Home values in the United States are appreciating faster than experts expected, rising almost 5% over the past year, according to the latest index report. The April real estate market report from Zillow also shows that there are 3.4% fewer homes for sale than there were 12 months ago and
Failure to fit face masks correctly has emerged as a growing problem across the UK construction industry, according to latest data. The Building Safety Group (BSG) carried out 10,000 independent inspections of constructions sites during the first half of 2016. Between the first quarter and the second quarter of the
The Brick Development Association has appointed Andrew Eagles as its new chief executive. Above: Andrew Eagles He succeeds Simon Hay, who left in December 105 Andrew Eagles joins the Brick Development Association in June. He is currently managing director of Sustainable Homes, a consultancy in the housing sector. He has
27 January – 24 April 2016The Architecture Gallery, RIBA “A disaster zone where everything is lost offers the perfect opportunity for us to take a fresh look, from the ground up, at what architecture really is.” Toyo Ito Includes work by Yasmeen Lari, ELEMENTAL, OMA, Shigeru Ban, NLÉ,
Renewable energy supplier Bulb has become the first UK supplier to offer to pay-off exiting tariff fees to new customers and businesses who decide to switch suppliers, just a week after receiving new certification for its transparency towards environmental impacts. Consumers deciding to switch to bulb will
The Sentencing Council has introduced new guidelines that could see much higher fines or even prison sentences imposed on construction companies and individuals who breach health and safety laws. As the Health and Safety Executive may start to ramp up prosecutions following last year’s new CDM regulations, this is a
Industry legend Tony Cable will be making his final, farewell tour around the country during the next series of NICEIC and Elecsa’s TechTalk series. After almost 60 years in the industry, Cable will be taking part in his last TechTalk series before taking up his well-earned retirement.
GRAHAM has been appointed by Stockport Council through the Highways England CDF Lot 2 Framework in order to carry out the design and construction work for a new Travis Bow Link Road. This new road, when completed will create a vital linking road between the A6 and the M60 in
Makita, the leading world class brand of professional power tools, accessories and work wear has recently launched two brand new heavy duty SDS+ rotary hammer drills. This new range of products are available in either 110v or 240v mains configuration in order to suit the requirements of their customers They
TJC Sales Ltd has recorded an increase in sales of their HIDROMEK machines following the company’s exhibition at the Plantworx 2017 which took place in June. The company’s participation in the show has led to two long term hire agreements for TJC Sales Ltd. A number of parties in attendance
Home values in the United States are appreciating faster than experts expected, rising almost 5% over the past year, according to the latest index report. The April real estate market report from Zillow also shows that there are 3.4% fewer homes for sale than there were 12 months ago and home values are currently appreciating at 4.9%, almost 3% faster than Zillow predicted a year ago. The real estate report suggest that a smaller number of homes on the market will make it harder for first time buyers. The number of entry level homes for sale is down almost 8% over the past 12 months. Stiff competition and high demand, in addition to low inventory, stronger wage growth and low mortgage rates, are driving up home prices across the country, especially for entry level homes, which is forcing many aspiring home owners into bidding wars. Markets with the tightest inventory have some of the fastest rising home values. Over the past two years Portland has seen an almost 405 decrease in the number of homes for sale, with home values up 15% over the past 12 months. Similar patterns hold true in hot markets like Dallas, Seattle, and Denver, where inventory is down more than 20% and home value growth is in the double digits. In addition to low inventory, home values are rising in response to a strong job market, higher than expected wage growth and persistently low mortgage rates, the report also points out. Those looking to purchase a home will find more homes to choose from in the condo and luxury markets. Inventory is improving in these two markets due to high end construction, with the number of homes for sale close to hitting positive growth. Buyers searching for a single family home, or in the bottom or middle of the market, will have less to choose from. ‘New construction has been sluggish over the past year. We’re building about half as many homes as we should be in a normal market. There still aren’t enough homes on the market to keep up with the high demand from every type of home buyer,’ said Zillow chief economist Svenja Gudell. ‘In many markets, those looking to buy a home in the bottom or middle of the market will need to be prepared for bidding wars and homes selling for over the asking price. This summer’s selling season’s borders will most likely be blurred again as many buyers are left without homes and will need to keep searching,’ she explained. Homes in the top third of the housing market have more frequent price cuts than homes in the bottom and middle of the market and some 16% of top tier homes had a price cut over the past year compared to 11% of bottom tier homes and 13% of middle tier properties. Almost 125 of condos had a price cut over the past year, driven by more availability in the luxury condo market. Zillow says that current market conditions are making it much more difficult for first time buyers to break into the home ownership market. Move-up buyers are having a slightly easier time locating available inventory, as available for sale homes are more available at higher price points, especially in the high end, luxury markets across the country. It adds that inventory is improving much more quickly in these two markets due to high end construction, with the number of homes for sale close to hitting positive growth. The data from Zillow also shows that rents increased by 3.2% year on year in April. While home value appreciation has grown over the last few months, rents have slowed their pace of appreciation, down from a pace of close to 7% year on year in the middle of 2015. The report points out that this more sustainable rate of 3.2% annual appreciation, which is in line with historical averages, will also give incomes more of a chance to catch up to rents, as rental affordability has been plaguing a majority of markets across the country. The Portland metro experienced the highest annual rent appreciation among large markets, up almost 10% since April 2014. Other markets with continued high rates of rental appreciation were San Francisco with growth of 9%, Seattle up 8.5%, San Jose up 8.1% and Denver up 7.3%. Looking ahead Zillow expects home values to grow another 2.4% in the next 12 months with the market seeing tight inventory, bidding wars and rapidly rising home values. Zillow points out that new construction has been sluggish over the past year with new home sale numbers coming in at about half as many homes as should be sold in a more normal market and there still aren’t enough homes on the market to keep up with the high demand from every type of home buyer at all price points. ‘In addition, we expect this summer’s selling season’s borders to be most likely blurred again as many buyers are left without homes and will need to keep searching,’ the report concludes. BOOKMARK THIS PAGE (What is this?) Source link
Failure to fit face masks correctly has emerged as a growing problem across the UK construction industry, according to latest data. The Building Safety Group (BSG) carried out 10,000 independent inspections of constructions sites during the first half of 2016. Between the first quarter and the second quarter of the year there was a 58% leap in breaches in usage of personal protective equipment (PPE). This increase was primarily down to firms failing to ‘face fit’ dust masks correctly, BSG said. Overall there was a 28% increase in occupational health non-compliances between the first and second quarters of 2016. Dust fume infringements were up 13% and COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health) violations were up 43%. There was an 18% drop in manual handling non-compliances, however. The BSG said that dust fume non-compliance and ineffective face masks were a particular concern because regularly breathing construction dust can cause lung cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and silicosis. Construction workers have a high risk of developing these diseases because many common construction tasks create high dust levels. More than 500 construction workers are reckoned to die from exposure to silica dust every year. “Everyone involved in construction has a responsibility in managing risks to health, and all parties must take ownership of their part of the process. Construction dust is not just a nuisance. It can seriously damage your health and cause life changing lung diseases,” said BSG managing director Paul Kimpton. “Implementing an approved ‘health surveillance system’ to monitor workers who are exposed to hazardous dusts is often a requirement by law, so it is critical that companies regularly review their systems and procedures to ensure they remain compliant with UK legislation and that their work-forces remain protected.” This article was published on 8 Jul 2016 (last updated on 8 Jul 2016). Source link
The Brick Development Association has appointed Andrew Eagles as its new chief executive. Above: Andrew Eagles He succeeds Simon Hay, who left in December 105 Andrew Eagles joins the Brick Development Association in June. He is currently managing director of Sustainable Homes, a consultancy in the housing sector. He has previously worked for the old Housing Corporation and was a consultant on strategic housing policy to the London Borough of Bromley. Mr Eagles said of his new job: “As the sector looks to dramatically increase housing numbers it is essential that quality is maintained. The Brick Development Association plays a vital role in providing advice, strategic insight and case studies of exemplar buildings. I am excited to be joining the association at this vital time.” Chairman Michael Ankers said: “We are delighted to have found someone with the background and experience of Andrew to lead the association at this important time. The brick industry has recovered strongly from the recession and bricks are back in demand. The industry has a critical role to play in ensuring the ambitious targets for new housing that the government has set are achieved, and in other parts of construction, architects are increasingly turning to brick as a material that will deliver sustainable building solutions.” This article was published on 1 Apr 2016 (last updated on 1 Apr 2016). Source link
27 January – 24 April 2016The Architecture Gallery, RIBA “A disaster zone where everything is lost offers the perfect opportunity for us to take a fresh look, from the ground up, at what architecture really is.” Toyo Ito Includes work by Yasmeen Lari, ELEMENTAL, OMA, Shigeru Ban, NLÉ, Toyo Ito, Metabolism (Kenzo Tange and Kurokawa Kisho) and Sir Christopher Wren. Destruction and devastation present unique opportunities to radically rethink our environment. Creation from Catastrophe: How architecture rebuilds communities, sponsored by Ruskin Air Management, explores the varying ways that cities and communities have been re-imagined in the aftermath of natural or man-made disasters. From masterplans to reconfigure London after the Great Fire of 1666 to contemporary responses to earthquakes and tsunamis, Creation from Catastrophe poses questions about the fragility of architecture, our relationship to nature, and the power of architects to instigate change. Through an eclectic array of drawings, photographs, film, books and models, the exhibition asks whether we are facing a paradigm shift in the way that cities and communities recover from destruction – from top down planning to a ground up approach. Original material will be brought to the UK for the first time, from architects working across the world, including Pakistan, Japan, Chile, Portugal and Nepal. Starting with the five alternative plans for London produced after the Great Fire of 1666, the exhibition takes the viewer on a journey through 18th century Lisbon, 19th century Chicago, 20th century Skopje, ending up in current day Nepal, Nigeria, Japan, Chile, Pakistan and USA. Key historical works from the RIBA Collection will be on display for the first time, including the five original plans for rebuilding London after the Great Fire of London, which has its 350th anniversary in 2016. The exhibition will weave a narrative about the shift from a tabula rasa approach (blank slate) created by a sole author, to a more collaborative way of working that relies on local expertise, materials and community spirit. The latter approach inevitably results in an altered role for architectural authorship with architects acting as community facilitators, educators, builders and designers. The exhibition will feature ten projects: London after the Great Fire of 1666 – five sixths of the medieval part of the city of London, including 13,000 houses and 84 churches were destroyed by a fire that lasted 4 days. King Charles II invited architects, surveyors and engineers to present alternative plans. The original drawings for five of these plans will be presented, showing the differing ideas of the time for rebuilding the city. Lisbon, 1755 – the Great Lisbon Earthquake almost entirely destroyed Lisbon and its surrounding areas. Four options were considered for rebuilding the city, which opted for the clean slate approach, with the medieval street pattern being replaced by large squares, avenues and a grid pattern. The exhibition will feature a model of the pioneering wooden Pomboline building frame, among the earliest seismically protected constructions in Europe. Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871 – Chicago’s response to its fire of 1871, destroying nine square kilometres of the city centre, is told through photographs taken in the immediate aftermath of the fire and through new designs that were influenced by 19th Century European trends for wide boulevards and vistas. Drawing on the RIBA Collections, original photographs from the 1880s and 1890s will show the new high-rise buildings that arose. Chicago was the perfect melting pot of architectural talent, capitalism, new technology and a city centre in need of a rebuild. Metabolism – the members of Japan’s most influential architectural movement, Metabolism, were all teenagers in 1945. Their work conceives of cities as living, moving and evolving entities. Their proposals for Hiroshima, Tokyo and Ise Bay in Japan as well as Skopje, Macedonia all feature in the exhibition. Constitución, Chile – a major earthquake and tsunami hit this coastal city in 2010. The citizens and local government worked with Alejandro Aravena and his architectural practice ELEMENTAL in a community-based approach that worked with nature rather than against it. Darya Khan, Pakistan – in 2010 one fifth of Parkistan was submerged by floods. Architect Yasmeen Lari developed a unique approach to providing amenities in areas of natural disaster, working with architecture students to train local residents to build their own bamboo homes, that were significantly more resilient to natural disaster and which didn’t rely on outside building supplies. Lagos and Port Harcourt, Nigeria – in 2012 flooding affected 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states, part of a trend of flooding and storm surges due to erosion, deforestation and subsidence. Architecture Practice NLE has developed two different ecological buildings, Makoko Floating School and Chicoco Radio, which can accommodate varying sea levels and waterfront settlements. Gorkha, Nepal – in response to the 2015 earthquake architect Shigeru Ban and his humanitarian relief organization Voluntary Architects’ Network provided housing for local residents through structures that could be built using cardboard tubes and rubble from building debris. Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – eighty percent of Hoboken was submerged underwater by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. A competition was launched to ‘Rebuild by Design’, which was won by Dutch architectural practice OMA, whose plan includes a greenbelt of parkland to soak up excess water and the transformation of parks into water-containment basins. Tohoku, Japan – the Tohoku earthquake in 2011 was the world’s fourth most powerful earthquake since records began. The resulting tsunami caused the release of radioactive materials, leading to the evacuation of 100,000 people from their homes. The exhibition highlights the Homes-for-All initiative set up by five Japanese architects: Toyo Ito, Riken Yamamoto, Hiroshi Naito, Kengo Kuma and Kazuyo Sejima. The initiative provided ‘public living rooms’ for people to gather after the disaster and lead the architects to question the role of architects and contemporary architecture. A series of talks and events by architects featured in the exhibition will take place throughout spring next year, including Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan Heritage Foundation; Kunlé Adeyemi, NLE and Henk Ovink, OMA and Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for
Renewable energy supplier Bulb has become the first UK supplier to offer to pay-off exiting tariff fees to new customers and businesses who decide to switch suppliers, just a week after receiving new certification for its transparency towards environmental impacts. Consumers deciding to switch to bulb will have their exit fee -generally costing around £60 – covered by the company. After providing a photo or scan of the final bill, Bulb will then add the exiting fee credits to the customer’s new account. Bulb also announced that it will offer a transparent tariff that averages out at 20% cheaper than standard “Big Six” tariffs and those provided by other energy suppliers. Bulb co-founder Hayden Wood said: “We’re passionate about giving people the freedom to choose where they get their energy from. For years UK consumers have been getting a raw deal from their energy supplier. Fear of costly exit fees is a significant barrier for people who want to switch, locking them into expensive tariffs. “One of our Bulb community members suggested we refund any fees from switching. We thought it was a fantastic idea and decided to make it happen. We don’t charge exit fees ourselves, and we’re now refunding members who were charged exit fees by their last supplier.” B Corp The announcement comes a week after Bulb was awarded B Corp status, becoming the first energy supplier to receive the certification, due to meeting ‘rigorous’ standards of environmental and social responsibility and providing a high standard of accountability and transparency. Certified B Corporations are legally required to consider the impacts of its corporate decisions on their stakeholders, employees and suppliers as well as potential community and environmental impacts. Bulb is one of 93 B Corporations in the UK, joining the likes of Carbon Analytics, Neighbourly and ClimateCare – whose Clean Cooking Programme was backed by edie backed last year. Low cost renewable energy suppliers – including the likes of Ecotricity and Good Energy – are beginning to gain viability in the supplier market. Last year, independent renewable energy supplier SmartestEnergy saw its new energy label certified by the Carbon Trust. The label specifies the source and carbon footprint of a company’s electricity supply in a bid to boost business confidence in renewables. This article originally appeared on edie.net Source link
The Sentencing Council has introduced new guidelines that could see much higher fines or even prison sentences imposed on construction companies and individuals who breach health and safety laws. As the Health and Safety Executive may start to ramp up prosecutions following last year’s new CDM regulations, this is a further indication of how seriously health and safety law is being taken – and rightly so. Eye-watering fines of up to £10 million or two years in custody will be possible for serious breaches. Lack of knowledge Although construction employers know health and safety is important, many are still unaware of the guidelines, and how they could be applied. However, there is a simple way for employers to minimise the risk of these tough new sentences – which is to understand and comply with CDM and other relevant construction-related regulations. We all want to see people stay safe on site and not have their health harmed. Putting the right procedures in place, as outlined in the regulations and guidance, is the best way to do that. On the flip-side, if someone is seriously injured on site and the employer has failed to put the necessary procedures in place to minimise health and safety risks, they could be held responsible and face a hefty fine or even imprisonment. Evidence that could be taken into account when assessing high culpability could be failure to comply with recognised industry standards, such as the CDM Guidance documents. Possible fines for health and safety breaches under the new sentencing guidelines High culpability – high level of harm (harm category 1) Organisation size Starting point for fine Large (turnover £50m+) £2.4m Medium (turnover £10m-£50m) £950,000 Small (turnover £2m-£10m) £250,000 Micro (turnover up to £2m) £160,000 How CITB can help The CDM Wizard app is there to help develop construction phase plans for small projects from your smart phone. It can even make you aware of significant construction risks. The industry guidance to the CDM Regulations can be downloaded here. The app has been downloaded 50,000 times, and the documents 150,000 times, which means many companies have already found them useful in their own planning. Responding to the guidelines It isn’t just a case of being aware the new sentencing guidelines exist. It is about responding to them and making a difference. The advent of average speed cameras alongside roadworks has, at last, changed drivers’ behaviour when tempted to drive too quickly. Similarly, these sentencing guidelines could drive further improvement in health and safety on construction sites. For individual companies, fines like these could be the difference between staying in business or facing bankruptcy. But the penalties are also there to encourage companies to re-assess the risk to their businesses and commit to further improving standards. Our industry is getting safer and we are starting to reduce the risk of occupational diseases. These new sentencing guidelines are tough, but they are there to make sure that we all take health and safety seriously. So, get informed about the Regulations, get informed about the new guidelines and let’s make construction even safer and healthier. About the author The Revd. Kevin Fear is CITB’s Health and Safety Strategy Lead. He is a chartered civil engineer and H&S professional. He is currently chairing a steering group to write industry guidance for the proposed CDM ’15 on behalf of HSE and CONIAC. He is also an assistant curate at St Mark’s Church Peterborough. Source link
Industry legend Tony Cable will be making his final, farewell tour around the country during the next series of NICEIC and Elecsa’s TechTalk series. After almost 60 years in the industry, Cable will be taking part in his last TechTalk series before taking up his well-earned retirement. It promises to be an emotional ride for the 74-year-old who’s experience and unique delivery style has helped make the informative seminars increasingly popular among contractors. “The TechTalk series is something very close to my heart and something I have enjoyed immensely over the last nine years, commented Cable. “We have done more than 80 events across the UK during that time and every single one has been a pleasure. Meeting contractors and chatting to them about all the latest goings on in the industry is what I enjoy most.” As ever, Tony will be joined by NICEIC and Elecsa’s technical development manager, Darren Staniforth for the next series. They will be discussing the most common problems during assessments, current legislation within the industry, electrical supply issues and providing responses during a technical Q&A session. Attendees will also be able to access special deals, try out some of the latest products and get plenty of technical advice from some of the industry’s biggest names who will be exhibiting at each event. Leading industry brands such as Bosch, Brother, CPN Cudis, Peugeot, Volex and Wylex, have all signed up to be headline sponsors for this year’s series, which will be covering the UK from Brighton to Belfast. The full line up of dates and locations are: Brighton Amex Stadium 29 September 2016 Oxford Kassam Stadium 4 October 2016 Cardiff Cardiff City Stadium 12 October 2016 Exeter Westpoint Arena 18 October 2016 Belfast Malone Lodge Hotel 15 November 2016 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton Racecourse 8 February 2017 Doncaster Doncaster Racecourse 14 February 2017 Newcastle Newcastle Racecourse 28 February 2017 Norfolk Norfolk Showground 15 March 2017 Leicester Leicester Racecourse 21 March 2017 Tickets cost £25 and are available now from www.niceic.com/events and www.elecsa.co.uk or by calling 0843 290 3456. Alternatively you can email techtalk@certsure.com Source link
GRAHAM has been appointed by Stockport Council through the Highways England CDF Lot 2 Framework in order to carry out the design and construction work for a new Travis Bow Link Road. This new road, when completed will create a vital linking road between the A6 and the M60 in Stockport town centre. GRAHAM’s civil engineering team has experience of working on a range of prestigious and high profile jobs in the UK and Ireland. This past portfolio of work includes the Tennison Road Bridge Replacement for Network Rail as well as the A138 Chelmer Viaduct that was completed for Highways England. The plan for the linking road was developed through a partnership between Stockport Council and Transport for Greater Manchester. The funding for this project has been secured by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and as a part of the Growth Deal funding. GRAHAM is a highly regarded civil engineering and construction firm and will be taking part in this challenging civil engineering project that will connect with the iconic railway viaduct through the use of a disused railway tunnel to the A6, a part of Greater Manchester’s Key Route Network. On top of this engineering and construction work, the contract will also see GRAHAM carrying out improvement works on the A6 Wellington Road North, the A5145 Travis Brow and George’s Road, which is adjacent. It is predicted that the work will be completed in August 2018. GRAHAM is experienced in completing a range of high-quality civil engineering projects. This new contract will benefit millions of people who will be able to use the new link road once work is completed. It is vital that these road improvements are carried out in order to continue the work to improve the transport access for thousands of motorists throughout Stockport town centre.
Makita, the leading world class brand of professional power tools, accessories and work wear has recently launched two brand new heavy duty SDS+ rotary hammer drills. This new range of products are available in either 110v or 240v mains configuration in order to suit the requirements of their customers They are consistently in lists of reviews on hammer drills from Occupy the Farm. According to tool expert Bill Allen of OccupyTheFarm, Makita hammer drills “are the premium options of being able to select between three types of impact, including hammering, rotation, and a combination of the two.”. Makita has released two new rotary hammer drills that both feature an 800-watt motor that delivers 2.4 joules of impact energy, leading to 4,600 blows per minute. This power and force means that the rotary hammer drills are able to punch a 26mm hole into concrete with the use of a normal TCT bit. This powerful HR2650 and the HR2651 is able to drive a 68mm TCT core or an 8-0mm Diamond core easily through concrete. The tool, accessory and work wear manufacturer has been in operation for around 45 years, with their main offices located in Milton Keynes. The business has a range of distribution centres located across the UK allowing the efficient delivery of their products to customers. Makita is known for being the number one professional tool manufacturer in Britain and offers an inventory of more than 620 products and accessories used by professionals in the construction industry. Both of the models of hammer drill have torque limiter drives as well as a 3-mode operation rotary switch which is located on the transmission and offers a rotary only mode so that the tools can be used for drilling as well as the rotary with hammer action support as well as hammer only mode which can be used for chiseling The new tools have easy to clean transparent dust case as well as a highly efficient dust collection system and a telescopic slide guide that can range up to 190mm and a drill through port that can be used to reduce dust on the site as well as protecting operators.
TJC Sales Ltd has recorded an increase in sales of their HIDROMEK machines following the company’s exhibition at the Plantworx 2017 which took place in June. The company’s participation in the show has led to two long term hire agreements for TJC Sales Ltd. A number of parties in attendance at the trade show in June were able to see a demonstration of the HMK 102B Supra, HMK 104LC and the HMK 220LC Gen Series. These products formed a part of TJC Sale’s award winning stand at Plantworx. The Interested parties at the event are now the proud owners of the Turkish-manufactured machinery. TJC Sales Ltd is a UK dealer for HIDROMEK, and has had a successful first time exhibiting their plant equipment at the show. Despite the weather at the show, the company managed to come away from the trade show with a long list of potential customers. One of these customers was Profusion Environmental, a company that specialises in the construction of golf courses and sport facilities. The company showed particular interest in the HMK 104LC excavator. Profusion Environmental ended up purchasing two of the machines. The company has said that they chose HIDROMEK because of their willingness and eagerness to accommodate the requirements of their customers. The golf course construction company required a steel wrist attachment of the HMK 104LC in order to carry out bunker renovations. TJC Sales and HIDROMEK allowed the senior operator to try out the machine with the desired attachment in Sweden, a location where this adaptation is commonly used. Because of their success at the Plantworx show, HIDROMEK has now become a more established brand within the industry in terms of plant sales. The machines on offer with TJC Sales Ltd offers a high standard of performance and efficiency to impress potential customers.