The industry’s first ‘Transparent Bucket’ system launched by Doosan Infracore Europe, has won another major award in Europe. The latest honour is the ‘Coup de Coeur’ – Jury’s favourite – Award from the Jury of the 4th edition of the Grands Prix Matériels Chantiers de France and DLR, which took
The rapid growth in demand for logistics property since the start of the pandemic, largely due to the sharp rise in e-commerce activity, is attracting inward investment to Croydon. New warehouses have been let at Prologis Park Beddington Lane, which completed last summer, with all other units already under offer.
A new online tool to help the rail industry measure the social value of its investments, infrastructure projects and day-to-day operations has been launched today. The Rail Social Value Tool (RSVT), co-funded by Network Rail, is provided by the Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB) and Loop (formerly Social Profit Calculator).
Cube Homes’ Holcombe View in Whitefield was named as Boutique Housing Development of the Year at Insider’s North West Residential Property Awards at Manchester Central. The development, of 14 large family homes, beat competition from across the region to win the prestigious title at the event which was compered by
Devon County Council and Norse Group are to launch a new joint venture. South West Norse will bring together Devon Norse’s facilities management, cleaning and catering operations with NPS South West’s multidisciplinary property consultancy services. The existing joint ventures between the Norse Group and Devon County Council have separately secured
Leading national contractor, Novus Property Solutions, has promoted long-serving former senior operations manager Ray Fielder to Head of Operations for its Southern region – making him responsible for the company’s largest geographic area, stretching from Cornwall to Norfolk. Ray Fielder embodies Novus’ ethos of recognising and rewarding talented people at
BDP picked up the top prize in the Higher Education and Campus category for its University of Strathclyde Learning and Teaching Project in this year’s AJ Retrofit Awards. The awards celebrate the design expertise behind the vital renewal and repurposing of existing buildings, slashing the industry’s carbon footprint in the
Choosing the right construction management software is one of the biggest challenges for construction managers. This is made even harder by the fact that they have to come up with a list of features that they need in their software. Technological advancement has not made this any easier. We have
The industry’s first ‘Transparent Bucket’ system launched by Doosan Infracore Europe, has won another major award in Europe. The latest honour is the ‘Coup de Coeur’ – Jury’s favourite – Award from the Jury of the 4th edition of the Grands Prix Matériels Chantiers de France and DLR, which took place in Nantes, France, on Friday, 1st April 2022, during the recent national DLR 2022 Congress. The Transparent Bucket is the first safety system of its type for wheel loaders. Due to the blind spots caused by buckets, the area in front of wheel loaders is considered a potential risk area. The new Transparent Bucket device records images at the front of the loader using cameras placed at the top and bottom of the machine. Using a curved projection method, the system displays combined images in real time on a monitor installed in the cab. With this monitor, the driver can check at any time on the screen what is happening in the blind spots in front of the bucket and thus avoid accidents. Another advantage of the Transparent Bucket system is the increased working efficiency that a full view of the front of the machine offers, which is ideal for fast loading/unloading operations or for transporting materials such as earth, sand, aggregates and in waste/recycling operations. After receiving the new award on behalf of Doosan, Gilles Bendaoud, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Doosan Infracore Europe, explained: “As safety standards for machines and job sites continue to tighten around the world, sophisticated safety systems have become a key factor in the selection of a machine. We plan to continue to develop safety systems that protect both operators and personnel working around the machines. We look forward to being at the forefront of promoting safer and accident-free work sites.” Patents filed in Korea, North America, Europe and China Doosan Infracore is the first company in the world to develop and apply a front loading function with a transparent bucket and a full vision system for construction machines. This innovation is protected by several patents in Korea, North America, Europe and China. Doosan has also developed other advanced safety systems for the machine lines in its portfolio, such as the All-round Vision Monitor (AVM) system, which displays the entire area surrounding the machine, and an obstacle detection system behind the machine using ultrasonic sensors. Both of these systems have already met with great success with customers. Grands Prix Matériels Created in 1965, the DLR is a leading French organization that brings together and federates companies in the sectors of distribution, rental, maintenance and services for equipment intended for construction and handling. Chantiers de France is one of the leading publications serving all aspects of the construction industry in France. DLR and Chantiers de France have been awarding the Grands Prix Matériels awards every year for the past four years. These awards distinguish remarkable innovations in the field of construction equipment in six different categories: Light range, Heavy range, Small equipment and site tools, Services, Jury’s favorite and Personality of the year. Picture caption – Gilles Bendaoud (centre), Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Doosan Infracore Europe, receiving the Jury’s Favourite Award for the Transparent Bucket at the DLR 2022 Congress. For more on Doosan construction equipment, please visit the website: www.eu.doosanequipment.com
The rapid growth in demand for logistics property since the start of the pandemic, largely due to the sharp rise in e-commerce activity, is attracting inward investment to Croydon. New warehouses have been let at Prologis Park Beddington Lane, which completed last summer, with all other units already under offer. Prologis UK began work on the redevelopment of the site at Beddington Lane, Croydon, in March 2018, after acquiring the former Thames Water sewage works. Comprising six purpose-built units, each with a BREEAM standard of Excellent and a high EPC rating, the development offers over 220,000 sq. ft. of warehouse and office space and was completed last summer. One of the buildings are already let – one to Easy Shipping, a leading storage and removals business, and the other to Oddbox, a purveyor of fruit and vegetable boxes that are delivered to people’s homes. Two further units, spanning 146,000 sq. ft. are currently under offer. The development is in a prime location, close to the A23, Purley Way, which is a priority red route into Central London. It also has great access to the M25 south-west quadrant, which is densely-populated by homes and businesses. There are also good public transport links nearby, and Beddington Lane Tram Stop a five-minute walk away. With more businesses choosing to locate in Croydon, Prologis UK is aiming to set a new standard for logistics property in the Borough by creating buildings that are net zero carbon in terms of both their construction and operation. The new buildings at Beddington Lane are fitted with photovoltaic panels so they can harness sunlight and provide a source of electricity to the occupier. Daylight has also been optimised during the design and construction of each building and LED lighting with automatic daylight and movement controls is installed as standard. Prologis UK is committed to adding value to the environment and local community too. With plans to promote biodiversity at the site, staff at the property company are also active participants in the local community, with representation on the Croydon Place Renew Panel, run by Croydon Borough Council. Gillian Scarth, Director of Capital Leasing & Deployment at Prologis UK, said: “Prologis has been present in Croydon for many years and we let one of the UK’s biggest warehouses to a leading online retailer at a site close to Prologis Park Beddington just last year. “This latest development of prime logistics property is designed to cater for businesses of all sizes – with warehouse and office space ranging from 15,000 sq. ft. to more than 100,000 sq. ft. With a building already let and others under offer, it is clear that demand in the area is very strong indeed and this is an economic opportunity for the local area. “We believe that repurposing sites in areas such as Croydon is critical to consumers and businesses across the South East, to help maintain the flow of goods.”
A new online tool to help the rail industry measure the social value of its investments, infrastructure projects and day-to-day operations has been launched today. The Rail Social Value Tool (RSVT), co-funded by Network Rail, is provided by the Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB) and Loop (formerly Social Profit Calculator). The RSVT allows the rail industry to forecast, monitor and evaluate the social value of its activities. This is about measuring the impact on the welfare and wellbeing of both individuals and wider society, the net positive (or negative) social, economic and fiscal value that a project, organisation or specific initiative generates. With 500 indicators, organised across 12 social impacts, the RSVT can measure and monetise a wide range of benefits. These include: Improving safety Jobs created, apprentices employed and training provided Change to air quality Increasing biodiversity, by protecting and boosting plant and animal life, and planting trees Curriculum enrichment support for young people Design features that make rail travel more accessible and inclusive Employee and community volunteering Co-designing infrastructure and services with communities The RSVT has undergone extensive testing since November 2021 by early adopters, including Network Rail and companies in its supply chain. Liz Holford, Network Rail’s Sustainability Strategy manager (Social Performance) said: “The launch of the Rail Social Value Tool is an important milestone which enables our industry to make a step-change in how we understand and manage our impacts on people. “We’re already using the tool to forecast and maximise the social value of station redevelopments and infrastructure enhancements as well as current projects and some completed ones, and we’re looking forward to using it further to manage and improve the impact our railway has on society.” George Davies, RSSB’s Director for Sustainable Development said: “It’s fantastic to see the Rail Social Value Tool launched today. It’s a first for the rail industry, and I would like to thank everyone involved in its development. “Rail is one of the most sustainable forms of transport. However, until now, we haven’t been able to measure its social value in sufficient detail. “We can now assess, and importantly place a financial value on the effect the railway has in a number of areas including the natural environment, communities, people and their health, cultural heritage, housing, inclusivity, and distribution of opportunities. “As we transform the Railway and deliver the vision of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Rail Social Value Tool will guide decisions on rail development across the country to ensure the best return on those investments for society.” Gerard Toplass, Group Chief Executive, Loop said: “We are proud to have worked with RSSB and the wider rail sector to help them deliver the Rail Social Value Tool. Together we have developed 449 measures (KPIs) across 12 social value impact areas that cover people, sustainability and economic activity. “It is a first for the industry, and our software team worked in true collaboration with RSSB to develop a simple and accessible tool that can be used throughout the supply-chain and is aligned to the sector’s needs and objectives.Over the next 5 years we look forward to further developing the tool and helping the rail sector continue to deliver measured social value.”
Cube Homes’ Holcombe View in Whitefield was named as Boutique Housing Development of the Year at Insider’s North West Residential Property Awards at Manchester Central. The development, of 14 large family homes, beat competition from across the region to win the prestigious title at the event which was compered by television’s Matt Baker and attended by 860 people from the built environment industry in region Judges said that Holcombe View provided ‘a great fit with its surroundings’ and that the ‘characterful development is something a little different.” Nestled within semi-rural surroundings, the four and five bedroom properties feature large windows and vaulted ceilings and were positioned to take advantage of the breath-taking views of Holcombe Hill. Christopher Heath, Managing Director of Manchester-based Cube Homes, said: “It’s a real honour to win this award especially as the competition was really tough – all of the finalists in this category were amazing. “We are so proud of Holcombe View, it was one of our fastest selling developments – we sold 10 of the properties within the first 10 days of release! Many people still think of new build developments as rows of cookie cutter houses but we always try to offer genuinely different homes which have the proportions and individuality of traditional properties but with the added benefit of energy efficient heating and the latest contemporary kitchens and bathrooms. “We are passionate about the locations we chose to build in and always try to choose inspiring places, with lots of access to green space and fantastic local amenities.” Cube Homes is the private sector arm of the Great Places Housing Group, which provides affordable social housing across the region. With its profit-for-purpose ethos, all profits generated by Cube Homes is reinvested to help projects across Great Places’ communities.
Devon County Council and Norse Group are to launch a new joint venture. South West Norse will bring together Devon Norse’s facilities management, cleaning and catering operations with NPS South West’s multidisciplinary property consultancy services. The existing joint ventures between the Norse Group and Devon County Council have separately secured a number of exciting contracts, which will continue under the new combined joint venture Working together from 1 May 2022 will allow expertise across both joint ventures to be combined and services to be extended, said Matt Wilby, newly appointed Operations Director for South West Norse. “South West Norse will not only provide greater efficiencies but will also allow us to work closer together as a team and develop new commercial opportunities,” he said. The Norse Group works with clients across a range of sectors and is known for its innovative joint venture partnerships with other local authorities. Its new partnership with Devon County Council will run to at least 2027 and will play a vital role in helping the county council to meet its future strategic priorities, including its pandemic recovery plans. Councillor John Hart, Devon County Council’s Leader and Cabinet Member responsible for property, said: “Devon County Council is pleased to announce the creation of South West Norse based on the strong foundations of the successful partnership it has built with Norse over the last 15 years. The combined joint venture offers the opportunity to innovate and change the way services are delivered, to be more efficient by integrating Property and FM services and support and work closely with the Council.”
Leading national contractor, Novus Property Solutions, has promoted long-serving former senior operations manager Ray Fielder to Head of Operations for its Southern region – making him responsible for the company’s largest geographic area, stretching from Cornwall to Norfolk. Ray Fielder embodies Novus’ ethos of recognising and rewarding talented people at every level: he began working with Novus as a joiner 16 years ago, and having excelled at a number of site and contract roles, he progressed through the ranks to join the company’s senior team. Most recently, he achieved great success when managing Novus’ Southampton operation, priming him for this latest step up. Speaking of Ray’s promotion, Executive Director Lee Hartley said “We have always had a strong ‘grow our own talent’ ethos at Novus, and seeing Ray progress through the company is absolute proof of this. From the moment our colleagues join us, we continually strive to develop and maximise their personal and professional potential to allow them to progress. One of our key values as a business is to nurture, and this applies to both our people and our relationships with clients and suppliers. Year after year, Ray has excelled in each of his roles and it gives me incredible satisfaction to see him reach this highpoint in his career. I have every confidence that Ray will continue to excel and drive our growth throughout the region.” In line with the wider business, Ray’s immediate focus is on rolling out the company’s recently-launched Sustain service to new and existing clients from across the south of England, as well as expanding the reach of the Assure service in recognition of the need for improved passive fire protection across public sector buildings and housing associations. Ray will also oversee the full roll-out of Novus’ innovative Oneserve system, a cloud-based application which offers Novus’ clients and their residents or customers full transparency on any given project, providing real-time updates and acting as an information hub for both contractor and client. Commenting on his appointment and ambition for the region, Ray said: “This is an exciting time for Novus, with new services and technological leaps forward, and I’m proud to be stepping up to a more senior role in this crucial period. Having worked with Novus on both site and office-based positions for 16 years, I feel I know the company very well and it is impressive to see the business taking such ambitious strides whilst managing to retain its family feel – that’s what makes Novus special. I’m looking forward to supporting the new services as they take root in the Southern region and building valuable partnerships with our new and existing customers.” The Southern region will also continue to support Novus’ social value initiatives, which have so far included a mobile foodbank created in partnership with Guinness Homes and designed to serve hard-to-reach rural communities in the South West, which was spearheaded by senior operations manager Mark Noad with Ray’s full support. Ray has also encouraged customer liaison officers (CLOs) across the region to come up with creative ways to keep in touch with residents and build good relations – such as a recent Easter egg donation which saw six CLOs drop off chocolate eggs for local charities.
BDP picked up the top prize in the Higher Education and Campus category for its University of Strathclyde Learning and Teaching Project in this year’s AJ Retrofit Awards. The awards celebrate the design expertise behind the vital renewal and repurposing of existing buildings, slashing the industry’s carbon footprint in the process. The 20,000sqm Learning and Teaching Building at the heart of the University of Strathclyde’s Campus in Glasgow comprises the refurbishment and adaptive re-use of two existing buildings, the Colville Building and the B-listed Architecture Building and creates a new student hub overlooking the University’s Rottenrow Gardens. The reuse of the existing structure and careful adaption of the existing buildings provides a significant reduction in embodied carbon compared to a full new build. “There was a clear opportunity to re-use and adapt these existing buildings to improve the quality of the University’s campus and enhance the overall student experience. The decision to transform the existing buildings rather than a new-build project also has substantial sustainable benefits. Our Sustainability Team compared the embodied carbon of the adaptive re-use of the existing building structure to a notional new build equivalent and demonstrated that the project saved around 67% of CO2e,” said Martin Jarvie, Architect Associate, BDP. Existing buildings comprise a large proportion of the UK’s building stock therefore retrofit or refurbishment plays a critical role in meeting climate targets. Along with environmental benefits, the commercial and social returns on reusing existing buildings are self-evident. BDP is an international interdisciplinary practice of architects, engineers, designers, and urbanists. We work closely with users, clients, and the community to create special places for living, working, shopping, culture and learning across the world. Founded in 1961, we now have studios across the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, UAE, India, China, Singapore, and Canada. BDP has a leading track record in all major sectors including health, education, workplace, retail, urbanism, heritage, housing, transport, and leisure and has won over 1000 awards for design quality. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Choosing the right construction management software is one of the biggest challenges for construction managers. This is made even harder by the fact that they have to come up with a list of features that they need in their software. Technological advancement has not made this any easier. We have multiple new technologies every time coming into the construction industry, meaning the selection process is more difficult. What should you look at when choosing a construction management software? Even though the cost is one of the main factors, there are other things to look at before deciding on the best software to use. They include; Your Specific Needs It is challenging to find a solution that fits the needs of every construction manager. You, therefore, need to look at your specific needs and choose a construction management software that addresses those needs. However, as seen on Archdesk’s construction management software, there are three categories that a good construction management software should have. These include issue tracking, project portfolio, and construction estimation management. Issue tracking helps in the monitoring, management, and elimination of bugs and issues. Project portfolio features help in the reduction of performance risks through cost tracking while construction estimation integrates various features with the finance department. Evaluate Features After looking at your specific needs, you will be able to identify the features that you need in your construction management software. You do not need management software that comes with multiple features yet you use just a couple of them. To evaluate the features that you need effectively, look at the current software that you have – if you have any. Identify the features that you would add if given a chance. These are the features you need in your software. In addition, determine the number of people who would use these features. You do not want to pay exorbitant fees for a feature that will only be used by a few or even one person. Ensure that you choose the right features to streamline your construction projects. Integration and Deployment How would you feel when using a software application with a poor user interface? Chances are that you would look for another application that does the same job. Similarly, the right construction management software should come with a good user interface. This makes things easy for project managers and any other team members using the management software. You also need to look at any other applications that you want to integrate with the management software. You should enjoy the benefits of enterprise application integration with the right construction management software. The deployment process should also be easy, and every construction manager should be able to do everything with little or no help at all. Scalability Most construction projects start with a plan. The project owner knows what the final product will look like and understands everything that will be needed along the way. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, a construction project takes a different route or rather goes out of plan. You might be required to add more features to the project to accommodate the changing needs of the project owner. When that happens, you need construction management software that can adapt to the changing requirements. This means that the software you choose should be scalable enough to accommodate any changes. Security and Safety As technology advances, so do the techniques used by cybercriminals. They are adopting new techniques to beat every new security feature. Even though their success rate is low, most businesses have been affected. The construction industry is targeted by online criminals, and your construction management software stores a lot of information. This might include the project details, financial information, and team members’ personal information. All this needs to be protected. When choosing a construction management software, make sure that you choose one that values data protection and implements modern security techniques. In addition, make sure that your data is encrypted at all times. In conclusion, the success of your construction project depends on the tools and the skills of your team members. One of the most important tools is the construction management software that you use. Follow the tips discussed above to ensure that you choose the right one.
