The practical implications of bringing cables within the Construction Products Regulation (EU 305/2011), came into effect on 10 June 2016. This date, known as the Date of Applicability (DoA), was confirmed via listing in the OJEU (ref 2016/C 209/03) a).   From this date, manufacturers of cables with requirements for Reaction to Fire, meaning flame spread/propagation, heat release, evolution of smoke and acidic/corrosive gases, and restriction on flaming droplets, may make a Declaration of Performance (DoP) for their product against the harmonised European Standard (hEN 50575) and apply CE marking under the CPR. There is a second category of requirements for cables under CPR, namely Resistance to Fire, meaning retention of functionality during a fire.  The necessary work to admit such cables has yet to be completed. Under CPR, the manufacturer is the person who places the product on the market in the EU. It may be the actual manufacturer, an importer or a distributor placing the product on the market under his own name but in all cases the responsibilities in respect of DoP and CE marking apply. The recent listing in OJEU gives a second date, namely 1 July 2017.  This is the end of the so-called co-existence period.  After this co-existence period the manufacturer, importer or distributor must make a DoP and apply CE marking. The CPR lists “Power, control and communication cables” as those to which the regulation applies, and it defines a construction product as: “Any product or kit which is produced and placed on the market for incorporation in a permanent manner in construction works or parts thereof and the performance of which has an effect on the performance of the construction works with respect to the basic requirements for construction works” Whilst the definition embraces a wide variety of cables, it does not say specifically whether a particular cable type is included or excluded.  From the time of the DoA manufacturers will begin to ensure that potentially relevant cables are put on the market with a Declaration of Performance. It will not, however, be their responsibility to decide if cables are to be installed in a permanent manner in the construction and therefore need to comply with the regulation. It is important to be aware for cables there are seven classes of reaction to fire, ranging from Aca down to Fca.  These are detailed in the recently updated listing in the OJEU of the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/364 (ref L68/4 of 15 March 2016) b).  The use and designation of a particular class of cable within a construction works is the responsibility of the Member State. The UK government has not issued any such requirements, for instance via Building Regulations, and has said that it does not intend to do so.  Therefore, for UK usage, the selection of the particular class for a given installation will derive from the commissioning authority, for instance local council or hospital trust, or the building designer.  Here an installer or contractor retains a general obligation to purchase and use construction products that are ‘fit for purpose’ under whatever regulatory system is allowed.  In time BS 7671 (the Wiring Regulations), which is a de facto regulation for low voltage installation, will be updated to give guidance in this respect. As a note of caution, all parties should be aware that it may not be until some weeks after 10th June 2016 that a manufacturer is able to offer cable with the relevant DoP.  Due caution should be exercised in this early period. Any queries as to the suitability of particular cables to satisfy requirements under CPR should be addressed to the manufacturer or the supplier.  BCA will be pleased to assist with any general queries – please contact Peter Smeeth on 020 8946 6978/07973 636688 or email peter.smeeth@btconnect.com. Further information about the BCA is available at – http://bcauk.org/   a)        http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016XC0610(04)&from=EN b)       http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016R0364&from=EN   Source link

Moves to increase energy sector competition, boost cross-border supplies and decrease the region’s and Europe’s dependency on Russia for natural gas are afoot in the Balkans. An important part of the plan is the construction of a short but significant cross-border pipeline, the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (ICGB), due to start next year. The 180km reverse-flow pipeline will be able to pump gas in either direction between Komotini, in Greece’s northeastern province of Thrace, and Stara Zagora in central Bulgaria. The ICGB has €45m of EU funding and a €110m guarantee facility from Bulgaria, which could ensure favourable financing terms for a commercial loan. In addition to boosting energy security for Bulgaria and Greece, ICGB would link central Europe to the so-called Southern Gas Corridor, a $45bn project to supply natural gas to Europe from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz 2 field in the Caspian Sea. The connector is a joint venture by state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) and IGI Poseidon — a partnership of Greece’s state gas company DEPA and Edison of Italy. It will be able to ship 3bn-5bn cubic metres of gas a year from 2019. The scheme was first mooted in 2009, after Russia cut off midwinter gas supplies to Ukraine in a payment dispute. But the €220m project initially faced problems in finding backers other than the Sofia and Athens governments. That changed after the Southern Gas Corridor became critical to the EU’s efforts to diversify its supplies, says Teodora Georgieva, executive officer of ICGB. “The Southern Gas Corridor project gave ICGB a big push. ICGB makes much more sense if it’s part of a transit route to Ukraine’s border and part of an integrated regional market,” she says. The connector is part of a wider set of efforts to increase competition in the region’s markets. After prods from the European Commission, state-controlled Hungarian, Romanian and Bulgarian gas distributors have signed agreements opening their networks to alternative domestic and foreign suppliers. Related article The nation’s history as the former Soviet Union’s IT hub has given it a head start “These agreements are a game changer for the region,” Ilian Vassilev, a Bulgaria-based energy consultant, says. In Thrace, ICGB will connect to the 870km Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). This will bring Azerbaijan’s gas from the Greek-Turkish border across Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy. Construction of TAP began in May and its first supplies are due to reach the EU in 2020. At Stara Zagora, ICGB will also connect with the existing TransBalkan pipeline built to carry Russian gas from Ukraine to Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Greece, too, is poised to allocate capacity to alternative suppliers, as a pipeline carrying Russian gas from the Bulgarian border to Athens has been upgraded to handle 3 bcm of reverse flows annually. Sample the FT’s top stories for a week You select the topic, we deliver the news. Source link

The latest quarterly data from the Office for National Statistics shows a downwards revision of the 0.4 per cent Q2 decline initially estimated last month. Two consecutive quarters of negative growth mean that construction is now technically in a recession, after the ONS reported a 0.3 per cent quarter-on-quarter decline in Q1. New work declined by 0.8 per cent quarter on quarter and 1.7 per cent year on year in Q2. Across the sectors, public housing new work saw the largest quarterly and annual declines, at 6.5 per cent and 21.7 per cent respectively. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, only three sectors saw an increase in activity in Q2: private industrial (7.3 per cent), public other new work (2.4 per cent) and non-housing R&M (0.9 per cent). All other sectors reported a quarterly decline. On a month-on-month basis, construction output fell by 0.9 per cent in June. Output has only reported one month of growth so far this year, with a 2.9 per cent increase in April. In June, only two sectors reported growth compared with May: public housing (1.2 per cent) and private industrial (1.9 per cent). Year on year, new work was down by 1.9 per cent in June, while all work was 2.2 per cent lower. The data tallies with findings from the Markit/CIPS Construction Purchasing Managers Index, which this month reported the fastest drop in output since June 2009. The report found commercial building experienced its steepest fall in six-and-a half years, while civil engineering activity dropped for the first time in 2016. Source link

7 July 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Real estate company JLL has announced a new higher education services group.  The move “formalises JLL’s higher education expertise in facilities management, real estate portfolio management, workplace strategy and development services”. In a statement JLL said: “As colleges and universities continue to address the challenges of cost control, deferred maintenance, student attraction and retention, access to private sector capital and best practices, many are turning to their campus real estate to optimise its value.  JLL has formed a centre of excellence in higher education real estate advisory to help educational institutions realise the potential of their real estate.” JLL has appointed David Houck, a veteran JLL managing director, to co-lead its higher education group in collaboration with Kevin Wayer, co-president of JLL’s Public Institutions group.  Houck’s appointment and the creation of the group formalise JLL’s continuing work in the education sector. The firm has a long history of working with public and private colleges and universities across the United States and abroad.  Source link

A South Wales aggregates and ready mix concrete business has lost its transport licence after the Traffic Commissioner for Wales said innocent people were far more likely to be injured or killed when such little regard was given to safety rules. Brian Hughes, who operates across South Wales, was also disqualified indefinitely from acting as a transport manager because of his “lamentable performance” in that role. Nick Jones, the industry regulator, said his decision to revoke the operating licence held by Mr Hughes had been a relatively easy one.   He said: “It is clear from the totality of the evidence that maintenance arrangements and controls were chaotic or non-existent. A feature [of this case] that caused me particular concern relates to the lack of any real attention to brakes.” During a public inquiry, an examiner from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) told the Traffic Commissioner he was especially concerned about a vehicle which had been used with braking defects. Despite a driver reporting the defects on a daily basis, no corrective action was taken. In evidence to the hearing, Mr Hughes claimed maintenance had taken place on the vehicle and said his driver failed to appreciate whether the brakes were defective or not. Nick noted that vehicles involved in the aggregates industry, which are used off road, are more likely to suffer damage to brakes and other components. As a result, operators and transport managers needed to put in place maintenance procedures which make sure those vehicles are safe when out on the public roads. DVSA also reported a number of other issues with the operation run by Mr Hughes: • Routine vehicle safety inspections had not taken place on time • Essential safety features on inspection paperwork were missing • Repeated vehicle defects were being identified on successive driver reports • The prohibition rate for mechanical defects on vehicles was twice the national average • The MOT failure rate for vehicles was twice the national average • Vehicles were being parking at sites not authorised by the Traffic Commissioner. “There are critical road safety issues involved in this case,” he added. “As I told Brian Hughes that I was closing his business from midnight on the date of the hearing, it was only then that the seriousness of his failures properly sank in.”