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April 16, 2023
MGISS partners with Leica Geosystems to drive a data-centric approach for Asset Managers

MGISS partners with Leica Geosystems to drive a data-centric approach for Asset Managers

BDC News Team April 16, 2023

MGISS, one of the UK’s leading geospatial technology companies, has signed a partnership agreement with Leica Geosystems to drive a data-driven approach to the capture, management, and exploitation of asset information. AI, Data Analytics and Machine Learning are increasingly being used to drive value within utility and infrastructure organisations and it’s essential

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Work gets underway to improve energy efficiency of West Midlands’ homes

Work gets underway to improve energy efficiency of West Midlands’ homes

BDC News Team April 16, 2023

Housing provider, Orbit, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and VINCI Facilities Building Solutions have begun work on upgrading the Energy Performance of 70 properties across the West Midlands, after securing funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 1. The project is one of two successful bids for

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Latest Issue
Issue 322 : Nov 2024

April 16, 2023

MGISS partners with Leica Geosystems to drive a data-centric approach for Asset Managers

MGISS partners with Leica Geosystems to drive a data-centric approach for Asset Managers

BDC News Team April 16, 2023

MGISS, one of the UK’s leading geospatial technology companies, has signed a partnership agreement with Leica Geosystems to drive a data-driven approach to the capture, management, and exploitation of asset information. AI, Data Analytics and Machine Learning are increasingly being used to drive value within utility and infrastructure organisations and it’s essential that the asset data being used is accurate and richly attributed to deliver the required results. The development of Digital Twins, BIM and GIS are demonstrating the value of a data-driven approach to industry challenges surrounding productivity, resilience, and asset performance. By placing easy to use Apps leveraging high accuracy satellite positioning in the hands of field users, the capture, management, and utilisation of authoritative asset information has become more accessible to those tasked with maintaining the asset estate. MGISS have been servicing the needs of utility, infrastructure, and environmental clients for more than 10 years. With asset data management often seen as a cost centre, the team are keen to ensure clients can leverage their leverage investment in asset information as part of MGISS’s development of insight services to build asset management as a value centre. The inclusion of Leica Geosystems Zeno range of products to the portfolio will enable MGISS to operate with increased confidence across the UK’s Utility, Infrastructure, and environmental communities to drive economic value, resilience, and improved sustainability. The Zeno product range will allow us to support our clients on their preferred Windows, iOS or Android platform and enable workflows that easily integrate with GIS systems including Esri.  Michael Darracott, Managing Director at MGISS, said: “This wider and more customer-focussed relationship with Leica Geosystems will strengthen our solution portfolio, support our plans for growth, and provide our customers with more readily integrated technologies to underpin their customer, operational, and sustainability goals in an increasingly challenging environment”.  Jonn Hicks, Managing Director at Leica Geosystems, said “It was a very easy decision for us to partner with the team at MGISS. With their extensive industry experience and expertise, we are looking forward to working with them to provide Leica Geosystems GNSS sensors to deliver accurate data for the asset management market.”  Find out more by visiting www.mgiss.co.uk  Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

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Leading UK manufacturer unveils new ventilation system to help tackle the nation's damp and mould problem

Leading UK manufacturer unveils new ventilation system to help tackle the nation’s damp and mould problem

BDC News Team April 16, 2023

Leading UK-based manufacturer Ebac has unveiled a new mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system in order to tackle the UK’s damp and mould problem. The UK manufacturer, based in Newton Aycliffe has designed the system to be an easily installed, self-managing, ‘hands-off’ eco-system for tenants and homeowners, offering a major solution to the UK’s damp and mould problem. The unit, which is designed to be installed in any loft opening, is a ‘whole-house’ solution, continually extracting polluted, humid air from within a building and replacing it with fresh air taken from outside the building through a heat exchange system. The unit offers offers further significant cost savings through its patented Smart Control System. Smart Control, which is unique to Ebac, adjusts airflow and performance levels based on live readings from the building’s internal climate, reducing energy usage and requiring no programming from the tenant or homeowner. Ebac, which has manufactured and sold over 2 million commercial and domestic ‘plug in’ dehumidifiers globally, has launched the MVHR as a long-term solution to damp and mould in residential and commercial buildings, which is estimated by the UK government to stand at 3-4% of the four million social housing homes, with 0.2% of those falling below the ‘decent homes standard’. The scale of the UK’s damp and mould problem has come to the fore recently following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in Rochdale which has prompted new legislation that is due to come into force later this year. Awaab’s Law will place mandatory obligations on private and social landlords to ensure that damp and mould issues are investigated, and serious complaints resolved quickly. The Housing Ombudsman will also be given new powers to help landlords improve performance, in amendments to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill and social housing landlords will have to investigate and fix damp and mould in their properties within strict new time limits. Andrew Hobson, Sales and Marketing Director at Ebac said: “There are currently around 4.5 million cases of damp and mould across the UK which equates to around 19% of the housing stock- and those are the cases that have been reported. With the new legislation and retrofit requirements for commercial and residential buildings in the lead up to 2050, our system will offer a more cost-effective solution for housing associations, councils and private landlords to ensure that their tenants are living in healthier, more energy-efficient spaces. Our Smart Control feature means that tenants and homeowners do not have to touch the units, only requiring a filter change every 12-24 months depending on usage.” The unit has been launched this month following successful trials across the UK and will be showcased at the Installers Show in Birmingham in June of this year. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

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Work gets underway to improve energy efficiency of West Midlands’ homes

Work gets underway to improve energy efficiency of West Midlands’ homes

BDC News Team April 16, 2023

Housing provider, Orbit, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and VINCI Facilities Building Solutions have begun work on upgrading the Energy Performance of 70 properties across the West Midlands, after securing funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 1. The project is one of two successful bids for funding that Orbit submitted as part of the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 1 scheme. The programme will benefit from a total of £1.4m of SHDF funding, along with an additional £4.6m investment from Orbit, to provide more customers across the region with a more energy efficient home using the latest technology and innovation. The scheme will take a deep, fabric first, retrofit approach using energy efficient doors and windows, along with loft and wall insulation and some low carbon heating, to increase the energy performance of the homes located throughout the West Midlands. Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2023. The programme follows the success of the Demonstrator project, which saw Orbit and its partners successfully upgrade 69 poor energy performing social homes (EPC rating D or below) in and around Stratford-upon-Avon. Ted Pearce, Director of Strategic Asset Management at Orbit, commented: “We are delighted to be starting work on upgrading our next portfolio of homes in partnership with WMCA and VINCI Facilities. “As the cost of living continues to bite, it’s now more important than ever that we reaffirm our commitment to taking the steps required to provide our customers in the region with more energy efficient homes and sustainable communities in the long term.” Jeanette Hodges, Head of Carbon and Operations added “This in-depth programme of works also plays a key role in delivering on net zero carbon targets and reducing carbon emissions, even within harder to treat homes. Committing to a deep retrofit while customers remain living in their home is a complex undertaking, but we have learnt invaluable lessons from the Demonstrator project which will steer our approach and ensure our customers can soon begin enjoying the benefits of a more energy efficient home.” George Simms, who leads the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) SMART Hub (Sustainable Market for Affordable Retrofit Technologies), said: “The WMCA is working closely with our partner local authorities and their registered housing providers to use our expertise to help them tap into Government funding to ramp up retrofit activity. So far we’ve supported successful applications for almost £50million, including this £1.4 million that will benefit Orbit residents. “We’re also helping to grow local supply chains and train up the retrofit workforce. Alongside more sustained, longer-term retrofit funding that will come to the region through the Deeper Devolution Deal, this will mean we can help make even more homes warmer and more energy efficient, reducing residents’ energy bills and supporting the West Midlands #WM2041 drive towards net zero.” Barry Boxall, Divisional Director VINCI Facilities Building Solutions said “Working in partnership with Orbit and WMCA we will deliver excellent quality, safe and warm, energy efficient homes for residents. As a trusted main contractor, we ensure that the customer’s experience is at the forefront of all that we do. The partnership encourages innovative solutions that are delivered with discipline and in strict accordance with PAS 2035. The measures installed will future proof people’s homes in line with Orbit’s net zero ambition. Residents will benefit from a better quality of life and reduced energy consumption.” Wave 1 will upgrade more than 20,000 social housing properties that are currently below an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C rating. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

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Platform Design – Why a Single Modular Solution Cannot Create a Platform

Platform Design – Why a Single Modular Solution Cannot Create a Platform

BDC News Team April 16, 2023

David Johnson, UK Pre-construction Director at Volumetric Building Companies, shares his thoughts on the future of offsite construction in the UK and the urgent need for change. The UK Government has made no secret of the need for faster, higher quality, and more predictable construction solutions in every sector – from schools and hospitals to housing. And there is a considerable drive for a unified platform design and a greater level of standardisation across the modular industry. In recent years, there have been multiple attempts to drive standards in offsite construction with the use of specialist MMC procurement frameworks developed by the Department for Education, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Justice.  Whilst these client-led attempts to introduce standardisation have been very welcome, they just haven’t gone far enough. Too many requirements have been left open to interpretation, leading to the introduction of a host of similar but different types of building solutions.  To exacerbate the problem, as each scheme percolates through the various stages of procurement, the sustained tinkering by building designers, cost consultants and local authority planners and building control, combine to completely erode the strategic ambition for an increased level of standardisation to improve the efficiency and quality of project delivery. Traditional in-situ methods of construction have to adhere to standardisation through compliance with Building Regulations. This gives clients the vital confidence that the contractor will deliver the project to the required standard – and if not, that it will be rectified. The offsite sector absolutely MUST come together to agree a truly universal standard against which compliance can be measured and assured.  Many modular manufacturers are simply selling their own ‘platform solutions’ in an attempt to ‘capture the zeitgeist’, when in fact they are promoting their own system completely independently and calling it a platform. A genuine platform solution has to embrace and represent the whole MMC sector. How to Foster Greater Confidence in Modular Technology With the unfortunate demise of some big industry names in recent months, the time for pride and individual business trailblazing has passed. We need to come together as an industry and provide a unified solution that will foster a much great level of confidence in modular technology and in the built solutions. And if we don’t achieve this? The UK Government will lose faith and volumetric MMC as a viable building solution will be set back 20 years. Let’s be honest, what we do is not rocket science. We do not use space age materials or really cutting-edge technology. What we do is apply well-managed processes and robust control systems to the historically chaotic and continually bespoke world of construction. Eroding Strategic Ambition There are many other intrinsic benefits of modular solutions that provide really persuasive arguments for its use over traditional in-situ building methods – from reduced material waste, improved safety on site, consistent delivery on time and budget, shorter build programmes to less disruption and enhanced thermal performance. However none of these advantages are dependent on the need to protect new or innovative technology. Beyond the box, it really doesn’t matter what happens inside.  Does the colour of the seat fabric or the quality of an in-car entertainment system affect the legal compliance or reliability of a new car? Is it really worth the effort of protecting a particular modular solution that is only a slight variation on a theme? Our industry has to pool its expertise and collaboratively develop a regulatory compliant genuine ‘white box’ standard that we can all support, promote and take to Government as a truly game changing platform design solution. Without that, we risk remaining a niche specialism rather than a universally adopted construction standard. www.vbc.co/uk   Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

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How to Figure Out the Square Footage of a Roof | What You Need to Know

How to Figure Out the Square Footage of a Roof | What You Need to Know

John Dale April 16, 2023

Taking on any home improvement project comes with a set of jargon not many new homeowners know of. Among the different terms present, the most important one is “roofing square.” The roofing industry uses this as a unit of measurement. Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with the measurement process. We’ll cover everything you need to know about roofing squares and how you can calculate the square footage of your roof using this measurement process too.  Whether you want to invest in a new roof or want to get a free estimate for a roof repair due to severe storm damage, knowing what the total square footage of your roof is can save you a lot of time and money. What Does a Roofing Square Mean? In the roofing industry, a roofing square is a common unit of measurement used to calculate the number of shingles needed for a roof repair project. In general, one roof square equals 100 square feet (10 x 10 feet).  It doesn’t matter whether you have a gable roof, hip roof, low slope roof, or pitched roof – this measuring method works for all of them! Best of all, it will save you a lot of time and money since you don’t always have to rely on roofing companies, even for the most basic tasks.  How to Determine Total Square Footage of a Roof First things first, make sure you can safely get to your roof alone. If that’s not possible, contact us, and we’ll have a professional roofer sent to your house.  Next, you’ll need to gather a few supplies to measure your entire roof:  Every roofing system has a particular number of planes covering it per square foot. Calculate the roof planes – flat roofs have only one, a gable roof will have two, and so on. Hip and ridge shingles usually have four planes. In general, the more details your roof area has, the more planes it will have too.  Next, you have to measure the length and width of each plane and then multiply the two numbers to get the square footage of that specific plane. Use an online calculator to calculate the length and width to get accurate results.  Here are two examples:  Multiply the length and width of each plane first (for the entire roof). Once you’re done multiplying, add the total square footage of all the roof planes together. This is what it should look like: This part is for figuring out exactly how many squares your roof already has. Once you’re done adding the totals together, divide the result by 100.  In this case, 2,304 square feet of roof area divided by 100 equals 23.04 squares. On the other hand, 2,520 square feet divided by 100 equals 25.2 squares.  It’s important to check the type of roof slope of your property to see how steep the structure is. In general, the steeper the roof, the more squares and roofing materials you will need to get. As a result, the cost will increase too.  You can run the numbers through a shingle calculator to determine the vertical rise of your roof’s surface. Typically, a roof rises upward for every 12 inches it expands horizontally. In this case, if the vertical rise in your roof is 5 inches, the roof slope will be 5:12.  It’s always a good idea to add 10% to your roof’s total calculations just to make up for errors during installation.  Do You Have to Calculate the Number of Roofing Shingles Too? Many homeowners think they have to calculate the number of shingles per square if they need a new roof replacement too.  However, we’re here to demystify that. In reality, you can find high-quality shingles in packaged bundles in different hardware stores. You can also contact a reliable roofing company to see if they offer such products.  Roofing experts can also tell you how many shingle bundles you might need to cover per square foot/area. In general, three large bundles of asphalt shingles usually make up a single roofing square.  Contact a Roofing Company for Expert Advice There’s no need to worry if you can’t calculate the square footage of your roofing structure. First-time homeowners might struggle more than others, which is why it’s essential to contact a professional for the job.  Expert roofing contractors can do the hard work for you while also teaching you how to conduct roof maintenance effectively. They will also be able to tell you whether your roof needs a general repair or a complete replacement following the aftermath of a serious storm. Our company, for example, can provide you with the following services: In short, having an expert team of roofers to measure your roof can save you time and money. Also, a professional contractor will have the necessary tools and know-how to accurately measure your roof and provide you with a precise calculation. Additionally, by working with a certified roofer, you will be able to benefit from regular professional advice and recommendations to help you maintain your roof’s health and stability. Conclusion  Figuring out the exact square footage of your roof is not as difficult as it seems. The key is to be precise with measurements and to use the right calculation technique. Contact our team for a free estimate, and let us know what you need for your home improvement project.  We are committed to providing unparalleled service to all our clients! goldenheightsroofing.com can also help you choose the best roofing materials and repair or replace your roof quickly and efficiently. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, and we’ll be more than happy to help. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

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