Parking systems are things we have all had contact with at some time or another. As drivers, we want them to be as efficient and easy to use as they possibly can be. No one enjoys being forced to use a parking system that slows them down or makes their life more difficult than it needs to be. There are lots of new and up to date parking management systems that can be put in place, and it’s a good idea to get to grips with all of them. It’s positive for drivers and people working with parking management systems to understand all the options and types of system that are out there. Access control and how people pay for the use of parking spaces are the things that matter most. The first matters because car park owners don’t want people to use car parks without paying to do so. Automatic Pay Stations and Barriers Automatic pay stations are very simple. They can function in a couple of ways, but when they are designed correctly, they offer control and simplicity to drivers, which has to be a good thing for them. You just pull up and park your car. In some cases, you will be given a ticket when you pass through the barrier. This means that everyone who enters the car park will be given a blank ticket. This ticket can register how much the driver has to pay when it comes to exiting the car park. They just put the ticket into the machine before they leave, and they can then pay for the length of the stay. Then when they pass back through the barrier, the ticket can be returned, confirming that they have paid for their stay and can leave through the exit. Auto Pay Parking System  It’s no surprise that Auto Pay parking systems are becoming more popular than ever before right now. It all comes down to the fact that these systems make it very easy for customers to use them. On top of all that, they are very simple and cheap to put in place for people who own car parks. That means they work well for just about everyone who is involved in this process. It simply records when a vehicle enters and leaves a parking area. It can do this by tracking the car via its registration plates. It makes the whole process smooth and quick, and people always value their time, so it’s obvious that they would find these parking systems useful and preferable to many of the alternatives. Active RFID Parking System RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification, and it can be used in parking systems. They offer a quick and easy way for customers to use parking spaces because they allow drivers to scan their card and park up. They are particularly useful for permit holders. RFID has a long range detection mechanism that can be very useful when measuring how many cars are in a car park at one time. They are not used commonly just yet, but there is more of them now than there was a few years ago. It’s a relatively new form of technology, so it’s still finding its way in the car parking market at the moment. Another good thing about them is that there is no computer monitor needed at all for them to be used by drivers. That makes things cheaper for car park owners too. Robotic Parking Systems Robotic parking systems are very new, and there are not many of them about just yet. But they are based on a very interesting premise, and they could definitely become more popular in the future as people look for new ways to maximise space and making parking more advanced than they are right now. When you get there you just pull up and park your car in a parking terminal. So far, so conventional, right? Well, what happens next is the car is moved to a garage slot. They can be anywhere in a stacked area of car garages. This means that they can be moved around and the driver is simply given a ticket. When the driver comes back, they hand over their ticket, and their car can be retrieved for them. It’s a process that is completely computerised, and it results in a service that is slick and easy. There are many types of parking system out there, and they each have their benefits. It will be interesting to see what the car parks of the future look like.

Two years on since it first launched, more than 41,000 businesses are now listed on the Registered Competent Person Electrical website.   Since its launch in June 2014 the site has attracted more than 200,000 visitors with, on average, more than 7,500 searches for local electricians carried out each month. Now is the perfect time to make sure you are on it. Registered Competent Person Electrical (www.electricalcompetentperson.co.uk) is a powerful source for anyone looking for a registered electrician in their area to carry out work in their home. It lists all Full Scope Part P registered firms in England and Wales. It was created by all government approved Full Scope electrical Competent Person Scheme operators to make finding a registered electrician a simple and easy process. Registered Competent Person Electrical also has the support of leading industry stakeholders including the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Registered electricians are encouraged to check their details are present and up-to-date to ensure they are getting the most out of their free listing. If you’re a Full Scope, registered domestic electrical installer, your business should be automatically added to the register, if you don’t find your business on there make sure you contact your Competent Person Scheme Operator who will be able to help. Commenting on the site, Napit group chief executive Michael Andrews said: “Over the 2 years of its existence, the Registered Competent Person Electrical website has proven to be an amazing resource. It provides consumers peace of mind by allowing them to locate electricians who are competent and have their work regularly assessed within their local area. It has also given installers a valuable free listing to advertise their business, which has subsequently allowed them to market themselves in their local area and increase business. I am confident that the website will continue to raise awareness of electrical safety in the home.” Emma Clancy, CEO of Certsure, added: “RCPE is a leading resource to find all firms registered and assessed to carry out domestic electrical work throughout England and Wales. It is important to check that your business is listed and that your contact information is present and correct to ensure you are getting the most from this free and invaluable resource.” Over the past 2 years, campaigns highlighting the value of the RCPE have reached a multitude of people through social media. These campaigns have helped to raise awareness on electrical safety and encouraged people to seek out professional installers in their area. To find out more about Registered Competent Person Electrical, visit: www.electricalcompetentperson.co.uk If you would like to update your details or you think your business should be listed but does not appear on the register, you need to contact the DCLG authorised Competent Person Scheme Operator you are registered with. A full list, including contact details, is available at: www.electricalcompetentperson.co.uk/Contact-Us     Source link

Browser does not support script. Contact us Six outstanding new Yorkshire buildings won RIBA Yorkshire Awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects at a prestigious awards ceremony held last night (Thursday 21 April 2016), in recognition of their architectural excellence. The winning buildings are: Brynmor Jones Library, University of Hull by Sheppard Robson Contemporary Lean-To, Harrogate by Doma Architects Laidlaw Library, University of Leeds by ADP LLP New House, Brigsley by Hodson Architects Stanbrook Abbey, North York Moors National Park by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios York Art Gallery, York by Ushida Findlay and Simpson & Brown Architects  A further six Special Category Awards were presented to: York Art Gallery, Ushida Findlay and Simpson & Brown Architects – RIBA Yorkshire Conservation Award Brynmor Jones Library, Sheppard Robson – RIBA Yorkshire Conservation Award Brynmor Jones Library, Sheppard Robson – RIBA Yorkshire Sustainability Award sponsored by Sika Contemporary Lean-to, Doma Architects – RIBA Yorkshire Small Project Award Dr Richard Heseltine, Director of Library and Learning Innovation and University Librarian, University of Hull for The Brynmor Jones Library – RIBA Yorkshire  Client of the Year Tom Van Hoffelen, Simpson & Brown Architects for York Art Gallery – RIBA Yorkshire Project Architect of the Year sponsored by Tarmac Stanbrook Abbey, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios – RIBA Yorkshire Building of the Year sponsored by Marley Eternit Caroline Buckingham of HLM Architects, Jury Chair said: “In the 2016 RIBA Yorkshire Award winning buildings, we witnessed total dedication from the architects, enhanced and supported by the clients. This was borne out in the quality of the projects produced and the exquisite attention to detail shown. The winning projects ranged from a little gem whose understated title completely unlocked a clever and enlightening remodelling of a Victorian villa, to a new Abbey beautifully and lovingly executed over a number of years and sitting majestically in the Yorkshire countryside. Many of the projects included historic elements which were seamlessly brought together in a sensitive but simple way, expertly executed with delightful detailing.” RIBA Yorkshire winners will also be considered for a highly-coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on 23 June. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning buildings later in the year. ENDS Notes to editors: For access to the judges citations and images of buildings that have won RIBA Yorkshire Awards please contact Rachel Hunnybun 0113 3899870 rachel.hunnybun@riba.org or Claire Young 0113 3899870 claire.young@riba.org RIBA Yorkshire Awards judges: Caroline Buckingham, HLM Architects (Jury Chair) Jon Forman, Jonathan Forman Architects (Regional Representative) Nick Guttridge, Photographer (Lay Assessor) 3. Special Category Award sponsors: Building of the Year sponsored by Marley Eternit Sustainability Award sponsored by SIKA Project Architect of the Year sponsored by Tarmac   Posted on Thursday 21st April 2016 Source link

New report a “welcome roadmap for heating efficiency” Published:  19 October, 2016 A report suggesting hydrogen could be a sustainable alternative to natural gas, issued by the Committee on Climate Change, has been welcomed by boiler manufacturer, Worcester, Bosch. Neil Schofield, head of government and external affairs at Worcester, Bosch Group believes the report, Next steps to UK heat policy, offers clear direction for the heating industry to follow in its bid to green Britain’s heating supplies. Mr Schofield said: “At long last we appear to have robust advice for the government to follow which acknowledges that energy policy needs to be about more than simply switching the lights off. Heat represents 40% of the energy we consume and 20% of our Greenhouse Gas emissions, so it is pleasing to see the Committee on Climate Change produce such a welcome roadmap for heating efficiency. “By indicating that hydrogen could indeed prove to be a sustainable long-term alternative to natural gas, the report effectively advises the Government to stay faithful to our hugely successful and accessible gas grid, which has to be the most practical route towards our 2050 climate targets. Mr Schofield went on to stress his expectation that it is this decarbonisation of the grid at source – rather than the report’s other proposed option, the increased use of heat pumps – that will have the greatest impact on greening UK heating supplies. “Yes, heat pumps have their place in certain instances, particularly in the new-build sector, but they can also be a difficult sell to the homeowner and disruptive to install within an existing property. By using the existing framework we have in a more sustainable way, we can decarbonise heat with as little upheaval as possible.” The report, which consulted Worcester, Bosch as one of several stakeholders in its research, follows a report on decarbonising domestic heat from think tank Policy Exchange, which made similar recommendations.   Source link

©Getty Back to work: the Colombo Port City Project was temporarily suspended in 2015 Over the past two decades, China’s construction companies have built more infrastructure more quickly than ever before. Now, spurred by the world’s most powerful development finance institutions, they are looking overseas to stage their second act. The China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), which ranked 151st in the 2016 Fortune Global 2000 of leading companies, typifies the global ambitions that are animating the big Chinese builders. More On this story IN Tomorrow’s Global Business “Our ultimate goal is to have 50 per cent of our revenue from overseas,” Fu Junyuan, CCCC’s chief financial officer, told reporters this year. Although he did not give a timescale or say what proportion of current business derives from foreign shores, he did say that the company’s international order book was much more vibrant than its domestic counterpart. Africa was a particular bright spot for CCCC, which employs 112,000 people in 130 countries. At least three projects in Kenya were signed in the first quarter of this year, worth a total Rmb5.4bn ($820m), Mr Fu said. Permission to resume a controversial $1.4bn port city development in Sri Lanka was also obtained in the first quarter of 2016. This same urge to expand abroad is driving the China Railway Group’s attempts ramp up its international business to compensate for softening domestic demand. The China Railway Group plans to boost the share of its revenue that comes from overseas to at least 10 per cent by the end of 2020, up from about 5 per cent last year, according to Li Changjin, chairman of the construction group. The company is working on 405 construction projects in 68 countries. These include the 427km China-Laos railway and the 329km Ethiopian national railway. “The current representation of overseas business is low, but that also means a huge room for improvement,” Mr Li told reporters recently. The 4,400km-long South American Twin Ocean railway project, linking the coasts of Brazil and Peru, ranks as the most ambitious plan so far. The scale of such ambitions might appear absurd were it not for the backing of the world’s most powerful development finance institutions, which often suggest Chinese contractors to carry out the projects to which they lend. We think the Chinese are making moves to expand further into the west and they have a very good chance to take market share – Steven Fisher Two Chinese policy banks — the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China — had outstanding loans to overseas borrowers amounting to an estimated $684bn at the end of 2014, just short of the $700bn owed to all six of the western-backed development institutions put together, according to a study by Boston University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Such largesse is not expected to dissipate as Beijing rolls out its “One Belt, One Road (OBOR)” initiative, a plan to build infrastructure in more than 60 countries between China and Europe, with an estimated investment of about $900bn over the next decade. “There are a lot of additional funds available because the OBOR initiative will accelerate overseas expansion,” says Christoph Nettesheim, senior partner at BCG, a consultancy, in Singapore. “You can see this already, the Chinese construction and construction-equipment companies are very active in OBOR-related areas.” Chinese construction-equipment companies such as Sany, Zoomlion and XCMG are also pursuing ambitious international expansion plans, according to a study by the UBS Evidence Lab, which analysed about 15,000 construction equipment dealerships around the world. The Chinese companies are likely to boost their global market share outside China to about 15 per cent by 2025, up from about 7 per cent currently, according to the analysis. “We think the Chinese are making moves to expand further into the west and we think they have a very good chance to take market share, if they are fully committed to doing so,” says Steven Fisher, UBS analyst. Mr Fisher says the biggest competitive advantage of Chinese companies was a relatively low cost base that allowed them to offer discounts in the region of 15-40 per cent to equivalent premium brand equipment. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link