Living Space Housing has commenced construction work at a 2.1-acre residential scheme, located on brownfield land off Park Road in the Malinslee ward of Telford, Shropshire. All 38 homes are being delivered to The Wrekin Housing Group for affordable rent to help meet local housing needs. Solihull-based Living Space assembled
How housebuilders can prepare for the First Homes scheme In February 2020, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, announced the Government’s First Homes scheme. The scheme will see thousands of new houses being built across the UK, aimed to help more first-time buyers onto the
Many businesses remain unaware that they are wasting thousands of pounds a year on their energy bills. Cost is often a huge obstacle for upgrading lighting systems, and many warehouse managers will regularly put new lighting to the back of their minds as long as their current system is still
Leading BMS and energy solutions company BG Energy Solutions (BGES) has announced a partnership with the creators of the Magnatech™ System: a proven “fit and forget” technology which delivers boiler efficiency savings of up to 21%. BGES has the exclusive rights to install and distribute Magnatech™ within the UK as
The British Occupational Hygiene Society, the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, and the Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management (FAAM) invites all asbestos professionals to Asbestos 2020 Virtual Conference taking place on 18 and 19 November. The event will bring together researchers, academics, practitioners and regulators, through various plenary
The International Fire Safety Standards coalition (IFSS), a collaboration of over 80 fire safety leadership organisations of which IWFM is a founding member, has published the first version of its Common Principles. The document sets out to provide fire safety guidance which is universally applicable across all stages of the building life
Permission granted for major new warehouse development of 113,000 sq ft at a site in Darlaston, adjacent to the M6 near Wednesbury in the West Midlands St Francis Group, a leading UK-based property development and investment group and an expert in brownfield development has announced that it has received planning
Jeremy Siegel of Bjarke Ingels Group urges us to seize the initiative and create transformative projects from scratch by harnessing community support. The coronavirus pandemic is, for many, prompting a re-evaluation of how and where we live and work. From the domestic level to city-wide, and from the regional to
MMC projects employ a set of relatively new skills in UK construction. In this blog, we examine the need for greater skills in estimating for MMC, and for a range of documented evidence of the benefits, to support the delivery of these new methods and the products used. “What is
Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) is calling on early career professionals and students with drive, ambition and determination to join a new Built Environment Future Leaders’ Forum. This ground breaking initiative will promote the development of new skills, competencies and opportunities in the sector to inspire the future workforce of
Living Space Housing has commenced construction work at a 2.1-acre residential scheme, located on brownfield land off Park Road in the Malinslee ward of Telford, Shropshire. All 38 homes are being delivered to The Wrekin Housing Group for affordable rent to help meet local housing needs. Solihull-based Living Space assembled the land, secured Full Planning consent earlier this year and will deliver the construction contract in its entirety, which is worth over £6m. The first homes will be available for occupation before the end of 2021. Steve Davies, Managing Director of Living Space Housing said: “Having secured detailed planning consent for this scheme in April, we are so pleased to now be underway with the construction programme. We have a very skilled team working on this project and are thankful for all the support we have received from The Wrekin Housing Group. We hope this will be the first of many schemes that we can partner on together, in order to help meet local housing needs. While so much new housing and investment has been stalled due to the impact of Covid-19, we are working in accordance with our robust Safe Operating Procedure, which is keeping everyone safe across our development portfolio during this unprecedented year. “Park Road is our second development in Telford where we are on site, with a third site – located off Majestic Way – currently awaiting planning approval. We are also actively seeking other immediate and longer-term development opportunities and have the funding in place to progress such deals.” The accommodation mix for the Park Road development comprises four one-bedroom maisonettes, nine two-bedroom houses, 21 three-bedroom houses, two two-bedroom bungalows and two three-bedroom bungalows. Six of the homes will be purpose-built for disabled residents. The site density is 44 dwellings per hectare, which is lower than the overall density for the local area. The scheme will be constructed in red brick with striking rendered features and all 38 homes will have designated parking provision. The architect for the scheme is Birmingham-based residential design specialist BM3. Waldeck Consulting is the Employers Agent, Couch Consulting is the Engineer and MV Kelly the Civils Contractor. Matt Beckley, Development Manager for The Wrekin Housing Group said: “There is a real need for affordable, quality new homes. This scheme will be very well received because of its convenient location, great transport links and range of local amenities. We are very pleased to be working with Living Space and look forward to being able to hand the keys over to our new residents.” Living Space is a development-led residential planning, design and construction services solution for Registered Providers, PRS Funds, the NHS, Universities and Defence Estates. Having launched to the market last year, the company is already on site at its first four developments. It has a total of 406 residential plots in agreement across the Midlands, representing a combined construction value in excess of £61million. By providing an end-to-end service to Registered Providers (RPs), it enables them to deliver more homes with greater efficiency. Living Space can also assist RPs by delivering open market homes in order to help with a scheme’s viability. This enables Living Space’s clients to be able to focus on the funding and management of high-quality homes for their residents. Living Space’s other three live development sites comprise 26 homes located off Britannia Way in central Telford for Accord Housing Association, 51 homes at Malvern Oaks in Cradley, on the outskirts of Malvern, Herefordshire and 48 homes at the former Victoria Carpets Sports Ground on the outskirts of Kidderminster town centre in Worcestershire. All are mixed-tenure schemes. The latter two are in conjunction with affordable housing provider Stonewater.
How housebuilders can prepare for the First Homes scheme In February 2020, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, announced the Government’s First Homes scheme. The scheme will see thousands of new houses being built across the UK, aimed to help more first-time buyers onto the property ladder. When building for first-time homeowners, housebuilders need to consider their specific needs. Here, Nick Cowley, managing director of windows and doors manufacturer Euramax, explores how housebuilders should prepare for the First Homes scheme. The First Homes scheme aims to make home ownership more attainable by providing homes at a discounted price of at least 30 per cent. In the UK, house prices can be as much as 15 times the median salary, excluding many from purchasing. By selling houses for less than the open market price, the Government hopes to help people buy homes in their local communities. Even with a discounted housing price, first-time buyers are likely to be on a tight budget and will favour ready-to-move-in homes that require minimal modification. Therefore, it is important that housebuilders construct new builds to be as practical as possible, so that first-time buyers can move in comfortably and enjoy their homes right away. Safety first Home security is a top priority for any homeowner. With around 350,000 burglaries occurring across the UK every year, a comprehensive home security system is a sensible investment. However, security measures can be a costly upgrade that first homeowners could probably do without. Housebuilders should choose windows and doors with integrated safety mechanisms that will give new homeowners peace of mind that their property is secure. Around 74 per cent of burglars in the UK enter through the front door, and housebuilders should be mindful of this when designing their new builds. Security technology is rapidly developing, and housebuilders may want to integrate SMART window and door locks into high-spec new homes. SMART locks can be combined with sensors that alert homeowners if a window or door has been left open. This can then be managed remotely via a smartphone, giving homeowners complete control of the access to their home, no matter where they are. Besides thinking about SMART technology, homeowners must build with structural security in mind. Composite doors offer the highest level of protection. They are made of sturdy structural frames and glass-reinforced plastic, which makes them ideal for protection against burglars. Taking a two-fold approach to new build security will give first-time buyers confidence in their property right from the start without the need for costly enhancements. Energy efficiency Another outgoing that first-time buyers will be keen to keep low is running costs. Although new homes are already roughly 50 per cent cheaper to run than an equivalent Victorian house, improving the energy efficiency of a new build should be prioritised by housebuilders. In a 2019 report, the Committee on Climate Change recommended that all new homes should use no more than 15 to 20 kilowatt hours of energy per square metre per year (kWh/m2/year) to keep warm. However, Government statistics suggest that the actual figure is nearer 60 kWh/m2/year. Using up to four times the amount of energy recommended comes at an extra cost to homeowners, so housebuilders should select materials and building components that contribute to lowering energy expenditures. Up to 30 per cent of a home’s heat is lost through its windows, so choosing the right window style is crucial to improving energy efficiency. Windows need to be as non-conductive as possible, to keep the cold out and the heat in. Euramax offers double-glazed PVCu windows that are rated A for energy efficiency. Both the air between the windowpanes and in the PVCu frames are good insulators of heat, which helps to improve the consistency of a home’s temperature and prevent heat loss. Selecting energy-efficient windows will not only reduce costs for new homeowners, but it will also reduce national domestic energy consumption. Domestic energy consumption accounts for around 28 per cent of the UK’s total energy use. If housebuilders ensure that new builds are as energy efficient as possible, the industry will support the UK in meeting its target of zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Modern design According to a survey conducted by Barratt Homes, only half of first-time buyers intend on staying in their first home for over a year, yet in reality, 71 per cent stay for four or more years. Housebuilders should build with this in mind, by choosing components that are designed to retain their appearance, reducing the need for frequent replacements. The average first-time buyer in the UK is 34 years old, meaning many will be hitting other life milestones at the same time as home ownership. Whether it’s marriage, children or a new pet, a first-time buyer needs a house that can adapt to suit any change in lifestyle. PVCu windows and doors are a practical option thanks to their strength and durability. However, they are often considered an unstylish solution because of the misconception that they cannot be customised. At Euramax, our products come in a range of colour options and glass designs that can be customised to suit the desired house style, be it traditional, modern or anything in between. What’s more, our windows come with a ten-year guarantee, which means new houseowners will be safe in the knowledge that their new property will be fit for purpose however their lifestyle may change. With more than four million people in the UK living in sub-standard accommodation, it’s important for the housebuilding industry to prepare for the First Homes scheme to allow them to work with the Government to reduce this number. By carefully considering the unique needs of the first-time buyer market and selecting housing components that meet them, housebuilders can be sure that new properties will serve their owners for years to come.
Many businesses remain unaware that they are wasting thousands of pounds a year on their energy bills. Cost is often a huge obstacle for upgrading lighting systems, and many warehouse managers will regularly put new lighting to the back of their minds as long as their current system is still working. This is where the Pay as You Save scheme by LED lighting experts EcolightingUK comes in. EcolightingUK specialises in helping companies to save a substantial sum on their energy bills. They help businesses who are looking for a solution that enables them to install a new LED lighting system with zero capital outlay, increased light levels, zero maintenance costs and a cash positive outcome from the first month after installation. Even with financing arrangements, projects are typically cash positive right from the start. In addition to substantial economic benefits, LED lighting also provides a sustainable contribution towards the fulfilment of long-term environmental objectives for all businesses. Significantly lower energy consumption means a reduced carbon footprint and less impact on the environment. Aside from the financial and environmental factors, the most obvious and instant benefit of LED lighting is the quality. The result of a lighter and brighter working environment improves visibility and enhances workplace safety for employees, and Ecolighting’s experience is that staff are delighted with the improvements made to their working environments. Introducing LED luminaires allows companies to save in excess of 70% in lighting energy costs, significantly reduce the cost of carbon tax as well as lowering maintenance costs. More in-depth calculations and examples of the savings a business can expect are available at https://ecolightinguk.com/finance-grants/ EcolightingUK also works with a central grant finding body which researches county council grants available across the country for assisting SMEs with carbon reduction. Depending on the grants available, companies can expect to see massive energy savings when switching to LED lighting. By using LED lighting with the latest lighting management systems, it is now easy to achieve 50% to 80% energy savings on most projects with these energy savings paying for the systems and installation for a fast return on investment, often in just 18 months. Grants vary depending on the authority but can be as high as 60%, and whilst often capped this can be as much as £50,000. Further information on Pay as You Save energy saving LED lighting schemes is available from Ecolighting on 01455 552511, by emailing enquiries@ecolightinguk.com or by visiting the company’s website at www.ecolightinguk.com
Leading BMS and energy solutions company BG Energy Solutions (BGES) has announced a partnership with the creators of the Magnatech™ System: a proven “fit and forget” technology which delivers boiler efficiency savings of up to 21%. BGES has the exclusive rights to install and distribute Magnatech™ within the UK as a turnkey project or as a licenced product for self-installation. The unique technology optimises boiler fuel and helps reduce boiler fuel consumption, achieving instant energy and cost savings. Increased boiler efficiency Designed and licenced by Magnatech Ltd, The Magnatech™ System was borne out of a decade of extensive research and testing. Magnatech™ is based on the discovery that rare earth mineral, high-powered magnets placed in a particular sequence on fuel feed pipes cause the fuel to burn at a higher temperature, thereby optimising the fuel and increasing boiler efficiency. The boiler reaches target temperature sooner which means that less fuel is burnt reaching the target temperature, and the burner’s “burning time” is reduced. The resulting benefits include a reduction in carbon footprint and reduced operating costs – with no loss of performance. The results of Magnatech™ have been externally verified under the Tritech ETV scheme – an EU-funded pilot verification scheme for environmental technologies. Zero down time The Magnatech™ System works on virtually all oil, gas and LPG fired boilers and burners and is fitted with no down time or interruption to service, during surveys or installation. The system pays for itself within a very short period of time (usually well within two years), making it the fastest return on investment (ROI) system of its type in the market today. The average saving is 12%, although savings of up to 21% have been achieved. Magnatech™ is also a “fit and forget” technology, and lasts for the lifetime of the boiler; there is no maintenance required once the installation is complete. Also, if the boiler is replaced in time, the Magnatech™ system can be easily removed and replaced. Guaranteed savings BGES is so confident that the Magnatech™ System will deliver savings, it is offering a guaranteed saving on the technology based on degree day/ROI. Gareth Barber, Managing Director of BGES comments: “The Magnatech™ System is a highly impressive technology, but it’s also an incredibly simple way for organisations to improve boiler efficiency and achieve instant savings. “With proven results, no down time and no loss of performance, it’s a no brainer for organisations looking to reduce costs and meet carbon reduction targets. We also believe that larger organisations could offer this technology to their employees, and claim the carbon savings for their corporate net zero and sustainability policies. We’re delighted to partner with Magnatech™ and are ready to advise UK firms on how the system could benefit them.”
The British Occupational Hygiene Society, the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, and the Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management (FAAM) invites all asbestos professionals to Asbestos 2020 Virtual Conference taking place on 18 and 19 November. The event will bring together researchers, academics, practitioners and regulators, through various plenary talks and technical sessions with a programme that will include UK and international speakers, dealing with scientific topics covering key areas regarding the assessment, control and management of asbestos. This year’s exciting programme includes: -Sessions on Control limit for work with Asbestos and Fibres v mineral fragments -A session on Current Research including site observations and measurement of the efficacy of current 4 stage clearances, EM v PCM counting of fibres in air and analysis of marble for its asbestos content -A Focus on survey session – from the client, consultant and regulator’s perspective -A Focus on technology session, including a review of current best practice for adopting remote auditing procedures -A Mock Trial– a day in court experience not to be missed –Myth busting, solving myths around Asbestos. If you want to see your myth busted, you can send it to conferences@bohs.org You don’t need to be a FAAM or BOHS member to attend Asbestos 2020 but members are eligible for a discounted rate. You can see the full programme and book your place here.
The International Fire Safety Standards coalition (IFSS), a collaboration of over 80 fire safety leadership organisations of which IWFM is a founding member, has published the first version of its Common Principles. The document sets out to provide fire safety guidance which is universally applicable across all stages of the building life cycle and can be used by governments, statutory bodies, communities and individuals across the world. Currently, many different fire safety frameworks apply globally, meaning there is no single authoritative way to work. For the first time at an international level, the industry-led IFSS will bring greater consistency and reassurance by setting landmark minimum levels of fire safety and professionalism across the world. The Common Principles are to be presented to the United Nations (UN) with a view to them being accepted as a UN standard. Next year also marks the start of the UN’s Decade of Action for Fire Safety.
Permission granted for major new warehouse development of 113,000 sq ft at a site in Darlaston, adjacent to the M6 near Wednesbury in the West Midlands St Francis Group, a leading UK-based property development and investment group and an expert in brownfield development has announced that it has received planning permission for a 113,000 sq ft warehouse development at a site in Darlaston, near Wednesbury in the West Midlands. The 7-acre scheme – to be marketed as Parallel 113 is situated off the A4038 Darlaston Road and sits at the heart of the UK’s leading supply chain centres within easy access of junctions 9 and 10 of the M6 together with being in close proximity to the M5, M54 and M42 motorways. The development is to be developed speculatively with site clearance work staring in January and the unit will be ready for occupation in the Spring of 2022. It will be developed to a high quality, grade A standard and incorporate 107,350 sq ft warehouse/logistics accommodation together with 5,650 sq ft of first floor office accommodation. It will feature 12.5m clear internal working height, 10 dock level doors, 2 level access, 50m depth secure fenced yard together with 101 car parking spaces and 98 HGV trailer parking spaces. Speaking about the announcement and development – St Francis Development Director Gareth Williams said: “This is a significant commitment to Walsall, the Black Country Enterprise Zone and to the greater Birmingham area. It shows our faith in the continued occupier story of increasing demand seen against dwindling stock and we expect to be delivering another high-quality scheme very soon”. Savills and JLL are jointly appointed to market the site.
Jeremy Siegel of Bjarke Ingels Group urges us to seize the initiative and create transformative projects from scratch by harnessing community support. The coronavirus pandemic is, for many, prompting a re-evaluation of how and where we live and work. From the domestic level to city-wide, and from the regional to the national, built environment issues that were problematic before the pandemic are now all the more acute. It follows that both commercial clients and the public sector will increasingly require imaginative responses from architects. Practices that are proactive, agile and bold will be well placed to provide the imaginative responses that our fraught present day demands. At next month’s RIBA Guerrilla Tactics: Reinventing Practice, Jeremy Alain Siegel, an Associate at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), will be explaining how his practice has employed the tools of design to win over funders, planners, communities and elected city officials alike with daring ideas. It has done so with a combination of boundless enthusiasm, lateral thinking and appealing communications: bound together in a great proposal that captures the imagination. What is all the more impressive is that some of its grandest proposals were not responses to tenders or competitions but were entirely self-generated: ideas prompted by a local problem which they took out into the world and made happen. “We are designers: we understand how different things come together,” Siegel points out. “This allows us to bring a certain amount of useful naivety, in that we can challenge presumptions about what can or cannot be done.” BIG’s most instructive project from this point of view is its reimagining of the iconic Brooklyn Queens Expressway as the half-mile long BQ-Park. The project’s beginnings were entirely self initiated, in a speculative fashion, by BIG’s local Brooklyn office. The scheme they drew up was so powerful a proposal that it gained momentum within the community and eventually convinced the Mayor to shelve the city’s original remedial scheme in favour of BIG’s vision. The City of New York was proposing to fix the ageing expressway structure dating from the 1950s, which was corroding and would eventually collapse, by building a temporary highway through the well-loved waterfront park above it. This was a project very local to BIG’s office. Siegel explains that they were convinced there must be a better solution. They started putting together some pro bono proposals over two or three weeks, then brought in some engineer and landscape friends and the project grew larger and more bold in scope. “The community group that had formed to fight the plan learned about us,” Siegel recounts. “They set up a meeting to discuss putting together a pro bono proposal: we were able to show them we already had 150 pages of one!” BIG’s proposal provided a platform for adding significant new parkland, and was eventually accepted by the City as both more feasible and less costly than the original reconstruction plan, while delivering far more benefits to the community. Siegel’s talk of being a “possibilist” and of a designer’s “naivety” is backed up by keen awareness of local politics and community interests. “You have to make your vision resilient politically by being broad, not just courting narrow interest groups,” he counsels. “Instead you have to identify multiple funding streams, multiple stakeholders and present ideas in ways that they, as stakeholders or funders, can see themselves involved.” While BQ-Park is, like many of BIG’s projects, a huge infrastructure scheme, there are lessons here for small practices. Siegel says these “guerrilla projects” are carried out by quite small teams. Architects should not underestimate the power of an audacious proposal to generate attention and cut through bureaucracy. “If you have given a community an appealing idea, they will be advocating for the project when you cannot. They can work for your proposal while you’re elsewhere. That is also why we make videos to articulate a project: a standalone thing that is out in the world, being shared and making an argument for your work.” Having the good idea is only half of the battle; the rest is communication. Siegel suggests architects might need to invest more thought on written and verbal communication when it comes to design, and not just believe they can “‘draw themselves out of a problem”. “We always try to explain things in terms people understand. If you want to connect with real people, you should be able to meet anyone and talk to them in a language they can understand.” The project presentations for BQ-Park and other schemes (viewable on the Bjarke Ingels website) are sterling examples of how to marry text and image, with pertinent leading questions placed in comic book style speech bubbles. “In presenting a vision, always bring it back to the anchoring point – the catalyst,” Siegel advises. “You don’t want to lose people.” Tickets are now available for Jeremy Siegel’s talk, The power of a BIG proposal, at the RIBA’s Guerrilla Tactics 2020 online conference. Learn more insights from other speakers at the conference in our recent features, Is design work moving to the countryside? and Five smart project management boosts. Thanks to Jeremy Alain Siegel, Associate, BIG. RIBA Core Curriculum: Business, clients and services. As part of the flexible RIBA CPD programme, Professional Features count as microlearning. See further information on the updated RIBA CPD Core Curriculum and on fulfilling your CPD requirements as an RIBA Chartered Member.
MMC projects employ a set of relatively new skills in UK construction. In this blog, we examine the need for greater skills in estimating for MMC, and for a range of documented evidence of the benefits, to support the delivery of these new methods and the products used. “What is undeniable is that MMC projects are quicker, but this is not demonstrated sufficiently, because there is minimal benchmark data available.” Ian Dacre, Chartered Quantity Surveyor. Where does MMC fit in the UK today? The UK building industry is increasingly employing Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), evidenced by the growing number of build projects for residential, industrial, and public sector/commercial property. This growth is driven by the need to build more homes to address the housing crisis, for garden offices and emergency buildings generated by the Covid situation, and for more and extended public and private sector industrial/commercial buildings. Within the industry there are passionate advocates of modern offsite construction, using materials such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs); however, much work needs to be done to convince others, including at the time of writing, most architects, quantity surveyors and contractors, to shift, when it benefits the project, from traditional methods. About Ian Dacre One area where greater knowledge is needed is in the skill of estimating for MMC. Ian Dacre, a Partner at Rider Levett Bucknall in Bristol, a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with over 25 years’ experience and an Assessor for the RICS, talked to Hemsec about the complexities, and the need for greater skill in estimating. Ian has been involved with Constructing Excellence (CE) for several years and has undertaken research in · Defining Value · Supply Chain Integration · Knowledge Management · Performance Management with CE and the University of the West of England. What are the challenges of assessing the overall value of MMC projects? “There is limited data available; although there are many publications which discuss the pros and cons of MMC,” explains Ian, “there is nothing to date published on the commercial aspects. “So, it is a challenge, but there are some principles we can follow, so that we can start to create a bank of knowledge relating to the cost, value and performance of MMC projects: Value: In terms of assessing value, there are two aspects: capital value whole life value Whilst they are totally different; they should nonetheless be viewed as one, because it is critical to understand the full cost both of constructing and maintaining a building, if we are looking at the benefit of the whole project. It is impossible to do so by taking the capital value alone. Cost: We need to ask ourselves; how do we benchmark a quotation or programme-saving offered from an MMC provider? Performance: We must use the MMC providers’ information as there is no historic data available at present. “In conclusion, we need the experts – the MMC providers – to supply the information. Once it becomes widely available in the marketplace and everyone can access it, this will enable us to benchmark projects – it will be a major step forward.” How can an assessor accurately estimate the total costs? For example, the impact of greater construction speed? “There are tools available. Programme management can demonstrate the time efficiency savings, but at the moment, we also need to factor lead in times. One of the problems we have is that sites cannot manage the speed of MMC,” says Ian. It would appear that sites are not set up for how quickly materials arrive and are installed; this leads to sites not being ready, tradespeople not being in place and other delays. This is where education in process is needed, so that programme management works properly. “Whole Life Cost (WLC) models can generate the occupancy costs over a period of time, but again, as with any kind of research data, we need several MMC projects to be built and monitored over time to see the overall effects,” Ian asserts. What data is needed and how does the industry get it? “Unfortunately, the amount of current data is minimal and is not widely available. Generally, most is based on a historic project people are familiar with but which is not documented. “Cost data for capital expenditure is not readily available in the marketplace when compared to other materials and structural solutions, which have been used and documented for many years. “There are many reports, papers and magazine articles that bestow the benefits of MMC and possibly things to watch out for, but nothing as yet on cost and whole life value. “It is possible to obtain information on lead-in times, delivery times and erection times from MMC suppliers, but it is difficult to get accurate cost information,” Ian says. What are the ‘hidden costs’ in estimating for traditional methods that get overlooked when comparing them with MMC? “The hidden costs include waste, and redoing things on site, both of which stem from a lack of understanding. One could also argue that there are possible inefficiencies due to the external environment in which people are working, such as weather. These are not really hidden, but are inherent in the programme where the main construction process takes place outdoors.” Hemsec team members have seen costs being added where firms have used unnecessary materials, because they don’t understand the way SIPs work. For example, people use them for cladding inside a wall, roof or ceiling made from different materials, not realising that the SIP itself is structural and is a full supporting wall with insulation built in. “What is undeniable is that MMC projects are quicker, but this is not demonstrated sufficiently, because there is minimal benchmark data available,” says Ian. How do we persuade professionals such as architects and QS to recognise this when comparing with MMC? “When it comes to the perceived lack of understanding; when someone does not understand something or it has not been demonstrated sufficiently or proven, a risk factor may be applied (both
Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) is calling on early career professionals and students with drive, ambition and determination to join a new Built Environment Future Leaders’ Forum. This ground breaking initiative will promote the development of new skills, competencies and opportunities in the sector to inspire the future workforce of the construction industry in a way that will benefit the sector for years to come. CSIC is looking for early career professionals and students who are already active in the industry and have a passion about our built environment, to work together to build the mindset, skills and agility needed in a rapidly changing landscape. The forum’s aim is to ensure the voice of the future workforce is heard, so that the industry can better understand how to attract new talent, and that others are inspired to follow a career in the sector. Lisa Deane, Lead Future Skills Manager at CISC, said: “There is both a skills shortage in the sector and there are new types of skills needed with changing ways of delivering our built environment. The Built Environment Future Leaders’ Forum is a way to ensure we understand how to attract and support the development of existing and new skills in the sector, and how we optimise routes of entry into the industry for them.” “This is a really exciting opportunity for those in their early careers, who are passionate about the built environment with an interest in better and innovative ways to shape our built world. It’s a chance to be an influencer and ambassador in your field in a way that hasn’t been possible before – the sector needs your input.” The Forum will be a group of up to 12 people aged 16-30 who are studying or training in a built environment subject or field, or those that are already on a career path in the sector. The group will share ideas and make emerging expertise and views heard throughout industry. Members will meet regularly, feed into the CSIC future skills strategy and programmes, and take part in engaging industry with new opportunities. CSIC is firmly committed to diversity and equality and aims to have a broad spectrum of forum members with different points of view and experiences from across the sector. For more information about applying to be a member of the Built Environment Future Leaders’ Forum, or chair or co-chair of the group, take a look at the application pack https://www.cs-ic.org/library/future-leaders-forum-application-pack/ The deadline for applications for this year’s group is 16 November 2020.