, who provide essential workplace health, safety and compliance training have extended their popular range of wellbeing courses to include this new title. 12.8 million working days are lost each year due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety, as documented by the HSE. On top of this, the Coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on the population’s anxiety levels, with 56% of adults reporting that they feel anxious as a result of the pandemic, in a survey by the Office of National Statistics. With this in mind, it is vital that employers offer their workforce the support that’s needed to maintain their health and wellbeing. This will also have a positive impact on staff productivity and attendance. “Releasing this course has been a wonderful thing for us, as anxiety is debilitating for so many people and our team are fortunate to be in a position to help others” says Lottie Galvin, Studio Manager & Mental Health First Aider at iHASCO. “Anxiety affects all of us at some time in our lives, but for many it’s a daily burden, so we wanted to provide some simple tools that encourage people to take back control and reduce their own feelings of unease, worry or fear on a daily basis.” “Employers can also use this course as a facilitator for some open conversations on the subject of anxiety, how it affects their employees, and what changes can be made in the workplace to improve staff wellbeing.” The IOSH approved and CPD accredited Managing Anxiety course is 25 minutes long, and it’s packed with information about what anxiety is, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a problem solving approach and it explains the technique of mindfulness as well as the nature and power of thought patterns. It also includes a range of simple and practical techniques to help reduce anxiety, with further additional resources to support learning. Anxiety is not a new issue, rather it has not been widely spoken about up until now. The Coronavirus pandemic has raised questions about the mental wellbeing of the population, revealing common concerns of the public to include: catching the virus, returning to work or being made redundant. Talking more openly about anxiety is a positive move in recognising it as a widespread issue. Yet for those affected by extreme anxiety it can be incredibly lonely and many still suffer in silence. With no magic wand to remove anxiety completely, the next best thing is to improve awareness of it and to use simple tools to manage it. Training and education is key to encouraging more open discussions about anxiety and to help individuals manage it on a day-to-day basis. Employers that put managing anxiety on their agenda will not only be fulfilling their duty of care to employees, but will also be creating a more positive work culture. iHASCO are encouraging employers to get in touch to trial the Managing Anxiety course for free, to see how it can be part of a simple and cost effective way to support employee wellbeing. Email: hello@ihasco.co.uk or visit: www.ihasco.co.uk

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Green Light for Smart Renewable Heating Scheme in Oxford

A pioneering smart renewable heating scheme in Oxford, part of the £41m Energy Superhub Oxford project, has been given the green light to proceed following lockdown disruption, providing a confidence boost for the construction and renewables industries as they rise to covid-19 operational challenges, and a positive step towards the UK defining how it will meet its 2050 net zero target. The recommencement of the scheme with leading housing provider, Stonewater, and Kensa Contracting, will contribute to the Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) project’s anticipated savings of 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year by 2021; the equivalent of taking 2,000 cars off the road. The 60-homes in Blackbird Leys will demonstrate how decarbonisation of heating using ground source heat pumps can interact with local energy systems to allow millions of homes to cut carbon and costs, and adopt a ‘smart cities’ model. The trial represents 20% of homes committed to receiving smart heating with Kensa ground source heat pumps as part of ESO, a world-first project backed by UKRI which is pioneering a model for the rapid decarbonisation of power, transport and heat in cities across the UK and globally. ESO showcases rapid electric vehicle charging, hybrid battery energy storage systems, low carbon heating, and smart energy management to improve air quality and accelerate Oxford’s journey to zero carbon. Councillor Tom Hayes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, Oxford City Council, visited the smart heat pump project as works resumed: “I am delighted that Blackbird Leys residents are first in line to benefit from a heat pumps system that saves them money and shrinks the city’s carbon footprint. Oxford’s Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change was clear that greener homes would be better homes, cheaper to heat. It was brilliant to visit the site of the new heat pumps, talk with the people making this aspect of Energy Superhub Oxford happen, and see at a social distance the positive impacts for local people. This year we have taken exciting steps forwards as part of the Energy Superhub Oxford project with the installation of electric vehicle chargers, electrification of the City Council’s fleet, and delivery of the electricity transformer to the National Grid substation in Cowley.” The residents at Blackbird Leys will have their night storage heating system replaced with a Kensa Shoebox ground source heat pump system coupled with Switchee heating controls, which will constantly sense, learn and respond to the inhabitant’s behaviour. Adding a further smart technology dimension to the running of the heat pump, Kensa’s heat optimisation software will take a day-ahead forecast of half hourly electricity costs, and automatically shift the operating times to enable the occupants to make savings from dynamic tariffs without having to change their behaviour. The smart heating system at Blackbird Leys is expected to save residents 3,520 tonnes of CO2 over their lifetime and cut their current night storage heating bills to levels lower than that of mains gas, all without adding strain to the UK’s electricity grid; a triple-challenge the renewables industry must overcome to ensure low carbon ground source heat pump technology is more widely adopted by society. Dr Matthew Trewhella, Managing Director at Kensa Contracting explains: “By introducing flexibility in how and when ground source heat pumps run, this trial will demonstrate how we can save residents even more money than typical ground source heat pump installations, even below the cost of gas, whilst modelling the impact heat pumps can have on balancing the electricity grid’s carbon and use/cost intensity. “Already low carbon and low cost, the ground source heat pump system at Blackbird Leys will save residents a further 25% in heating bills compared to a standard Kensa installation.” Adam Masters, Sustainability Project Manager at Stonewater, said: “The latest IPPR report found that at least 12 million homes in England need to be fitted with heat pumps and new energy efficiency measures if the UK is to meet its net zero targets by 2050, and lift thousands of households out of fuel poverty. “Through this project we’re demonstrating how housing providers can not only work towards a more sustainable future, but an economical one for their customers too, and we’re pleased that work at this particular housing scheme has been able to recommence.” Kensa hope its role in Oxford’s trial of the electrification and decarbonisation of integrated heat, power and transport, will encourage the adoption of Smart Local Energy System models across more cities, rural developments, towns and villages. Dr Trewhella elaborates: “An elegant advantage of this smart renewable heating approach is we can manage the running times of multiple heat pumps depending on the desired outcomes; in this project we have chosen to prioritise running costs. For greater carbon savings, you could switch the priority to carbon, or to grid management to stabilise voltages. All outcomes offer all benefits to some degree, but in different ratios depending on the priority. Here we are trying to fix the problem of electricity demand that is going to exist in five years’ time as the UK migrates to low-carbon electrical heating systems over fossil fuels and electric vehicles; this project is a great demonstrator of our future local energy systems strategy.” A blog documenting Kensa Contracting’s smart renewable heating pilot scheme with Stonewater is available to follow here. A virtual site tour of the Blackbird Leys scheme is to be hosted in October 2020. Interest in this event can be registered by emailing events@thekensagroup.com.

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