A collaboration between the Heritage Lottery Fund & Fit for the Future, a network of organisations taking action on climate change within the charity and heritage sectors, has been announced. As climate change becomes a growing conservation challenge effecting historic buildings, collections and gardens, the partnership addresses the increasingly urgent
25 June 2016 – by Shekha Vyas Edinburgh’s office pipelineAberdeen Asset Management is on the hunt for a new 80,000 sq ft Edinburgh headquarters. The fund manager has been streamlining its UK portfolio and in the past six months has disposed of £1.7bn of assets, including 61 Southwark Street, SE1,
National home sales in Canada fell in May after setting an all-time monthly record the previous month with a decline of 2.8% recorded, the latest index data shows. The figures from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) also show that the national average price has increased by 13.2% year on
Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading area of a larger company trading as Kelda Group, is the sister company of Yorkshire Water. The company has recently completed almost £1 million of site sales that will enable the conversion and redevelopment of residential accommodation to be brought forward. Keyland Developments sites
The McAvoy Group has been appointed to work on the LHC Modular Buildings Framework. The work that has been scheduled is thought to have a combined value of more than £1 billion. The LHC is known as one of the UK’s longest-established public sector procurement specialists. McAvoy has managed to
The jury awarded its innovative modular manholes for electrical and telecommunications ducting, made of 100% recycled plastic The delivery ceremony took place at the Dubai World Trade Center, headquarters of BIG 5, in which more than 2,500 companies from 60 countries participated. Spanish manufacturer Hidrostank has won the award for
The number of new home approvals in Australia fell by 0.9% in June, the second monthly fall in a row, according to the latest data to be published. In seasonally adjusted terms, total approvals decreased 2.9% with both total other residential dwelling approvals and total houses down by 3.4% and
The building industry is booming in London now that Sadiq Khan has relaxed rules surrounding housing. As reported by the Guardian, the Mayor of London, plans to build over quarter of a million new homes in the bustling capital’s outer suburbs, which fits in with recent housing movements. In the
Bouygues Construction has announced their plans to accelerate the digital transformation of their project activity with a new collaboration with Accenture and Dassault Systèmes. This new collaboration will help Bouygues to centrally manage their construction projects from start to finish. The initiative has been seen as a logical extension of
OFTEC registrations now include biomass Published: 05 May, 2016 OFTEC has announced that biomass registration (OFT505) is now available to all installers, completing its range of competent person and microgeneration certification scheme registration services. Existing technicians, as well as those new to OFTEC, can now sign up and benefit not
A collaboration between the Heritage Lottery Fund & Fit for the Future, a network of organisations taking action on climate change within the charity and heritage sectors, has been announced. As climate change becomes a growing conservation challenge effecting historic buildings, collections and gardens, the partnership addresses the increasingly urgent need for adaptation and resilience. Ros Kerslake, HLF’s Chief Executive, made the announcement during a key-note speech at Fit for the Future’s annual conference, Ideas Harvest 2017: “As the largest funder of heritage projects in the UK, the Heritage Lottery Fund has always been acutely aware of its responsibility. We aim to show leadership and to encourage all involved to act as good custodians so that we can pass on our heritage for future generations to enjoy.” “We absolutely support the Fit for the Future principle that, more often than not, the solution is already out there when it comes to making buildings, land and whole organisations more sustainable. We will therefore be encouraging grantees, new and old, to become part of this fantastic network of organisations dedicated to helping people and projects to ‘go green’.” Fit for the Future is a thriving sustainability network, set up in 2013 by National Trust and Ashden. It has attracted more than 90 organisations including The Crown Estate, The Royal Household, Tate, National Trust, Historic Environment Scotland and Kew Gardens to its membership. The network links up the hundreds of people who are tasked with making these organisations more sustainable. They work together to find practical approaches to lowering their organisation’s energy bills, mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts. Sir Ed Davey, Chair of Fit for the Future, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the Heritage Lottery Fund to help ensure a sustainable future for our heritage, and look forward to welcoming HLF grantees to the network. Our current members have already achieved some fantastic results: the National Trust saved enough money on oil bills in 2016 to pay for the treatment of 42 sculptures, and the energy savings made by Chatsworth House in 2016 could pay for restoring over 500 meters of dry stone walling. As the impacts of climate change become increasingly apparent, it’s imperative that organisations also have the tools and knowledge to successfully adapt.” The impacts of climate change and the need to adapt has been reported across Fit for the Future’s membership. Historic England has produced a climate change adaptation report[1], outlining the risks for the heritage sector, and in National Trust’s Forecast Changeable report [2], the impacts of extreme weather events on the land and buildings in the Trust’s care were detailed. HLF were one of the first major funders to focus attention on the issue of environmental sustainability, introducing an environmental impact policy in 2008. They are the largest dedicated funder of heritage in the UK and have awarded £7.7billion to over 42,000 projects since 1994.
25 June 2016 – by Shekha Vyas Edinburgh’s office pipelineAberdeen Asset Management is on the hunt for a new 80,000 sq ft Edinburgh headquarters. The fund manager has been streamlining its UK portfolio and in the past six months has disposed of £1.7bn of assets, including 61 Southwark Street, SE1, and 1 Welbeck Street, W1. It fell out of the FTSE 100 index of the UK’s largest companies this year and posted a fall in profits from £185.4m to £98.8m in the six months to the end of March 2016. Aberdeen currently occupies almost 90,000 sq ft in Edinburgh in 40 Princes Street and 60 Morrison Street. The firm has appointed Ryden to explore options for a move. It has an upcoming lease expiry on Princes Street in 2018 and the lease on Morrison Street expires in 2021. Aberdeen said: “We are looking at options, given that lease renewals and break clauses are coming up in a few years’ time. We may not even move.” All the content from this weekís magazine, including this article, is available in the new app. The company is most likely to take space at one of three developments in the city centre, as supply for grade-A office space stands at just 100,000 sq ft. Tiger Development’s Haymarket will deliver 340,000 sq ft, Hermes and Parlison Properties’ Capital Square will provide 122,600 sq ft, and Artisan’s New Waverley 160,000 sq ft over the next three years. Aberdeen employs around 800 staff in Edinburgh, where its global equity, structured products and multi-asset teams are based. Its investment trust, secretarial, compliance, digital marketing and governance teams also work in the city. Source link
National home sales in Canada fell in May after setting an all-time monthly record the previous month with a decline of 2.8% recorded, the latest index data shows. The figures from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) also show that the national average price has increased by 13.2% year on year but when Greater Toronto and Greater Vancouver are excluded this drops to 9.1%. Sales activity dropped in about 70% of all markets, led by those in British Columbia and Ontario where the number of homes listed for sale has fallen to multi-year or all-time lows. ‘National sales activity is still strong, even after coming off the record levels of the past couple of months. But, there are housing markets where sales continue to reflect a cautious mood among homebuyers and uncertainty about the local economy,’ said CREA president Cliff Iverson. According to CREA’s chief economist Gregory many of the housing markets in BC and Ontario that led the monthly decline in national sales are also places where months of inventory have fallen to all-time lows. ‘This suggests a lack of supply may be starting to rein in sales amid a continuation of strong housing demand,’ he explained. While nine of the 11 markets tracked by the index posted year on year price gains in May, price growth among housing markets continues to vary widely. Greater Vancouver recorded the biggest rise at 29.7% then the Fraser Valley at 31.7%. Next was Greater Toronto where prices rose by 15% year on year, while in Victoria they rose 13.9% and in Vancouver Island by 9.5%. By contrast, prices fell by 3.9% in Calgary and by 2.3% in Saskatoon. There were smaller year on year prices rises in other locations. In Regine they increased by 3.4%, in Ottawa by 1.3% and in Greater Montreal by 1.9%. Home prices in Greater Moncton recorded their tenth consecutive year on year gain, up 8.2%. The index report also points out that the national average price continues to be pulled upward by sales activity in Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto, which remain two of Canada’s tightest, most active and expensive housing markets. The actual, not seasonally adjusted, national average price for homes sold in May 2016 was $509,460, up 13.2% year on year. However, if these two housing markets are excluded from calculations, the average price is a more modest $375,532 and the year on year gain is trimmed to 9.1%. But the report explains that even then, this reflects a tug of war between strong average price gains in housing markets around the GTA and in British Columbia versus flat or declining average prices elsewhere in Canada. Indeed, the average price for Canada net of sales in British Columbia and Ontario in May 2016 was down 0.7% year on year to $310,007.The index also shows that the number of newly listed homes fell by 3.2% month on month and new supply was down in about two thirds of all local markets, led by the Fraser Valley, Victoria, Edmonton, Montreal and Quebec City. The national sales to new listings ratio edged up to 64.8%, the ratio’s tightest reading since October 2009. A sales to new listings ratio between 40% and 60% is generally consistent with balanced housing market conditions, with readings below and above this range indicating buyers’ and sellers’ markets respectively. The ratio was above 60% in about half of all local housing markets in May, virtually all of which are located in British Columbia, in addition to housing markets in and around Toronto and across Southwestern Ontario. The number of months of inventory is another important measure of the balance between housing supply and demand. It represents the number of months it would take to completely liquidate current inventories at the current rate of sales activity. There were 4.7 months of inventory on a national basis at the end of May 2016, which is unchanged from April’s reading and the lowest level in more than six years. Months of inventory have been trending lower since early 2015, reflecting increasingly tighter housing markets in BC and Ontario. Source link
Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading area of a larger company trading as Kelda Group, is the sister company of Yorkshire Water. The company has recently completed almost £1 million of site sales that will enable the conversion and redevelopment of residential accommodation to be brought forward. Keyland Developments sites include Holme Barn, Hartshead Moor Top, Baildon Reservoir and Thornton Filter House. All of these sites have recently been sold with planning permission in place that will allow for the regeneration of the sites in order to create more residential space. Holme Barn is situated off Woodhead Road in Holme within the Peak District National Park was sold to a private developer for £170,000. The property consists of a single natural stone barn which will then be sensitively converted in to a new holiday let. This site will benefit the area by giving the site a purpose, allowing for regeneration and securing a long-term future for the currently derelict building. Hartshead Moor Top, another site that has been sold by Keyland Developments is located adjacent to the Hartshead Reservoir. Planning consent that is already in place for this site is for the creation of four new homes. The Local housebuilder, Barnes Homes has purchased the site for £275,000 in order to develop four residential properties fronting Halifax Road. A local buyer has purchased Keyland’s Baildon site located within an already residential area one mile from Baildon Town Centre for £320,000. The site is currently brownfield land that is owned by Yorkshire water and the planning that was in place at the time of the sale is for the construction of two properties that will accessible from West Lane. It is great that the sites that have been sold by Keyland will offer great opportunities for developers and individuals in order to regenerate a series of disused buildings as well as vacant land for residential use.
The McAvoy Group has been appointed to work on the LHC Modular Buildings Framework. The work that has been scheduled is thought to have a combined value of more than £1 billion. The LHC is known as one of the UK’s longest-established public sector procurement specialists. McAvoy has managed to secure this position by winning the tender for 15 lots and achieving the highest score for education buildings as well as factory processes and for BIM, out of all of the companies that submitted bids to be a part of the LHC framework. McAvoy also managed to top in the workstream WS1 for permanent and interim education and healthcare buildings. The high finishing result by the company, and their selection for the LHC Modular Buildings Framework means that more public sector clients will be able to award contracts directly to the company. The McAvoy Group is one of the UK’s leading offsite construction specialists. The Group has already managed to secure their first scheme following their success on the LHC framework. This project is an interim classroom project that has been carried out on behalf of Cardiff Council. The building will accommodate 60 children at Court Special School and will be used for three years in order to help to meet the rising demand for school places. The LHC frameworks have been setup in order to give public sector building clients the benefit of a faster and more efficient procurement operation as well as the best value pricing, instant access to project data and the reassurance of higher quality, guaranteed service levels and a faster project commencement time period. It was vital for McAvoy from their appointment that they develop virtual models of their clients’ buildings in order to facilitate a more informed decision making process while also working to enhance the engagement of their stakeholders.
The jury awarded its innovative modular manholes for electrical and telecommunications ducting, made of 100% recycled plastic The delivery ceremony took place at the Dubai World Trade Center, headquarters of BIG 5, in which more than 2,500 companies from 60 countries participated. Spanish manufacturer Hidrostank has won the award for the most sustainable product of the year at the 10th edition of the GAIA Awards, The Big 5 award for green built environment solutions. The BIG 5 DUBAI, which took place from 26th to 29th of November, is the main construction and civil engineering fair in the Middle East. The jury, composed by panel of industry experts chaired by Anwaar Al Shimmari, director of the Department of Design of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development of the United Arab Emirates, wanted to recognize HIDROSTANK innovative modular manholes for electrical and telecommunications ducting, made of 100% recycled plastic, from over 100 competing products. The GAIA Awards, open not only to exhibitors but also to all operators whose products are distributed within the MENA Region, have become a reference for the industry due to their recognition of equipment and construction products that are committed to moving towards a increasingly sustainable environment. Receiving the award, Hidrostank’s commercial director, Juan Gazpio Irujo, said: “20 years ago we bet on a much more sustainable world. Our challenge was to change the mindset of traditional contractors with a eco friendly alternative to concrete manholes. So we are really proud of being recognised today by such an important jury.” “More and more administrations are considering sustainable procurement to improve the efficiency of public procurement and use the power of the public market to promote important environmental and social benefits at the local, regional and global levels”, says Juan Gazpio, Commercial Director, in the photo . “Today it is not enough to be competitive. Sustainability is in the DNA of our clients and we have known how to integrate this variable into our productive model”. The activity of HIDROSTANK is especially focused to emerging countries (LATAM, MENA…) where these modular manholes make it possible to speed the execution of their numerous projects up in a much more sustainable way. The Expansion of the Panama Canal is perhaps one of its main international references. The spanish company supplied to the winning consortium Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC), led by SACYR, its modular manholes in the urbanization works. HIDROSTANK Access chambers enable the contractors to significantly reduce the execution of the works and fulfil the arranged deadlines at the beginning of the project. The high resistance of the HIDROSTANK cable pit make it a real alternative to traditional concrete systems. “Not only are they ecofriendly, but also their modularity makes transport easier, a simple and quick installation on site, without the need for heavy machinery, and a reduction in manpower,” says Alberto Ayesa, company manager. ” This will lead to significant savings and a much more sustainable construction.”
The number of new home approvals in Australia fell by 0.9% in June, the second monthly fall in a row, according to the latest data to be published. In seasonally adjusted terms, total approvals decreased 2.9% with both total other residential dwelling approvals and total houses down by 3.4% and 2.4% respectively. The figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) also show that the value of total building approved rose 1.2% in June, in trend terms, and has risen for six months. The value of residential building rose 0.1% while non-residential building rose 3.7%. A breakdown of the figures show that home approvals decreased by 5.2% in Western Australia, by 3.7% in Tasmania, by 3.2% in Queensland, by 2.8% in the Australian Capital Territory and by 0.1% in Victoria. They increased by 3.6% in the Northern Territory, by 1.6% in South Australia and by 0.8% in New South Wales. Private sector house approvals fell by 3.5% in Western Australia, by 0.6% in Victoria, by 0.5% in Queensland and by 0.3% in South Australia but increased by 0.9% in New South Wales. Overall approvals are continuing to ease back from the record highs hit last year, according to Shane Garrett, senior economist for the Housing Industry Association (HIA). He explained that approvals for both the detached house and multi-unit side peaked in the middle of 2015. ‘Since then, detached house approvals have glided lower in an orderly manner. Multi-unit approvals have continued to be resilient, although sit at levels slightly lower than a year ago,’ Garrett pointed out. ‘The immediate pipeline of new home building work is set to remain very solid, based on this latest approvals update. Recent approvals releases have also highlighted the considerable variation in new home building activity across the different states and territories. We expect the trajectory of new dwelling approvals to continue retreating at a modest pace over coming months,’ he added. Source link
The building industry is booming in London now that Sadiq Khan has relaxed rules surrounding housing. As reported by the Guardian, the Mayor of London, plans to build over quarter of a million new homes in the bustling capital’s outer suburbs, which fits in with recent housing movements. In the last year the residential market in London has seen a surprising upturn during the second quarter of the year, and there has also been an increase in the sale of luxury properties. Of course, the new housing won’t be for the rich and affluent; instead the homes are being built with young professionals and families in mind, helping to deal with the housing crisis in the UK. Sadiq Khan said, “I am using all of the powers at my disposal to tackle the housing crisis head on.” Over 250,000 New Homes In London The suburbs are now preparing for a large amount of construction after the Major lifted rules surrounding local character in London. This may be a cause for alarm for some people, but Khan is still prioritizing the environment; the housing plan goes hand in hand with a plan to protect the London Green Belt. The plan is certainly ambitious, but it looks like it will be achieved within the next few years. The new houses will be placed in 13 of the outer suburbs of London, avoiding the city centre which is already heavily crowded. One third of the houses will be built on surprisingly small sites, including in areas where there are unused apartments and shops. Some of the sites are even in used back gardens. Khan created the detailed plan in 2016, and although many critics were initially concerned about the idea many people have now warmed to it. The Need For Building Services Once the houses are built it is extremely important to maintain the properties. Houses can last for hundreds of years if they are properly maintained by professional building services, but if not they can quickly decay and age – and this means that even more money will need to be spent further down the line. For this reason it is important to hire a quality cleaning team who have experience maintaining residential properties. This housing plan is set to be one of the biggest residential builds in the UK in 2017, and it will transform the lives of thousands people who are living in London. It will also create more work for the construction industry and building services, benefiting the community in various ways.
Bouygues Construction has announced their plans to accelerate the digital transformation of their project activity with a new collaboration with Accenture and Dassault Systèmes. This new collaboration will help Bouygues to centrally manage their construction projects from start to finish. The initiative has been seen as a logical extension of the commitment that has already been made by the company to further industrialise their operations and enhance collaboration within its supply chain partners. The increased rate of this digital transformation has taken place after the adoption of the Building Information Modelling methodology several years ago. The framework that has been designed with the collaboration between the three companies will help to integrate technologies and processes in order to drive end-to-end efficiency in construction operations. This collaboration will create a pioneering initiative for the construction industry, as the three companies have signed an agreement to develop a digital environment for collaborative construction project management, based on Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, already used in a range of other industries such as automotive and aerospace. The transformation programme which is being launched with Dassault Systèmes and Accenture which marks a fundamental change for our supply chain with a digital work platform that can employ all of our project data across the board. The solution that has been created will guarantee greater efficiency to help them satisfy their customer’s expectations. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform will offer Bouygues a unique opportunity to be a pioneer in the construction sector, with the development of business processes and a more holistic approach can help to integrate the company with its supply chain into a value creation chain. This is one of the first initiative of its kind to be created for the construction sector and will use the latest technologies in order to enable a simultaneous collaboration of the entire ecosystem of a construction project.
OFTEC registrations now include biomass Published: 05 May, 2016 OFTEC has announced that biomass registration (OFT505) is now available to all installers, completing its range of competent person and microgeneration certification scheme registration services. Existing technicians, as well as those new to OFTEC, can now sign up and benefit not only from OFTEC’s traditional oil registration services, but also solid fuel, Part P and the three most popular renewable heating options: heat pumps, solar thermal and biomass. Like OFTEC’s other renewable scopes, biomass registration enables technicians to self-certify installations in accordance with building regulations in England, Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands and also includes the option to add MCS registration. Adrian Lightwood, OFTEC’s registration director, said: “Adding biomass to our registration portfolio completes our range of off grid products and consolidates OFTEC’s position as a competent person scheme provider within the heating industry. “Further extending the range of specialist support we provide means technicians can now benefit from a complete solid fuel registration service covering both traditional and renewable options. It’s also worth noting that technicians looking to expand their businesses and register across multiple heating technologies can obtain very significant savings and the administration process is also greatly reduced which is a big plus.” Technicians considering biomass registration will need to hold an independent qualification mapped to the relevant Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) units or the new Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) units introduced in September 2015. Alternatively, applications can be made via the ‘experienced worker route’ for those with demonstrable experience and manufacturers’ training. Other benefits of registration include the use of OFTEC’s new range of logos, which cover all heating technologies offered and provide customers with assurance of a professional service; access to free technical advice; discounts at OFTEC’s online shop and free listings on OFTEC’s online consumer search. To apply, visit www.joinoftec.com website or, alternatively, call OFTEC’s registration team on 01473 626 298. Source link