Plans for a £70 million sustainable build-to-rent (BTR) development in Manchester city centre have been unanimously approved by Manchester City Council. The 23-storey residential scheme, proposed by property investment and development company Zephyr X, will be located at the corner of Carnarvon Street and Cheetham Hill Road. The project will
Sephora is making a bold statement in the UK with ambitious plans to open at least 20 stores across the country within the next two to three years. CEO Guillaume Motte shared the cosmetics giant’s vision in an interview with The Times, emphasising the brand’s confidence in physical retail despite
The construction industry is undergoing a green revolution that will put sustainability on centre stage in 2025. As the UK works towards its Net Zero target of decarbonising all sectors of the economy by 2050, the construction industry is taking positive steps to clean up its act and become a
Amid rising concern about the globally increasing risk of Legionella, leading Legionella rapid testing expert Hydrosense is calling construction professionals to take a proactive approach to reducing the risk. It comes as experts warn that the UK is facing an increased Legionella risk fuelled by climate change and warmer temperatures,
Plans for a £70 million sustainable build-to-rent (BTR) development in Manchester city centre have been unanimously approved by Manchester City Council. The 23-storey residential scheme, proposed by property investment and development company Zephyr X, will be located at the corner of Carnarvon Street and Cheetham Hill Road. The project will feature 237 high-quality one- and two-bedroom apartments, alongside a ground-floor commercial space, and is expected to break ground next year. Zephyr X Managing Director Graham Haydon-White expressed his gratitude to the council, saying: “Our development represents an exciting opportunity to support the ongoing regeneration of this vibrant corner of Manchester, addressing the strong demand for premium city-centre accommodation. We are eager to appoint contractors and commence work on site next year.” Designed by award-winning Manchester architects Hawkins\Brown, the building aims to add an elegant touch to the city’s skyline. It will complement the growing cluster of developments in the Great Ducie Street, Green Quarter, and Red Bank areas, blending sustainability with modern design. Known for its expertise in BTR and healthcare facilities, Zephyr X continues to deliver innovative, state-of-the-art living spaces that prioritise cutting-edge design and advanced technology. This latest project is set to play a key role in Manchester’s urban regeneration, enhancing the area’s appeal for residents and businesses alike. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Sephora is making a bold statement in the UK with ambitious plans to open at least 20 stores across the country within the next two to three years. CEO Guillaume Motte shared the cosmetics giant’s vision in an interview with The Times, emphasising the brand’s confidence in physical retail despite challenges in the sector. The global beauty powerhouse, owned by luxury conglomerate LMVH, already boasts over 3,000 stores in 35 countries. Sephora returned to the UK’s high streets last year after an 18-year absence and has since established a foothold with six locations, including Westfield Stratford, Westfield London, Manchester, two stores in Newcastle, and most recently, Birmingham, which opened last week. Looking ahead, the retailer plans to open stores in Bluewater this winter and Liverpool ONE in early 2025, signalling its commitment to growing its presence in prime UK shopping destinations. Reflecting on the state of retail, Motte told The Times, “I know that sometimes we hear retail, especially in the UK, described as doom and gloom. My response is always: ‘boring retail is dead, but exciting retail is alive and thriving.’” Sephora’s journey in the UK has been a rollercoaster. The brand first entered the market in 2000 with a store in Kent but withdrew five years later due to soaring rents and fierce competition from domestic players like Boots. Rumours of a comeback surfaced in 2019 but didn’t materialise. However, Sephora’s £132 million acquisition of FeelUnique in 2021 laid the groundwork for its triumphant return. With its sights set firmly on growth, Sephora is poised to reshape the UK beauty retail landscape, bringing its signature blend of luxury and innovation to more customers nationwide. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The construction industry is undergoing a green revolution that will put sustainability on centre stage in 2025. As the UK works towards its Net Zero target of decarbonising all sectors of the economy by 2050, the construction industry is taking positive steps to clean up its act and become a major player on the journey to a more sustainable future. From driving down material waste to leveraging the benefits of digital construction software, we take a closer look at how technology will play a key role in the five green construction trends for 2025. Increased focus on sustainable building practices Innovative technology is leading the charge as the construction industry increases its focus on sustainability. Green building solutions like energy-efficient solar panels, LED lighting, and eco-friendly materials are helping to significantly reduce a project’s environmental impact by making structures more sustainable over time. More building firms are also switching to modern electric and hybrid machinery to cut emissions, reduce their carbon footprint, and create cleaner job sites. It is predicted that 2025 will also experience a significant rise in autonomous vehicles and robotic machines taking on work that humans once did. Not only will this reduce our reliance on manual labour, but it will also improve productivity, safety and deliver greater cost-efficiency for construction teams. By integrating these greener practices into construction, companies can position themselves as sustainability champions and achieve industry-recognised sustainable building certificates such as BREEAM and LEED to gain a competitive advantage. Wider adoption of sustainable materials Sustainability is the cornerstone of modern construction as the industry seeks to minimise its environmental impact through greater integration of eco-friendly materials such as recycled steel, reclaimed timber, and bamboo. In 2025, there will be a wider adoption of sustainable resources and cutting-edge designs that offer better performance and environmental benefits like green roofs that save energy and encourage biodiversity. Similarly, engineered timber with its impressive strength-to-weight ratio will become a more popular solution to standard wood and traditional brick and block building methods, while self-healing concrete which repairs itself over time will improve the lifespan of structures and reduce maintenance costs. Sustainable building materials not only enhance a structure’s longevity but also meet important environmental targets by reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This technology-driven, greener approach to construction is set to dominate future building initiatives and new developments while also helping reduce operating costs. Expansion of ERP construction software and smart tech The popularity of smart technology like ERP construction software will continue to grow in 2025 as more companies look to streamline their operations and increase sustainability. By integrating multiple functions such as project management, procurement, logistics, invoice tracking, materials sourcing, and accounting into one platform, businesses can manage their resources better and more sustainably. EPR construction software enables real-time access to costings and other financial data for an accurate picture of project expenses. It helps to enhance resource allocation, reduce material waste, and achieve optimised energy management across every stage of a project. It can also create budgets and generate reports quickly and efficiently while reducing the risk of human errors. Smart tech’s role in sustainable construction also remains on the rise thanks to advancements in ERP construction software and other state-of-the-art solutions. For example, artificial intelligence and machine learning tools are transforming the industry by automating tasks and allowing real-time analysis of vast datasets, enabling better resource allocation and risk assessment and accurate predictions of potential project delays. Meanwhile, virtual reality tools provide digital replicas of construction sites that allow teams to identify potential issues in real time. Similarly, advanced construction machinery like drones can conduct site surveys, and 3D printing offers fast and accurate prototyping. All these high-tech components will become commonplace as the construction industry places more importance on sustainability. Greater emphasis on waste reduction The UK construction industry generates more than 60% of the country’s waste, and 32% of all waste ends up in landfill. Therefore, the more materials that can be reused, the better construction will become at achieving greater sustainability. In 2025, the circular economy concept will increase its traction in construction by promoting the reuse and recycling of building materials to minimise waste. Tasking architects and developers to lean on technology to design structures with longer lifecycles and lower carbon footprints in mind will achieve higher repurposing of materials for future projects. Over time, this will see a major reduction in waste to meet increasingly tighter sustainability regulations in the industry. Another way firms are leveraging technology to meet sustainability targets is through wider use of modular construction and prefabrication solutions. By developing parts of a structure such as walls and roof joists in a controlled factory setting before assembling them onsite, businesses can minimise waste, slash build times, and lower their costs. Not only does this allow structures to be built faster and more accurately, but it helps soften their environmental impact, reduce energy consumption, and limit material waste. Further efficiencies in supply chain management Technology is vital to effective supply chain management in construction. With higher prices of wood, plastics, insulation, and other building materials likely to stay for the foreseeable future, managing these rising costs will be central to achieving sustainability throughout the industry in 2025. Thanks to digital solutions, companies can benefit from real-time tracking, automation, and AI-powered data analysis. This allows for more accuracy across the supply chain and improvements at every stage of a build, from streamlined logistics to labour material shortages. Tools such as cloud-based construction platforms and AI-driven forecasting help minimise delays, optimise resources, reduce waste and costs, and create a more sustainable future for the industry. All in all, technology will continue to drive greater sustainability in construction in 2025. From eco-friendly materials and renewable energy systems to digital software and circular economy practices, construction tech is helping building firms become more sustainable and achieve their environmental goals. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Amid rising concern about the globally increasing risk of Legionella, leading Legionella rapid testing expert Hydrosense is calling construction professionals to take a proactive approach to reducing the risk. It comes as experts warn that the UK is facing an increased Legionella risk fuelled by climate change and warmer temperatures, providing an ideal breeding ground for Legionella bacteria. It’s estimated that there are between 4,000-6,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the UK each year, killing between 7-12 percent of all those infected.1 In light of this, Hydrosense has revealed some thought-provoking new findings which advocates the need for a faster, more agile and more accurate approach to detect the full spectrum of Legionella pneumophila risk, the main cause of Legionnaires’ disease The extensive 3rd party study2, conducted by the CDC ELITE laboratory Chemicals Incorporated (CHEM Inc.) of CA, USA, saw Legionella samples using CDC reference Legionella materials tested using both the traditional lab-culture testing (CDC method) and the Hydrosense PRO rapid testing kit. One complete set of samples was processed using the lab culture method – where a culture medium is controlled and observed under laboratory conditions – which took seven days. A further three complete sets of samples were processed using the Hydrosense PRO lateral flow test method, taking just 25 minutes. The results revealed that the Hydrosense method was 100 percent accurate in identifying both L. pneumophila serogroup 1 and serogroups 2-15 from blind samples and gave comparable results to the traditional lab culture testing method but in a much quicker time. All work was completed at CHEM Inc.’s CDC ELITE and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certified testing laboratory. For Hydrosense, the inference of this insight is that it is clear that the need for an alternative and faster method for Legionella bacteria detection can no longer be ignored. Greg Rankin, CEO at Hydrosense comments: “The statistics show that the scale and severity of Legionella cases happening in the USA, the UK and Europe are all increasing at alarming levels. With an alarming 1000% increase in the US since 20003 and only recently, the EU observed its highest annual notification rate of Legionnaires’ disease to date.4 Clearly continuing to do what we have previously done is simply not good enough.“As such, there has never been a more appropriate time for businesses, employers, property owners, construction professionals and the like to act and review how they assess, test and control the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria.” Despite being the oldest and most widely accepted technique for the detection of Legionella bacteria, it is well documented that lab culture testing has many limitations. Foremost, most lab culture tests take 7-10 days to return results. Yet Legionella can double in a day. This large time lag means increased exposure and risk for businesses, employees and the public. Water samples can also get damaged in the transportation process, killing the Legionella inside and increasing the risk of a false negative result. Moreover, lab culture testing is also unable to detect Viable but Non-Culturable (VBNC) – which though dormant can still be incredibly dangerous – further compromising the validity of the end result. As a direct response to this issue, the breakthrough Hydrosense Legionella testing kit was developed to provide an easy and quick testing of water; on-site and without training or experience, with accurate results delivered in just 25 minutes. The result is a huge opportunity for duty managers, water management professionals and installers on the job to take a proactive approach in reducing the growing risk of Legionnaires’ disease. Greg adds: “To consider the vast progress that has been made in so many areas of medical science over recent years, it appears unfathomable that we still remain very much in the dark ages when it comes to Legionella detection. By moving away from the reliance on traditional lab methods, which take up to two weeks to provide results and ignore some dangerous forms of Legionella bacteria, to more holistic testing regimes that incorporate methods that are much faster, and better at detecting even non-culturable bacteria we have a real opportunity to reduce exposure and protect lives. “These are unprecedented times. Global temperatures are rising, water systems are becoming increasingly complex and the way we use buildings is changing, which means we must take up the mantle and find better and more effective ways to control what is becoming an increasing Legionella risk.”For further information please visit: https://hydrosense-legionella.com/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
