Contractor Henry Brothers Construction has appointed experienced industry professional Peter Commins as director for the company’s Northern region. The move follows the opening of a Henry Brothers office in Manchester after a number of recent successful contract wins in the region including the refurbishment of The University of Manchester’s Chemistry
A nationwide insulation funding scheme aimed at middle income householders living in energy inefficient properties has been welcomed by insulation specialist Actis. The £1 billion ECO+ scheme, which launches in the spring and will run for up to three years, builds on the existing ECO (Energy Company Obligation) schemes, which
CEG has appointed contractor, Kier, to deliver the comprehensive redevelopment of The Crescent Centre at Temple Quay in Bristol. The redevelopment has been designed by Buckley Gray Yeoman, an architecture and interior design practice with 25 years of refurbishment and retrofit experience across the UK and Europe. It includes a
Managing Director of Stripe Property Group, James Forrester, commented: “This is astonishingly negligent on the part of the government. House building has languished below the required 300,000 annual number since the 1950’s and that’s even with the focus and accountability of local authority facing targets. To remove those targets is
Modular housing firm ilke Homes has raised a record-breaking £100 million from new and existing shareholders following successive years of triple-digit growth. The round is being led by funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group LLC (“Fortress”), a leading global investment manager with approximately $46 billion of assets under
Catalyst, part of the Peabody Group, and development partners The Hill Group have been given the go-ahead by Haringey Council for the redevelopment of a site adjacent to St Ann’s Hospital, South Tottenham into new homes. The redevelopment will provide up to 995 new homes, 60% of which will be
The EU’s pioneering role in climate protection matters is not without its disadvantages, with its energy supply hugely dependent on gas. The Ukraine War has resulted in sharply rising gas and electricity prices and while a way out of the crisis is currently being discussed on the political stage, things
Contractor Henry Brothers Construction has appointed experienced industry professional Peter Commins as director for the company’s Northern region. The move follows the opening of a Henry Brothers office in Manchester after a number of recent successful contract wins in the region including the refurbishment of The University of Manchester’s Chemistry Building, Glossopdale School and work for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). Peter has a wealth of experience in both construction and civil engineering and has previously worked for a number of leading tier one contractors including Mansell, Balfour Beatty and Kier. He has been a director or regional managing director for some 30 years, predominantly working in the North, and is a past chairman of the Construction Confederation. Managing Director of Henry Brothers Construction, Ian Taylor, said: “Peter is very well known and hugely respected in the industry. We are delighted to have appointed him to spearhead the growth of Henry Brothers in the North of England. “Peter has worked with numerous high-profile clients over many years. He knows the industry inside out, is extremely familiar with the region, and is perfectly placed to help us to continue to deliver the excellent service to clients that Henry Brothers is known for. We are pleased to welcome him to the team.” Peter, who began his industry career almost 50 years ago, and has been responsible for the delivery of numerous high-profile industry award-winning projects, said: “I am delighted to be joining Henry Brothers at this exciting time. The company is on an impressive sustainable growth trajectory, and I am looking forward to supporting the business with its continued expansion. I’ve been impressed with the number of frameworks that Henry Brothers has been appointed to, including Crown Commercial Services, Pagabo, YORbuild and Procure 23 and their approach to Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG).” Henry Brothers Construction is part of The Henry Group, which comprises a number of manufacturing and construction sector companies, ranging from external construction through to interiors fit out. In partnership with its valued clients, it has a proven track record in education, defence, commercial, industrial, transport and healthcare sectors. For more information, visit henrybrothers.co.uk/ Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A nationwide insulation funding scheme aimed at middle income householders living in energy inefficient properties has been welcomed by insulation specialist Actis. The £1 billion ECO+ scheme, which launches in the spring and will run for up to three years, builds on the existing ECO (Energy Company Obligation) schemes, which have been running since 2013. Actis UK and Ireland sales director Mark Cooper welcomed the move, which covers home owners not eligible for the existing funding, whose target audience is people on benefits or in fuel poverty. “More than 25% of the UK’s traditional housing stock is more than a century old, much of it very leaky when it comes to keeping heat in,” he said. “Research shows that more than 12 million homes had EPCs of D or worse in 2020. In fact, we have some of the least energy efficient housing stock in Europe. Installing insulation is the most cost-effective way of stemming the flow of heat escaping from these homes. “With energy prices affecting everyone, not to mention the impact on the environment, it makes sense to ensure that the existing building fabric is as energy efficient as possible. Hopefully this new scheme will encourage people who have been considering improving the energy efficiency of their homes to go for it.” The original ECO schemes have so far seen energy efficiency measures installed in 2.4 million homes nationwide. The new initiative is aimed at those whose homes are in council tax bands A to D in England, A to E in Scotland and A to C in Wales – and which have EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) ratings of D or lower. Eligible households will be able to receive grants of up to £1,500 for insulation, which the government estimates will save them around £310 a year on their heating bills. Details are yet to be announced, and householders are being advised to contact their local council or energy supplier to find out whether they are participating. The news follows an announcement in the autumn statement that the government is to invest an additional £6bn between 2025 and 2028 to support its ‘energy demand reduction target’ to reduce demand by 15% by 2030. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
CEG has appointed contractor, Kier, to deliver the comprehensive redevelopment of The Crescent Centre at Temple Quay in Bristol. The redevelopment has been designed by Buckley Gray Yeoman, an architecture and interior design practice with 25 years of refurbishment and retrofit experience across the UK and Europe. It includes a new two-storey feature façade with best-in-class amenity space on the ground floor, including a café and external decked area. There will be a one-storey rooftop extension and the addition of three private roof terraces, the most prominent of which offers unrivalled views over Temple Gardens from the fifth floor. The completed development will be rebranded as Crescent and will benefit from the largest private garden in the city centre. Other amenities include a gym and fitness studio, an all-new secure, weatherproof cycle park with capacity for 164 cycles and repair docking facilities. The new building will deliver 101,000 sq ft of lettable office space. Work commenced in October 2022 and is expected to complete in June 2024. Lawrence Escott, investment manager at CEG, said; “Crescent occupies a prominent location on Temple Back and will benefit from the best amenity provision and outlook of any building in its class. This £28 million redevelopment is a timely boost for Bristol and a continued vote of confidence in the city by CEG, where we have managed significant investments in EQ and Aztec West, not to mention the continued success of the Quorum. We look forward to welcoming new tenants in 2024”. As well as targeting BREEAM Excellent and EPC A, the project aims to make the building Net Zero Carbon in operation. Reuse of the existing structure provides a 45% reduction in upfront embodied carbon over new build, allied with best-in-class energy efficient heating and cooling, makes Crescent a compelling sustainability option. The development will offer floor plates of 18,000 sq ft. It also benefits from the ability to accommodate a range of requirements from 1,600 sq ft upwards. Carter Jonas and Savills have been appointed to launch the development to market. Andrew Hardwick of Carter Jonas said: “This is not just any old redevelopment! Crescent will deliver something distinctly different, best in class for Bristol, coupling the unique attractions of generous external green space adjoining the Temple Gardens and a penthouse with awesome views over the city. All this just a stones’ throw from Temple Meads. It is going to be a very powerful offering.” Chris Meredith of Savills added: “With sustainability at the forefront of Crescent development, this building will deliver to the requirements of the modern occupier. The need to secure high quality, sustainable and flexible office accommodation to help provide the best workplace experience for employees is at the top of agenda, and the Crescent will create one of Bristol’s best office buildings delivering to this demand.” Jason Taylor, regional director at Kier Construction Western & Wales, said: “This is a significant development in the heart of Bristol city centre. We will be transforming Crescent into a modern office with first-class facilities. “Once completed, this development will provide much-needed new office space to support the city’s business community.” Nick Jones, Associate Director, Buckley Gray Yeoman, said: “We’ve long been champions of creative refurbishment and retrofit of buildings that both improves the user experience and responds decisively to the climate emergency. Crescent is going to be an exemplar for Bristol and will set the bar high for modern workspace with plenty of character and impressive tenant amenities.” This £28 million investment is the latest in significant investments into the CEG Group’s portfolio in Bristol which, to date, stands at £234 million. The team is managing a 450,000 sq ft portfolio, has refurbished the Quorum and is onsite EQ at 111 Victoria Street and 1000 Aztec West both of which are set to complete in the first half of 2023. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Managing Director of Stripe Property Group, James Forrester, commented: “This is astonishingly negligent on the part of the government. House building has languished below the required 300,000 annual number since the 1950’s and that’s even with the focus and accountability of local authority facing targets. To remove those targets is to allow the UK’s requirement to dangle in the wind and we now have even less chance as a nation of providing adequate dwelling numbers. It’s a dumb move”. CEO of Alliance, the Real Estate Fund, Iain Crawford, commented: “Another day, another u-turn but this one is particularly serious in that in watering down the country’s likely annual residential construction output, thousands of would-be buyers and renters are going to have less choice of home. The result will be even higher house prices as increasing demand from net positive immigration and an aging population continues to outweigh supply.” Head of UK for Unlatch, Lee Martin, commented: “Removing accountability for building at local authority level seems somewhat counterintuitive to the problem at hand. Just as the country is slowly getting to grips with higher housebuilding volume and recent completions were starting to look meaningful versus need, the Secretary of State jams that momentum into reverse and effectively kills all possibility of reaching the very levels of supply that the government itself has aimed for but missed for years. It’s hardly progress.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Modular housing firm ilke Homes has raised a record-breaking £100 million from new and existing shareholders following successive years of triple-digit growth. The round is being led by funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group LLC (“Fortress”), a leading global investment manager with approximately $46 billion of assets under management. Existing investors TDR Capital and Sun Capital also subscribed to ilke Homes’ latest fundraising round, which was arranged by investment bank Citigroup and acts as a rare example of a company increasing its valuation as global stocks remain under pressure from the continued macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. The new funding will be transformational for ilke Homes. It will help the company to significantly scale-up its operations and open a new manufacturing facility that, once operational, will increase the company’s output capacity to 4,000 homes a year, creating over 1,000 new jobs in the UK. “We are excited about our investment in ilke Homes. We see ilke Homes as the UK market leader in the manufacturing of modular housing and believe the company is uniquely positioned to increase the availability of high quality affordable housing in the UK while accelerating the transition to net zero,” said Rahul Ahuja, Co-head of European Credit at Fortress Investment Group. The investment will also allow the company to invest heavily in automating more of its manufacturing processes to further drive productivity. This will in turn enable ilke to secure more sites and expand its ‘package deal’ strategy, which offers full development service of land, infrastructure and homes in a rapidly growing market. The company, which has seen revenue grow by over 150 percent year-on-year, is already working with some of the UK’s biggest developers and investors, including global asset manager Man Group, FTSE 250-listed housebuilder Vistry Group, and housing association Places for People. Despite being founded just five years ago, ilke Homes is now delivering over 1,000 homes a year and has secured a pipeline of over 4,000 homes, putting it on par with some of the UK’s biggest housebuilders. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Catalyst, part of the Peabody Group, and development partners The Hill Group have been given the go-ahead by Haringey Council for the redevelopment of a site adjacent to St Ann’s Hospital, South Tottenham into new homes. The redevelopment will provide up to 995 new homes, 60% of which will be affordable, delivering much-needed housing in the area. The approved application comprises a mix of different tenures including private sale, London Affordable Rent, London Living Rent, and Shared Ownership homes. The scheme will bring significant benefits to the area including new and enhanced green spaces. The central Peace Garden will be retained and extended to three times its current size. The plans also include new safe and accessible cycle routes through the site towards Harringay Green Lanes station, as well as shops, amenities, community-led housing, and affordable workspaces. Catalyst and Hill’s plans also retain seven historical hospital buildings, including the iconic water tower, which will be repurposed for a variety of non-residential uses. “Haringey Council’s decision to approve the plans for St Ann’s New Neighbourhood is fantastic news for Catalyst, Hill, and local people. The new neighbourhood will not only provide new homes for hundreds of people, the majority of those homes affordable, but will ensure those living and working there have access to outstanding outdoor facilities. Creating great places and sustainable neighbourhoods is at the heart of what we do, and we look forward to welcoming new residents in in the coming years,” said Philip Jenkins, Executive Director of Development at the Peabody Group, of which Catalyst is a subsidiary. The Catalyst development will provide 239 homes within the first phase, with outline plans for an additional 756 homes over future phases. Catalyst was selected by the Mayor of London to develop the former St Ann’s Hospital site in late 2020, with a shared goal of delivering more affordable homes for Londoners. A hybrid planning application was submitted in July this year following extensive community involvement. Several pop-up events and workshops were held with the local community and a Peace and Wellness Festival that was attended by more than 300 local people. “The approval of the planning application by Haringey Council is a significant step forward in the provision of much-needed affordable housing for the borough. We look forward to working with Catalyst to create this landmark project that will bring long-term benefits to the area, whilst working closely with the local community to ensure the delivery of their vision,” concluded Andy Hill, Chief Executive at Hill. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The EU’s pioneering role in climate protection matters is not without its disadvantages, with its energy supply hugely dependent on gas. The Ukraine War has resulted in sharply rising gas and electricity prices and while a way out of the crisis is currently being discussed on the political stage, things remain unclear for the industry. A wave of insolvencies currently looms, triggered by rising costs. What industrial operations can expect and how second-hand machines can help. The EU’s plan of action was actually set: climate neutrality was to be reached in the Member States by 2050. Greenhouse gases were to be reduced, “green jobs” generated and a portion contributed to slowing down the rise of global surface temperatures. One of the key aspects is the switch to renewable energy sources: instead of from coal and gas, energy needs to be obtained from solar energy, wind and hydropower. But the energy transformation in Europe is a long way off from how it could be. Citizens are protesting against wind turbines, restructuring work is being decelerated through lengthy approval processes, and there is a shortage of professional workers and construction materials for actual implementation. An abrupt halt to the energy transformation At the start of 2022, the climate targets were hit with another obstacle. The war in Ukraine starts in February, bringing with it a whole slew of consequences. Supply chains collapsed, raw materials were scarce and prices shot up. The supply gap, still unable to be closed using sustainable energies, is now becoming glaringly obvious thanks to the stoppage in supplies of gas from Russia. Gas has had to be imported from alternative regions, resulting in a huge price increase. And as the electricity price is linked to that of gas, rising costs have been seen here too. But the production facilities of many businesses depend on electricity, gas, coal and oil and the energy transformation, actually intended to act as a safeguard, is now proving to be the problem. Businesses on the back burner Calls for a way out of the crisis are loud and clear. Governments are attempting to provide relief through price curbs, cost dampening, direct payments to the population and term extensions for energy producers from the fields of nuclear power or coal. After all, high energy costs are putting many companies at risk and the insolvency wave already anticipated due to the coronavirus pandemic now threatens to become a reality. Whether for drying processes, annealing and burning kilns or other production processes – many companies are dependent on gas and would have to raise their prices substantially to be able to manage the added costs. But price increases scare potential customers away. As a result, many companies are no longer able to compete. According to a VDMA survey, 90% of companies are having problems with their energy supply and over half expect the situation to get worse. Businesses are currently trying to save gas and electricity without having to make too many concessions in production – but potential for savings is limited. With premium and modern second-hand machines, industrial auction house Surplex offers an affordable solution in the crisis. (© Surplex) Second-hand machines as an alternative in the crisis A stagflation caused by supply chain interruptions and high energy costs means that many companies are facing the acute risk of insolvency. In addition, Europe is unattractive as an industrial location, as energy-intensive businesses in particular have little incentive to base their production facilities here. Many companies are confronted with rising pressure to restructure their operations. Production lines need to be adapted and made more effective and energy-efficient with new machines. But as with producing businesses, machine manufacturers are also being affected by the current crisis, with prices and waiting times for new machines skyrocketing. For many companies, buying a new machine as a modernisation solution is therefore not an option. In times of crisis more than anything, it is worth taking a look at the second-hand machine market. Many businesses currently want to free up their budget by selling machines they no longer need. The offer on auction platforms such as Surplex.com is on the rise and even modern, well-kept machines from various industrial branches such as metal, wood or construction can be bought for an affordable price. From settlement to dispatch and payment, buyers there are supported by experienced experts at every stage of their machine purchase, meaning they can find the best offer for their business. Despite the difficult situation in machine manufacturing, companies are therefore still able to take a further step to combat the energy crisis and start the new year off in a strong position.
