A pioneering cleantech company is set to unveil its prototype flatpack home built using sustainable and advanced materials after undergoing testing at a ground-breaking research facility in Greater Manchester. Vector Homes is working with Energy House 2.0, part of the University of Salford, to develop its new rapid-build housing system.
Major repairs to a Grade II listed bridge are progressing on schedule according to North of England contractor, Esh Construction, who is delivering the project on behalf of East Riding of Yorkshire Council. A 15-week scheme to deliver emergency repair and strengthening works to the structure got underway in July
Wrapping a surge shaft in the Andes mountains of South America Accessing hard-to-reach locations is not a new challenge faced by installers of Fyfe’s Tyfo structural strengthening solutions, but one project, located deep in the Andes mountains of South America, proved to beat all other projects when it came to
GLP is pleased to announce several significant new appointments within its Clean Energy team in Europe. Under the leadership of Stefano Fissolo, Senior Director, GLP Europe Clean Energy, the team is expanding its capabilities to meet the increasing demand from customers for clean energy solutions across the logistics sector. GLP
Construction works have started and are progressing well at Eastern Gateway, Ipswich, on an 8-acre scheme that Trebor Developments and Hillwood acquired earlier in 2023. Main Contractor, Magrock Ltd, started on site in July 2023 on the five unit industrial and logistics scheme that ranges in size from 12,905 to
National property consultancy Carter Jonas has secured planning permission on behalf of London Square Developments and NHS Property Services Ltd for the development of 125 new apartments, commercial and community uses in the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The scheme will provide flexible commercial and community uses at ground
Alumno, the specialist student accommodation developer, has officially opened a striking mixed-use six and seven-storey building in Leeds that will provide accommodation for the city’s growing student population and features an onsite Asian street food restaurant. The Terry Frost Building, named after the celebrated abstract artist who taught at Leeds
Local housebuilder Story Homes recently held a corporate golf day and raised £8,000 for its charity partner, Cancer Research UK (CRUK). The golf day, hosted at Macdonald Linden Hall Golf & Country Club in Northumberland, saw 20 teams of four compete in a Texas scramble style format. Prizes were awarded
Specialist contractors are being sought to help influence a multi-million-pound framework dedicated to tackling the energy-efficient retrofit and decarbonisation of Great Britain’s public sector buildings and social housing stock. Not-for-profit public sector construction framework provider LHC Procurement Group (LHC) is looking for specialists to take part in market engagement and
ACHIEVING PRODUCT SET VERIFICATION FOR SINGLE PLY ROOF SYSTEMS Global building product manufacturer Sika has become an early adopter of the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) which has been published to drive higher standards in the presentation of construction product information within the manufacturing industry. A response to Dame
A pioneering cleantech company is set to unveil its prototype flatpack home built using sustainable and advanced materials after undergoing testing at a ground-breaking research facility in Greater Manchester. Vector Homes is working with Energy House 2.0, part of the University of Salford, to develop its new rapid-build housing system. The prototype is a low-carbon, one-bedroom bungalow measuring 40sq metres which has been constructed using recycled materials, including steel and plastics, as well as advanced materials such as graphene. Vector is designing affordable, energy efficient homes with features including low-embodied carbon materials, infra-red heating, solar cells, breathable mould-resistant plaster and render, as well as embedded technology to provide smart environmental controls that efficiently measure and control the temperature, humidity and air quality in each room. Its homes are designed for rapid production and assembly. Vector is looking to mass manufacture homes in a range of shapes and sizes which are sold as flatpacks to be built by a small team of people. By incorporating graphene into the structures, the panels used in the construction of a Vector home have improved tensile strength, a greatly-reduced flame spread and increased UV resistance. Vector has worked with the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre to develop ways of incorporating the material into its housing systems. Vector is using the unique features of Energy House 2.0 to test the prototype’s thermal properties and its efficiency in different climates. Energy House 2.0 can recreate temperatures from -20C to 40C, representing 95 per cent the inhabited earth, as well as recreating snow, wind, rain and solar energy to put the Vector home through its paces. Launched earlier this year, the £16m Energy House 2.0, at the heart of the University of Salford’s Peel Park Campus, is globally unique and is helping to drive innovation in the housing sector already, through work with housebuilders Barratt and Bellway, and manufacturer Saint-Gobain. Vector, which is led by chief executive Nathan Feddy and chief technical officer Dr Liam Britnell, has so far received backing from SFC Capital, GC Angels, the Greater Manchester Investment Fund which is the investment arm of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Innovate UK, the European Regional Development Fund and social housing investment firm HSPG. Liam said: “Our mission is to cut carbon and costs in construction and our homes are designed to have 80 per cent fewer carbon emissions in the building process compared to a standard brick house. “They are also designed to be dismantled rather than demolished at the end of life, with the components finding a second or even third life elsewhere. From the microstructure to the superstructure of a Vector home, everything links back to efficiency and sustainability. Our homes will be super standardised to ensure the rapid production of components and assembly. “The opportunity to work with Energy House 2.0 has been a dream come true. It’s a one-of-a-kind facility which enables testing for new types of construction methods. “The Energy House 2.0 team have been incredible to work with, and in a few months’ time our housing system will have more empirical data than any other in the world. This will enable us to continue our iteration cycles to take Vector to the next level.” The Vector Homes prototype will be officially unveiled at an open day and housewarming event on Thursday, September 21, which is being hosted in conjunction with specialist finance firm Together, for housing associations, local authorities, private developers, housebuilders and investors. As well as showcasing the Vector Homes prototype, other digital technologies such as AI-assisted site planning, smart home and digital tools and other new materials will be exhibited. Also exhibiting will be F&T Terrix, Ambion Heating and HAHN Plastics, which have provided mould-resistant plaster and render, infra-red heating and outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic respectively for the prototype. Prof Will Swan, director of Energy House Labs, said: “This type of project is exactly what our unique Energy House 2.0 facility was built for. Vector Homes is an ambitious, innovative north west company and if we can help them to develop a new product which can provide cheap, safe and, most importantly, warm housing, then there will be huge benefits.” Elliot Vure, director of corporate sales at Together, said: “We’ve been incredibly impressed with Vector’s vision to provide quality, sustainable and affordable housing, made from innovative materials. “The prototype building that Vector has produced is a fantastic example of researchers and the private sector working in partnership, and we believe that Vector’s low-carbon, rapid-build homes can go some way to providing a solution to some of the UK’s future housing challenges.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Major repairs to a Grade II listed bridge are progressing on schedule according to North of England contractor, Esh Construction, who is delivering the project on behalf of East Riding of Yorkshire Council. A 15-week scheme to deliver emergency repair and strengthening works to the structure got underway in July after the stone bridge, which carries the A163 over the River Derwent, was hit by a car in September 2022, causing significant damage to the headwall and parapet. The first phase of works saw the installation of an encapsulated scaffold which allowed grit blasting, steel girder reinforcement and masonry repairs to the parapets to be carried out safely. At the half way point, masonry repairs which include the use of steel staples to pin the stonework together for additional strength are now complete, and the steel girders have been refurbished. The next critical phase will see specialist vacuum excavation works undertaken to remove the fill from the eastern and western bridge arches, this will allow steel anchors and concrete infill to be installed to further strengthen the structure. Steven Garrigan, divisional director for Esh Construction’s civil engineering division, said: “We are pleased with progress to date and remain on schedule. “We understand the strain the closure of the bridge is having on the local area and as such made a commitment to procure local suppliers and sub-contractors where possible to do so given the specialist nature of some of the trades required. I am delighted to report that more than half of the contract value has been re-invested within 20 miles of the site. “While we have overcame any obstacles so far to allow us to remain on programme, we would like to remind everyone that the risk of uncovering further structural issues still remains high, but we are working collaboratively with East Riding of Yorkshire Council to ensure they are fully informed every step of the way.” Adam Holmes, director of infrastructure and facilities at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “We are pleased with the progress of the repair and strengthening works on this bridge project. “We’d like to thank Esh Construction for being so accommodating with its work schedules to help speed up this work so we could plan for the bridge to be reopened sooner, and for its support of local businesses during this scheme.” Additional work to be delivered in the coming weeks includes the installation of a vehicle restraint system to prevent any future damage of a similar nature, as well as kerbing, ducting, surfacing and road marking. Originally built in 1798 and a Grade II listed structure, all repairs undertaken are sympathetic to the existing bridge and its surroundings. The project is due to complete at the end of October 2023. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Wrapping a surge shaft in the Andes mountains of South America Accessing hard-to-reach locations is not a new challenge faced by installers of Fyfe’s Tyfo structural strengthening solutions, but one project, located deep in the Andes mountains of South America, proved to beat all other projects when it came to testing access and logistics. A 100-year-old, 130-ft tall and 16-ft diameter rivetted steel surge shaft, which forms part of a hydro power facility was identified as suffering from corrosion. The owners commissioned engineers to analyze the structure which they found to be deficient under seismic demands and full of water. To resolve the issue, it was identified that additional bending strengthening was needed in order to meet current seismic code requirements, and Fyfe was called upon to design a solution. The Tyfo System was engineered to provide the required vertical tension reinforcement which provides additional bending capacity on the vertical shaft structure. It included the application of horizontal FRP material to confine the vertical tension reinforcement for proper detailing and anchorage. The installation team were faced with several challenging situations which required innovate solutions. Initially all materials had to be delivered to the project site via helicopter and then transported up a steep incline in a rail cart to the tower location. The remote location left the installation team with a one-hour journey just to reach the site and then they worked at height on scaffolding in wind speed of up to 25 km/hr. Fyfe’s local certified applicator, CAFI, has a 20-year history of working with Fyfe FRP and the Tyfo Systems. The company was commissioned to carry out the rehabilitation work which included the installation of FRP to the bottom 65 ft of the shaft and a polyurethane finish coating applied on entire 130-ft tall structure. The application process included surface preparation – sand blasting the shaft to achieve a steel surface profile of SP-10 – to a near white metal surface profile. The 15-person crew then carefully cleaned away dust and debris created from the abrasive blasting process. They then immediately primed the surfaces with neat Tyfo S epoxy to maintain the prepared surface ready for bonding. The corrugations were treated with thickened Tyfo S epoxy to ensure gradual transitions for the fiber application were provided at a minimum slope of 4:1. Tyfo WEB and Tyfo SCH-41-2X materials were applied with the wet lay-up method. The Tyfo SCH-41-2X was designed to provide the required vertical tension capacity for the shaft to meet the seismic bending requirements. Tyfo SCH-41-2X material was then applied horizontally to confine the vertical material, and finally an exterior grade polyurethane coating was applied. And the Tyfo WEB bi-directional glass system acted as the dielectric barrier between steel and carbon fiber wrap. Fyfe recommends that all FRP applications include a proper finish coating – this being an exterior and remote location, the most durable and robust finish coating was suggested for optimal protection and to minimize maintenance requirements. To ensure the best possible quality installation a Fyfe trained third party inspector conducted daily quality reviews including a list of employees per shift, surface temperatures during each shift, material lot numbers used each shift, defect identification and repair summary, and recorded adhesion test results. The project itself took 12 months of planning due to the logistical challenges of transporting materials and the need to correctly protect the crew who had to work in short shifts due to the job site’s altitude. The work program had to coincide with the dry season (Spring & Summer) and avoid the rigorous weather conditions in the Chilean`s Andes Mountains during winter. The FRP scope of work including surface preparation, FRP application and finish coat application took four months. CAFI’s Operations Manager, Gonzalo Carrasco said: “This project is a one of its kind in the region and it was the result of CAFI Ltda. and Fyfe FRP’s teamwork, who during the entire project process provided us with the necessary technical assistance and engineering support to develop a solution for the project in an optimal manner.” Fyfe FRP’s VP of Sales, Tomas Jimenez said: “Despite the challenging location the CAFI team managed to complete the installation of our Tyfo system to the high standard we have come to expect. This was an exciting project for all involved and I’m pleased to say that the structure will remain sound and secure for years to come.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals About Fyfe Fyfe was founded in 1988 to strengthen failing bridge columns using aerospace materials. It is a pioneer in the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) structural strengthening industry. Today it is a world leader in designing and manufacturing Tyfo®, a system of specialized carbon and glass fabrics, which we combine with polymers to strengthen a wide range of masonry, concrete, steel, and timber structures. The Tyfo FRP system is also being used to rehabilitate potable, and non-potable piping systems. www.FyfeCo.com About Critica Infrastructure Critica Infrastructure is shaping the future of critical infrastructure through highly-engineered and proven composites, insertion valves, geopolymer materials, and fiber-reinforced polymers, and associated engineering support and training services. Critica Infrastructure solutions are used to construct, maintain, strengthen, protect, and rehabilitate energy transmission and distribution lines, high-consequence industrial pipework, water pipelines, tanks, storm and sanitation systems, and civil/structural assets. Critica Infrastructure solutions are safer and more sustainable, easy to install, cost effective to deploy, and durable for decades. www.CriticaInfra.com
GLP is pleased to announce several significant new appointments within its Clean Energy team in Europe. Under the leadership of Stefano Fissolo, Senior Director, GLP Europe Clean Energy, the team is expanding its capabilities to meet the increasing demand from customers for clean energy solutions across the logistics sector. GLP Europe Clean Energy invests in and operates onsite renewable energy solutions to decarbonise the built environment by deploying rooftop solar, battery storage, electric vehicle infrastructure and other adjacent technologies. New appointments across operations, partnerships and investments to strengthen team and accelerate business growth: Manuel joins as Director, Asset Management, responsible for managing GLP Clean Energy’s portfolio of assets throughout their life cycle, managing technical and ESG due diligence, driving the adoption of best practices and new technologies within the business, and implementing value enhancement initiatives. Manuel has ~15 years’ experience in the energy industry sector across asset management and engineering, having managed and/or overseen the operations of more than 1.3 GW of projects across renewables technologies including solar PV, onshore wind, battery energy storage and biomass. Manuel joins from Glennmont, where he managed the development, construction, operations and divestment of renewable plants across Europe, and has held previous roles working as a consultant, project engineer, and technical manager at various reputable renewable energy corporations. Pablo has been appointed Director, Business Development, focused on originating and developing renewables projects and creating the offering suite of onsite and offsite power purchase agreements for GLP Clean Energy customers. Pablo has built deep expertise over 14 years in the energy and renewables sector across business development, sales, portfolio management, M&A and strategy. He previously worked at ENGIE, a French multi-national energy company, where he led the transformation of the company, developing new businesses in renewable energy infrastructure onsite and offsite in North and Latin America. Tobias joins as Vice President, Investments, responsible for forming and executing GLP Clean Energy’s investment and financing strategies. Tobias brings over 10 years’ experience originating and executing infrastructure and clean energy financing projects, totalling over €630M of capital invested across over 90 deals, from his time in roles at SUSI Partners, MEAG and Siemens Bank. Servando is an Investment Associate, supporting on all investments and related activities. He has over 5 years’ experience in renewables across utility-scale and onsite projects, and previously held roles in both the development and investment teams of Plenium Partners, a Madrid based infrastructure private equity firm. GLP continues to support the global energy transition by investing in solar, wind, electric vehicles and battery storage and charging technologies for its assets. At the end of 2022, the firm had 700+ megawatts (MW) of solar capacity installed on the rooftops of its real estate portfolio and third-party rooftops which contributes to lowering CO2 emissions. The clean energy generated is sold back to customers and utility companies, which has the potential to help reduce the pressure on local electricity grids and ties into GLP’s overall ESG and sustainability goals. Stefano Fissolo, Senior Director, GLP Europe Clean Energy, commented: “Our team’s collective track record spans the entire technology spectrum of the energy transition and covers the full project lifecycle of renewable energy assets both from a transactional and operational standpoint. This will be an invaluable asset as we continue to expand our activities. We are seeing record levels of demand for decarbonisation solutions from across our existing and prospective customer base, as the logistics industry increasingly understands the important role it has to play in the global energy transition. We’re proud to be a sustainability leader in the sector, and with our strong and growing team we will continue to push innovation and progress in this area.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction works have started and are progressing well at Eastern Gateway, Ipswich, on an 8-acre scheme that Trebor Developments and Hillwood acquired earlier in 2023. Main Contractor, Magrock Ltd, started on site in July 2023 on the five unit industrial and logistics scheme that ranges in size from 12,905 to 52,250 sq ft. Steelworks are planned to be going up from September 2023 and the development is on programme to complete in May 2024, as planned. The units are being built speculatively by National property developer Trebor and will offer much needed accommodation to local occupier requirements when complete, in an area that remains undersupplied with good quality new build space. When finished the scheme is expected to create approximately 250-350 jobs for Ipswich and the surrounding area, in addition to the construction jobs already secured. The units will also be highly sustainable, built to BREEAM “Excellent” standards and EPC “A”. The scheme is being marketed as “Access @ Eastern Gateway, Ipswich” and will complement the existing units already developed on site for Amazon and La Doria. Councillor Neil MacDonald, Ipswich Borough Council Leader commented: “Eastern Gateway is a development that is attracting new business into the local area, to boost the economy and create more jobs. I am really pleased to see Trebor take the next steps to support our goal of redeveloping this brownfield site to create new employment opportunities.” Lambert Smith Hampton and Savills are retained as marketing agents for Trebor and Hillwood. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
National property consultancy Carter Jonas has secured planning permission on behalf of London Square Developments and NHS Property Services Ltd for the development of 125 new apartments, commercial and community uses in the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The scheme will provide flexible commercial and community uses at ground floor level and 125 apartments above. The apartments will be provided in a variety of sizes including 1, 2 and 3 bedroom options and 50% will be on-site, tenure blind, affordable units. Private and communal amenity space is also included. The design of the two buildings is intended to respond to the mixed character of the surrounding area, which has low rise buildings to the north and west and emerging high-rise development to the east associated with the regeneration of the Cambridge Road Estate. The approved design is car-free with four blue badge holder spaces and London Plan compliant cycle parking facilities. The scheme is located on the site of the former Hawks Road Clinic, which had become surplus to the NHS’s requirements and was vacated in 2020. It entails the reuse of brownfield land whilst making a meaningful contribution of 63 dwellings to the Borough’s affordable housing stock. All jobs and services associated with the previous clinic use have been relocated within the Borough. Jessica McSweeney, Partner, Planning and Development, Carter Jonas commented: “We are extremely pleased to have achieved this planning permission, which follows 18 months of work alongside the Council’s planning officers, the Greater London Authority, neighbouring landowners, the community, the Design Review Panel and other statutory consultees. The scheme will bring much needed housing, including a substantial proportion of affordable housing, to the Borough.” In achieving planning success, Carter Jonas worked alongside Fuse Architects. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Alumno, the specialist student accommodation developer, has officially opened a striking mixed-use six and seven-storey building in Leeds that will provide accommodation for the city’s growing student population and features an onsite Asian street food restaurant. The Terry Frost Building, named after the celebrated abstract artist who taught at Leeds College of Art, was designed by architects Howarth Litchfield, built by GMI Construction Group and project managed by RPS Group. The new 11,955 square metre project on Whitelock Street in the Sheepscar district of the city has regenerated a run-down, disused site and comprises 105 units that will house 411 students. Facilities include a range of communal areas, including a central hub, gym, cinema, laundry room, roof terrace with a garden and extensive secure bicycle storage. “Sheepscar was a thriving Irish quarter with many industries including coal extraction, brickmaking and, perhaps most notably, Burmantofts Pottery nearby,” explained Jonathan Yates, Managing Director at Howard Litchfield. “The predominance of brickwork in the facades is a clear reference to this urban, industrial and artisan heritage and celebrates the former clay pits to the west. We are delighted with how the design has evolved, which cascades down from west to east to the dramatic prow at the Sheepscar Interchange creating a new landmark gateway for the northern city and offering spectacular views of the city to the south.” As part of its ongoing commitment to the communities living adjacent to its projects, Alumno has commissioned artworks that have been integrated into the public areas surrounding the development. The atrium features a large frieze based on an abstract painting by Frost. Inspired by Frost’s work, Yorkshire-based poet Zaffar Kunial has written a poem cast into the brickwork at the building’s entrance. Meanwhile, Kunial’s work based on the ‘hidden river’ Sheepscar Beck, which runs to the rear of the site before disappearing under Leeds city centre, is built into the retaining wall of the development’s ‘eternal rain garden’ where ceramics by local artist Ameila Wood will also be permanently displayed. At the recent opening event, Frost’s son Anthony unveiled a plaque in honour of his late father. Specially commissioned photography on Leeds by Peter Dench is also on display, along with work from finalists of Photo North, an annual photography exhibition and student competition sponsored by Alumno. Cocktails and refreshments were provided by a local distillery and brewery. “We have been creating student accommodation around the UK for over 15 years and are delighted to be opening our latest completed project in Leeds,” said Alumno Managing Director David Campbell. “Whitelock Street is the perfect location due its proximity to the universities and city centre, and we believe this development will be a great addition to the Sheepscar district and offer significant regeneration benefits. It will also make more housing available to local people by alleviating the need for students to rent family homes privately in the area.” Andrew Hurcomb, Divisional Managing Director Yorkshire, from GMI Construction, said: “We are exceptionally proud to have delivered this landmark development as part of our ongoing and successful relationship with Alumno. The Terry Frost Building is helping to set the standard for purpose-built student accommodation, which is sustainably designed and built to meet the needs of Leeds’ growing student population.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Local housebuilder Story Homes recently held a corporate golf day and raised £8,000 for its charity partner, Cancer Research UK (CRUK). The golf day, hosted at Macdonald Linden Hall Golf & Country Club in Northumberland, saw 20 teams of four compete in a Texas scramble style format. Prizes were awarded for nearest to the pin’ on each par 3, ‘longest drive’ on one of the par 5s and ‘hole in one’ competition. Most teams donated a prize for a charity raffle or offered a charitable donation in return for hole sponsorship and paid an entry fee with all proceeds going to CRUK. Story Homes reached out to employees, subcontractors and agents in a bid to fill the team spaces and had an overwhelming response; as a result, the event was a huge success raising thousands of pounds for the housebuilder’s charity partner. Dan Ferguson, Assistant Quantity Surveyor for Story Homes in the North East organised the event. He said: “We wanted to organise an event that would raise a significant amount of money for our charity partner and it was great to see subcontractors, agents and employees come together for this very important cause. “We were blown away by the generosity of those who attended the golf day and are delighted at the amount we managed to raise. I’d like to thank all those who entered a team and made the event such a success.” Each year Story Homes colleagues vote for a charity partner to dedicate its colleague and company fundraising to, with activities and events planned throughout the year to raise funds for the charity. Commenting on the charity partnership and the golf day, Nicky McKenna, Relationship Manager for CRUK said: “Cancer Research UK is incredibly grateful that employees of Story Homes organised the fundraising golf day in September. “In a world where 1 in 2 of us will get cancer, we’d like to sincerely thank everyone involved for helping us to beat cancer. Every pound that we receive helps us fulfil our strategy to beat cancer sooner, supporting scientists, doctors and nurses. This money will help fund our ground-breaking research, our work to develop improved cancer drugs and our programme of practical information for people diagnosed with cancer. Cancer Research UK is working towards a world where everyone can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. Story Homes’ dedicated fundraising will help us create this world. Thank you.” To find out more about Story Homes in the North East, visit https://www.storyhomes.co.uk/north-east/, or to find out more about CRUK, visit https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Specialist contractors are being sought to help influence a multi-million-pound framework dedicated to tackling the energy-efficient retrofit and decarbonisation of Great Britain’s public sector buildings and social housing stock. Not-for-profit public sector construction framework provider LHC Procurement Group (LHC) is looking for specialists to take part in market engagement and provide feedback on initial proposals for its Decarbonisation and Retrofit (N9) framework. It is hosting a pre-tender engagement (PTE) webinar on 20 September for contractor and consultancy organisations interested in shaping the new framework. Some of the key areas that LHC aims to explore during PTE include the PAS requirements, emerging technologies, and SME inclusion to identify any changes required to ensure a more balanced and inclusive framework. Set for launch in mid-2024, N9 is the successor to LHC’s Energy Efficiency Measures and Associated Works (N8) framework and builds on the provider’s 30-year heritage of delivering energy efficiency procurement solutions. It will offer public sector clients more access to suppliers offering a wider range of technologies and services, while targeting EPC improvements for housing stock. The public sector is faced with the challenge of retrofitting housing and other buildings to make vital energy-efficient fabric improvements. The exact scale of the task is unknown, but the social housing sector owns 4.4 million properties in the UK, while – according to the Climate Change Committee – there are another 1.9 million non-domestic public buildings. Dean Fazackerley, LHC’s Head of Technical Procurement, said: “At this stage, we are focusing on ensuring our N9 framework meets needs across the public sector, matches marketplace capability, and works to achieve government targets and future policy requirements. It’s clear our selection criteria must align with relevant standards to ensure N9 is robust, meets the expectations of all stakeholders and supports LHC’s drive to becoming a Gold Standard framework provider. “We’d encourage would-be suppliers for our N9 framework to attend the webinar, as it presents a unique opportunity to work in collaboration with our dedicated technical team to shape the framework in its early stages.” N9 is currently divided into seven workstreams, each containing multiple lots. The workstreams include Building Insulation and Performance; Heating Systems; Control and Management Systems; Electrical, Servicing and Maintenance of Renewable Systems; Multi-Disciplinary Works; and Consultancy. All bidders will be required to meet relevant industry standards, such as PAS 2035 and 2038, and there will be specific requirements for each lot. Dean Fazackerley added: “In the coming months we will be working with suppliers and clients to set out individual requirements for each lot, as different standards will be necessary depending on the nature of the work. “N9 will be operating within a highly competitive market, with the potential for changes in government policy and the rapid evolution of the energy sector during its four-year term. That’s why pre-tender engagement is so important for us in helping to identify opportunities to futureproof the framework as much as possible for the years to come.” The framework will be available nationwide through LHC’s five business units: London and South East (LSE); Consortium Procurement Construction (CPC); South West Procurement Alliance (SWPA); Welsh Procurement Alliance (WPA); and Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA). LHC has been developing frameworks specifically dedicated to energy efficiency and net zero construction via retrofit and new build for 30 years, when discussions around the topic were still in their infancy. Clive Feeney, LHC group director, said: “In the early days of our energy efficiency frameworks, there were other issues that were more pressing for public sector organisations. These included economic recession, regulatory changes, and technology adoption. While those all remain relevant today, the journey to net zero is now the biggest challenge facing our industry. “LHC frameworks are underpinned by 57 years’ experience, and we are here to support local authorities, housing associations, schools and a range of other public sector organisations in delivering a range of energy efficiency and decarbonisation works. We are passionate about improving lives and places through quality procurement solutions, as well as awarding grants for community projects and schemes through our Community Benefit Fund.” Prospective suppliers can register early interest in this framework opportunity to receive further updates by registering on LHC’s eTendering portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/lhc/aspx/ProjectManage/18 For more information on LHC and to register for the PTE webinar, visit: www.lhcprocure.org.uk/pte-n9 Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
ACHIEVING PRODUCT SET VERIFICATION FOR SINGLE PLY ROOF SYSTEMS Global building product manufacturer Sika has become an early adopter of the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) which has been published to drive higher standards in the presentation of construction product information within the manufacturing industry. A response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review into Building Regulations and Fire Safety, the Code was developed by the Construction Product Association’s Marketing Integrity Group following two years’ engagement with industry. It has been created to promote an urgent and positive culture and behaviour change in the way the construction product manufacturing industry manages and provides information on its products. Globally renowned for high quality construction solutions and with a commitment to raising industry standards, Sika is one of the first product manufacturers to have achieved CCPI verification of its first product set for Single Ply Roof systems. The company maintains a strong focus on transparency and by committing to the code it will provide further independent assurance and greater confidence in the information associated to its CCPI-verified product-set. There are 11 Clauses within the CCPI assessment which cover a wide range of matters from responsibility for product information, to transparency of performance, proof of stated claims, general information and competency. The CCPI is built around five ‘acid tests’ – product information must be ‘Clear, Accurate, Up-to-date, Accessible and Unambiguous’. The 11 clauses are underpinned by a requirement to demonstrate the highest levels of integrity, ethics, leadership and culture. “We are delighted that Sika is an early adopter of the code,” said Mark Gatrell – Head of Business Unit Roofing for Sika in the UK. “The Code is aiming to drive the highest standards in product information, setting a level playing field for all construction manufacturers to ensure that the information they provide is clear, accurate, up-to- date and unambiguous. We’re proud to be working proactively with the CCPI to raise standards in product information management.” For more information visit the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals