Construction workers in the UK say the nation’s unpredictable weather is preventing them from doing their jobs properly, prompting calls for employers to provide extra support. A survey by global technology company SafetyCulture has singled out stormy weather as the biggest disruption in the past 12 months. Four of the
Stoke Gifford’s new Aldi store, situated on a newly developed mixed-use site at Fox Den Road (behind Sainsbury’s), is due to open on Thursday 13th June 2024. The tentative opening date for the supermarket is currently being advertised on a number of vinyl banners on display at the site. The
HS2 has released timelapse and drone footage showing contractors moving a 1,100 tonne composite viaduct into place over two M42/M6 link roads in North Warwickshire. The 158-metre-long structure was moved into place in 13 hours using a specialist push-pull jacking technique. The ‘East M42-M6 Link Viaduct’ is one of 13 viaducts
PROCODE BOSS PLEDGES TO FINISH BRITAIN’S SMART ROLLOUT The UK’s first Smart Innovation Superhub has opened in the heart of the UK’s Silicon Beach, ready to fast-track the smart rollout through to completion with long-awaited and life-changing innovation. Procode is Great Britain’s first Smart Innovation Superhub which brings together a
Leading commercial property developer, Stoford, and ICG Real Estate, the real estate division of ICG, have secured planning consent for a new job-creating urban logistics scheme in Crayford, South East London. Known as MLM Crayford, the scheme comprises three new, highly sustainable buildings with integral Grade A office space, ranging
Shaftesbury Capital has announced that ERGON House, the Greek boutique hotel brand known for theirunique blend of hospitality and exceptional culinary experiences, is set to open in Covent Garden in anewly refurbished heritage listed building, anchoring King Street next year. This will be the brand’s firsthotel outside of Greece, marking
Mobile access control integration makes entry to The Light Bulb building effortless for customers Smart Spaces announces today that it has partnered with trusted identity provider, HID, to make access to Workspace’s The Light Bulb building in South West London fast, simple and secure by making door access credentials available
Mitre Yard is a landmark residential development helping to redefine the regeneration zone of West London. Developers O’Shea, one of the largest privately-owned construction and property development companies in London and the Southeast, approached SANIPEX GROUP for help in creating interiors that are as palatial as the building’s surroundings. Situated
Customers are set to move into brand new apartments in Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware as Sovereign Network Group (SNG) complete the construction of 100 affordable homes. The spacious one, two and three-bedroom apartments boast several green credentials. All properties will use air-source heat pumps instead of gas boilers for heating,
Following The London Declaration to combat climate change through standards, ISO has published an amendment to many of its existing and new management systems standards. The changes emphasise the importance of addressing the effects of climate change within the framework of management systems standards. BM TRADA, a leading UKAS-accredited independent
Construction workers in the UK say the nation’s unpredictable weather is preventing them from doing their jobs properly, prompting calls for employers to provide extra support. A survey by global technology company SafetyCulture has singled out stormy weather as the biggest disruption in the past 12 months. Four of the top five disruptions to UK construction workers are weather-related, with travel disruption on the roads, heat, icy weather, and floods also being identified. These external factors impact productivity with more than half (55%) of workers unable to leave home due to disruptions at some point last year, meaning they couldn’t do their jobs at all. Another half (49%) have had to leave site early at some point due to factors like bad weather. This frequent disruption contributes to the UK’s construction operatives feeling stretched and stressed. Six out of ten (59%) admit cutting corners on health and safety at work, potentially creating risk to themselves or colleagues. Respondents to SafetyCulture’s survey said they cut corners because they were under pressure to meet deadlines, understaffed, and poorly equipped. The findings come ahead of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on Sunday 28th April, which is run annually by the UN’s International Labour Organisation. Alex Brooks-Sykes, SafetyCulture’s lead for UK & Ireland, said: “The British have a reputation for grumbling about the weather, but for construction workers, it can stop a good day’s work and even impact their safety. “Clearly on-site workers are heavily impacted by weather conditions, and storms are a particular drain on productivity and cause of downtime. Staff absences and disruption are also bad for businesses forced to continually juggle resources and fluctuating costs. It all adds up to another drag on the sector’s productivity.” SafetyCulture’s workplace operations platform is used by more than 18,000 UK businesses, including construction industry players like AECOM, ArcelorMittal, and Mobile Mini. Founded in Australia in 2004, the company aims to reach over 100 million deskless workers globally by 2032. Its survey highlights the plight of people who must physically show up for their jobs and work outside the comforts of air-conditioned offices. It is estimated that frontline workers represent 80% of the global workforce.1 With the Met Office forecasting an increase in the number and intensity of storms in Britain, SafetyCulture suggests employers can do more to support construction workers. Alex added: “Communication is key. Accepting that we can’t change the weather, employers should maintain an open dialogue with frontline workers and ensure reports from the ground are taken seriously. Managers with office comforts can be hundreds of miles from site, but the technology exists to react in real-time, minimise disruption and keep workers safe by ensuring they’ve got the right equipment and training to handle every climate. They’re simple principles, but they can make a big impact.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Stoke Gifford’s new Aldi store, situated on a newly developed mixed-use site at Fox Den Road (behind Sainsbury’s), is due to open on Thursday 13th June 2024. The tentative opening date for the supermarket is currently being advertised on a number of vinyl banners on display at the site. The Stoke Gifford store is one of 35 that Aldi plans to open across the UK this year. Jonathan Neale, managing director of national real estate at Aldi UK, said: “After attracting more new customers than any other supermarket in the last 12 months*, we’re more determined than ever to expand our presence across the country.” “We want to make high-quality food accessible to all, and shoppers know they’ll always get more for their money when shopping at Aldi.” A Costa drive-through became the first unit on the site to begin trading when it opened its doors in early April. Other businesses on the development that will be opening soon are a Premier Inn and a Beefeater restaurant. The hotel is already being marketed – as the ‘Premier Inn Bristol Parkway (M32)’ – although at the time of writing bookings are not yet open. Signage at the site suggests that the Beefeater restaurant will be known as ‘The Gifford’, although the venue is yet to be listed on the firm’s website. Numerous job vacancies at Aldi, Premier Inn and Beefeater are currently being advertised. Links to the relevant recruitment websites may be found on the Jobs page of the Stoke Gifford Journal website. No opening dates for the hotel and restaurant have been released by the owning company, Whitbread, however it is noted that recruitment adverts are headed: “Starting 23rd May 2024“. Elsewhere on the site, a row of electric vehicle charging points has been installed, with ten associated parking bays, although these are not yet in use at the time of writing. Vehicular access to the development is via a single entrance/exit point on the access road into Sainsbury’s. There are five pedestrian access points, the main one being off Great Stoke Way, close to the roundabout near Aviva. Planning permission for the mixed-use development at Fox Den Road was granted in April 2021 and preparatory work, including the felling of trees around the 4-acre site, took place in January 2022. Beard Construction was responsible for the construction of the complex on behalf of the developer, Baylis Estates. A statement on the Baylis Estates websites describes the development as having been “completed in Q1 2024”, adding that it has been “forward sold”. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
HS2 has released timelapse and drone footage showing contractors moving a 1,100 tonne composite viaduct into place over two M42/M6 link roads in North Warwickshire. The 158-metre-long structure was moved into place in 13 hours using a specialist push-pull jacking technique. The ‘East M42-M6 Link Viaduct’ is one of 13 viaducts which make up HS2’s triangular Delta Junction. This section of the railway enables high speed trains to travel between London, Interchange Station in Solihull and Birmingham Curzon Street Station. The operation was completed 10 hours ahead of schedule during a weekend road closure, enabling the motorway link roads to be opened earlier than planned. It was delivered by a team of 25 people from specialist steelwork company Victor Buyck Steel Construction (VBSC), working on behalf of HS2’s main works contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV). HS2 Ltd, BBV and National Highways collaborated to minimise disruption for people using the roads and enabling this engineering feat to take place. This was the second ‘launch’ of this structure to move it into its final position over both westbound and eastbound motorway link roads. In February, the first launch took the first 84 metre section of the viaduct to its halfway position over the westbound link road. Since then, three further steel girders were welded to the back of the first section and 38 precast concrete slabs were installed to complete the 158-metre-long structure. By installing the slabs prior to launch, the number of highway closures required to finish the composite deck has been significantly reduced helping to keep future closures of the link road to a minimum. Over the summer, a similar two-stage operation will move the identical ‘West M42-M6 Link Viaduct’ which runs parallel to the East Link Viaduct. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
PROCODE BOSS PLEDGES TO FINISH BRITAIN’S SMART ROLLOUT The UK’s first Smart Innovation Superhub has opened in the heart of the UK’s Silicon Beach, ready to fast-track the smart rollout through to completion with long-awaited and life-changing innovation. Procode is Great Britain’s first Smart Innovation Superhub which brings together a team of 300+ developers – many with two decades of experience in this space – to deliver smart enhancements and solutions designed to improve the standard of living for UK citizens and cut public spending. The Smart Superhub’s innovations are expected to benefit at least a third of smart-enabled households by the end of next year. Ian Burgess, Managing Director of Procode, is the leading innovator in the smart space, being the driving force behind the UK’s first ever specialist Smart Pay As You Go (PAYG) supplier, Utilita. More recently, Ian and his team have created the UK’s first smart data communications adapter to rectify the inefficiencies and connectivity black spots consumers have been forced to endure by the national smart network operator. He comments on the launch: “The government’s 2013 smart rollout began with the intention of smart-enabling every home and business in the UK. It failed because it was back to front – a bit like giving every household a car, but a decade before roads had been invented. The features and benefits associated with becoming smart-enabled just weren’t there, and as a result only half of the UK’s households accepted one and a large cohort refused to accept one. “For more than two decades our agile team has been pushing smart experimentation barriers to identify solutions and technologies that can provide a better standard of living for each individual household, and more holistically, for us all as a nation moving towards net zero. Our innovations have provided evidence that smart connectivity is the solution to many of the UK’s biggest challenges.” Examples of Procode’s Pioneering Innovations Bill Bullen is founder and CEO of the Luxion Group, parent brand of Procode, Utilita Energy, and Canary Care Smart Independent Living. He comments: “Innovating socially responsible and financially beneficial features to make smart meters a must-have is a far more economical way to complete the rollout. We have created a 300-strong team to deliver innovations that will give the smart rollout the shot in the arm that it so desperately needs. “As the CEO and founder of the ninth largest domestic energy supplier, we have successfully smart-enabled 95% of our households and we have done so by innovating the smart PAYG offering so that it’s too good to miss out on. The launch of Procode is an extension of that – adding indisputable value to the lives of those who choose to have a smart meter.” The UK’s slow-moving smart rollout journey Smart Energy Great Britain is a not-for-profit company which is fully funded by the UK’s domestic energy suppliers as per the Conditions of Electricity & Gas Supply, Electricity Distribution and Gas Transporter Licences.[1] After missing its original 2019 target to complete the rollout, the government adjusted its deadlines a further three times and reduced its target installation levels for smart meters from “all homes and small businesses” in 2019, to its current target of 74.5% of homes and nearly 69% of small businesses to have smart meters by the end of 2025. At the end of March 2023, more than a decade after the rollout started, only 57% of all electricity and gas meters were smart.[2] The UK’s own ‘Silicon Beach’ Procode’s Smart Innovation Superhub is based in Eastleigh, Southampton – the heart of the UK’s thriving Silicon Beach – ranked by CBRE as the European tech sector’s fifth largest supercluster.[3] Procode joins major technology innovators such as Starling Bank, Amazon, IBM’s R&D Hub and startups such as Aquark and Audioscenic. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Leading commercial property developer, Stoford, and ICG Real Estate, the real estate division of ICG, have secured planning consent for a new job-creating urban logistics scheme in Crayford, South East London. Known as MLM Crayford, the scheme comprises three new, highly sustainable buildings with integral Grade A office space, ranging in size from c.34,000 – c.170,000 sq ft. Features will include rainwater harvesting, PV roof panels and energy efficient LED lighting, as well as bicycle storage, EV charging provision and wellbeing areas for occupiers. The scheme will target BREEAM ‘Excellent’, EPC A and net zero carbon in whole life cycle. Enabling works will commence on site in June 2024. MLM Crayford could attract in the region of £120 million of inward investment and contribute an estimated £13.3 million per year to the regional economy. The scheme will work towards the objectives and outcomes of Bexley Council’s Growth Strategy by creating significant employment opportunities during construction, and supporting as many as 470 full-time jobs once built and occupied. Angus Huntley, Director at Stoford said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with ICG Real Estate on this exciting new development. MLM Crayford will regenerate a site that has been disused for more than a decade, delivering a market leading, sustainable industrial/logistics scheme in a supply constrained location in the South East.” MLM Crayford provides easy access to Jct 1a of the A282 Dartford Crossing, less than five miles from the M25 and just 10 miles from central London. Established local occupiers include Amazon, ASDA, Currys, DHL, Sainsbury’s and Pets at Home. For further information on MLM Crayford please contact the scheme’s retained agents, DTRE and Savills, or visit www.mlmcrayford.co.uk Stoford and ICG’s professional team included Pegasus Group, Webb Gray Architects, Trinity Property Consultants, Hoare Lea Engineers, Rodgers Leask, Waterman Group and Rachel Hacking Ecology. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Shaftesbury Capital has announced that ERGON House, the Greek boutique hotel brand known for theirunique blend of hospitality and exceptional culinary experiences, is set to open in Covent Garden in anewly refurbished heritage listed building, anchoring King Street next year. This will be the brand’s firsthotel outside of Greece, marking a significant milestone in ERGON’s expansion. It also demonstratesCovent Garden’s gravitas in attracting groundbreaking and new flagship concepts and high qualityglobal brands, further cementing its position as a world-class mixed-use destination as ShaftesburyCapital’s West End portfolio continues to evolve. The boutique hotel which features artisanal Mediterranean products and cuisine will open a c.20,000sqft location at 26 King Street, boasting a unique blend of living, restaurant spaces and culinaryexperiences in a Mediterranean-inspired atmosphere. The venue will host over 20 contemporary hotelrooms, with access to a private gym, with spaces designed by local artists, paying homage to its Greekroots. It will also boast a 2,220 sq ft rooftop restaurant with an al fresco terrace, which, as one of only afew in the area, will boast striking views of the London skyline. With food at the forefront, ERGON House will deliver a multitude of culinary experiences open to thepublic, including an Agora marketplace where bakers, butchers, fishmongers, and greengrocers willbring farm-to-table produce to visitors. As the only integrated Greek food and hospitality brand in the world with a portfolio of more than 600unique products, 25 company-owned and franchised Mediterranean delis, restaurants, markets andhotels in Greece, UK, Cyprus and the Middle East, ERGON will bring an alternative culinary concept toLondon. Following a successful opening in Greece, ERGON House is looking to grow its presence withinEurope and has selected Covent Garden to for its London flagship, demonstrating the destination’sdrive to attain impactful and high-quality UK debuts. Opening next year, it will complement and join a prime roster of brands on King Street such as Creed, JoMalone London, Polo Ralph Lauren, Reformation and Petersham Nurseries, along with renownedrestaurant Clos Maggiore and the recent arrival of Arc’teryx’s new flagship store, creating one ofLondon’s most attractive lifestyle streets. Michelle McGrath, Executive Director, Shaftesbury Capital, commented: “Making places like CoventGarden thrive requires the right blend of high quality destination concepts and uses which foster anenvironment for trade and consumer experiences to flourish. Covent Garden is now the go-todestination for British and international brands, culture, entertainment, and art, with the opening ofERGON House cementing this further. This unique boutique hotel will enhance the Covent Garden experience, delivering a distinctive blend ofhigh-end hospitality experience which aligns with our goal to continually evolve and enhance theneighbourhood. The addition of a new rooftop restaurant and terrace for the district will deliver a rareand high quality experience for locals and visitors, setting us apart from other destinations.” Thomas Douzis, Founder & CEO of ERGON, also said: “ERGON House Covent Garden marks a significantmilestone for us. It represents our dedication and commitment to providing a memorable, one-of-a-kind experience for guests, and marks a new era in our journey. We chose Covent Garden for our firstlocation in the UK because of its strong reputation in retail and F&B. It offers a unique opportunity forus with local and international visitors, and the solid cultural foundation it has cultivated. We lookforward to embedding ourselves within the West End.” The signing of ERGON House follows the recent announcement that global beauty pioneer ELEMIS, isset to open its first London based standalone store in Covent Garden’s Seven Dials later this year,joining brands such as Missoma and Odd Muse on Monmouth Street. This also follows the recentsigning of Axel Arigato, which is set to open a new Flagship store on Earlham Street this Summer,marking the retailer’s second location within the Shaftesbury Capital West End portfolio. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Mobile access control integration makes entry to The Light Bulb building effortless for customers Smart Spaces announces today that it has partnered with trusted identity provider, HID, to make access to Workspace’s The Light Bulb building in South West London fast, simple and secure by making door access credentials available in Google Wallet for all SME customers who lease offices and studios at the centre. Today, any registered Android smartphone user can gain quick and seamless access to The Light Bulb by holding their device near any NFC-enabled HID Signo reader, with doors then opening automatically. Smart Spaces is the first HID Technology Partner to carry out such a Google Wallet integration project, with Workspace the first customer in the world to benefit from this innovative technical collaboration. A FTSE 250 company, Workspace owns and manages 4.6 million sq. ft. of flexible office space across 76 locations in London – home to some of the Capital’s brightest young companies who rent and design their own space and join a vibrant community of other businesses. Chris Boultwood, Workspace’s Head of Technology, says, “Our customers are agile, ambitious SMEs who are digitally savvy, and we know how much they appreciate having ease of access to the building with just their phones. We’re always looking to make their experience as seamless as possible and the HID/Google Wallet door access is a natural step forward at The Light Bulb. We’re now excited to start rolling this out across other London locations.” Smart Spaces’ OS is used by Workspace’s customers to not only access the building, but to book meeting rooms and receive information about events and activities happening onsite, with the software branded MyWorkspace. Unlike issuing traditional plastic RFID access cards, shifting to digital offers self-service plus the seamless provisioning of credentials, making it far easier for all concerned – Workspace’s customers as well as onsite facility management staff. “This partnership highlights our commitment to providing a wider range of secure and convenient mobile experiences for workspaces for all types of end users– from SMEs to larger enterprises. As we diversify and expand our mobile solutions portfolio globally, stay tuned to see more Google Wallet integrations in the coming year,” Sanjit Bardhan, HID’s Vice President & Head of Global Mobile Business. Smart Spaces’ goal is to be the world’s leading smart building operating system for commercial real estate. Winners of the Santander Technology Business of the Year in 2023, a raft of prestigious projects in the UK now use its software which has put London centre stage of global smart building implementations. Dan Drogman, Smart Spaces’ Chief Executive Officer, says, “At Smart Spaces, we continuously strive to provide the best possible user experience for our customers. The ‘tap and go’ functionality and convenience offered by Google Wallet provides this seamlessly. We’re delighted we’re the first to offer this to our customers.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Mitre Yard is a landmark residential development helping to redefine the regeneration zone of West London. Developers O’Shea, one of the largest privately-owned construction and property development companies in London and the Southeast, approached SANIPEX GROUP for help in creating interiors that are as palatial as the building’s surroundings. Situated on the Grand Union Canal, the development is set to play an important role in one of the city’s most affluent and culturally energetic districts. This small pocket of London is home to huge globally recognised brands, from Harrods and Harvey Nichols to Victoria & Albert Museum and Kensington Palace. Mitre Yard offers innovation at every level – with 21 floors offering a choice of spaciously designed apartment types all with perfectly proportioned living spaces. The interior decor is specified to include a stylish palette of warm tone hues, rich vertical grain timber and complementary ceramic marbled style floor and wall tiling. Each space is sleek, functional and inviting for high-end London living. Meeting the brief, brassware solutions from the luxury BAGNODESIGN brand create an affluent atmosphere in the bathrooms, in line with the development’s underlying theme of ‘Where Architecture Meets Art’. Basin mixers and wastes, thermostatic shower mixers and shower heads from BAGNODESIGN all feature, creating the desired atmosphere of sophisticated urban elegance. Specification includes beautiful Zephyr brassware and spa-inspired Cube showerheads, along with quality AQUAECO plumbing solutions. For more details, call 01924 233977 or visit www.sanipexgroup.com/uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Customers are set to move into brand new apartments in Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware as Sovereign Network Group (SNG) complete the construction of 100 affordable homes. The spacious one, two and three-bedroom apartments boast several green credentials. All properties will use air-source heat pumps instead of gas boilers for heating, the first in SNG’s London and East region, and there will be solar panels on the development’s roof. The scheme also features rooftop gardens and a play area for new residents to enjoy. The scheme is 100% affordable with funding partly secured from the Greater London Authority’s (GLA’s) Affordable Homes Programme. There are 75 homes for Shared Ownership, 19 for London Affordable Rent, and six for London Living Rent, a GLA scheme that supports customers in saving for a deposit to buy their own home. A new supermarket and a gym are due to take up the commercial units on the ground floor. David Gooch, SNG Executive Director of Development (London and Herts), commented: “It’s great to see this affordable scheme at Burnt Oak Broadway reach completion providing fantastic and sustainable homes for our customers. These apartments are one of over 700 homes handed over across our London and East region in 2023/24, 3.5 times as many homes as in the previous financial year. Over the next 10 years we plan to develop 25,000 new homes in the South of England, more than half which will be for affordable or social rent.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Following The London Declaration to combat climate change through standards, ISO has published an amendment to many of its existing and new management systems standards. The changes emphasise the importance of addressing the effects of climate change within the framework of management systems standards. BM TRADA, a leading UKAS-accredited independent management systems certification provider, highlights that the changes are presented as additional text within the organisational context in clauses 4.1 and 4.2 of the management system concerned. The new requirement specifies that organisations shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue and whether relevant interested parties have requirements related to climate change. If found to be a relevant issue, climate change needs to be considered in the development and implementation of the organisation’s management system. The climate change amendment applies to all Type A ISO management system standards, i.e. those that specify requirements and to which companies can be certified. This includes the following standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, and ISO 27001. ISO has added two key changes within clause 4 of all management system standards. The additional wording is as follows: Lee Horlock, Head of Technical & Approvals – Management Systems at BM TRADA, said: “We welcome the amendments being made to the ISO management system standards. Climate change considerations will now be placed at the front and centre of organisations minds when determining factors which influence the organisation’s purpose, objectives and sustainability. “For organisations currently undergoing the certification process or already hold an ISO management system certification, our experts are on hand to guide you through these new amendments.” BM TRADA, part of the Element Materials Technology group, emphasises that the overall intent of the requirements for clauses 4.1 and 4.2 remain unchanged. These clauses already include the need for the organisations to consider all internal and external issues that can impact the effectiveness of their management system, and these new inclusions are assuring that climate change is considered within the management system. The certification provider also mentions that the standards themselves have not been revised so organisations do not need to purchase new standards. ISO has released the changes as amendments titled ISO 14001:2015/Amd 1:2024 and ISO 45001:2018/Amd 1:2024 which can be obtained free of charge from the ISO website. Lee said: “BM TRADA clients who already have a management system certified to an ISO standard will already be conducting this type of contextual analysis and many will already be determining how climate change affects their businesses. “We stress that our clients already holding an ISO management system certification, will not need any additional audit or a new certificate issued. For those who have yet to do so, climate change must now always be a topic that is considered in your analysis and if found relevant be part of your management system. Going forward your BM TRADA auditor will include the above new requirements in future audit activities when assessing these parts of the management system.” For more about BM TRADA and its management systems certifications, please visit www.bmtrada.com/certification-services/management-systems-certification Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
