In 2016, many Window and Door System Companies joined the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF). Due to the level, quantity and quality of those Members, the Federation has now fully established a new specific GGF ‘Systems House Group’. The scope of the Group was determined at a preliminary meeting in
Jet Aire has put an investment in to expanding their fleet. The drainage contractor has announced that they have invested in their first recycler. This expansion of the capabilities of Jet Aire’s fleet has come after investing around £400,000 for the recycler. The JHL FlexLine 414 unit is thought to
Cundall has appointed Tim Stidwill as a new Structural Engineering Partner. The international and multidisciplinary engineering company has made the appointment in order to improve and expand their structural engineering branding across the Midlands. Tim Stidwill will be based in Cundall’s Birmingham office, ideally situated to aid Tim with his
Yorkshire Housing, the largest social housing provider in Yorkshire, will be attending a panel discussion for the Housing 2017 conference. The Director of Development and New Business for Yorkshire Housing, Andy Gamble will be joining the panel at the 2017 conference. The Housing conference will take place over three years
An international materials and development and commercialization organization has announced that they are releasing a white paper to be applied to the construction sector. Lucideon has released the white paper which is titled ‘The Use of Digital Image Correlation in Masonry Research’. The white paper has been co-written for Lucideon
Since the launch of its ‘Environmental’ division earlier this year, Mick George Ltd and its contracting provision for all-encompassing Asbestos services has gone from strength to strength. Stringent controls make the Asbestos removal industry one of the most regulated in the UK, second only to the Nuclear industry, and thus
Browser does not support script. Contact us Ben Derbyshire has been elected the next President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He will take over the two-year presidential term from Jane Duncan on 1 September 2017; from 1 September 2016 he will officially become RIBA President-Elect. The position
Cheshire developer Altin Homes Ltd has been fined for safety failings at a site in Altrincham. Above: The toppled blocks that led to the prohibition notices Altin Homes was running the building works at a former petrol station on Woodlands Road in Altrincham, acting as both client and main contractor
VolkerInfra has won a £5m contract to install nearly 10 kilometres of power cables for the Galloper offshore wind farm. Above: Galloper is a sister project of the existing Greater Gabbard wind farm Working for GE’s Grid Solutions, a division of GE Energy Connections, VolkerInfra will provide the substation interconnectors
Residential Secure Income plc has announced that they will be launching their initial public offering. The company is newly established and is a closed-ended investment company that has been incorporated in England and Wales. Through launching their initial public offering Residential Secure Income are hoping to raise as much as
In 2016, many Window and Door System Companies joined the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF). Due to the level, quantity and quality of those Members, the Federation has now fully established a new specific GGF ‘Systems House Group’. The scope of the Group was determined at a preliminary meeting in January 2017 when system house companies met to discuss the potential Group’s scope. It proved to be far reaching and includes; Input into the GGF overall strategy such as the future shape and requirements of Building Regulations, e.g. Approved Document changes in England in 2018 How to tackle the issues caused by restrictive planning conditions (such as Article 4 Directions) that may exclude some framing materials in certain circumstances To assess the potential impact of any regulatory changes and through the GGF’s political lobbying campaigns, influence the shape of those changes to ensure they can be achieved and are not detrimental to any specific framing materials To ensure System Companies are represented and their voice heard in Industry Standards setting forums To work with our partners and develop workable solutions to current or potential issues that may exclude certain companies, in particular small and micro enterprises, from parts of the market, e.g. Small/micro fabricators who cannot justify third party certification to supply SBD compliant works The Group met for its first meeting on 4th May in Birmingham and GGF Members companies such as REHAU, VEKA, Profine UK, Synseal, Deceuninck and ALUK were represented. The meeting was chaired by Gareth Jones, Marketing & Technical Director – Window Solutions REHAU, who commented, “It was good to Chair the first formal meeting of this essential group for the GGF and the industry.” Gareth was elected Chairman of the System House Group by the Group’s Members and the position also means a seat on the GGF Board. On taking on this new responsibility, Gareth added, “It’s an honour to represent the System Houses in the GGF Membership and the sector overall on the GGF Board. I will ensure the Group works to maintain and raise industry standards and that we focus on addressing the key issues affecting the sector.” Some of the concerns involve changes to Building Regulations, reducing the duplication of certification on some projects and making it easier for companies to use and feed into Building Information Modelling (BIM) which is being used more frequently by architects and specifiers. The next meeting is in August 2017 for more information on this meeting and if you would like to attend please email info@ggf.org.uk.
Jet Aire has put an investment in to expanding their fleet. The drainage contractor has announced that they have invested in their first recycler. This expansion of the capabilities of Jet Aire’s fleet has come after investing around £400,000 for the recycler. The JHL FlexLine 414 unit is thought to be one of four units in use in the UK. The recycler that has been purchased by Jet Aire is thought to be the only unit in operation in the North of England. The FlexLine 414 in manufactured in Denmark and delivers an eco-friendly performance. The unit manages to cleanse and reuse the water for jetting while on site. This unit will cut down the water used on tasks such as de-silting. Other tasks that the unit can offer an eco-friendly performance of work such as large diameter pipe cleaning as well as a number of other industrial cleaning and waste removal tasks. Purchase of the FlexLine 414 has come after the Leeds based company has invested in an Ultracoat division in their business. This new division that has been set up by Jet Aire strengthens structures that may be weak or corroded. This strengthening takes place by using an epoxy resin. Another investment that has been made by the drainage contractor is a cutting edge UV lining rig which can be used to repair pipes by inflating liner full of a special resin that is cured by the UV lights and creates a new pipe within the broken one. These new systems are a development on the hot cure and ambient lighting procedure that Jet Aire has been utilising for more than a decade. The recent investments by Jet Aire means that the business is in a dominant position in the market. Jet Aire has been operating for the past thirty years in order to offer their clients in the commercial, industrial and domestic sectors professional drainage solutions. Through making the most of the technological developments, Jet Aire has been able to reduce their environmental impact as well as their carbon footprint.
Cundall has appointed Tim Stidwill as a new Structural Engineering Partner. The international and multidisciplinary engineering company has made the appointment in order to improve and expand their structural engineering branding across the Midlands. Tim Stidwill will be based in Cundall’s Birmingham office, ideally situated to aid Tim with his new responsibilities at Cundall. Cundall has offices in 11 countries around the world and works to offer a range of different engineering services. In the Midlands, where Tim Stidwill will be operating, the business’ building engineering team has become unrivalled. Tim will be able to develop Cundall’s structural engineering sector so that it can reach the same prominence across the Midlands. Tim has a reputation for being a strong structural engineer that is talented and focused. Tim will be a good asset to the Cundall team and will be valuable as they look to develop their structural engineering sector. Tim has moved to join Cundall from Ramboll. In his previous role, Tim was the Director in the Birmingham office and managed the delivery of a number of high-profile projects throughout the Midlands as well as projects that took place across the UK and in Europe. Tim has experience successfully completing complex projects such as the Paradise Development which took place in Birmingham City Centre, Energy from Waste facilities created in London and Gloucester and the New North Zealand Hospital in Denmark. His engineering designs have also proved vital on a number of different projects in the midlands such as the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and a number of projects taken place at the Universities of Birmingham, Birmingham City, Warwick and Leicester. Tim is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers and the Institute of Structural Engineers. The new Structural Engineering Partner also focuses on BIM tools and sustainable design in his work. His ability to provide technically excellent projects that are efficient and sustainable will be a big selling point Tim brings to Cundall’s Midlands team.
Yorkshire Housing, the largest social housing provider in Yorkshire, will be attending a panel discussion for the Housing 2017 conference. The Director of Development and New Business for Yorkshire Housing, Andy Gamble will be joining the panel at the 2017 conference. The Housing conference will take place over three years and is expected to attract more than 1,500 delegates. It has also been estimated that the event will be visited by around 8,000 people. The Housing 2017 conference will take place between the 27th and the 29th June at Manchester Central. Other notable people who will be joining Andy Gamble as a part of the panel is the chief operating officer of Willmott Partnership Charlie Scherer and the executive director of regeneration for the Accord Group, Alan Yates. At the Manchester event the panel will join together and discuss the role that is played by Housing Associations when it comes to alleviating the pressures on the construction sector due to skills shortages. Yorkshire Housing has been able to provide 18,000 affordable and social rent homes in the county and has plans to increase this number by building 3,000 more homes by 2020. The Housing Association offers a range of care and support services too across the Yorkshire region. By being such a prominent provider of affordable homes in the North of England, the Association is quite heavily invested in the ways that the skills shortage in the construction industry can be alleviated in order to help with the construction on more new homes. Andy Gamble of Yorkshire Housing has suggested that the deficit of people with construction skills in the industry. As the lack of skilled workers in the sector means the ability to construct more houses in order to meet demand becomes inhibited. The panel focusing on addressing the skills crisis takes place on the 28th June between 3:30pm and 4:30pm.
An international materials and development and commercialization organization has announced that they are releasing a white paper to be applied to the construction sector. Lucideon has released the white paper which is titled ‘The Use of Digital Image Correlation in Masonry Research’. The white paper has been co-written for Lucideon by Dr Geoff Edgell who is the director and principal consultant for construction at the company. Dr Geoff Edgell worked on the white paper with Cliff Fudge, the technical director at H+H UK Limited. Lucideon work on developing and testing materials in order to provide assurance to clients in a range of different sectors. The white paper that has been published looks into how Digital Image Correlation can be used in recent projects with concrete masonry. The paper was first presented at the 13th Canadian Masonry Symposium in Nova Scotia in the 6th of June this year. The digital imaging process has been introduced as a specialised way to monitor the performance and durability of materials and products when exposed to external forces such as forces, weights, strains and stresses. Geoff Edgell of Lucideon has said that this analysis that is offered by Digital Image Correlation will help to use products to their best capacity as well as seeing how tolerant materials are to external stresses. The Correlation system allows real time measurements of the strains to be taken and an observation of the individual components of a material and their durability. These developments that are being made through the Digital Image Correlation can lead to new innovations in the masonry sector as well as other materials that are related. Before this Correlation research discussed in the white paper, the impact of stresses and strains could not be measures. Lucideon have invested in the Digital Image Correlation technology and uses it in their structural testing laboratories as well as on site around the UK and the USA.
Since the launch of its ‘Environmental’ division earlier this year, Mick George Ltd and its contracting provision for all-encompassing Asbestos services has gone from strength to strength. Stringent controls make the Asbestos removal industry one of the most regulated in the UK, second only to the Nuclear industry, and thus only 400 licensed contractors operate in the UK. Reaffirming its commitment and professionalism within the industry, Mick George Ltd has recently received certification of approval for ‘Asbestos Removal Contractors Association’ (ARCA) membership. Formed over 35 years ago, ARCA is the leading trade association in the field of Asbestos management, playing a pivotal role to shape working procedures and legislation, as well as offering support, representation, advice and training to over 350 members. The Association has gained credibility with HSE, Government, local authorities, and all those concerned with safety in the occupational handling and removal of asbestos materials, and as such, all members are perceived as specialists, in a particularly difficult and hazardous industry. The news follows previous accreditation by Health and Safety Executives, for Mick George Ltd to complete all related Asbestos works. Most notably this includes the ability to handle a wider variety of contaminants, including non-licensed, notifiable non-licensed and licensed Asbestos, uniquely placing the business within the market, due to their ability to provide a ‘start-to-finish’ solution. Michael George, Contracts Director at Mick George Ltd commented: ‘’Partnering and associating ourselves with leading bodies from various disciplines, is a strategy that we intentionally employ across the business.’’ George continued: ‘’We feel that it has multiple benefits, none more so than the very tangible advantages of being able to learn from experts who have unrivalled experience in the sector. Part of a wider network, it allows all participating members to have a stronger, more informed role in influencing the way the industry operates.’’
Browser does not support script. Contact us Ben Derbyshire has been elected the next President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He will take over the two-year presidential term from Jane Duncan on 1 September 2017; from 1 September 2016 he will officially become RIBA President-Elect. The position of RIBA President was established in 1835 and has been previously held by significant architects including Sir George Gilbert Scott, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Alfred Waterhouse and Sir Basil Spence. Ben Derbyshire is chair of HTA Design LLP, a 150 strong multidisciplinary practice based mainly in London and Edinburgh, where he has been a partner since 1987. He has a number of other Board positions including at RIBA Enterprises, Design for Homes, and is a trustee of The London Society. Speaking today Ben Derbyshire said: “Once again we find ourselves in turbulent times. In winning this election I am conscious of a great sense of responsibility owed to architects everywhere, in all corners of the UK and overseas. Jane Duncan has laid the foundations for change at the RIBA that I look forward to driving forward, when I take up the role of President. My primary goal is to champion architects so that they, our sister professions and clients, can advance architecture as the cornerstone of the well-designed and more sustainable built environment society desperately needs. All architects, wherever and however we practice, need an RIBA that works for us.” RIBA President Jane Duncan said: “Congratulations to Ben Derbyshire on his successful election and to Alan Jones and Andrew Salter for putting themselves forward for this fantastic role. During the next year of my Presidency, I will be playing my part in implementing the RIBA’s new five-year strategy which distilled the collective views of our membership. I look forward to passing this important baton on to Ben Derbyshire and ensuring that our profession has a strong voice and all our members, wherever they are, have the skills and support they need to thrive.” Follow Ben on Twitter at www.https://twitter.com/ben_derbyshire -ends- Notes: For further press information contact Melanie Mayfield in the RIBA Press Office melanie.mayfield@riba.org 020 7307 3662 An image of Ben Derbyshire can be downloaded from: https://riba.box.com/s/nk3pyo1o9i1m8kwpzitx5ebaznllotdi The election turnout was 15.2%; Ben Derbyshire was elected with 53.8% of the votes after the exclusion and re-allocation of 1st preference votes. Ben Derbyshire was trained first at Birmingham then at Cambridge School of Architecture from where he joined HTA in 1976 as its fifth member. He became a partner in 1986 and has taken a lead role managing the practice since 1998. He describes the ethos of the multidisciplinary practice as ‘curious, creative, collaborative and communicative’ and he has widely contributed to publications and thought leadership both as a partner of the practice (Chair since 2016) and in his role for other organisations such as The Housing Forum and The London Society. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. www.architecture.com Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA Posted on Tuesday 9th August 2016 Search architecture.com just start typing and hit enter again × Browser does not support script. Browser does not support script. Source link
Cheshire developer Altin Homes Ltd has been fined for safety failings at a site in Altrincham. Above: The toppled blocks that led to the prohibition notices Altin Homes was running the building works at a former petrol station on Woodlands Road in Altrincham, acting as both client and main contractor employing numerous trade workers and labourers on site. The site first came to HSE’s attention in June 2014 following the collapse of building blocks across the pavement and cycle lane on Woodlands Road. When an HSE inspector investigated, he noted that there were other poorly stacked blocks on site that were at risk of crashing through the hoarding for a second time. The company was told to remove them as soon as possible to reduce this risk. The HSE inspector served two prohibition notices and two improvement notices, along with a notification of contravention during the first site visits. Trafford Magistrates’ Court heard that some of the issues had been satisfactorily dealt with by Altin Homes following HSE’s first intervention but on a second visit, a fortnight later, it had failed to remove the unsafe blocks that had caused the original incident. It had ignored the recommendations of the inspector and put its own workers and members of the public at continual risk. Altin Homes was charged with failing to protect the safety of employees, failure to protect the safety of others including subcontractors and members of the public and one count of failing to plan, manage and monitor construction work so that it was carried out in a safe manner. Altin Homes Ltd of Altin Court, 1a, Woodlands Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1HG pleaded guilty at Trafford Magistrates Court to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. It was fined £40,000 with £3,000 costs. HSE inspector Matt Greenly said after the case: “Altin Homes Ltd failed in their duty to protect their workers, subcontractors and members of the public passing by this site from a foreseeable risk of serious harm. “Luckily no one was injured when the blocks fell through the site hoarding but, given the size and weight of the building blocks that fell onto the pavement and highway, there was the potential to cause serious injury or even death to both employees and the general public. It was nothing other than good fortune that no pedestrians were passing along the pavement when the blocks fell.” This article was published on 27 Apr 2016 (last updated on 27 Apr 2016). Source link
VolkerInfra has won a £5m contract to install nearly 10 kilometres of power cables for the Galloper offshore wind farm. Above: Galloper is a sister project of the existing Greater Gabbard wind farm Working for GE’s Grid Solutions, a division of GE Energy Connections, VolkerInfra will provide the substation interconnectors and onshore export cables for the project. VolkerWessels’ specialist cabling subsidiary will design, supply, install and pre-commission test two 132kV onshore export cables (5,300 metres of cable in total), as well as six 132kV cable circuits in the Galloper substation (1,350 metres in total), two 132kV cables to connect Galloper to a new substation at Sizewell (1,660 metres in total), two 132kV offshore cables (180 metres in total) and six 33kV circuits totalling 1,200 metres of cable. VolkerInfra technical development director Peter Cooke said: “Following on from the successful delivery of our first 132kV project for GE’s Grid Solutions at Salle Substation, we are really excited to have been selected to support them on this much larger and more complex scheme. It is testament to the work we have been doing with other clients and another success for us. We are looking forward to establishing our site presence later this month.” Galloper offshore wind farm is an extension of the existing and fully operational Greater Gabbard wind farm off the coast of Suffolk. The wind farm, which has grid connection secured, has an average annual generation capacity equivalent to the domestic needs of up to 336,000 average UK households. This article was published on 23 Mar 2016 (last updated on 23 Mar 2016). Source link
Residential Secure Income plc has announced that they will be launching their initial public offering. The company is newly established and is a closed-ended investment company that has been incorporated in England and Wales. Through launching their initial public offering Residential Secure Income are hoping to raise as much as £300 million. This money is expected to be raised by placing and offering a subscription of ordinary shares in the capital of the investment company. Residential Secure Income will begin this process by applying for the admission of its ordinary shares on the premium listing section of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority. After this has been done and the application has been passed, the shares will then be admitted for trading on the Main Market. It is on the Main Market that they will be listed for securities of the London Stock Exchange. It is the intention of the Residential Secure Income plc to become a real estate investment trust. As a part of this any of the proceeds that have been made by the issuing of ordinary shares will then be invested into residential asset classes that are made from the UK social housing providers stock. It is thought that most of the social housing providers that will be invested in in this way will consist of Local Authorities and Housing Associations. It is thought that reinvesting in this manner will lead to long-dated and inflation-linked income returns that then create the opportunity for capital growth while also reducing the sensitive nature of the residential housing market. It is thought that the increase demand for housing as well as a reduction of the new UK Government grant is making it more appealing for Housing Associations around the UK to look for other funding opportunities when carrying out their development plans. Local Authorities across the UK are also trying to increase the number of houses that they have available and are looking to private funding in order to make up the reduction in grants offered by the Government. It is thought therefore, that Residential Secure Income is making the most of an attractive market.