Allies and Morrison, Carlo Ratti Associati, Grimshaw, Hawkins Brown and Prior + Partners through to Stage Two Oxford University Development, a £4bn joint venture between the University of Oxford and Legal & General Capital, today reveals the shortlist of five teams proceeding to the second stage of its international design
Alternatives market rebounds strongly and ESG continues to drive pricing Leading independent property advisory firm, Lismore Real Estate Advisors today released its comprehensive review of the Scottish investment market for the final quarter of 2021 and predictions for 2022. Despite the ups and downs faced during 2021, the Scottish investment
On Monday 10th of January, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the RT Hon Michael Gove MP, outlined his proposals aimed at ensuring that industry contributes to the cost of remediating unsafe cladding on residential buildings over 11 metres in height. The announcement makes clear that
Chubb, a leading global provider of fire safety, security and monitoring solutions and services, today launched a High-Rise Evacuation Alert System to assist the UK’s Fire and Rescue Services in safely evacuating residential buildings over 18 metres. Responding to the new Code of Practice recommendations outlined within British Standard (BS)
Experts Say Announcement Could Mean More False Hope For Leaseholders Developers have been given an early March deadline to create a fully funded plan of action to help the cladding crisis, with further measures to be put in place by the Government. The announcement from Michael Gove MP at the
Ecocem, Europe’s leading provider of low carbon solutions for the cement and construction industries, and Taylor Woodrow, a leading player in the delivery of complex UK infrastructure projects, have conducted their first pour of Exegy® ultra-low carbon concrete in the UK. Developed over four years by Ecocem and VINCI Construction,
Changing lifestyle requirements will continue to re shape the new home market through 2022, predict housebuilders in the WhatHouse? Predictions Report 2022, as demand for luxury new homes in more rural locations continues to trend. 70% of house builders asked to forecast whether the ‘race for space’ will keep the market
Successful closing: binderholz Group completes the acquisition of the largest British sawmill group, making it Europe’s largest company in the sawmill and solid wood processing industry On 05.01.2022, the acquisition of the British BSW Timber Ltd, based in Earlston, Scotland, by Binderholz UK Holding GmbH, a subsidiary of the Austrian
Practical advice on achieving COP26 objectives The built environment has been given twelve months to turn climate pledges into significant action to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C. To encourage transformational change, Futurebuild, the sustainable built environment event, has announced its 2022 conference programme. Now that COP26 has established what we
Oxford architecture practice Gray, Baynes & Shew has overhauled its IT infrastructure with a suite of technologies from OGL, to boost business productivity and protect its business while maintaining its position as an award-winning architectural partner. Based at St Thomas House on Becket Street in Oxford, Gray, Baynes & Shew (“GBS”) took advantage
Allies and Morrison, Carlo Ratti Associati, Grimshaw, Hawkins Brown and Prior + Partners through to Stage Two Oxford University Development, a £4bn joint venture between the University of Oxford and Legal & General Capital, today reveals the shortlist of five teams proceeding to the second stage of its international design competition for the masterplan team for its world-leading £1 billion, 190-hectare mixed-use Innovation District at Begbroke, to the north of Oxford. The lead consultants of the shortlisted teams are: Allies and Morrison; Carlo Ratti Associati; Grimshaw; Hawkins Brown; and Prior + Partners. The shortlist was selected by the jury panel from an exceptionally strong field of 40 entries. In an extremely competitive field, all shortlisted teams scored highly against the stage 1 criteria of creative ability, problem definition, collaborative thinking, communication skills and the overall diversity and inclusivity of the team. Anna Strongman, CEO, Oxford University Development, said: “We were inspired by the high quality of the entries and excited by the potential of Begbroke outlined by the teams. Practices and collaborations grasped the challenge of creating a place of world leading research alongside a community calling Begbroke home. We look forward to engaging with the short-listed teams to explore ideas further in stage 2.’’ The winning design team will set the bold ambition and design intent for a project that will transform the area around the University’s Begbroke Science Park, to the north of Oxford. The project will also create a community of up to 2,000 quality homes, with new schools, public park and nature reserve. OUD’s aspiration is to create a boundary-pushing scheme that demonstrably achieves a step-change in sustainable design, delivery, and operation. The new district will seek to attract the very best minds, while driving economic growth, improving transport connections, delivering benefits for local people, as well as enhancing the surrounding natural landscape for public access. The site will provide an exemplary new setting for the University’s world-leading science and innovation, which will help address key global challenges facing humanity – from food security and biodiversity to climate change and the urgent need to move to a zero-carbon economy. The ambition for Begbroke is anchored by Cherwell District Council’s Local Plan Partial Review, which has identified the site for a high-quality mixed-use development, comprising a range of research & development, residential, and associated social and physical infrastructure uses, such as schools, local centres, amenity space and recreation/leisure uses, as well as excellent connectivity to the City of Oxford by sustainable means. The first phase of the scheme will bring forward new facilities for University research, as well as providing space to incubate spin-out companies. The competition is being managed by Colander Associates. All 40 Stage One entrants can be viewed online at: https://www.colander.co.uk/journal/begbroke-competition-entries.
Alternatives market rebounds strongly and ESG continues to drive pricing Leading independent property advisory firm, Lismore Real Estate Advisors today released its comprehensive review of the Scottish investment market for the final quarter of 2021 and predictions for 2022. Despite the ups and downs faced during 2021, the Scottish investment market has fared surprisingly well with investment volumes trading at circa £1.345bn, a 24% increase on the total for 2020. The emergence of the Omicron variant and the return of restrictions continues to bring challenges across the entire property market and global economy but quarter 4 trading remained strong at £520m, up 27% on Q4 2020. Key transactions included the £32.2m sale of Sainsbury’s at Inglis Green Road, Edinburgh by Inglis Property LLP to Urbium Capital Partners LLP, the off-market sale of Scania at Eurocentral by West Ranga Property Group to DVS Property for £10.725m and the £58m sale of Exchange Place One in Edinburgh to CBRE Investment Management. Chris Macfarlane, Director of Lismore comments: “The wall of overseas capital chasing stock continues and pricing reached pre-pandemic levels in the food stores, logistics and retail warehousing sectors. However, challenges remaining for significant parts of in-town retail/leisure and investors continue to grapple with offices, other than those of the very best quality or which can be adapted to meet more challenging ESG credentials. “When looking at market themes, one part of the market which was hit hard initially but which has rebounded (in part) very strongly is the alternatives sector, covering PBSA, management contract hotels and serviced apartments. The strongest, well-located assets have seen occupancy levels recover and while net operating income might not be quite back, investor interest has been stirred by their resilient qualities. “In terms of pricing, foodstores, convenience stores and distribution have seen the strongest sharpening of yields of between 50-100bps over the quarter. Core-plus opportunities have been relatively limited but we are seeing a softening of pricing around Grade B offices as investors come to terms with increasing levels of capex and ESG challenges. The only sector really offering “value-add” pricing is the shopping centre market where risk remains but the best assets are starting to find their level, at between 50-90% discount to purchase levels. “UK institutional activity remains very focused on longer income defensive stock including retail warehousing and distribution, although we have seen a welcome return by an institution to the Edinburgh office market for the first time in a number of years. “Overseas investors continue to target Scotland (Edinburgh in particular), with buyers from the Middle East and mainland Europe all remaining active but the overwhelming weight of capital has been from North America. The level of distressed selling continues to be very limited with the more opportunistic buyers looking further up the risk curve, either direct development, vacant buildings or shopping centres.” With a seemingly brighter 2022 looming, the latest investor research undertaken by Lismore predicts that the top three performing sectors in 2022 will be retail warehousing (36%), distribution (28%) and multi-let industrials (17%). Although prime yields have begun to harden, retail warehousing still offers some good value given the rapidly changing retail market and strong occupational demand. The support for foodstores has fallen significantly (6%), perhaps an acknowledgment that a lot of the performance in the sector has come during 2021. The office sector was the most poorly backed by respondents, with concerns over capex requirements and future working habits being mentioned as headwinds for the sector. A significant majority (69%) of respondents in Lismore’s research expect to be net buyers in 2022, with 21% neutral. Investment managers and property companies look to be most acquisitive with 83% and 73% respectively anticipating they will be net buyers in 2022. Just over 50% of funds and private equity respondents expect to be net buyers. Only 10% of respondents expect to be net sellers, suggesting another year of limited stock and inevitable pricing pressures for the best opportunities. The Lismore review also features an in-depth interview with James Dunne, Head of UK Transactions at abrdn, who comments: “The pandemic has highlighted the benefits of having a diversity of income and sectors within a portfolio. The breadth of the alternative sectors provides an increasingly significant part of the real estate investment market, with the hotel sector offers an interesting pattern in durability. However, this recovery trend has been narrow and will continue to be driven by the best assets and the best locations significantly outperforming the market. “The extended stay market (apart-hotels and serviced apartments) was already growing and the ability to pivot from more lucrative short term stays to a longer term model provided certainty of income and meant that the sector showed very strong resilience throughout the worst of the pandemic and therefore a strong rationale to invest both for the protection in the downside but also the predicted performance in a more normal market. “We are still in the early stages of the attitudinal transformation of real estate from providing space as a product to embracing space as a service. The most visible area where we have seen an ongoing shift to a more service real estate environment is the office sector. This has been accelerated and is an area that could continue to develop rapidly with the long term return to the office. The retail sector will have to continue to adapt if it is to stay relevant to the demands of consumers and offer more experiential retail, most likely digitally enabled to lead a partial, targeted recovery in the sector. “The one thing we can be sure of is that the evolution of how real estate is used and provided and the increased ‘hotelisation’ of all sectors will continue apace over the next few years and we as investors have to continue to not only adapt to but drive forward.” The full Lismore Quarterly Review is available to download from: HERE
On Monday 10th of January, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the RT Hon Michael Gove MP, outlined his proposals aimed at ensuring that industry contributes to the cost of remediating unsafe cladding on residential buildings over 11 metres in height. The announcement makes clear that the Government is committed to the principle that ‘polluter pays’ and that those responsible for the building safety crisis should be held to account. Whilst the proposals for funding this work may not address the immediate concerns of residents, there can be no question that the industry needs to undergo fundamental change if it is to ensure that there is never another Grenfell Tower tragedy. This is the central message of the Industry Safety Steering Group’s third report to the Secretary of State, which was also published yesterday. Highlighting examples of good practice, the report makes clear that there is still a long way to go, and leadership is needed if we are to rebuild trust in the sector following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Eddie Tuttle, Director of Policy, External Affairs & Research at CIOB, said: “The Chartered Institute of Building has been actively engaged in raising standards and promoting best practice in building safety, for its members and wider industry, and will continue to work with industry and government to bring about the culture change that is needed, as well as developing the required competency standards for the duty holder roles under the upcoming Building Safety Act.”
Chubb, a leading global provider of fire safety, security and monitoring solutions and services, today launched a High-Rise Evacuation Alert System to assist the UK’s Fire and Rescue Services in safely evacuating residential buildings over 18 metres. Responding to the new Code of Practice recommendations outlined within British Standard (BS) 8629:2019, the High-Rise Evacuation Alert System will facilitate the immediate evacuation of any floor within a building to securely phase the evacuation process and provide the highest levels of tenant and asset protection. The system’s operating panel is housed within a tamper-proof enclosure that features an STS 205 BR2 security rating and can only be opened by a patented key and lock mechanism conforming to BS EN 1303. The easy-to-use toggles enable Fire and Rescue Services to instantly activate alarm sounders, whilst the LED indicators provide a clear overview of evacuation zone status to support quick and straightforward implementation of evacuation strategies. Suitable for both new build and retrofit applications, the system’s hybrid network capabilities offer building owners the flexibility to tailor the system to meet their specific requirements and the system can be continuously upgraded and extended to meet future legislative updates. The flexible nature of the system also provides building owners with the ability to wirelessly interlink each individual alarm sounder and visual alarm device to the hardwired evacuation alert control and indicating equipment panel. “For over 200 years, Chubb has been committed to making our customers world a safer place. The launch of our new High-Rise Evacuation Alert System is a reflection of this dedication, providing building owners with the highest possible standards of protection and performance,” said David Foord, Fire Sales Director, Chubb: “We understand the importance of ensuring the successful and safe evacuation of tenants in the event of a fire, which is why our latest system has been designed in accordance with BS 8629:2019, to provide complete peace of mind.” Supporting the installation and reporting stages, Chubb also provides proof of testing upon handover, in addition to regular testing in accordance with complete compliance. Featuring technology recommended within BS 8629:2019, the High-Rise Evacuation Alert System is also supported by Chubb’s nationwide network of dedicated engineering and support teams that provide building owners with industry-leading advice, knowledge, and service. To find out more, visit https://www.chubbfiresecurity.com/en/uk/products/fire/evacuation/evacuation-alert-system/
Experts Say Announcement Could Mean More False Hope For Leaseholders Developers have been given an early March deadline to create a fully funded plan of action to help the cladding crisis, with further measures to be put in place by the Government. The announcement from Michael Gove MP at the House of Commons on the afternoon of Monday 10th of January said he is giving developers the chance to ‘do the right thing’ or he would ‘impose in law’ ways to make them pay for the cladding crisis. So far residents in blocks 11-18m high haven’t been eligible for government support to remove unsafe cladding, instead being offered loans to shoulder the often eye-watering cost – but this scheme is now scrapped, along with further measures to ease the standstill for leaseholders affected by surveys, insurers and market uncertainty as a result of the crisis. Residential property experts at Irwin Mitchell say the announcement shows the Government has shut the door on providing its own funding to help leaseholders, instead relying on developers to pay for the cladding crisis. Jeremy Raj, national head of Residential Property at Irwin Mitchell said: “The sentiments and ambition of Mr Gove’s statement today were praiseworthy and long overdue. The realities of his proposals are, however, as yet of questionable efficacy and breadth. “The truth is that the fifth anniversary of Building Safety reaching its current level of crisis for leaseholders in taller blocks of flats in particular is fast approaching. The acknowledgement today that reaction to date has been slow and ineffective will be cold comfort, particularly in relation to those with non-cladding issues. Government must indeed accept when its own performance has not been acceptable and ensure a rapid improvement. “The cladding on Grenfell had nothing to do with current or historic developers of new build homes, having been retro-fitted many years after the original build, using materials that were clearly dangerous that seem to have been ignored or waved through by the regulatory authorities. “The idea that responsibility for resolving the cladding scandal – which has now widened to become a general building safety scandal – should be laid solely at the doors of developers asked to voluntarily cough up more cash, is likely to lead only to further delay and heartbreak for leaseholders caught in dangerous or un-sellable properties. “Many developers will be puzzled as to how and to what extent they can justify such expenditure on a ‘voluntary’ basis in the context of their obligations to shareholders, and a lack of direct responsibility, particularly given clear evidence of contributory negligence by others. “As Irwin Mitchell have been saying from the outset, fixing dangerous buildings (of whatever height) should be dealt with as a priority using up-front Government money, with clawback provisions activated as soon as the extent and identity of all liable parties has been established under due legal process.” Large housebuilding developers are already facing the Residential Property Developer Tax, which targets companies with annual profits of over £25m with a 4% tax to go towards cladding. Legal experts point out that laying the blame at one person’s door doesn’t help the situation for affected leaseholders – or help with the long-term housing crisis the UK is currently facing. Jeremy continued: “In the context of an acute national shortage of safe, suitable and environmentally sound housing stock, it will not help to demonise and threaten all developers if they can clearly see that the manufacturers and suppliers of those dangerous materials, the poorly resourced regulators and the industry as a whole, seem to be being let off the hook. “It now seems clear that the Treasury has firmly shut the door to further funds being made available and that, along with Planning reform, a full upgrade and proper funding of Building Control remains a distant hope for the future. “Nobody wants the leaseholders caught up in the post-Grenfell nightmare to continue to suffer, and it is right that they should be absolved of financial responsibility for making their buildings safe. “However, significant issues relating to building safety remain in addition to the cladding problems and many of our clients do not appear to be helped by today’s announcement in resolving the problems with the homes they bought in good faith, expecting them to be safe to live in and easy to sell on.”
Ecocem, Europe’s leading provider of low carbon solutions for the cement and construction industries, and Taylor Woodrow, a leading player in the delivery of complex UK infrastructure projects, have conducted their first pour of Exegy® ultra-low carbon concrete in the UK. Developed over four years by Ecocem and VINCI Construction, a world leader in buildings, civil works and infrastructure, the technology – Ecocem Ultra – forms part of VINCI Construction’s Exegy® ultra-low carbon concrete range, and is already being used on a pilot site of the Grand Paris Express and in the construction of the Athletes’ Village in Paris for summer 2024. Significantly reducing the CO2 footprint of any project on which it is used, Ecocem Ultra provides an alternative to the traditional cement manufacturing process. The pour took place on EcoPark South, the first phase in North London Waste Authority’s plans to create a £1.2 billion sustainable waste management hub and Energy Recovery Facility at the existing Edmonton EcoPark. The mix used on the project reduces the carbon footprint by up to 70 per cent when compared to traditional concrete. Taylor Woodrow is building a new flagship Resource Recovery Facility, public Reuse and Recycling Centre, temporary bulky waste facility and new visitor, community, and education facility as part of the project. Ecocem has always been a first mover. For more than 20 years, the company has led the development of technology that reduces the carbon footprint of the traditional cement manufacturing process by half. Its pipeline of technology continues to be industry leading, and the company was recently backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a coalition of private investors led by Bill Gates, supporting innovations that will lead the world to net zero emissions. VINCI Construction launched the global Exegy® brand in 2020 to position itself as a pioneer in the development, use, and deployment of low carbon concrete solutions worldwide. VINCI Construction has developed, jointly with Ecocem, the Exegy® ultra-low carbon concrete solutions, bringing its construction know-how and innovative mindset to support the Ecocem Ultra’s European Technical Evaluation granted on October 2021. Exegy® and Ecocem rely on a network of partner plants, such as the global building materials supplier, CEMEX, which produced the Exegy® Ultra-Low Carbon concrete for the pour. Micheál McKittrick, Managing Director, Northern Europe, Ecocem, said: “Our Ecocem Ultra technology is already being used at scale in France, and we’re excited to now see it being adopted in the UK. “The cement and construction industries are developing and deploying a range of emission reduction technologies to help the UK Government reduce emissions by 78 per cent by 2035, and reach net zero by 2050, and Ecocem will add a further dimension to these efforts.” Nerissa Patel and Alex Mitchell, Project Managers for Taylor Woodrow, said: “We are proud to have led the first use of Exegy® ultra-low carbon concrete in the UK. Ultra-low carbon concrete is a key factor in our journey towards carbon neutrality and this marks an exciting step towards achieving it.” Steve Crompton, Director of Quality and Product Technology for Materials West Europe, CEMEX, said: “CEMEX is committed to reducing the embodied carbon in our range of cementitious products and we have ambitious targets to lower CO2 levels in concrete, including a global commitment to produce net zero concrete for all our customers by 2050. “We have been working with VINCI and Ecocem in France to investigate how alternative cement technologies can accelerate the reduction in CO2 in readymix concrete and are delighted to be involved with the project at Edmonton EcoPark to demonstrate how this new technology can contribute to ultra-low carbon emissions in concrete.”
Changing lifestyle requirements will continue to re shape the new home market through 2022, predict housebuilders in the WhatHouse? Predictions Report 2022, as demand for luxury new homes in more rural locations continues to trend. 70% of house builders asked to forecast whether the ‘race for space’ will keep the market buoyant felt confident that we are yet to reach the ceiling in requirement for larger properties with home office, flexible family space, and access to high-quality green areas. Overall, 71% of housebuilders reported feeling ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the year ahead 60% forecast that new build house prices would swap price peaks for continued steady growth 62% said that transaction levels would return to pre-pandemic levels 60% of housebuilders are concerned by the impact of an interest rate rise. However, those asked agree, continued economic recovery and a high percentage of fixed rate mortgages will help secure the new build housing market’s strong position Daniel Hill, Managing Director, WhatHouse? said: “It’s still early days. We are yet to see the full impact of the pandemic on home buyers’ behaviour. Hybrid and home-based working continues to be trial and error for many businesses, once a seismic and more permanent shift takes place we will once again experience a surge in people considering relocation and hunting for more inside and outside space.” Jamie Barrington, Sales Operations Manager, Beal Homes said: “We continue to see a large proportion of customers working from home and employers embracing home or hybrid working. This means demand for flexible space and design options, including for working space, will remain high as home working becomes the new normal and no longer a temporary novelty. It also means buyers will prioritise areas with fast internet speeds and good mobile signals.” “The 2022 housing market should be supported by what are expected to be continuing high levels of job vacancies, feeding through to wage growth. A rising market will be driven by these factors, as well as housebuilders adjusting prices to account for increasing materials costs beyond their control, alongside changes in inflation.”
Successful closing: binderholz Group completes the acquisition of the largest British sawmill group, making it Europe’s largest company in the sawmill and solid wood processing industry On 05.01.2022, the acquisition of the British BSW Timber Ltd, based in Earlston, Scotland, by Binderholz UK Holding GmbH, a subsidiary of the Austrian binderholz Group, was successfully concluded with the closing of the transaction. BSW Timber Ltd. is the largest sawmill group in the UK in 2021, with a turnover of around £700 million and a production capacity of over 1.2 million m3 of sawn timber per year. In 2022, binderholz will become Europe’s largest group in the sawmill and solid wood processing industry segment, with a cumulative annual turnover of €2.6 billion and around 5,000 employees. The brand name BSW will be retained after integration into the binderholz Group, and the current management will continue to lead the company. Strong partnership with a focus on sustainability “With a strong focus on sustainability, binderholz and BSW pursue a forward-looking and at the same time, tradition-conscious corporate philosophy. The purchase of BSW is an essential component of our long-term expansion and sustainability strategy. BSW is active along the entire value chain of the sawmill industry, from sustainable forest management and maintenance – with capacity to plant up to 50 million high quality seedlings per year – to timber harvesting, sawmill operations, timber processing and distribution as well as biomass energy,” says Reinhard Binder, owner and CEO of binderholz. “This step strengthens binderholz’s positioning in the growing British market, which is characterised by high demand for sawn timber, solid wood, timber construction and DIY products. The Green Economy ideal is being actively lived in Great Britain, which has been reflected in the constant growth rates in CO2-neutral timber construction over the years. With our products, we optimally cover these market needs and plan investments that go further into depth of the value-added chain.”
Practical advice on achieving COP26 objectives The built environment has been given twelve months to turn climate pledges into significant action to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C. To encourage transformational change, Futurebuild, the sustainable built environment event, has announced its 2022 conference programme. Now that COP26 has established what we need to do, the sessions at the conference will explore how to make the necessary changes at scale to take the industry from ambition to net zero. From March 1 to 3 at ExCeL London, the Futurebuild 2022 conference, sponsored by the Construction Innovation Hub, will explore some of the key questions and issues to close the gap between net zero ambition and delivery. It invites panels of industry experts to share their experience and put forward proposals on eleven selected topics, including an action programme beyond COP26, the regulation of embodied carbon, resource efficiency, financial considerations, levelling up and retrofitting. The first session on day one focuses on action plans — Beyond COP 26: our action programme.The physical impacts of climate change that we are already experiencing highlight the need for developing long-term resilience at the same time as reducing emissions, restoring natural resources and biodiversity, ensuring a sustainable food supply and recognising the impacts of climate change on human health and wellbeing. This session will focus on the actions that the UK construction industry will be taking – starting now. “There is no simple, off the shelf solution to reaching net zero, but there is a growing understanding of what needs to be done,” explained Shaun Spiers, executive director at Green Alliance and chair of the Beyond COP26 arena session. “There is an almost universal recognition that we must aim to limit global heating. The next year will give us a much clearer idea of whether the outcomes of COP26 can shift the course of the world’s economy or whether it was ‘blah blah blah’.” “We have had a difficult and uncertain time since Futurebuild 2020 and the impact of the pandemic and the opportunities and urgencies for COP26 have been explored in a number of webinars during this time,” explained Sue James, Edge member, “As our thoughts turn to COP27, we have clearly established what we need to do and must now focus on how to do it at scale’. The opportunities to change are here, do we have the courage to act on them? On days two and three, the 2022 conference programme topics include raising aspirations — leading by example to make change happen, resolving energy supply and demand and living in a sustainable relationship with nature. In each session a panel of experts will explore the key questions and issues to help the built environment sector take the action needed for us to achieve 100 per cent net zero emissions by 2050. The programme will conclude with a conversation between architect, Peter Clegg and engineer, Hanif Kara, and Hattie Hartman of the Architects’ Journal on the future of building design in our climate and ecologically challenged world. To find out the full conference programme and list of speakers for Futurebuild 2022, visit www.futurebuild.co.uk/conference-programme-overview/. Don’t forget to register for the event here.
Oxford architecture practice Gray, Baynes & Shew has overhauled its IT infrastructure with a suite of technologies from OGL, to boost business productivity and protect its business while maintaining its position as an award-winning architectural partner. Based at St Thomas House on Becket Street in Oxford, Gray, Baynes & Shew (“GBS”) took advantage of a free network appraisal which uncovered some concerning weaknesses and cyber threats. The firm works across a range of business sectors including education and healthcare to create buildings for learning, healing, resting, playing or for worshiping. It is on Oxford University’s Capital Projects Framework and has completed projects at a number of colleges including Corpus Christi and Lady Margaret Hall. Poor IT is the last thing any business wants, but it’s especially true of architects that use high-intensity CAD software (computer aided design) for their design work, which demands a powerful, well-managed and well-maintained infrastructure. Realising that its incumbent supplier was not proactive or delivering the level of IT service the practice required, GBS asked OGL to conduct a free network appraisal. This audit is used to establish a company’s baseline security and identify where gaps lie, which is how OGL uncovered some concerning weaknesses and cyber threats. The network appraisal examined every one of the firm’s network assets, from physical servers, virtual servers, network-attached storage (NAS), to firewalls, workstations, printers and much more. The result was an extremely detailed and valuable third-party perspective for the firm’s IT team. Tony Stewart, IT Project Manager at Gray, Baynes & Shew explains: “I knew our infrastructure needed work following the shift to more home-working during and since the pandemic, but I was shocked to be shown the extent of its weaknesses and gaps. To hear that a relatively simple check by OGL uncovered our login credentials and passwords had been compromised and were on the Dark Web was a huge eye opener.” GBS appointed OGL as its IT partner after discovering that its legacy IT infrastructure needed an overhaul and recommended a suite of technology products and services that included server configuration, Synology storage and cloud sync, firewall security, anti-virus, SaaS backup, remote monitoring and patch management. The patch management service is now the firm’s first line of defence. It blocks unwanted traffic [is this true – is it Patch Management that does this – I would have thought it was AV?], whether that’s protection from emails with very large file sizes or executable files which autorun. While Synology storage helps GBS to manage, secure and protect its data. Matt Thorneycroft, Business Development Manager at OGL, concluded: “IT and cyber security is so important these days, it must be resourced and financed accordingly. Tony was realistic about the work needed to get the network to a good, robust place, following years with an IT provider that didn’t appear to be pulling their weight any longer.”