POD, the estate and block management company, has announced the appointment of two new senior members, both joining the company from FirstPort, the UK’s largest managing agent. While Ryan Collier will take the position of Operations Director, Andrew Froy will become the Director of Business Development. Ryan Collier holds a
A state of the art £100 million nuclear submarine building complex, built by construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall, has been opened by defence secretary, Gavin Williamson. The 175,000 sq ft Central Yard facility in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, used to outfit and test the most advanced submarines in the Royal NAVY’s
AFI Group Training, a specialist provider of Health, Safety and Skills training for the construction industry, has announced that it has generated over £1 million in online training bookings via its UTN Training brand. They provide working at height and safety training at 30 locations throughout the UK to over
Sustainable Building Services UK has been appointed by Rykneld Homes Limited, a housing management company, to deliver external wall insulation and related services to 169 REEMA properties in Grassmoor, Chesterfield. The work is being undertaken on behalf of North East Derbyshire District Council and it will be part-financed by the
The Construction Trade Survey and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy found that due to the rising cost of aggregate, construction firms are seeking out more cost-effective solutions. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), between 2010 and 2017, the average price of construction material rose 11.7%,
PhD researcher Rima Alaaeddine, within University of Huddersfield’s School of Art Design and Architecture, has focused her work on how to combat and minimise the ‘energy performance gap’. Using AI’s Machine Learning, her research could benefit the building sector at a time when there is increasing pressure on industries around
Forterra, the brick manufacturer, is planning to submit an application that will help significantly expand its brick production plant in Desford, Leicestershire. The company admitted that the new facility will more than double its production to 180 million bricks a year, at a cost of £90 to £95 million. “We
Kier, together with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), will be launching a new education initiative in Wales, which will create effective links between local schools and the Kier supply chain. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to inspire the next generation of talent to consider a career within
London Stock Exchange Group has named 132 Engineering & Construction companies in its 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain report. This sector is one of the fastest growing, with an average annual revenue growth rate of 109%. Some of the companies included in the report are: Johnsons Aggregates, a Derby-based recycler
Investec, the asset management group, has announced it will offer a £43 million loan to the Labtech Group, a real estate development and investment business, to fund the development of a major 140,000 square foot (sq ft) mixed-use scheme in King’s Cross. Owned by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi, the business
POD, the estate and block management company, has announced the appointment of two new senior members, both joining the company from FirstPort, the UK’s largest managing agent. While Ryan Collier will take the position of Operations Director, Andrew Froy will become the Director of Business Development. Ryan Collier holds a comprehensive understanding of large and complex buildings, regularly providing valuable consultancy to developers throughout his previous roles, to help them optimise the design and delivery of new build developments, and ensure efficient building management. “I am totally on board with POD’s vision and goal to enhance the lives of those who live in our buildings and am excited to have the opportunity to apply my experience of working with the country’s major freehold investors, housebuilders and build -to-rent providers to continue growing the business and establish an enviable reputation, built on an innovative approach to management,” said Collier. Andrew Froy is a highly experienced professional with notable accolades including securing over £350,000 of annual management fees and the successful launch of an in-house Facilities Management company at a previous firm. “I’m delighted to join David and the rest of the POD team at what is a very exciting time for a relatively new business. I look forward to building a trusted customer base and providing first-class customer service, underpinned by POD’s unique values,” said Andrew about his appointment. “We’re delighted to have such high calibre additions to our senior team. We identified a need to modernise and revolutionise the sector and I am extremely encouraged by the response we’re experiencing, particularly in larger developments and the build-to-rent sector. We’re at a very exciting stage and it’s the ideal time to be strengthening our growth by building a team of talented professionals with ambition and a hunger that echo my own,” said David Goldberg, POD’s founder and CEO. POD Management as launched in 2017 and it combines expert developer consultancy with tailored, customer focused estate and block management. Harnessing unprecedented expertise to deliver a modern, technologically focused approach to home management, POD will prioritise its customers’ needs, providing an exceptional level of service, unrivalled by the rest of the industry.
A state of the art £100 million nuclear submarine building complex, built by construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall, has been opened by defence secretary, Gavin Williamson. The 175,000 sq ft Central Yard facility in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, used to outfit and test the most advanced submarines in the Royal NAVY’s fleet. Now, the Central Yard Facility comprises production, workshop and office facilities, as well as featuring two cranes, each with a 150 tonne capacity and a 60m span. “The complexity and scale of the site, coupled with the building’s design requirements meant that the project required a team with particular expertise, and experience of working in partnership with defence contractors,” said Andrew Parker, director of defence at Morgan Sindall. “We are incredibly proud to have successfully delivered this project in collaboration with our sister company, BakerHicks. It is not only of vital importance to both BAE Systems and the MOD, but also to the people of Barrow,” he added. During his visit, the defence secretary announced a further £2.5 billion investment into the country’s nuclear submarine programme, by awarding BAE Systems a £1.5 billion contract for delivery of the seventh Astute class submarine, alongside a further £900 million for the next phase of the Dreadnought submarine programme. He also named the seventh and final submarine Agincourt. The investment has been hailed as a huge vote of confidence in the Barrow facility and vital for the wider region. It will secure more than 8,000 jobs across BAE Systems and thousands more in the wider supply chain, providing new opportunities across the country. “Not only is this a massive boost for our armed forces, but it’s huge for Barrow, the heart of sub-building in this country,” said defence secretary, Gavin Williamson.
AFI Group Training, a specialist provider of Health, Safety and Skills training for the construction industry, has announced that it has generated over £1 million in online training bookings via its UTN Training brand. They provide working at height and safety training at 30 locations throughout the UK to over 25,000 delegates each year. The company provides accredited training led by experienced and fully qualified trainers, who deliver a wide range of courses, including SSSTS, SMSTS, IPAF, PASMA Towers for Users, NEBOSH General, IOSH Managing Safety, as well as a number of New Roads and Street Works training. All courses are different, teaching various subjects. For instance, IPAF courses cover the main training subjects of 1a, 1b, 3a and 3b for the safe use of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs), while the PASMA courses cover the safe use of alloy towers and include PASMA Towers on Stairs. The UTN Training websites offer uses the advantages of online booking, instant payment facility and a range of promotional codes and discounts, which are exclusive to online bookings. When a company has a customer account, they can also take advantage of extended payment terms, meaning they don’t have to pay for training immediately at the point of booking. Moreover, users have easy and convenient 24/7 access to their accounts, so that they can use the service at any time and from any location. They can also view all bookings and training course history, all while the website offers live information about the dates, locations and number of places available on specific courses. “Following an extensive customer feedback project, we have recently implemented key changes to the online booking process. It’s reassuring to meet this revenue milestone and know that online bookings have continued to rise year on year. In response to the customer feedback, we are continuously developing the website, the navigation, the booking process and the entire user experience to make it as easy a journey as possible for all our customers to book online,” said Matt Scott, Training Division Managing Director.
Sustainable Building Services UK has been appointed by Rykneld Homes Limited, a housing management company, to deliver external wall insulation and related services to 169 REEMA properties in Grassmoor, Chesterfield. The work is being undertaken on behalf of North East Derbyshire District Council and it will be part-financed by the Energy Company Obligation. Valued at approximately £1 million, the work for the scheme will include surveys and repairs, followed by the fitting of an external wall insulation system designed and manufactured by PermaRock Products Limited, asbestos removal, replacement of roofline and rainwater goods, adaptations for central heating vents and windows, and the installation of new canopies over front doors. An important element of this project is the management of ECO funding. Rykneld Homes scored each contractor’s bid on the basis of quality and price and then decided that SBS proposal represented best value. “Judging by recent announcements, SBS has become the contractor of choice for major energy efficiency works in the Midlands and beyond. We are working with clients such as Nottingham City Homes and Broxtowe Borough Council, and we’re consistently achieving top scores on both price and quality. That’s especially important to us because, fundamentally, delivering best value is what we’re all about,” said SBS Commercial Director, Gary Lawson. Currently, SBS is working extensively across the Midlands and this latest contract award further consolidates the company’s presence in the region. In 2017, it was ranked first for quality on a four-year solid wall insulation framework managed by Efficiency East Midlands and in April 2018, Derby Homes Limited named SBS as its number one-ranked supplier for external wall insulation services under its 4-year Insulation Installations Framework. SBS has also recently delivered award-winning projects for Chesterfield Borough Council and Nottingham City Homes. Rykneld Homes manages properties on behalf of North East Derbyshire District Council. It manages 2,700 Council-owned, non-traditional stock, consisting of 16 construction types, and a further 1,800 non-traditional properties in private ownership.
The Construction Trade Survey and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy found that due to the rising cost of aggregate, construction firms are seeking out more cost-effective solutions. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), between 2010 and 2017, the average price of construction material rose 11.7%, while over that same period, the price of sand and gravel saw a hike of 26.6%. Moreover, ONS data shows almost 78 million tonnes of sand and gravel was sold in 2006, compared with the figures for 2016, which saw slightly less than 57 million sold. With the cost of transporting building materials increasing in line with fuel rises, aggregate has been described as the hidden cost driver among construction materials. Construction firms have to tackle the issue of price increases, especially since aggregate plays such a crucial role in concrete, construction fill, road construction and maintenance. One solution for firms looking to reduce their reliance on aggregate is to look at alternative technologies, such as geosynthetics and, in particular, geogrids. Geogrids are a polymer-based geosynthetic formed from interlocking geometric shapes. Incorporating geogrids in temporary working platforms, access roads and permanent roads can reduce the volume of aggregate needed, in some cases by up to 50%, and enable construction over weak ground. The use of this alternative solution has been steadily increasing over the last 30 years. “We are certainly seeing a growing acceptance of designs incorporating geogrids,” said Craig Roberts, Tensar Product and Technology Manager Walls and Slopes. “Clients, designers and contractors are realising just how beneficial they can be in improving construction efficiency, in mitigating ground risk and in reducing delays.” A study from the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing shows that geosynthetics saw a worldwide growth of 8.9% between 2012 and 2017, due to its benefits, such as: savings through substitution or reduction of materials such as aggregate; savings due to ease of installation and reduced construction times; increased material longevity or reduction of maintenance; and improved sustainability. “The construction industry is under increasing pressure to deliver more for less,” said Craig Roberts. “It is essential for developers and infrastructure owners to maximise land use, minimise construction costs and deliver projects as quickly as possible, while maintaining profitability. Alternative ground engineering solutions, such as those incorporating geogrids, can go some way to helping achieve these ambitions.”
PhD researcher Rima Alaaeddine, within University of Huddersfield’s School of Art Design and Architecture, has focused her work on how to combat and minimise the ‘energy performance gap’. Using AI’s Machine Learning, her research could benefit the building sector at a time when there is increasing pressure on industries around the world to conserve their energy consumption. ‘Energy performance gap’ is used when a building consumes more energy than it was initially predicted during design phase. The gap is attributed to a set of variables such as environmental conditions, building characteristics and occupancy. Predicting how much energy a building’s occupants will consume, including lighting, hot water, electricity, appliances and the way they interact with the building for example, opening windows and controlling their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, is a complex task. For this reason, Rima’s research could play an important part in helping the construction industry meet strict energy efficiency targets, recently set by the UK Government as part of a new energy strategy. With the energy consumption of buildings accounting for 30% of the entire global energy use, improving the energy efficiency of buildings is one of the key strategic objectives. More accurate energy predictions can facilitate building energy optimisation and guide decisions regarding the building energy performance. In her research, she uses AI entitled Machine Learning, which are capable of handling complex and non-linear problems and can offer more accurate predictions on occupants’ behaviour. Rima’s project is already receiving national recognition and she has been shortlisted to present her research in Parliament, as part of the annual STEM for BRITAIN competition. Her entry is called ‘Minimising the energy performance gap by application of an integrative machine learning methodology for occupants’ behaviour prediction’. “The event provided me with an opportunity to communicate my research as widely as possible, to inform and enthuse non-scientific audiences about my research in the building energy performance realm, aiming to unveil the benefits it brings,” Rima said.
Forterra, the brick manufacturer, is planning to submit an application that will help significantly expand its brick production plant in Desford, Leicestershire. The company admitted that the new facility will more than double its production to 180 million bricks a year, at a cost of £90 to £95 million. “We have chosen redevelopment of the Desford site as the favoured option of those considered as it enables us to replace the existing plant with a larger modern facility, providing both additional capacity and the benefit of a lower production cost. This will give us the flexibility to continue to serve our customers and meet their requirements as the market grows,” said Stephen Harrison, chief executive at Forterra. Until the new facility will be built, the existing plant will remain in operation. Subject to planning consent being received, it is anticipated that the new plant will be commissioned in late 2021 and that the capital expenditure will be spent over the period 2019 to 2022. The enabling and preparation costs of £1.5 million have already been committed and included in the capital budget for the current year. “The high level of capacity utilisation in the UK brick industry, together with the attractive long term fundamentals on house building supported by government policies, provides a sound basis for this major investment,” said Stephen Harrison. “The project is a key part of our strategy to grow our core business and pursue manufacturing excellence, driven by our strong customer relationships as well as our people. It will enable us to continue delivering sustainable shareholder value,” he concluded.
Kier, together with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), will be launching a new education initiative in Wales, which will create effective links between local schools and the Kier supply chain. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to inspire the next generation of talent to consider a career within the built environment. The Educational Engagement Programme will be launched at a special event on the 4th of June, taking place at Technium 2, The University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Schools, alternative curriculum providers and local employers from the industry will have the opportunity to come together and create links and external partnerships in order to better promote the diverse range of future career opportunities for young people. Moreover, those attending will learn about the purpose of the programme and how it can add value to their priorities as a school or business. Speakers at the event include Emma Banfield and Paul Evans from the Welsh Government initiative Inspiring Skills Wales, who will present on their partnership with Kier and how they can add value to the programme through the provision of innovative toolkits and construction-based competitions available to schools. “This programme is absolutely pivotal for the construction industry to deliver the extensive pipeline of work in Wales. This initiative will offer a truly unique approach with the development of a construction education tool that will help breakdown perceptions and showcase the wealth of job opportunities available within the built environment. Our industry has so much to offer and I am looking forward to the roll-out and reception to this inspiring initiative,” said Jason Taylor, Kier Construction Western and Wales, operations director. Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and Careers Wales are the partners of the programme, both of them attending the launch event. The three-year initiative was funded by the CITBH and managed by Kier, as it aims to transform the perception of careers in the built environment, bridging the future skills gap.
London Stock Exchange Group has named 132 Engineering & Construction companies in its 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain report. This sector is one of the fastest growing, with an average annual revenue growth rate of 109%. Some of the companies included in the report are: Johnsons Aggregates, a Derby-based recycler of incinerator bottom ash, which reduced the amount of waste going to landfill; Advance Construction Group, a groundworks and civil engineering business with roofing & cladding, concrete & screed flooring, transport & plant divisions; and Applebridge Construction, a civil engineering and groundwork subcontractor operating throughout the North East and Yorkshire regions, offering a range of civil engineering services to private, public and industrial projects in the construction industry. The most important findings from this year’s report include: Companies’ revenues are growing at an exceptional average rate of 71% on average All UK regions had representatives, with 60% of them outside London and the South East 34% of companies are from the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine regions The fastest growing companies are in the North West, with 232% annual average revenue growth Companies in both traditional industries and more recent economic success stories are featured, with the largest sector represented being Engineering & Construction with 132 companies, followed by Information Technology with 72 companies One of the fastest growing sectors is Financial Services, with an average annual revenue growth rate of more than 461%, followed by Engineering and Construction at 109% Five companies have featured in the ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ report series over the past five years “Engineering & Construction companies are the biggest sector represented in the report, which is testament to the entrepreneurial spirit and economic and job creating potential of these businesses. Policy makers must continue to increase access to growth capital for these firms, which would in turn benefit the wider UK economy,” said Nikhil Rathi, CEO at London Stock Exchange Plc. The report series continues to receive cross-party support from leading politicians including The Rt Hon Theresa May MP, The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, The Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP, The First Minister of Scotland, and Jonathan Reynolds MP, Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury, all of whom contributed commentary to the report.
Investec, the asset management group, has announced it will offer a £43 million loan to the Labtech Group, a real estate development and investment business, to fund the development of a major 140,000 square foot (sq ft) mixed-use scheme in King’s Cross. Owned by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi, the business has also arranged a £29 million loan with Bank HaPoalim, Israel’s largest bank. “We’ve been working hard to build strategic partnerships with like-minded lenders so that we can support our clients beyond the scope of our own balance sheet,” said Simon Brooks, co-head of origination at Investec. “We are glad that with the relationships we have built with other lenders such as Bank HaPoalim and Harel, we have been able to build on our capability and support our clients,” he continued. The development project is located on Camley Street, next to King’s Cross station, where Labtech is planning to develop 121 one, two and three bedroom luxury apartments and 29,000 sq ft of co-working space. The apartment will be let and operated by Sagi’s private rented sector (PRS) and co-working platforms. “This is a very exciting project for The LabTech Group, creating another valuable ecosystem for co-working, living and events,” said Chen Moravsky, president and CEO of The LabTech Group. “We are delighted to be working with Investec on this project and look forward to a long and beneficial relationship.” Work has already started on the scheme and it is expected to approach completion in 2020. Investec raised last month £195 million for the Cain International-led consortium the Stage Shoreditch to fund the development of a 550,000 sq ft mixed use scheme in Shoreditch.