Panattoni, the largest industrial real estate developer in Europe, today announced it has begun speculatively developing a 575,000 sq ft logistics park at junction 28 of the M1 in the East Midlands. Panattoni Park J28 Central M1 will comprise two units of 345,000 sq ft and 230,000 sq ft, which
HS2 Station Construction Partner, MD JV are beginning a multi-year programme of procurement Hundreds of further supply chain opportunities will be available through the packages being tendered HS2 Minister, Andrew Stephenson: “HS2 has never just been about boosting transport – it’s also about driving business, creating long-lasting jobs and Building
The Chartered Institute of Building has responded to Friday figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Hew Edgar, Associate Director of Policy at CIOB, said: “We are pleased to see such positive figures for December, closing off a record year in output growth. However, new work cannot sustain growth
Dominick Sandford, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect, said: “Last year saw yet more turbulence for UK construction, but the latest figures show that the industry ended 2021 on a real high. “The value of new orders rose by 9.2% between Q3 and Q4 to an impressive £13.3bn, which is the highest figure
James Latham, distributor of timber, panels and decorative surfaces (stand D55), today unveils its Futurebuild (March 1-3, Excel) activity which will showcase a suite of timber-based, sustainable construction and interiors options. James Latham’s stand will be subject to a “take-over” from Kiss House, the innovative homes company, and Passivhaus offsite-manufacturer.
This National Apprenticeship Week, a leading UK authority on asbestos training is urging employers to ensure asbestos awareness training is provided to all apprentices, to reduce the number of tradespeople contracting fatal asbestos related diseases. Research has shown that younger people, if routinely exposed to asbestos fibres over time, are
The Government must increase the scope of green subsidy schemes for UK homes to successfully transition from gas-based heating and address skyrocketing energy costs, according to polymer pipework specialist REHAU. REHAU’s comments follow recent criticism from the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) select committee that the Government’s plans to
Celsa Group, one of the largest steel producers in Europe, is the first manufacturer to attain certification for UK production facilities under the British Board of Agrément’s new UKAS-accredited Reinforcing Steel Scheme. The BBA revealed details of the scheme – designed to offer a straightforward and robust route to demonstrating
Vonder, the global living and lifestyle brand, has opened its first UK location outside London, with the launch of Vonder Riverside in Leeds. The new site increases Vonder’s total number of operational and contracted units in the UK to over 2,500, with several thousands more globally. The brand’s regional debut
Panattoni, the largest industrial real estate developer in Europe, today announced it has begun speculatively developing a 575,000 sq ft logistics park at junction 28 of the M1 in the East Midlands. Panattoni Park J28 Central M1 will comprise two units of 345,000 sq ft and 230,000 sq ft, which are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year and will be built to a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’ and an EPC rating of ‘A’. The 345,000 sq ft facility will benefit from 15m clear internal height, 32 dock doors, 4 level access, 291 car parking spaces, including electric charging points for cars and vans and 49 HGV spaces. The 230,000 sq ft facility will benefit from 15m clear internal height, 22 dock doors, 3 level access, 260 car parking spaces and 41 HGV spaces. Buckingham Group Contracting has been appointed main contractor on site. Junction 28 of the M1 is an important logistics location in the East Midlands, as it is almost equidistant between Birmingham and Manchester, the UK’s second and third largest cities, and offers the ability to easily serve from the Midlands to Yorkshire. The park lies to the east of the junction, fronting the A38, which links it directly to Birmingham via Derby. The M1 link puts both Sheffield and Nottingham within easy reach. Andy Preston, Development Director at Panattoni, said: “This is a key logistics location in the UK, as 71% of the UK can be reached within a 4.5-hour HGV journey. The park can serve as a centre for same day e-fulfilment operations or as a national and regional distribution hub. “We are excited to be bringing forward Grade-A buildings in a supply-starved market and we are already having conversations with potential occupiers, struggling to find suitable existing buildings”. Panattoni Park J28 Central M1 is part of Panattoni’s commitment to a significant speculative development programme in the UK in response to strong demand from occupiers for immediately available space. Letting agents are FHP and CBRE.
HS2 Station Construction Partner, MD JV are beginning a multi-year programme of procurement Hundreds of further supply chain opportunities will be available through the packages being tendered HS2 Minister, Andrew Stephenson: “HS2 has never just been about boosting transport – it’s also about driving business, creating long-lasting jobs and Building Back Better HS2’s Station Construction Partner for Euston station, a joint venture between Mace and Dragados (MD JV), is ramping up procurement this month, as it starts to offer packages worth over £500 million to help deliver HS2’s brand-new station at Euston. This represents the start of a multi-year programme of procurement to support development and delivery of the HS2 scheme. The contracts include the procurement for the construction of the main substructure at the station, which will involve packages for pilling, earthworks and reinforced concrete. In addition, MD JV is also looking to secure a subcontractor to deliver the main systems and mechanical and electrical and plumbing (MEP) packages for the station. These Tier 2 contract packages will result in many other contracts flowing through the supply chain, giving opportunities to businesses large and small to participate in delivering HS2. This just one of the areas in which the HS2 project will be providing long-term work for businesses, providing stability and opportunities for growth. HS2 Minister, Andrew Stephenson said: “HS2 has never just been about boosting transport – it’s also about driving business, creating long-lasting jobs and Building Back Better from the pandemic. “This major investment shows we’re delivering on our promises to improve transport across the nation while providing opportunities for business and boosting the economy.” Andy Swift, HS2 Project Client for Euston, said: “Our work to deliver HS2’s London terminus station at Euston will really ramp up over the next few years. We have been preparing the area for the construction of the new station, which will transform the Euston area, including delivering improved connections with the London Underground. “We encourage businesses big and small to bid for these packages, and we are proud of the role that HS2 is playing in helping boost the UK economy after covid.” MD JV took over the HS2 station site in 2020 and has already completed pilling for the west wall of the station. Hundreds of jobs have already been supported on the project, and it is projected that these new contracts will support the 3,000 jobs that will be filled at peak to construct HS2’s Euston station. Paul Leighton, Deputy Delivery Director, Mace Dragados JV, said: “Given the scale of the task at Euston, we’re in no doubt as to how important our supply chain is to our success. We’re looking for our suppliers to not only provide us with skilled team members that will help us grow in size and capability, but to bring ideas and innovations that will help us set standards in the industry. We’re excited to see the wider impacts of our procurement activities too, with opportunities for suppliers across the country helping to feed into the national levelling-up agenda.” Mace Dragados will publish the majority of the opportunities for Euston Station on its dedicated CompeteFor website https://www.competefor.com/macedragados
The Chartered Institute of Building has responded to Friday figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Hew Edgar, Associate Director of Policy at CIOB, said: “We are pleased to see such positive figures for December, closing off a record year in output growth. However, new work cannot sustain growth alone, many parts of the industry have still not returned to pre-pandemic levels due to several underlying issues holding the construction industry back, such as cost of materials, labour shortages and ability to transport goods to and from sites to name a few. It is clear that intervention is needed at a government level to provide industry with the support it needs, and reassurance that they explore all avenues that could ease the pressure caused by factory closures, encourage new talent to enter the construction industry, and providing the industry with a steady pipeline of work through investment of public new work which contributed very little to this month’s output.” The figures released on Friday (11 February 2022) showed a slight uptick of 2 per cent in December 2021 compared to the previous month, with infrastructure work continuing to prove a reliable source of growth in December as has been the case for the past three years. Both infrastructure and private new housing were the only new work sectors where the level of output in December was above their Covid-19 February 2020 levels. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the increase in private new housing is because of businesses pushing work to finish before the end of the year and easing of certain construction products will likely have helped. For public work, new housing has seen a small increase in December of 7 per cent which offsets the decline in new work starting in other public areas which dropped by 7 per cent compared to November. Looking back on the year-on-year change in construction output, we see that the total construction output for 2021 has increased by almost 13 per cent compared to the previous year. This is the largest increase since annual records began, indicating that construction has continued to bounce back from the pandemic. However, many sectors have not yet returned to the levels of output pre-pandemic in February 2020 and so although output has increased by a large amount, it still isn’t at ‘normal’ levels. New work is a good temperature check on how the construction industry is currently performing. New orders for commercial work have increased by 14 per cent in Q4 of 2021 in the wake of continued laxing in Covid-19 restrictions boosting optimism from construction investment firms. However, there is a real risk to the completion of projects as the costs of materials continue to rise with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) releasing data showing that costs rose by almost 23 per cent into late 2021. Alongside this, the shortages of skilled workers continues to worsen as the ONS recently reported that construction vacancies rose by 43 per cent from Q2 to Q3 2021 and we have recently seen the London Mayor, call for a temporary visa scheme for builders to tackle the shortage of workers. In October 2021, the ONS released data on the productivity in the construction industry which saw a trend of businesses moving away from purchasing materials and more towards purchasing services to minimise the impact we are seeing on the rise of costs for both people and goods. This trend is expected to continue if there is no intervention.
Dominick Sandford, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect, said: “Last year saw yet more turbulence for UK construction, but the latest figures show that the industry ended 2021 on a real high. “The value of new orders rose by 9.2% between Q3 and Q4 to an impressive £13.3bn, which is the highest figure in over four years, since Q3 in 2017. “It also represents a 35% increase year-on-year, up from £9.9bn in Q4 2020, showing a real surge in momentum. “The infrastructure sector drove the largest rise in new orders; at the end of 2021, the value of new orders rose by 23% from £1.7bn to £2.1bn. “The private industrial sector also performed well and reported the second most significant increase (22% – up to £1.9bn). “They still have some way to go to catch the highest value sector though, with private commercial construction rising 14% to remain in the lead (£3.8bn). “Not all sectors saw growth, however, with housing in particular having a slow end to the year. The value of new public housing projects dropped by 19%, from £426m down to £345m, and private housing was also down (-0.4%, down to £3.7bn). “As well as variation between sectors, the figures also contrast dramatically across the UK. By far the largest increase was seen in the North East of England, where the value of new orders trebled (200%) from £575m to £1.7bn. “In London, the value fell by 15%, but at £3.8bn, the capital remains top of the list for regions. “Overall, the new data shows that UK construction is in a really positive place. With expensive new orders being placed all over the country, it’s a clear display of confidence in the industry. “Hopefully this trend will continue into 2022.” For more information on IronmongeryDirect, visit: https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/ For more information on ElectricalDirect, visit: https://www.electricaldirect.co.uk/
James Latham, distributor of timber, panels and decorative surfaces (stand D55), today unveils its Futurebuild (March 1-3, Excel) activity which will showcase a suite of timber-based, sustainable construction and interiors options. James Latham’s stand will be subject to a “take-over” from Kiss House, the innovative homes company, and Passivhaus offsite-manufacturer. Central to the experience will be two 3 x 3 x 3 m sections from the Kiss House residential construction system which visitors can explore in their own time, and that will double as a seminar space. Bespoke tours will be available of this innovative and sustainable building system which has the potential to improve the quality and performance of residential housing. Experts will be on hand to outline the latest sustainable developments in timber and surfacing. The panel of specialists will include manufacturers Accsys Technologies and WISA along with Kiss House designers. In addition, the James Latham team will be on hand to showcase its innovative carbon impact calculator. Both carbon footprint and biogenic carbon content are now shown on key James Latham documentation such as quotations, delivery notes and invoices, meaning users can fully understand the carbon impact of the products they choose. The distributor will also be celebrating some of the most exciting, sustainable surfacing and timber options on the market, including: Accoya – a FSC modified timber, developed by Accsys Technologies, with properties that match those of the best tropical hardwoods Finish Line Cladding Collection – a Latham’s exclusive with 12 unique colour options including the highly contemporary Slate Grey, Apricot and Charcoal finishes WISA Birch Premium Plywood – made from Finnish Birch this offers a beautiful light look with good strength properties, it’s a good base for lacquering, varnishing and staining Garnica Ultralight Poplar Plywood – an ultralight sandwich panel with XPS core, made from 100% European poplar from sustainable plantations. Its light-coloured faces and premium quality internal sheets make it ideal for painting and laminating/film coating. Garnica Duraply Poplar Plywood Panels – these offer exceptional durability due to an innovative ply-to-ply treatment which delivers fungi and insect resistance even under the most adverse weather conditions. The panel’s core and faces are made from sustainable European poplar. This is a Marine Plywood alternative with a great environmental story Valchromat MDF panels – engineered coloured wood, a wood fibre panel which is coloured throughout and offers high physical performance. The fibres are individually impregnated with organic dyes and chemically bonded by specifically developed resins. Commenting on James Latham’s Futurebuild experience, Stuart Devoil, Group Head of Marketing, says “The climate crisis is the biggest challenge facing us, and so we’re using Futurebuild to focus on three key things. Firstly, sustainable innovation, with Kiss House bringing to life just what is possible to achieve on the low carbon front using timber to create wonderful homes. Secondly, we’re celebrating the very real materials innovation that is afoot within timber and surfacing. Lastly, to build more sustainably, data is absolutely fundamental and so we’re using Futurebuild as a way to introduce our carbon calculator to visitors.” He added, “We wanted to collaborate with Kiss House as its broadly wood-based solution uses several grades of timber to produce high-quality, very-low embodied carbon homes. This perfectly illustrates how important timber will be in ensuring a sustainable built-environment, along with how this most traditional of materials is increasingly being used as a lynchpin element to very real innovation.” You can find James Latham at stand D55. The distributor is also part of the Futurebuild Innovation trail which consists of 14 specially selected, future-focused exhibitors.
This National Apprenticeship Week, a leading UK authority on asbestos training is urging employers to ensure asbestos awareness training is provided to all apprentices, to reduce the number of tradespeople contracting fatal asbestos related diseases. Research has shown that younger people, if routinely exposed to asbestos fibres over time, are at greater risk of developing deadly asbestos related diseases than older workers. Providing apprentices with key information about asbestos at an early stage will enable them to challenge poor work practices and protect themselves. Craig Evans, Chief Operating Officer of the UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA), urged: “With the death toll from asbestos exposure over 5000 per year, UKATA is calling on all employers of apprentices working in trades, to ensure asbestos awareness training is conducted as soon as possible.” Apprentice electricians, plumbers, carpenters, joiners, heating and ventilation engineers, painters and decorators are just some of the 1.3 million tradespeople that are at risk from exposure to the killer building material. And the facts are startling: Asbestos kills around 20 tradespeople in the UK every week, making it the single biggest cause of work-related deaths (www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/tradesperson.htm) Electricians are almost 16 times more likely than the general population to develop the killer lung disease mesothelioma in their lifetime. (Occupational, domestic and environmental mesothelioma risks in the British population: a case-control study.) Asbestos exposure kills 4 plumbers every week (Health & Safety Executive) The UK has the highest death rate from mesothelioma in the world. The risk is highest in people who were exposed to asbestos before age 30. (Institute of Cancer Research) Despite the well-publicised health risks posed by asbestos, a 2017 survey conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of 500 tradespeople showed that less than a third were aware of the correct ways to deal with and handle asbestos in the workplace. Craig explained: “It’s never too early to provide asbestos awareness training to your workforce. The statistics show that the earlier in a person’s career they receive the appropriate training, then the better protected they are against developing asbestos related cancers in later life. “A half day awareness course could prevent them from contracting a deadly disease and also ensure they don’t expose others to the dangers of asbestos.” For employers whose apprentices are yet to receive asbestos awareness training, UKATA advises that they access UKATA approved asbestos awareness training, either with a local provider or online. “Asbestos awareness training is low cost and readily available. I urge all employers to book their apprentices on these half-day courses and provide them with a safe foundation for a long and safe career within the construction industry,” added Craig. UKATA approved asbestos awareness courses are available both online and in training centres throughout the UK. Alternatively, the training provider may deliver on site. To find a UKATA approved asbestos training provider near you, visit www.ukata.org.uk or for free advice call our team on 01246 824437.
The Government must increase the scope of green subsidy schemes for UK homes to successfully transition from gas-based heating and address skyrocketing energy costs, according to polymer pipework specialist REHAU. REHAU’s comments follow recent criticism from the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) select committee that the Government’s plans to end the country’s reliance of gas were inadequate and lacked clear direction. With domestic heating constituting 17% of the UK’s carbon emissions and gas currently warming 86% of homes, the company is highlighting the need for effective, innovative technologies that can make an instant impact. “The issue of how we are going to decarbonise heating for new and existing residential building stock is not a new one,” explains Steve Richmond, Head of Marketing and Technical at REHAU Building Solutions. “Yet as the recent comments from the BEIS select committee demonstrates, there is currently an unacceptable gap between good thought and good practice. Though the Government’s Heating and Buildings Strategy lays out welcome steps, including the £450m Boiler Upgrade Scheme, this pot is too small to make a meaningful difference. “The adoption of heat pumps and district heating systems at scale is a clear and obvious solution that can be adopted in the here-and-now. But in order for these technologies to be as impactful as possible, the Government needs to expand the rollout of low-carbon and waste heat networks. Only by doing so can we fulfil the enormous potential of these transformative technologies in the UK.” Beyond expanding the scope of existing schemes, Steve is advocating for a review of energy subsidies on electricity bills, which would make heat pumps more attractive to end users currently on mains gas. Since the closure of the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, there are also very limited funding options for private commercial buildings to transition from fossil fuels to these more sustainable options. “As highlighted by the various trade associations, while the need for action is clear absolutist moves such as shifting policy costs onto gas bills could create further price spikes that could badly affect UK households,” Steve concludes. “As such, policy needs to be carefully enacted to level the playing field between gas and other solutions and ensure this necessary transition is as cost-effective as possible. “While a nuanced approach is clearly required in the medium-to-long term, the end goal is clear – a national energy mix that is sustainable and not hostage to spiralling fuel costs. District heating and heat pump technologies offer the best way forward in this regard.” For more information on REHAU’s low carbon district heating solutions, visit: www.rehau.co.uk/districtheating
Celsa Group, one of the largest steel producers in Europe, is the first manufacturer to attain certification for UK production facilities under the British Board of Agrément’s new UKAS-accredited Reinforcing Steel Scheme. The BBA revealed details of the scheme – designed to offer a straightforward and robust route to demonstrating industry compliance – in December following months of collaboration with the rebar sector and wider supply chain. The Celsa Group was one of the first producers to engage with the new initiative, going on to achieve BBA Reinforcing Steel Scheme certification for Celsa Manufacturing UK’s production facilities in Cardiff. BBA Technical Director Professor Bill Hewlettsaid: “We view the scheme as a natural progression to our renowned certification services and are excited to announce Celsa as the first recipient of this new robust and technically rigorous certification. “When we announced the scheme we were already in talks with rebar manufacturers wanting certification services so really hit the ground running, being open for business from day one. Our decades of certification experience and impartiality no doubt helped in ensuring a smooth transition for Celsa and the other clients currently going through the process.” Chris Hagg, Head of Sustainability and Strategy for CELSA Steel UK said: “We are delighted to be the first company to achieve this new UKAS-approved accreditation. The BBA has been at the forefront of certification of a broad range of construction products for well over 50 years and the addition of reinforcing steel to its portfolio is very welcome. In a post-Grenfell world of doubts being cast on the validity and authenticity of product testing, this scheme offers additional independent, third-party verified, trusted approval and brings extra value, confidence and reassurance to our customers.” The Celsa Group produces more than seven million tonnes of steel each year, with Celsa Steel UK being the largest producer of reinforcement in the UK and one of the biggest manufacturers of other steel long products, shipping around one million tonnes of finished product from its Cardiff factory annually. The Reinforcing Steel Scheme covers production at steel mills, cold rolling and processing plants, assessing manufacturing, process control and management systems to industry defined standards backed by continual benchmarking through material testing. The BBA samples products and witnesses in-house testing to determine compliance. Samples are also submitted to third party UKAS-accredited labs for confirmation on material compliance. Professor Hewlett added: “The scheme is very much client-focussed and assures the supply chain of a high quality, consistent product verified by a third party auditing process. It is straightforward yet robust, providing assurance that reinforcing steel products manufactured within its scope meet the relevant standards. It is a natural progression for us to apply our experience to the rebar market to assist in upholding industry best practice and a professional supply chain whilst working with product manufacturers to support their innovation.”
Vonder, the global living and lifestyle brand, has opened its first UK location outside London, with the launch of Vonder Riverside in Leeds. The new site increases Vonder’s total number of operational and contracted units in the UK to over 2,500, with several thousands more globally. The brand’s regional debut also heralds the launch of a new three-tier membership programme designed to give members access to a scaled range of benefits. Vonder Riverside boasts 95 new-build and modern one-to three-bedroom flats, including 14 duplex apartments, each providing the essential furniture needed to feel at home. The complex, which is located in Victoria Riverside, also includes amenities such as car parking and courtyards, with the aim to suit the needs of the large community of young professionals and renters in the city. The announcement follows the news that Leeds was rated the UK’s most vibrant city according to a study by CGA.[1] Vonder Riverside represents the first tier of Vonder’s new membership programme – termed ‘Essentials’. Each apartment in the complex includes high quality furniture such as beds, sofas, dining areas and wardrobes. More features which are offered in the ‘Essentials’ package are digital support via the Vonder App, as well as access to Vonder’s exclusive global community platform and a variety of added-value services and perks. In this tier, bills and utilities are not included in the monthly rental payment. The other two types of memberships available are Vonder Plus and Vonder All-in-One. Vonder Plus locations, such as Vonder’s Dome properties in London, offer all-inclusive bills with utilities and WiFi, alongside beautifully designed fully furnished apartments. Vonder All-in-One, the brand’s signature premium tier which is available in the newly launched Vonder Wembley, is a unique offer coined to cater for the growing demand from renters who want to live, work and socialise in the same location. ‘All-in-one living’ comprises everything from the apartment design and furnishings, on-site amenities, value-added services, inclusive bills and utilities, to a dedicated community team which is available to provide a hassle-free living experience. While each Vonder location sits in a specific tier, Vonder encourages flexibility for its members, with the option to upgrade to different levels and enjoy premium features – no matter your location. Tomer Bercoviz, CEO and Co-Founder of Vonder, commented: “Expanding across the UK is a central part of our UK growth strategy, and Leeds is the city of which we chosen to begin with, due to the significant demand from young renters. As a Vonder Essentials location, Vonder Riverside will provide our target audience with great urban accommodation suited to their needs and budget, enabling them to enjoy life in Leeds whilst managing their costs, without having to compromise on quality. “The launch of Vonder Riverside is also the perfect time to introduce our new membership programme, which is designed to provide renters with the freedom to choose the services and benefits that suit their lifestyles. The flexibility also means members can easily move locations within the Vonder ecosystem, offering them greater choice and ease as their circumstances and needs change. We believe our approach is unique and borne of our fundamental understanding of what renters want in a rapidly evolving market.” The opening of Vonder Riverside in Leeds follows the recent addition of The Dome Apartments to the Vonder portfolio, comprising over 21,000 sq ft of residential space in three locations across London, as well as Vonder Wembley, the all-in-one living concept spread across 160,000 sq ft of space. Vonder has a wide international portfolio of over 30 locations across London, Leeds, Berlin, Munich, Warsaw and Dubai, with plans to expand further in the US, continental Europe and the Middle East.
