Bouygues UK has celebrated reaching the highest point of the development build at Peckham Flaxyard, a mixed-use, residential-led scheme in the heart of Peckham. The Bouygues UK team, along with Southwark Council, who are delivering the project, marked this milestone on 21st September with a traditional ‘topping out’ ceremony. The
About two months ago, we shared the good news that Quelfire had been shortlisted in two categories of the London Construction Awards. On Friday 23 September, when the awards ceremony took place, we asked you to keep your fingers and toes crossed for us. Over 350 guests from all sectors
The second annual social value benchmarking report has revealed that over £1bn of economic, social and environmental improvements were made by the UK construction industry last year. The Social Value in Construction Benchmarking Report was compiled jointly by social value measurement consultancy, Social Value Portal and SCAPE, one of the
Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, today announces that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Aker Solutions – an integrated solutions, products and services provider to the global energy industry – to deliver end-to-end design and construction solutions for the concrete floating and gravity-based UK offshore wind industry.
Blending city and countryside lifestyles, Welwyn Garden City is quickly becoming an untapped hotspot for those wanting to be within touching distance of London but surrounded amongst acres of green space. SO Resi’s latest launch in the so-called ‘Utopia’ of Hertfordshire will see the new homes enter the affordable property
PlanRadar’s latest report reveals climate-resilient buildings are an essential requirement for global construction “Climate-proof” buildings are now international priority to withstand effects of climate change Specifiers now focused on resilient and adaptable structures to endure increasingly erratic weather UK’s climate emergency response focused on ‘renovation’, ‘retrofit’ and “walkable neighbourhoods”, but
Government backing for modular construction would deliver 20,000 low energy use homes across the UK – costing 55% less to heat than the average British ‘bricks and mortar’ family house Planning permission should be fast tracked for modular housing to create homes 50% faster and 4,000 jobs in left behind
Helvar is an international lighting technologies company specialising in intelligent and energy-saving lighting solutions. Helvar lighting control solutions and luminaire components help to create smart energy-saving environments built for the future, using information, and working seamlessly with other systems. The strong commitment to intelligent lighting control solutions, people’s wellbeing and
Hovermap Case Study Article: Hovermap provides drone autonomy and collision avoidance, easing the burden on operators and allowing them to fly closer to critical infrastructure and into confined spaces. A versatile SLAM-based mapper, Hovermap makes data collection quick, easy, and secure. In addition to drone use, its adaptable design enables
The BEIS Heat Pump Ready Programme is a part of the UK Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy to transition to Net Zero; BTS partners with Veritherm and Elmhurst Energy Consultancy to deliver project objectives Build Test Solutions (BTS), alongside Veritherm and Elmhurst Energy Consultancy, have secured support from BEIS under
Bouygues UK has celebrated reaching the highest point of the development build at Peckham Flaxyard, a mixed-use, residential-led scheme in the heart of Peckham. The Bouygues UK team, along with Southwark Council, who are delivering the project, marked this milestone on 21st September with a traditional ‘topping out’ ceremony. The event was opened by the joyous sound of the brass band from local primary school, St. James the Great. Once complete in late 2023, the £46.8m scheme will deliver 120 new, affordable homes. This will include 96 council homes for social rent as part of Southwark Council’s commitment to tackling the housing crisis locally by building thousands of new council homes across the borough, and 24 shared ownership homes. The scheme will also include disabled car parking, cycle storage for residents and commercial space on the ground floor together with landscaping of the surrounding areas. The scheme is bordered by the library, leisure centre, high street, a number of primary and secondary schools and existing homes. It involves close collaboration with the local community and key stakeholders. Bouygues UK has already delivered over £3m in social value including: 158 hours volunteering in the local area; over £29,000 donated to local charities; and 21 training and employment sessions given to local unemployed residents. In order to keep carbon emissions on site to a minimum, Bouygues UK has partnered with Gaia to identify, monitor and reduce the power consumption, using AI and motion sensor software. In August this year alone, this has reduced CO2 emissions by 1,497kg. Rob Bradley, CEO of Bouygues UK, said: “I’m so pleased to be here to celebrate the progress we have made on this important scheme which will make such a positive difference to the local area and increase the availability of affordable housing. It’s fantastic to be helping Southwark Council with their goal of building thousands of new council homes across the borough.” Cllr Darren Merrill, Southwark’s Cabinet Member for Council Homes and Homelessness, said, “I’m delighted to see the building works progressing so well here on such an important council homes site in the heart of Peckham. This site will provide 120 desperately-needed new homes for local people, all of which will be genuinely affordable. With such enormous demand for housing in Peckham, I know that these new homes will represent hope, stability and security for so many in our community.”
About two months ago, we shared the good news that Quelfire had been shortlisted in two categories of the London Construction Awards. On Friday 23 September, when the awards ceremony took place, we asked you to keep your fingers and toes crossed for us. Over 350 guests from all sectors in the industry came together including suppliers, contractors, architects, civil engineers, developers, housebuilders, local authorities and more. The event was a celebration of the achievements, development and innovations of companies and individuals, and their contribution to moving the construction industry forward, over the course of the year. Winners from twenty categories were announced by award-winning comedian Simon Brodkin and it was said that “the range of companies that entered were incredibly diverse and reflected the strength of the London construction industry.” We are delighted to announce that we won in both of our categories: Supplier of the Year and Fire Safety Solution of the Year 2022! Supplier of the Year category: This award category was aimed at any supplier in the built environment that has demonstrated success, innovation, or notable achievement in the past 12 months. This is what the judges had to say about why they selected Quelfire as the winner: “We were impressed with this submission as they weren’t just shouting about good customer service (surely every supplier should be doing this?). They also spoke about putting profit back into research and development, the tech support they offer and how they educate the industry. The latter is significantly needed. Quelfire is operating successfully in one of the most contentious ends of the industry. Where many have shied away from fire-related matters and insurers exclude many companies from operating in this sphere, Quelfire is providing a solution with not only their products but also with training, thereby raising the competency of the industry.” Fire Safety Solution of the Year category: This award category recognises excellence and innovation in solutions for fire safety. The judges notes for this category read: “Quelfire provided a great submission for their QuelStop Firestopping system. Their submission talked about their solution, what it does and what makes them different from their competitors. This is really important when submitting something like this as there were lots that didn’t stand out from the crowd. The QuelStop System is different as it offers a wide range of tested details; it has value-added services; and an early engagement approach to help clients design and install the system in a compliant way.” We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all the judges, who recognised how passionate we are about contributing to a positive cultural change and safer buildings by providing primary test data for real life scenarios; providing support for compliant design and installation of our firestopping solutions; educating the industry and, as we are known to say, ‘doing it right, the first time around!’ And, a huge well done to all other winners and deserving nominees. The whole team at Quelfire, from management to production, are equally passionate about what we do, which is Protecting People and Property. We could not be any prouder of this fantastic team and achievement!
The second annual social value benchmarking report has revealed that over £1bn of economic, social and environmental improvements were made by the UK construction industry last year. The Social Value in Construction Benchmarking Report was compiled jointly by social value measurement consultancy, Social Value Portal and SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading public sector procurement authorities. Released annually, the report sets a precedent for how the construction industry should be tackling social and economic value on its projects. This year’s report found that the construction industry achieved £1.08bn of social and local economic value in 2021, through significant investment in local communities. In comparison, last year’s report found that the delivery of social and local economic value was £949m for 2020, highlighting a 14 per cent increase in 12 months. Almost 20 per cent of total spend on projects was invested in social value initiatives, valuing £1.8bn. The North West far outperformed other regions in terms of social value delivery and was second highest after Scotland on local economic delivery. The South West had the lowest social and local economic value investment. However, geographical location and total number of projects will have impacted these figures. The report includes three case study examples from SCAPE framework partners delivering a variety of social value activities ranging from employing ex-offenders, and delivering a 100% spend with SMEs, to donating staff hours to local charities. All activities have been measured using the National TOMs standardised framework. Social Value and Performance Manager Alison Ramsey at SCAPE, said: “For publicly funded projects, improvement of the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of the relevant area is an important procurement consideration. We undertake this benchmarking report as a vital investment in measuring success, helping organisations to understand what is being achieved today and what can be achieved in the future. “It is encouraging to see that the delivery of social value across the construction industry continues to improve and that contractors are supporting local communities for clients investing in the built environment. Not only does this report highlight what excellent work has been achieved so far, but it demonstrates how we can all build on these foundations to further improve performance in this area.” Nathan Goode, Chief Strategy Officer at Social Value Portal, added; “It may be a little early to talk about trends as such, but seeing year on year progress in social and local economic value delivered by the construction industry is a great start. “As the largest industry in the UK, employing over three million people and responsible for a large proportion of the UK’s carbon emissions, it is imperative that the sector leads the way in improving society, both in terms of tackling the climate emergency as well as improving the lives of the people who reside in the communities in which they operate. “The strongest argument for committing to social value generation could be financial: we all want a better world and a better future and delivering more social and local economic value will lead to a more prosperous future. I look forward to seeing further improvement in next year’s report.” Download the report.
Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, today announces that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Aker Solutions – an integrated solutions, products and services provider to the global energy industry – to deliver end-to-end design and construction solutions for the concrete floating and gravity-based UK offshore wind industry. The partnership will see the companies’ complementary skills, resources and experience combined to offer a whole life solution: Balfour Beatty has an extensive track record of executing complex civil engineering works for complex infrastructure and energy projects across the UK, whilst Aker Solutions has a long history of delivering concrete structures for marine environments globally. Stephen Tarr, Chief Executive Officer of Balfour Beatty’s Major Projects business, said: “We are delighted to partner with Aker Solutions to respond to this requirement for increased offshore generation. This builds on decades of experience of constructing complex structures, most recently demonstrated by the production of large marine concrete components for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.” Jason Brown, Aker Solutions’ Head of Renewables in the UK said: “Offshore wind has a pivotal role to play in increasing our use of renewable energy, which in turn is essential to achieving energy security and reducing carbon emissions. Only by moving further out to sea in deeper waters, can we achieve the UK’s ambitious 50 GW target for offshore wind deployment.” “Concrete floating and gravity-based foundations are an excellent solution for offshore wind in the North Sea. They provide the level of performance needed in challenging sea conditions, demand high levels of local content and can be less carbon intensive than other go-to foundation solutions”. The partners have established a joint taskforce with key personnel from both organisations responsible for identifying future opportunities.
Blending city and countryside lifestyles, Welwyn Garden City is quickly becoming an untapped hotspot for those wanting to be within touching distance of London but surrounded amongst acres of green space. SO Resi’s latest launch in the so-called ‘Utopia’ of Hertfordshire will see the new homes enter the affordable property market which has experienced a boom in 2022.[1] Sitting in landscaped gardens and designed around the iconic Shredded Wheat Factory, SO Resi Welwyn Garden City complements the area’s rich heritage. All apartments will benefit from private balconies and terraces to enjoy the local scenery. The new homes are available through shared ownership with prices starting from £68,750 for a 25% share. Residents then have the opportunity to purchase more shares through a process known as ‘staircasing’, which enables them to eventually own 100% of the property. Founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard 102 years ago, this ‘garden city’ was designed to give residents the best of both worlds. The town, which includes a 126-acre park, sits a 29-minute train journey from London Kings Cross making it an ideal balance of the two. It also offers a fortnightly food and craft market, unique pubs in the outlying villages as well as largescale community initiatives including the Barn Theatre which hosts the Welywn Drama Festival annually in May. Kush Rawal, Director of Residential Investment at SO Resi, comments, “SO Resi Welwyn Garden City is our second development to launch in the town highlighting the need and want for accessible properties in the area. With a combination of fast connections to London and ample green countryside, we have seen interest from young professionals, especially those who are first time buyers, wanting to get the best of both worlds without breaking the bank especially during the current economic climate. We are proud that our shared ownership scheme here will offer buyers an opportunity to get onto the property ladder in a commuter hotspot at an accessible cost.” SO Resi Welwyn Garden City is also ideal for those seeking access to an adventurous lifestyle. The Gosling Sports Park sits on the development’s doorstep, offering a dry ski slope, a cycling velodrome, driving range and athletics track to name but a few of its amenities. As well as this, the two large lakes providing opportunities for residents to enjoy a variety of water sports at the activity centre. The area is also home to a variety of ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ Ofsted primary schools and secondary schools, with GCSE and A-Level results recorded well above average. SO Resi Welwyn Garden City is a collection of one, two and three-bedroom homes, with prices starting from £68,750 for a 25% share in a one-bedroom apartment [full market value £275,000]. To find out more, visit www.soresi.co.uk or call 020 8607 0550. [1] https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/01/welwyn-garden-city-is-a-surprisingly-cheap-place-to-buy-for-commuters-16024550/
PlanRadar’s latest report reveals climate-resilient buildings are an essential requirement for global construction “Climate-proof” buildings are now international priority to withstand effects of climate change Specifiers now focused on resilient and adaptable structures to endure increasingly erratic weather UK’s climate emergency response focused on ‘renovation’, ‘retrofit’ and “walkable neighbourhoods”, but lags behind other countries in carbon-reduction terms Increasing use of renewable ‘biomaterials’, with 66% of countries covered regarding hemp as a ‘future building material’ Today, PlanRadar, a leading digital construction, real estate and facilities management platform, publishes a new report on emerging trends set to dominate the global specification community: The Architecture of the Future. The first in a series of specially-produced architecture and construction reports, this important analysis of evolving preferences draws data from 12 countries worldwide*[1]. It provides a contemporary snapshot of international sustainable efforts and approaches as Net Zero 2050 draws closer. The key takeaway is that climate change is now regarded as the sector’s greatest challenge. The report highlights that the majority of specifiers are now committed to creating “climate-proof” buildings, capable of withstanding increasing weather extremes, such as heat and flooding. Taking a deeper diver into the research, highlights from The Architecture of the Future report include: International Common Ground A primary focus on ‘sustainability’ was consistent across all territories, but the study also highlighted international correlations and nuances, particularly best practice. For example, 10 countries identified ‘walkability’, with aim of improving green infrastructure in urban areas, including: better cycle-friendly transport links, closer integration of public transport and car reduction. Further common ground was found in ’Net Zero progression’ and ‘reducing energy consumption’, ‘water conservation’, ‘people-first neighbourhoods’ and ‘reusable construction materials’. This was closely followed by 50% of territories highlighting the importance of ‘natural cooling’ through trees, plant life and water features, ‘green retrofitting’, and ‘mixed-use developments’. Importantly, these preferences indicate an increasingly more conscientious, environmentally-concerned approach to building in urban areas, with climate change mitigation becoming a central consideration with the contemporary design brief. On a granular level, whilst intention appears strong, it’s not necessarily converting into tangible activity. In fact, the UK appeared to lag behind the low carbon construction curve when compared with the other 11 countries analysed. Notably, despite increasing steps to legislate and improve upon Net Zero 2050 targets, the UK is not working at the pace required to meet its goals. This reflects findings in recent NBS research, the Sustainable Futures Report, which found, disappointingly, over half of construction professionals had failed to work on a single net-zero project in the last twelve months. It’s a situation which needs to change if the UK is to stay on track with official targets. Territorial Specifics The Architecture of the Future also highlighted the green design trends shaping the future of international urban construction. For example, Poland and Hungary are looking to increase the amount of high-performance insulation in urban developments to combat more extreme climatic fluctuations and increase energy efficiency. In the UAE, where searing temperatures already affect daily life, specifying more low-rise, smaller buildings to prevent heat islands within densely populated areas was seen as a crucial consideration. For UK, where cities are not traditionally built for modern transport face increasing traffic, congestion and pollution, specifiers want to reduce the country’s reliance on cars and vehicles. Furthermore, with an increasing focus on environmental conservation and rural regeneration, to improve levels of retrofitting and building on brownfield sites was also regarded as a priority. Supply chains are also under the microscope, particularly the US, where green policy is inconsistent between states leading to standardising logistical sustainability considered as a top priority. Materials of tomorrow Invention and innovation is reshaping our approach to construction, and The Architecture of the Future report highlights a paradigm shift towards greener building products to tackle the climate change conundrum. Particularly, the increasing use of ‘biomaterials’ is set to rewrite the international specification rulebook over the next decade. With the ability to absorb carbon dioxide during growth and then ‘store’ it, they possess highly-sustainable properties that will help lower construction-created CO2. Proving this growth in biomaterials interest, 75% of countries such expect a rise in the use of hemp. Others are turning to straw and grasses, whilst some expect mycelium (fungi) will play a big role. Looking at territory specifics, in Italy, a growing preference for graphene-based ecological paints, which coverts atmospheric pollutants into harmless nitrates[2] and other new materials, such as regenerated nylon and carbon fibre concrete, are helping to drive down harmful emissions in urban areas. Hungary was the only territory to identify wood and CLT as ‘new’ materials, whilst the UAE expressed a particular interest in ‘smart materials’ including ‘shape memory polymers’, which are able to return to their original form once light or heat has been applied[3]. In turn, France identified transparent and translucent concrete whilst the UK specified bio-composite concrete and rammed earth. It all highlights how the global specification community is racing towards the lowest carbon construction materials possible, as Net Zero 2050 draws closer and tighter supranational low-carbon regulations are introduced. Commenting on the Architecture of the Future Report, Ibrahim Imam, Co-founder and Co-CEO of PlanRadar said: “It’s clear our changing weather patterns are having an impact on how we build. Whether it’s extreme heat, wildfire, floods or rising sea levels, it’s now vital that our buildings become more resilient. It’s through wider research from other nations that we can better understand the challenges of climate change and tackle it unilaterally. Co-founder and Co-CEO, Sander Van de Rijdt adds, “In the UK, where temperatures reached record highs in summer 2022, increasing building resilience against climate change is set to become a key focus for build environment professionals. Proof of this can be found in new regulation, such as Part L, which are set to make climate futureproofing a requirement, not just a nice-to-have. Ultimately, Combating climate change is not just about counteracting the issues of today but also those of tomorrow, working unilaterally is the only way we’re
Government backing for modular construction would deliver 20,000 low energy use homes across the UK – costing 55% less to heat than the average British ‘bricks and mortar’ family house Planning permission should be fast tracked for modular housing to create homes 50% faster and 4,000 jobs in left behind areas of UK – Make UK Modular analysis Modular homes cost 55% less to heat than the average UK home and 32% less than traditional new builds, delivering savings of up to £800 a year for a three-bedroomed family home Modular homes are built 50% faster to make from start to finish than bricks and mortar homes Building with modular can halve emissions when building a home, cutting the amount of CO2 produced as a result of construction by up to 83% Modular manufacturers have already built factories in post-industrial provincial towns or cities, creating over 3,000 jobs, and delivering £700m of investment to low-growth, low employment areas Government should fast track the planning route for modular homes and commit to using modular for 20% of its affordable housing programme to double new jobs overnight Modular home construction is both more efficient and kinder to the environment with substantially less waste, 90% down on materials wastage than traditional builds Modular building heavily reduces the amount of transport access needed for building sites, with 80% fewer vehicle movements to sites and therefore far less local disruption and pollution of the environment Britain’s modular construction companies are moving at speed to deliver widescale change in the housing market unseen in the UK for generations, according to new research published today by Make UK Modular. ‘Greener, Better, Faster: Modular’s Role in Solving the Housing Crisis’, shows that while innovation has left the construction industry largely untouched till now, precision engineered homes, factory-built in areas where employment is required and delivered to regions of the UK where housing is scarce, are set to revolutionise the sector and help solve Britain’s growing housing crisis. Factory engineering means modular homes can be built to consistently high sustainability standards, delivering savings of 55% on energy consumption compared to the average UK home and cost 32% less to heat than a traditional new build. This translates to savings of up to £800 a year for a three bedroomed family home, and energy reduction rises to 60% for single or two person households living in smaller properties. Record spending by modular construction companies in Research and Development accounts for 30% of all R&D in across the whole construction sector. This investment is set to deliver even more energy efficient homes in the coming months at a time households are struggling with an unprecedented cost of living crisis. With housing availability and affordability at an all-time low, traditional construction is struggling to deliver Government targets for 300,000 new homes a year, exacerbated by a chronic and worsening shortage of skilled construction labour. Homes England missed its 2021-22 affordable homes target by 21.5%. However, modular housing has already proven it can build new homes at pace. Modular factories have been set up in those areas of the UK where employment is needed, creating a secure labour pipeline. Employment prospects are attractive with modular manufacturers delivering quality training and upskilling for new staff, enabling much-needed homes to be guaranteed for speedy delivery to regions of the UK where housing is in short supply. Modular manufacturers already produce 3,300 homes a year, one in 60 of all new houses in the UK and by 2025, and with the right support, this could grow to over 20,000 new modular buildings each year. Not only are these modern precision-engineered homes quicker to build than traditional homes, but with no snagging or defects it is possible for a single crane to install a house perfectly in just one day. Despite the pandemic, modular has doubled its delivery of new homes since 2017 with a contracted pipeline of 8,000 homes already in place. Modular manufacturers have chosen to build over 40 factories in post-industrial provincial towns or cities, creating over 3,000 jobs and delivering £700m of investment to low-growth, low employment areas – a figure which could easily double with some simple Government support. To help give the modular sector the push to achieve its full potential, Government should: Dedicate 20% of their programme of affordable housing provision to modular housing which has already shown it can deliver new homes fast Offer fast-track planning, prioritising modular and green homes in land allocation Raise energy efficiency standards for new housing, where modular already meets a higher criteria than traditional building, reduce stamp duty based on energy efficiency and net zero performance and require all for sale and to let homes to provide accurate date on energy bills Collectively, these changes would drive up standards, while offering pipeline security for modular producers and helping the industry to scale up. Steve Cole Director of Make UK Modular, the trade body for modular housing said: “There is a housing success story in this country, and it is modular. This report shows definitively that modular is now a significant player in the UK housing market. Government must capitalise on this as opportunities to transform our broken housing market into the most sophisticated in the world do not come around every day. “Government must accelerate modular delivery, building on the investment made and the jobs created, by removing the remaining barriers holding the industry back.” Read full report here: Greener, Better, Faster: Modular’s Role In Solving The Housing Crisis | Make UK
Helvar is an international lighting technologies company specialising in intelligent and energy-saving lighting solutions. Helvar lighting control solutions and luminaire components help to create smart energy-saving environments built for the future, using information, and working seamlessly with other systems. The strong commitment to intelligent lighting control solutions, people’s wellbeing and the future of smart buildings has led Helvar to develop a full end-to-end solution unmatched by the competition. At the Light + Building 2022 trade fair, Helvar will showcase its market-leading position in the field of intelligent, digitalised lighting innovations and will host thought-provoking lectures and seminars throughout the week in Hall 8.0, Stand D38. Helvar has taken firm steps to introduce future-proof, energy-saving and people-centric technologies to support its mission of Brighter Spaces. In 2022, Helvar has doubled the number of DALI-2 certified products since its 2021 launch. Over 40 certified DALI-2 application controllers and input devices allow customers to specify the Imagine 950 solution for a wider range of projects and applications, increasing their project portfolio and solution flexibility. The most significant addition to the Imagine 950 solution in 2022 is the ability to read energy and maintenance information from standard-compliant DALI-2 LED drivers. Helvar is one of the first manufacturers to offer a full end-to-end solution for this standardised data. It consists of LED drivers, application controllers and BMS integration through to cloud analytics, reporting and remote monitoring via Helvar Insights. “This is a great achievement for Helvar and the industry as a whole, and I am excited to continue our market leadership with the Imagine solution. With this end-to-end solution, customers can know the actual power consumption and energy use of their lighting accurately for each luminaire or luminaire group and view them in easy-to-understand graphs and reports through our digital services – Helvar Insights interface,” says Thet Oo, Helvar’s Director of Wired Solutions. “Maintenance data is also very useful for facility units. For example, knowing how many hours luminaires have been on compared to their rated lifetime allows facility maintenance to better schedule maintenance and even perform it proactively.” The just-launched Helvar Operating & Energy Insights module — providing energy and maintenance data — adds to the powerful suite of existing Helvar Insights modules such as Monitoring, Control and Occupancy, for space optimisation. This shows that DALI-2 with Helvar solutions is perfectly positioned to take lighting into the next era of smart buildings, giving the ability for clients to make data-driven decisions for their buildings. Helvar Insights has also widened its scope with energy monitoring and wireless ActiveAhead, meaning customers can now have one user interface showing Helvar Insights for Imagine, ActiveAhead or a hybrid lighting control system. The same user interface and features available to existing Helvar Insights customers using Helvar’s wired Imagine lighting control systems can now be used to get the same efficiency, sustainability and wellbeing insights from Helvar’s wireless ActiveAhead lighting control systems. With energy prices increasing and with an ethical responsibility to save energy from a sustainability perspective and as a way of helping to ensure a secure energy supply, understanding how customers’ lighting system uses energy is an important part of their facility management process. Through the upgrade of Helvar ActiveAhead Node Advanced in May, Helvar brings new scalability to its award-winning intelligent wireless lighting control solution ActiveAhead. The upgrade has resulted in the ability to connect and control individual DALI luminaires and selected Helvar DALI devices such as sensors and relays. With these additions, the easiness of ActiveAhead can be brought to use cases utilising DALI addressing and to new application areas such as warehouses, new types of offices, retail, and many others. The ActiveAhead Node Advanced is a truly unique product in the lighting market. No other product offers the benefits of DALI devices with simple local wiring while having these areas still connected together on a wireless mesh network. As a part of its full end-to-end solution, Helvar’s highly efficient LED drivers are designed to consume less energy and bring cost savings for a range of applications where powerful light output is needed. Helvar LED modules help luminaire manufacturers achieve a successful transition to smart, energy-efficient LED lighting solutions with optimised design and outstanding performance.
Hovermap Case Study Article: Hovermap provides drone autonomy and collision avoidance, easing the burden on operators and allowing them to fly closer to critical infrastructure and into confined spaces. A versatile SLAM-based mapper, Hovermap makes data collection quick, easy, and secure. In addition to drone use, its adaptable design enables it to be used for walking, vehicle, and backpack-mounted surveys. This adaptability has been a significant factor in Hovermap’s widespread acceptance. Combining precision engineering, SLAM algorithms, and robust drone autonomy operators can gather accurate LiDAR data for as-builts, surveys, and inspections above or below ground, indoors or outdoors. This case study was conducted by COPTRZ, the UK’s leading supplier of commercial drone technology, with the assistance of an independent surveyor in order to validate the accuracy of Emesent’s Hovermap SLAM-based LiDAR and Ground Control Point (GCP) Software. Solutions for a LiDAR scanner in construction, such as the Emesent Hovermap mobile mapping technology, can reduce, and in many cases eliminate, the interruptions that add time and expense to a construction project. Too frequently, companies have neither explored nor are aware of these alternatives. Instead, they continue doing things the same way they always have, so they endure: • Time and resource intensive manual processes, such as traditional surveying and measuring instruments. • Employing professional surveyors, which is an added cost that frequently requires additional time and lacks the flexibility to capture the entire site, difficult-to-access areas, and confined spaces. • Fewer collaboration skills, which impede innovation and communication with other members of your project management team. • Less specific or exhaustive information for estimating materials and budgeting • Predetermined scanning intervals for monitoring construction There is a reason why construction professionals look to LiDAR innovation for construction and data collection: it can speed up and reduce the cost of entire processes. Overall, this case study sought to determine the extent to which a SLAM-based LiDAR system can be utilised to acquire accurate point cloud data for engineering and mass data applications. The captured data would be compared to Total Station-surveyed points. The precision of ground control points (GCPs) and surveyed points was used to validate claims of accuracy. In addition to these parameters, the time required to capture data and the processing time were also evaluated. This experiment was conducted at a new 73-meter-long housing estate entrance, allowing the testers to scan a continuous stretch of road to test the precision of Hovermap. For evaluation purposes, the environment featured a variety of characteristics, including a rising gradient, street furniture, and utilities. All features, including the top and bottom of the curb, spot levels, GCPs, and utilities, were surveyed by an independent surveyor. A COPTRZ employee performed the Hovermap data set and the positioning of GCPs. Five reflective 500mm targets were used as GCPs. These were placed in a “Zig-Zag” pattern up the road to position the scan in an absolute coordinate system. This eliminated slips and SLAM (inertial measurement unit) drift. The Hovermap data was collected via a walked scan and processed with Emesent software in accordance with the company’s best practises. When the scan begins, the algorithm creates multiple ‘local’ maps and then attempts to align them with greater precision on the global map. The entire survey was conducted at a walking pace, and a closed loop was achieved. SLAM recognises unique characteristics from the outset. When merging ‘local’ and ‘global’ maps, greater alignment is achieved by closing the loop on the scan. Overall, the Emesent Hovermap ST proved to be easy to set up and user-friendly in operation. After configuring Hovermap on a mobile device and waiting 30 seconds for initialization, the data was gathered. The collection of data required 3 minutes and 40 seconds. The processing time, which included the importation of GCPs’ positions, was 13 minutes and 50 seconds. The .las extension was exported and data was imported the point cloud into Leica 3DR. After analysing the data, the standard deviation of 3DCQ shows 95% of all points checked are better than 20mm.
The BEIS Heat Pump Ready Programme is a part of the UK Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy to transition to Net Zero; BTS partners with Veritherm and Elmhurst Energy Consultancy to deliver project objectives Build Test Solutions (BTS), alongside Veritherm and Elmhurst Energy Consultancy, have secured support from BEIS under the Heat Pump Ready Programme to focus explicitly on the role of using on-site measured building performance parameters to optimise and validate heat pump system specification, design, and management. The Heat Pump Ready (HPR) Programme forms part of BEIS’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes through the 2020s and 2030s. As a key solution for decarbonising homes, heat pumps will be critical for meeting the UK’s legally binding commitment to achieve net zero by 2050. The Heat Pump Ready Programme will support the development of innovative solutions across the heat pump sector. The Government’s recently published Heat and Buildings Strategy sets out several key commitments for helping to ensure that the transition to low-carbon buildings is affordable and achievable for all, including delivering a package of measures to scale up the deployment of heat pumps to 600,000 a year by 2028 and to support industry to reduce the costs of heat pumps. The Strategy set out the ambition to work with industry to reduce the upfront costs of heat pumps by 25-50 per cent by 2025 and to parity with boilers by 2030, as well as making them as cheap to run as a gas boiler. The capital cost, lifetime operational cost and lifetime efficiency of both ground and air source-based heat pumps are all fundamentally linked to establishing the required combined space heating and hot water demand profile. Get it wrong and an undersized heat pump cannot adequately heat the home, while oversized heat pumps cost more and don’t run as efficiently. In most cases, approximately two-thirds of this demand is driven by space heating requirements. However, this is currently determined through heat loss calculation software underpinned by a series of assumed inputs. This can be useful as a guide but with the introduction of smart meters, low-cost sensors, and newly established techniques, it is now possible to measure key performance parameters directly on a per property basis at scale. The awarded 15-month project is to be delivered by BTS in partnership with Veritherm, both of whom are leading providers of thermal performance measurement solutions, along with Elmhurst Energy Consultancy. Together the businesses will work together to determine: “Veritherm are delighted to be working alongside BTS and Elmhurst to explore how measured building performance can play a crucial part in the mass rollout of heat pumps,” says Tom Fenton, Founder and CEO of Veritherm. “We believe the project will highlight a new methodology that uses real-world data to improve system specification, design, and management. The collaboration brings together the UK’s leading innovators in building performance measurement and we hope the outputs from our research will help to break down barriers to adoption, whilst providing valuable insights that can be shared with the industry.” Richard Jack, BTS Technical Director, adds: “The argument is simple. No two buildings are ever the same and yet desktop heat loss calculations rely on identikit assumptions and fixed parameters. We are delighted to have been awarded this project and we are going to take this opportunity to demonstrate that the measurement of building heat loss is not only cost-effective and highly scalable, but it also delivers better outcomes including, crucially, optimal lifetime heat pump system functionality and performance.” For more information, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heat-pump-ready-programme-successful-projects/heat-pump-ready-programme-stream-2-projects.