A GROUNDBREAKING new collaboration aimed at transforming the future of the UK’s construction industry can be unveiled today. National framework provider Pagabo has forged a research agreement with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), aiming to together challenge current methods in the construction sector, and pioneer fresh
GRAHAM has been awarded a contract by THG, the global technology platform company, specialising in taking brands direct to consumers, to complete the interior fit-out of its ICON Studios and ICON Offices at Airport City in Manchester. The privately-owned fit-out contractor will help to create 376,000 sq. ft. of high
The British Occupational Hygiene Society, a scientific charity and chartered body for worker health protection has responded to the publication of the latest statistics on Health and Safety Executive with a call for a radical overhaul of the UK’s approach to Occupational Health, calling instead for a “Sustainable Workplace Health
Caddick Construction, part of the Yorkshire-based Caddick Group, has completed on the £154m Moda Angel Gardens B2R scheme in Manchester. Caddick has officially handed over the 35-storey neighbourhood to Moda Living, the flagship development in Moda’s growing £2.5bn portfolio. Caddick Construction originally took over the contract in 2018, just months
A London South Bank University (LSBU) student has won a prestigious Construction Services Apprentice of the year award at the BAME Apprenticeships Awards 2020. A second, female engineering LSBU apprentice has also been highly commended. Romario Cazaubon, who is currently enrolled on a five-year Quantity Surveying degree apprenticeship with Mace
What can a family do when their home roof starts making scary noises? Which noises are a concern and which ones are just a normal part of roofing? There are 4 types of roof noises that can happen for different reasons. Some noises happen in new homes and others are
As a Toronto homeowner, you have a lot of responsibilities. One of them is your sewer line. Your sewage system is made up of a lot of pipes buried underground…where you can’t see them. When this network of pipes is working well, it’s easy to take your sewage system for
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
A GROUNDBREAKING new collaboration aimed at transforming the future of the UK’s construction industry can be unveiled today. National framework provider Pagabo has forged a research agreement with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), aiming to together challenge current methods in the construction sector, and pioneer fresh ideas and innovations that embrace new technology and advanced manufacturing methods. Joining them in the venture are C4DI, the Hull-based incubator company that promotes growth in tech businesses, specialist data centre company Yondr and industry leader Lord Bob Kerslake. Just a few weeks into the new relationship, vital research into harnessing technology to streamline health and safety methods on construction sites is already under way. Gerard Toplass, executive chairman of Pagabo, said: “Everyone agrees that construction is a sector that has been left behind in terms of new ways of working and innovation. Many methods in construction have been used for decades. “What we want to do as a group is to totally shake up the construction sector – and create real change to drive economic growth and establish the UK as a global innovator.” He said that Hull-based Pagabo was so committed to the use of new methods that it had created The Future of Construction (TFOC) initiative to drive industry-wide collaboration to shape the sector’s future. “It’s vital that we think about the industry as a whole and how we can promote new technologies to improve how we do things,” he explained. “The construction sector needs a revolutionary moment – similar to the aerospace industry when it created the ‘black box’. “This new collaboration between Pagabo and the AMRC will bring the sector together, unify common objectives and drive forward real change. We will be building an enterprise that seeks to leverage new techniques, innovation and automation. “We intend to build on the government’s agenda for value, procuring for value and its ‘build, build, build’ initiative. But we also want to foster a new way of doing this that future-proofs the construction sector, secures jobs and builds sustainably – with economic, social and environmental processes in mind.” The University of Sheffield AMRC is a network of world-leading research and innovation centres that work with manufacturing companies of all sizes around the globe. It has particular strengths in the automotive and aerospace industries. Its pioneering research develops innovative methods that are of practical use to the manufacturing industry. The organisation transforms industrial and economic performance by making step changes in productivity, increasing competitiveness, developing new products and processes and training new talent and skills. Steve Foxley, CEO of the University of Sheffield AMRC, said: “We see construction as a wildly exciting and opportunity-filled industry to benefit from our learnings over the past 20 years. “We want to work closely with Pagabo to create a real catalyst for change. Pagabo has a unique and important role within the industry as a framework provider and has influence across a wider portion of the industry via its ecosystem of contractors and supply chain partners. “We will be learning from the automotive and aerospace industries and seeing where we can adapt methods and innovations that would work in the construction sector. “We want to look at areas like enterprise architecture, the future of buildings in a digital world, and how standards and interfaces will enable the digital world in construction.” Lord Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, is a non-executive chairman of Pagabo who helped forge its relationship with the AMRC, seeing an opportunity to transform the construction sector through the sharing of expertise and collaboration. “Research and development remains low in construction,” he said. “And there is very little collaboration on this among key players in the industry. Combined, we want to make a real and transformational difference in construction within the next ten years.” He said one of the biggest objectives was to feed into the government’s levelling up agenda to create a more level economic playing field across the UK. “This is a project which sees innovation and development and research in the construction sector happening up north, in Sheffield and in Hull, with a huge focus and drive for economic growth. This new collaboration between Pagabo and the AMRC is hugely powerful.” John Connolly, managing director of C4Di, said the research agreement is powerful because of the way it will accelerate new ways of partnering on innovation. He said: “There are interesting models of innovation happening around the country, but the AMRC is the exemplar of how to bring large industry bodies together. Their experience harnessing the mental horsepower of large academic institutions and collaborating with industry to drive change is incredibly exciting. “This new research agreement benefits everyone. Leveraging learning and experience from the AMRC, and Pagabo’s connections within construction is a formidable force. The AMRC brought large industry players together to solve their challenges and Pagabo and its TFOC model builds on that; this is an exciting next step to extend the work of both organisations through collaboration.” Dave Newitt, CEO of Yondr, the specialist data centre operator, is involved with Pagabo and its TFOC initiative. He said: “We believe that construction has a great deal to learn from manufacturing,” he said. “We want to look at modularisation and taking works off-site – so, building off site rather than on site. It’s how the manufacturing world operates, and we want to emulate that to improve productivity.” Professor Rab Scott, head of digital at the AMRC, said that in just four weeks, the new collaboration had already created change. “We have already started working with Pagabo on health and safety on site and looking at ways of using digital technologies to streamline processes. In terms of results, if we can prevent one accident or one hour’s lost time, it has an immediate benefit, and our work is immediately scalable. “The diversity in the team is one of the great things that makes me get up in the morning. We are proud of what we are
GRAHAM has been awarded a contract by THG, the global technology platform company, specialising in taking brands direct to consumers, to complete the interior fit-out of its ICON Studios and ICON Offices at Airport City in Manchester. The privately-owned fit-out contractor will help to create 376,000 sq. ft. of high specification office and studio space spread over the 12-acre landmark business campus, adjacent to the UK’s third biggest airport. THG will be the anchor occupier of this development, with the content creation studio sitting at the heart of the ICON development, where THG will continue building its unique end-to-end ecommerce infrastructure, THG Ingenuity, as well as office space to house approximately 3,000 employees. Designed by Penson, the fit-out programme begins in November, and is scheduled for handover in May 2021. Commenting on the contract award Sue Blanche, GRAHAM Development Director, said: “THG is a truly global e-commerce company based in Manchester and is investing heavily in job creation across the region. We are delighted to be playing our part in this investment, ensuring a high-quality interior fit-out of studio and office space for this brand’s talented team of people.” GRAHAM’s appointment by THG follows its continued expansion across the north of England region. The leading fit-out contractor was recently appointed to fit-out Qiagen’s world-leading precision medicine campus, and is presently delivering Leeds Building Society’s new headquarters in Leeds City Centre.
The British Occupational Hygiene Society, a scientific charity and chartered body for worker health protection has responded to the publication of the latest statistics on Health and Safety Executive with a call for a radical overhaul of the UK’s approach to Occupational Health, calling instead for a “Sustainable Workplace Health Strategies” for each of the UK’s nations. The figures released by Great Britain’s regulator highlight the loss of over £10.6 billion to British industry, almost 40 million days lost to illness and 12,000 deaths a year from work-related lung disease alone. The Society is particularly concerned that despite years of effort to address respiratory illness, the decline in the number of deaths over the last decade has not been significant. Indeed, it points out that deaths from Interstitial Lung Disease are actually on the increase. The figures, which were compiled from data that was collected before the COVID-19 crisis, lead the Society to be extremely worried that the current virus may be sharpening and deepening the impact of long-term health exposure, based on research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. That research, released early in the pandemic, highlighted a number of diseases with strong occupational links to poorer outcomes for COVID-19 patients. The Society is calling for a rethink of the current approach that invests heavily in trying to treat occupational illness and disproportionately focuses on safety. Instead, the Society believes that prevention of health risk as part of national strategies for “Sustainable Workplace Health” is required. In every other environment, we have come to understand that prevention, long-term thinking and sustainability are key to effective measures. However, within the workplace, we are still thinking in a short-term way. It simply does not make sense to carry on with an investment in occupational health that ignores the vital importance of preventing risks to health in the first place. For example, in construction we think about the carbon footprint of building materials and even the welfare on site, yet we still plan to build in a way that generates cancer-causing construction dusts and then have to deal with the consequences. The figures speak for themselves. says the Society’s President Kelvin Williams. “There is so much focus on the immediate hazards that we miss the big dangers that are looming for us in the future and the huge opportunity we have to enable people to age well, not to be dependent on sickness benefits and work without fear.” The Society calls for a national dialogue and government focus on: Designing out health risks at work; Focusing research on prevention and control of workplace health hazards; Using an understanding of human factors and their role in helping people manage their own health protection at work; Targeting enhanced occupational health services to those who need it most; Embedding occupational hygiene and occupational medicine in mainstream healthcare training and education; Working with healthcare to develop a whole life strategy for managing occupational health & occupational hygiene exposures. “People would be surprised that in the 21st century, we are still missing obvious opportunities to curb the risk of being exposed to common hazards. We can so easily avoid so many cruel illnesses that will rob thousands of the loved ones and cost the country billions in benefits, healthcare costs and lost work, says BOHS CEO Kevin Bampton. “At a time where the country’s finances are likely to be stretched for decades because of the cost of COVID-19, we need to be planning to avoid a continuing legacy of avoidable ill-health. The measures don’t need to cost employers or the government more. It just requires a different mindset. We find the case for sustainability in every aspect of our lives. It’s time it was a central feature of our Workplace Health Strategies across the UK’s nations.” BOHS is relaunching its industry partnership campaign on respiratory illness, Breathe Freely. Over the next six months, it is releasing new training and educational materials to raise awareness of health risks in construction and manufacturing and will be releasing a White Paper, early in the New Year, outlining the case for Sustainable Workplace Health. The Society’s intention is to influence government and industry to plan for a healthy future for all workers. “For many people, the workplace is the environment where we spend most of our waking lives. Lockdown has highlighted that how and where we work can be different,” comments Mr Williams who has led much of the Society’s response to coronavirus. “COVID-19 has demonstrated that this is the place in our lives where our exposure to health hazards can be most effectively regulated. It does not take a great amount of imagination to envisage UK becoming the global leader in Sustainable Workplace Health Technology and Practice, based on what we have achieved over the period of the pandemic. That would be a worthwhile legacy of this painful time in our history.”
Caddick Construction, part of the Yorkshire-based Caddick Group, has completed on the £154m Moda Angel Gardens B2R scheme in Manchester. Caddick has officially handed over the 35-storey neighbourhood to Moda Living, the flagship development in Moda’s growing £2.5bn portfolio. Caddick Construction originally took over the contract in 2018, just months into the build after incumbents Carillion went into liquidation. Caddick’s intervention kept the scheme open and also helped safeguard 500 jobs. The build-to-rent project remains one of the largest outside of London and also includes 20,000 sq. ft of commercial space. Originally built on the site of Manchester’s first steam-powered cotton mill, Moda Angel Gardens now offers 466 high quality homes, ranging from studios to three-beds. Residents also have access to shared amenities including: a 24-hour gym and concierge service, parking, communal lounges including a library, cinema room and private dining room, co-working space and a multi-use roof terrace including a football pitch. On the corner of Miller Street and Rochdale Road, it sits across from Victoria Station and forms a key part of the exciting 20-acre NOMA neighbourhood in the city centre. Adrian Dobson, Caddick Construction’s Managing Director, said: “This has been a momentous scheme in every sense; from its size and quality of the build right through to the physical contribution it is making on a gateway district of Manchester’s city centre. “We are delighted to be able to hand over this prestigious project and the final result is testament to the team who have worked incredibly hard to deliver a truly iconic neighbourhood. He added: “Caddick Construction continues to grow its residential portfolio across the North and despite 2020 being an unprecedented year for the industry, we are confident there is still much to look forward to.” Architects were Ryder Architecture Ltd, with structural engineering provided by Burohappold Engineering. Quantity surveyors were Spring & Co Ltd.
A London South Bank University (LSBU) student has won a prestigious Construction Services Apprentice of the year award at the BAME Apprenticeships Awards 2020. A second, female engineering LSBU apprentice has also been highly commended. Romario Cazaubon, who is currently enrolled on a five-year Quantity Surveying degree apprenticeship with Mace Group, took the top prize for Construction Services apprentice. Dionne Alder, who is enrolled on a Civil Engineering apprenticeship with Southwark Council as her employer, received a ‘highly commended’ from the judges. Both students are studying part-time on their respective degree courses at LSBU’s School of Architecture and the Built Environment (BEA), while completing their apprenticeships. LSBU is one of the leading UK universities for apprenticeships with currently around 2000 apprentices enrolled, working for over 650 employers. LSBU currently offers a variety of apprenticeships with employer sponsors, across a range of sectors – from building services, engineering and chartered planning to nursing, screen skills, management and digital marketing. Since apprenticeship schemes were first introduced at LSBU four years ago, the University has enrolled over half (51%) of all apprentices from a BAME/multi-ethnic background: 16% black, 27% Asian, and 8% mixed race. Of these applicants, 43% are female, working in typically male-dominated professions, such as building services and engineering, as well as typically female dominated professions such as healthcare (55%). In 2019-2020, out of a total of 1600 LSBU apprentices, 38% degree/higher apprentices were women, with 28% studying for careers in architecture, building services and planning (17% in quantity surveying, 9% in engineering, 6% in architecture and 6% in chartered planning) with 7% in business management. Alison May, Group Director of Apprenticeships at LSBU, said: “It’s very exciting to hear that our Quantity Surveying student Romario Cazaubon has won Construction Apprentice of the Year Award at the BAME Apprenticeships Award 2020. And it’s great news that Civil Engineering undergraduate, Dionne Alder, has been ‘highly commended’ in the same category. “For LSBU, one of our apprentices winning this award is further proof that the University excels at setting up graduates for successful future careers.” The BAME Apprenticeship Awards 2020 were presented at a virtual ceremony on Wednesday 11 November.
What can a family do when their home roof starts making scary noises? Which noises are a concern and which ones are just a normal part of roofing? There are 4 types of roof noises that can happen for different reasons. Some noises happen in new homes and others are part of a home aging. If the noises are causing the family concern, call a roofing contractor to inspect the roof and find the causes of the roof noises. Finding Out What Those Noises Are and If Something Needs to Be Done About Them How is a homeowner supposed to know what is causing strange noises on their roof? The best way to solve the mystery of roof noises is to contact someone such as https://eriemetalroofs.com/ or another local roofing contractor for a roof inspection. Keep track of where you hear the noises and when you hear them. Keeping a roof noise journal for a while before getting a roof inspection can be very helpful to the roofing expert inspecting the roof. The local roofing expert can tell the homeowner what the noise is caused by, how serious it is, and if repairs are needed to get rid of the noise. Some noises are an irritation, but not serious and require no repairs. These noises might have to be lived with as part of the house. 4 Types of Roof Noises and Their Causes There are 4 basic types of noises the roof can make. 1. In a new home roof or a recently replaced roof, new wood materials might have some residual moisture that dries out with time and makes cracking noises. This problem will solve itself in many cases but it is best to have a qualified roofing contractor check it out to make sure there are no repairs required. Metal roofing if improperly installed can make noises. 2. If the house has an HVAC unit such as a swamp cooler on the roof or if ductwork runs through the house’s attic, noises can occur with changing temperatures or moisture levels around the system. Dirty ductwork can also cause noises. A malfunctioning HVAC unit can even dump water on the roof causing damage to the roof and attic or a mold problem. Fans, chimney caps, and other roof-mounted equipment can be loose or improperly installed causing noises. Skylights can cause or transmit noise. 3. The outside temperature can cause the roof to make noises if it changes too quickly which causes the roofing materials to expand and contract. The expanding and contracting can cause the roof to make noises such as banging. In this situation, a roofing specialist can check the roof to make sure it has not sustained damage from extreme temperature changes. Metal roofs and other roofing materials can be affected by these temperature changes. The wind can cause roofing to make howling noises when it blows from certain directions. 4. The environment and leaks in the roof can cause noise such as dripping or plopping noises. Roof leaks can be caused by storm damage, tree branches, roof materials breaking down with age, wind damage, or missing roof tiles. There can be noise from a tree branch rubbing against the roof doing damage even before it causes the roof to leak. Trees overhanging roofs can drop small branches, leaves, and acorns on roofs causing noises. Trees can also host animals that go from the tree to the roof making scampering noises. It Is Important To find the Cause of Roof Noises It is important to find out the cause of roof noise so that it can be avoided or if there is roof damage, it can be repaired. Regular roof inspections after bad storms, or when new noises develop can help roofs to last longer and make less noise.
As a Toronto homeowner, you have a lot of responsibilities. One of them is your sewer line. Your sewage system is made up of a lot of pipes buried underground…where you can’t see them. When this network of pipes is working well, it’s easy to take your sewage system for granted. You won’t be taking things for granted, however, if you experience common sewer problems like drains running agonizingly slow or toilets gurgling after they’re flushed. Whenever you encounter such problems, you need to book a drain line inspection in Toronto. Read on to find out more about what sewer video inspections are, when such inspections are necessary, why it’s actually cheaper to hire professional plumbers than it is to do the job yourself, and the expected results of a video inspection. What is a Sewer Line Inspection? A sewer line inspection is exactly what the term implies…an inspection of the inside of your sewage system. Professional plumbers use a special camera that is a waterproof device attached to a durable, yet flexible, cable. The camera is pushed through the pipe so that the plumber operating it can check out the condition of the pipes. After the sewer line inspection is done, the plumber will explain what was found, recommend a fix if there are any issues, any issues, and help you decide what option to take. When is it Necessary? There are at least 2 scenarios when a drain line inspection in Toronto is necessary. One involves buying or selling a home and the other involves drainage issues: Home Purchase or Sale: Are you in the market for a new home? Do you plan to put your home on the market sooner rather than later? It’s a good idea to retain the services of a professional plumbing company to perform a sewer camera inspection in either case. In fact, it might be mandatory. Getting this inspection will let you know whether or not the sewer piping is, firstly, in good working order and, secondly, up to code. You can well imagine how expensive things can be if undiagnosed problems are left to get worse over time. This is especially true if you’re dealing with an older home – one that is at least 25 years old. The materials used to make pipes back then aren’t as durable as the materials they use today. Drainage Problems: Another reason to call in a professional plumber to conduct a camera inspection is if you experience and sewer problems such as the following: Foul smell coming from the drains in your home Toilets will not flush Toilet gurgles after it’s been flushed Water takes a really long time to go down the drain If you encounter any of these issues, it’s worth contacting a professional plumber to check it out. Why is it More Cost-Effective to Hire a Company Versus DIY? While there are lots of projects that a capable DIY type can take on and successfully complete, a drain line video inspection simply isn’t one of them. This job requires specialized equipment, a knowledge of how to properly access the drain system, the skill to perform the procedure, and the ability to both interpret the findings and to recommend the right solution. When you consider that a full inspection will typically cost between $300 and $500, you can appreciate that the cost is quite reasonable for what the job entails. If you do it yourself, you will have to track down the proper equipment. That will be a tall order. Even if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a sewer camera, you would also need to know how to do it properly and how to fix any problems. There’s also the potential for costly errors. So you can appreciate the importance of hiring pros. Sewer Video Inspection: Expected Results The main benefit of getting a drain line video inspection in Toronto is that the plumbing professional doing the work will be able to quickly and accurately find any problems inside your pipes. And the sooner problems are discovered, the sooner something can be done to remedy them. If issues are left untended for too long, they will lead to greater issues that might end up costing far more than routine maintenance like an inspection. You can avoid headaches and stress by calling in a professional plumbing company to do a drain line video inspection.
