A NATONAL signage firm, which specialises in the housebuilding sector, donated more than 20 pairs of acrylic turtle doves to a city hospital unit in support of one of its employees. North-West-based Sign Build, experts in providing top quality signage to housebuilders, made the donation to Preston Sharoe Green Hospital in support of their graphic designer, Kayleigh Gray. Kayleigh gave birth to her daughter, Emilia, at just 27 weeks, three weeks after the legal abortion limit and three months before her due date, on December 27th, 2014. Now, growing fast and full of energy, both Kayleigh and Emilia, with the help of Sign Build, wanted to give something back to the unit. Sign Build used its in-house machines to create 25 pairs of acrylic turtle doves, which were designed by Kayleigh and handed out to parents on the unit with one dove remaining with their baby whilst the other was taken home. Mark Cowin, director of Sign Build, said: “When Kayleigh asked us to produce the turtle doves, we didn’t hesitate in getting involved. “The Neo Natal Unit is extremely close to Kayleigh’s heart, and supports numerous families daily so we were proud to get involved and produce something so sentimental and support Kayleigh at the same time.” Emilia weighed just 1lb 11oz, 5lbs under the average weight for a baby girl and just a few centimetres bigger than a Samsung Galaxy Note mobile phone, and was immediately rushed to the Neo Natal Unit at the hospital where she underwent months of vital treatment and care. Each tag that is attached to a Turtle Dove reads; Turtle Doves represent love. Keep one at home and give the other to your very special baby, so you will never be far away. Kayleigh added: “Parents are extremely sentimental during their time at the hospital and this way, although they may not always be on the unit, their son or daughter will always be with them. “When I asked my boss Mark, owner of Sign Build, to help out, he didn’t hesitate in saying yes and I’m really proud that the company is helping out for something so close to my heart.”

January the 31st of this very year saw the implementation of a new partnership between BREAM and WELL that would enable companies wanting to gain accreditation from both organizing bodies in an easier and more effective way. The new paper itself, titled “Assessing Health and Wellbeing in Buildings,” was released recently in order to facilitate the processes that varies building and construction companies would have to take in order to gain a credit rating from the two risk reduction bodies. Inside the paper is included an extremely useful breakdown of the differences between the BREEAM and WELL certification standards, as well as the ways in which they are similar so that enterprises can use the credit approval ratings of one of the organizations in order to prove its capabilities and thus earn more credits from the other. Indeed, the joint collaboration of BREEAM and WELL in this enterprise will save building and construction organizations time and confusion by integrating the two certified standards together. What this will mean is that companies wishing to be deemed certifiable by BREEAM will not need to gather different forms of evidence in order to be deemed certifiable by WELL: the evidence can be integrated and used in an application for both organizations. As the Technical Director of BREEAM, Alan Yates, explains, there are numerous parallels between BREEAM and WELL and around 35 per cent of credits from one of the standards can match into the other. What this indicates is that building and construction companies will not have to fill out as many bureaucratic forms or gather evidence for the same skills and assessments: by collaborating with each other, BREEAM and WELL will make it easier and more encouraging for companies in the construction sector to think about how they can improve their health and safety measures in the workplace in order to achieve accreditation from both organizations.

A new life safety system based around Kentec’s Syncro XT+ addressable extinguishing control panel technology is being installed in the new 4 billion Kroner (Euro 407m) terminal at Norway’s Bergen Flesland International Airport Development. Bergen Flesland’s new terminal development will treble the airport’s capacity and will include a new dedicated train line connecting Flesland to Bergen city centre. The terminal building itself will be scalable, featuring all core functions, including check-in, baggage, storage systems, security control, and departure and arrival halls on two separate levels. Norwegian Brannslokkesystemer AS was commissioned to design and install a Novec 1230 extinguishing system, controlled by a Kentec Syncro XT+ network comprising 11 multi-area addressable extinguishant control panels with loop powered status indicator units and using Apollo communications protocol. Brannslokkesystemer AS imports, designs and assembles automatic gas extinguishing systems for the marine and land-based market throughout Norway. Kentec’s Syncro XT+ control panels are the leading multi-area addressable extinguishant control panel solution, fully approved to EN12094-1, EN54-2 and EN54-4. Syncro XT+ provides addressable detection over 1 or 2 loops with 16 Zone LED Indicators and is available with up to four extinguishant release control units built in.

Pre referendum uncertainty triggered further small price falls in the prime housing markets of London in the second quarter of 2016 and slowed growth in regional markets dependent on London buyers, according to the latest research from international real estate adviser, Savills.  A marginal -0.2 per cent fall in the three month period prior to the referendum left average prime London values down -0.7 per cent year on year, and -1.4 per cent below their pre December 2014 level, when stamp duty rates on high value homes were increased. Falls were most pronounced in prime central London, where prices fell -1.4 per cent in the quarter. This left values in London’s most exclusive markets on average -3.9 per cent down year on year and -8.0 per cent below their Q3 2014 peak.   Weakened sentiment and a slowing of the London market also impacted the prime regional markets, resulting in small quarterly price falls (-0.4 per cent) in the suburbs.   Property in the inner and outer commuter zones around London saw marginally positive price growth in the quarter limited to just 0.2 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively, as the market slowed in response to a lack of urgency amongst buyers. Table showing Prime London growth “There have been conflicting signals in the market in the period post referendum, which suggests the impact of a vote to leave the EU will only become clear over coming months as the market finds its level,” says Lucian Cook, head of UK residential research at Savills. “Falls in sterling  have prompted some international buyers to re-enter the market, while there has also been a fair share of speculative bids from those hoping to secure a bargain.  Against this context, sellers have generally taken a pragmatic approach around pricing without having to slash their expectations. “Prime regional markets are at a different stage in their cycle, having been slower to recover peak 2007 values, and therefore appear to have been less affected by pre referendum uncertainty.” * NOTE, results collected in the week pre referendum Source link

The world risks becoming ever more reliant on Middle Eastern oil as lower prices derail efforts by governments to curb demand, the west’s leading energy body has warned. The head of the International Energy Agency told the Financial Times that Middle Eastern producers, such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, now have the biggest share of world oil markets since the Arab fuel embargo of the 1970s. Demand for their crude has surged amid a collapse in oil prices over the past two years that has cut output from higher-cost producers such as the US, Canada and Brazil. Fatih Birol, IEA executive director, said policymakers risk becoming complacent as rhetoric surrounding a rise in North American energy supplies has overshadowed the world’s growing reliance on Middle Eastern crude. “The Middle East is the first source of imports,” said Mr Birol. “The higher the demand growth the more we [consumer countries] will need to import.” Middle Eastern producers now make up 34 per cent of global output, pumping 31m barrels a day, according to IEA data. This is the highest proportion since 1975 when it hit 36 per cent. In 1985, when North Sea production accelerated, their share fell to as little as 19 per cent. Fast-growing supplies from US shale fields triggered the oil price plunge in mid-2014. Unlike in the 1980s, however, Opec producers — led by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies — decided to maintain output to defend market share for the 13-member group, rather than cutting output to bolster prices. Demand has since surged as prices more than halved following years of trading above $100 a barrel. Mr Birol said efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions were being thwarted as motorists returned to buying fuel-guzzling cars. Lower oil prices are proving to be bad news for efficiency improvements In the US, more than two-and-a-half times as many sports utility vehicles were being bought compared with standard cars, Mr Birol said. Even more concerning for policymakers is China, where more than four times as many SUVs were bought, suggesting the country’s rapidly growing car culture has adopted America’s taste for larger more fuel-hungry cars. “Lower oil prices are proving to be bad news for efficiency improvements,” said Mr Birol. China has been the centre of oil demand growth for the past decade, becoming the second-largest oil consumer — behind the US — and surpassing it as the world’s biggest importer last year. Hundreds of billions of dollars in energy investments have been cut since 2014 as oil companies have embarked on the biggest cost-saving measures in 30 years, Mr Birol said. That is cutting supplies outside Opec, with US and other countries’ production expected to decline this year. Higher output from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran has filled the gap. Related article Opec supplies are forecast to increase ‘modestly’ “The Middle East is reminding us that they are the largest source of low-cost oil,” said Mr Birol. He said the region was expected to meet three-quarters of demand growth over the next two decades. Higher US output had prompted some lawmakers to suggest the country can reduce its engagement in the Middle East. But Mr Birol warned politicians to keep in mind the importance of the region when creating economic and foreign policy. US oil imports are rising for the first time in year as demand has grown faster than supplies. Mr Birol said policymakers needed to impose stricter fuel efficiency targets to reduce demand, arguing it was not feasible in a world market to completely sever reliance on Middle Eastern oil. “US oil production will increase, but it is still an oil importer and will be for some time,” Mr Birol said. “Some have the view the rise of tight [shale] oil will sideline the Middle East. This view, I would never subscribe to.” Source link

Construction apprenticeships across Great Britain are up 12% in the past year, reaching levels not seen since before the 2008 financial crisis. New statistics from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) for National Apprenticeship Week (14-18 March 2016) reveal that 22,496 young people started construction apprenticeships in the year ending 31st March 2015. This is up from 19,973 in 2013/14. Construction apprenticeships hit a low of 17,500 in 2012 but opportunities for young people are increasing now that the industry is broadly growing. Separate CITB research released today shows that employers find apprentices perform well in the workplace. A survey of 1,500 construction employers across the UK showed that four in five (78%) of employers rated their apprentices’ work as good or very good, compared with 73% for graduates and 59% for further education leavers. CITB head of policy & research Gillian Econopouly said: “Construction apprenticeships are growing, which demonstrates industry’s commitment to train the next generation. But with CITB research predicting 230,000 new construction jobs by 2020, we need even more young people to start apprenticeships, and to help more firms take them on.”     This article was published on 14 Mar 2016 (last updated on 14 Mar 2016). Source link