Ingleton Wood, a property and construction consultancy that has been in operation since the 1930s has announced the appointment of a new Senior Associate for the company’s Structural Engineering sector. Ingleton Wood have appointed a Andrew Wright to the position. Andrew will be based out of the company’s London office
BFK is a joint venture that has been formed by BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman (UK) and Kier Infrastructure as part of the Crossrail London rail project. This contractor, consisting of the three companies combined, has been fined in excess of £1 million because of three different accidents that have taken
45 global organisations have joined together in order to release a new measurement system that is expected to reduce the risk encountered on construction projects. The newly created International Construction Measurement Standards intend to reduce the infrastructure investment risk. A range of different organisations were a part of the 45
The Glass and Glazing Federation, or GGF has issued a statement to BBC Radio Surrey after news was released of the recent conviction of Zenith Staybrite. The GGF have issued the statement as a response for comment after the double glazing company was found guilty of using illegal high-pressure sales
Lambe Construction has managed to secure two flagship housing development contracts. The contracts for these two construction projects have been awarded by Keepmoat Homes. The Midlands’ preferred civil engineering and groundworks company has announced that they have managed to secure the contracts that will lead to the creation of more
With the height of the oil and gas industry in the past, the production of aerogel will be looking for clients in other sectors in order to diversify and thrive going forward. The aerogel manufacturing industry has been the source of hope and expectation for a number of years, with
The East Midlands Institute of Civil Engineering, or ICE were involved in the Civil Engineering Merit Awards this year. The event took place at the Belfry, Nottingham on the 9th of June. The awards at the black tie event were presented by the ICE President for 2016-17, Tim Broyd. The
RWE and Engie are considering an alliance which would see RWE swap a stake in its renewables and grids spin-off Innogy for a minority interest in Engie, Reuters has reported. The utilities have discussed possible deals with advisors and bankers although there are no active talks between senior executives, according
Targeted support for vulnerable customers is right, says trade body – “The energy industry stands ready to work with the next government to help deliver an energy system that works for everyone,” Energy UK’s chef executive has claimed. Responding to the publication of the Conservative manifesto last week, Lawrence Slade
Worcester City Council has announced a £10.5 million pool extension. This work at the Perdiswell Leisure Centre will form part of a nationwide strategy to give support to facilities in the right areas that will encourage more people to take part in sport. This new project will create a state
Ingleton Wood, a property and construction consultancy that has been in operation since the 1930s has announced the appointment of a new Senior Associate for the company’s Structural Engineering sector. Ingleton Wood have appointed a Andrew Wright to the position. Andrew will be based out of the company’s London office and will fill a new role in the company. Ingleton Wood has created the role of Senior Associate in order to allow the property and construction consultancy the opportunity to diversify in the future. The ability to offer advice to more areas of the property and construction industry will help the practice boost growth in some areas of the business. Andrew will be a great asset to the company as he has spent over 20 years working in the sector. It is thought that in his new role, Andrew will be required to manage the development of existing teams in the consultancy company and then expanding the current offering of services to include commercial property. The company will be focusing mainly on property in central London. With the change that is taking place at Ingleton Wood makes the company an exciting organisation to be apart of. The London Ingleton Wood office has built up a very good reputation and it is great news that Andrew will been adding the experience he has gained over the course of his 20 year experience. There is a great deal of potential in the property and construction consultancy sector to expand. With Andrew in the role of Senior Associate for Structural Engineering, he should be able to recognise opportunities for the company to grow while still offering the same level of service to their clients. In the past Andrew Wright has worked as a loss adjustor at DWF, the law firm and has also been a structural engineer for Clarkebond, the engineering consultancy company.
BFK is a joint venture that has been formed by BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman (UK) and Kier Infrastructure as part of the Crossrail London rail project. This contractor, consisting of the three companies combined, has been fined in excess of £1 million because of three different accidents that have taken place in the Fisher Street development site in Holborn. The central London construction work is being carried out in order to deliver a new railway line that, when complete will be known as the Elizabeth line. The new tracks well go through central London and is expected to be open in 2018. The contractor BFK has been sentenced today, on the 28th of July at Southwark Crown Court after Rene Tkáčik, which occurred when a section of the roof collapsed on him while he as working on the 7th of March 2014. The other two accidents that took place at the Fisher Site were the severe leg injuries sustained by Terrence Hughes after being hit by a reversing excavator in an incident on the 16th January 2015, and head injuries suffered by Alex Vizitiu on the 22nd January 2015 after he was hit by a high pressure mix of water and concrete during a routine operation at the site. At a previous hearing which took place at Magistrates’ Court, the contractor pleaded guilty all three of the offences. The company admitted being in breach of reg 10(2) of the Work at Height Regulation that relates to falling objects. The company was in breach of this regulation at the time Rene Tkáčik died. In relation to the other two incidents that took place in 2015, BFK pleaded guilty, admitting breaches of s. 22(1) (a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulation of 2007, a regulation which looks into the role of the principal contractor. The company was also given fines: £300,000 for the breach in regulation that led to the death of Rene Tkáčik, and £600,000 and £165,000 respectively for the breach which led to the incidents involving Terrence Hughes and Alex Vizitiu. The JV, who was the principal contractor of the construction work for the western tunnels of the Crossrail project was also ordered to pay costs which amounted to over £42,000 in addition to a further £31.065 million penalty.
45 global organisations have joined together in order to release a new measurement system that is expected to reduce the risk encountered on construction projects. The newly created International Construction Measurement Standards intend to reduce the infrastructure investment risk. A range of different organisations were a part of the 45 that formed a coalition to create the standards. Among the number was the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors as well as the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors, the Indian Institute of Quantity Surveyors and the International Cost Engineering Council. Infrastructure projects that are carried out around the world all have different ways to forecast the cost of construction. This inconsistency means that investment can be risky and lead to confusion as investors find themselves unable to compare schemes. The creation of the International Construction Measurement Standards works to form a standard high level presentation of costs for projects. This standardisation shows the cost of construction at a project, regional, state national or international level and offers a consistent measurement on a global scale. This newly created system will also be beneficial to the construction industry as it will make investment decisions more simple and remove one of the barriers for investment in this industry. This could lead to improved global construction project benchmarking, which means that investor confidence can also be built, appeal more to private sector investors. Arcadis is one of the companies that has committed to making sure that the new measurements are used in The UK. Arcadis also works in 40 different countries, with projects in 70 different countries. One standard cost measuring systems will incredibly beneficial, removing the need to convert the costs into the for required format for the country. This standard will remove the inconsistency experienced by companies working internationally as well as the helping the companies offer a better value for money service.
The Glass and Glazing Federation, or GGF has issued a statement to BBC Radio Surrey after news was released of the recent conviction of Zenith Staybrite. The GGF have issued the statement as a response for comment after the double glazing company was found guilty of using illegal high-pressure sales tactics and falsely claiming offers were limited. After the guilty verdict the company has been ordered to pay fines and costs of £330,000. In the statement released by the GGF, Zenith Staybrite were condoned. It was emphasised that the company was not a GGF member and it is a knock to the entire Glazing Industry to hear about the malpractice that has been carried out by Zenith. The news of the illegal high pressure sales tactics has been called disappointing by the GGF and the Federation hope that the company will take drastic steps to change their approach to sales, if they have not already done so. The conviction of Zenith Staybrite has highlighted the importance of the GGF Consumer Code of Practice that has been approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. The Code is known for being the only approved Code of Conduct in the glass and glazing industry. All of the members of the GGF must adhere to the Code of Practice put forward by the Federation. As part of the Code of Practice, GGF members must not engage in any high pressure selling techniques and is also explicit in saying that companies must not offer inflated prices for goods and services above those depicted on the company’s price list and should not offer “special one day offers” that are untrue. As part of the compliance to the GGF Code of Practice, only genuine discounts that have been agreed by the company can be applied to a sale.
Lambe Construction has managed to secure two flagship housing development contracts. The contracts for these two construction projects have been awarded by Keepmoat Homes. The Midlands’ preferred civil engineering and groundworks company has announced that they have managed to secure the contracts that will lead to the creation of more than 3,000 homes. The first development that has been secured by M. Lambe Construction has been valued at around £12.9 million. The development is located in the Spirit Quarters which is a £360 million housing redevelopment project that is taking place in North East Coventry. This first development alone will see more than 3,300 new homes constructed in the Wood End, Henley Green, Manor Farm and Deedmore neighbourhoods. The civil engineering and groundworks specialists have been contracted to build the foundations of 356 new homes as well as two new apartment blocks and a variety of infrastructure features including roads and sewers. The work will have to seamlessly connect to existing roads as well as on-site and off-site sewer diversions. The second contract is for work at The Willows in Dudley. The project is worth £5.07 million and will see a team from M. Lambe Construction build raft foundations that will be used for 130 plots as well as the required infrastructure. Also featured in the work will be the creation of public space and pathways as well as a balancing pond. The two contracts are great news for the company and are a credit to the partnership that has been formed between M. Lambe Construction and Keepmoat Homes. M. Lambe Construction has been in operation for more than 30 years and is now known for their work with a variety of clients across the Midlands including Lovell Partnerships, Bellway Homes and Galliford Try to name just a few.
With the height of the oil and gas industry in the past, the production of aerogel will be looking for clients in other sectors in order to diversify and thrive going forward. The aerogel manufacturing industry has been the source of hope and expectation for a number of years, with attempts to commercialise the industry taking place, without success, by Monsanto in the 40s and BASF 80s. A parallel has been found between the performance of crude oil in terms of popularity and companies in the sector are basing their forecasts more realistically on these demands going forward. In order to succeed in the future, the Aerogel Looking For Clients in Other Sectors to Diversify and Thrive industry needs to become less dependant on the oil and gas sector as their main source of clients and diversify. The industry has been able to make the most of the progress that has been made in manufacturing process, and the development of new technology and composite and polymeric materials. The industry has been able to use thises developments to expand. At the moment the majority of business in this industry comes from the oil and gas sector where a manufactured silica composite can be used in order to provide insulation solutions. The product that has been manufactured as a part of the aerogel industry is used in refineries and subsea pipelines. The composite offers offer a lightweight, hydrophobic and highly insulative product that, because of its early stages of development, is quite expensive. The price of the product means that the industry is reliant on clients willing to spend the extra amount. In the future aerogels could be used in a range of different sectors such as electrical systems, aerospace, cosmetics and packaging sectors. These potential sectors as well as a number of others could be able to make the most of aerogels and help to develop the industry in the future.
The East Midlands Institute of Civil Engineering, or ICE were involved in the Civil Engineering Merit Awards this year. The event took place at the Belfry, Nottingham on the 9th of June. The awards at the black tie event were presented by the ICE President for 2016-17, Tim Broyd. The event was attended by more than 300 guests. The Civil Engineering Merit Awards looks to recognise and celebrate both excellence and innovation shown within the civil engineering sector in the East Midlands region and beyond. The awards ceremony is thought to be the main occasion for ICE to to draw attention to the benefits offered by the civil engineering society as well as showcasing the award winners and other innovations in the industry. Thirty-Two projects that were dotted across counties in the East Midlands and several projects that were located in the South West and South East of the country competed for the prestigious accolades. The entries this year were judged by a panel that consisted of experienced civil engineers and members of ICE’s East Midlands Graduates & Students Committee. The panel of judges was chaired by the ICE East Midlands Chair, Ray Dickinson. Each of the projects that entered the awards could be entered for up to three categories. The categories that are available as a part of the awards program were: Large Projects that have a value greater than £10 million; Medium sized projects valuing from £750,000 to £10 Million; Small Projects that were less than £750,000; Team Achievement and Studies & Research. The awards for each of the listed categories were either a Commended or Highly Commended. Another Award on the night was the William Kemp Award which is awarded to someone who has managed to consistently give a significant contribution to the civil engineering sector in the East Midlands throughout their career. Although the Awards take place annually, the William Kemp Award is not given every year, rather it is given in order to truly highlight the contribution that is given by the individual.
RWE and Engie are considering an alliance which would see RWE swap a stake in its renewables and grids spin-off Innogy for a minority interest in Engie, Reuters has reported. The utilities have discussed possible deals with advisors and bankers although there are no active talks between senior executives, according to four unnamed banking sources quoted by the news agency. The sources said a marriage between the European energy giants would not take place before the German elections in September. However, one went on to say that because no plants would be closed as part of a deal, it could otherwise proceed very swiftly. “There are indeed talks ongoing, but that does not mean they will succeed,” said another source from the French government. Innogy debuted on the Frankfurt stock exchange in October 2016, after the grids and renewables business was spun-off from of the rest of RWE. At the time of publication, the new company had a market capitalisation of €19.8 billion. RWE owns a 76.8 per cent stake in Innogy worth €15.2 billion. However, RWE is itself valued at just €10.7 billion, suggesting that the conventional generation operations which it retained following the separation are viewed as a liability by stock market investors, Reuters surmised. One deal being considered would involve RWE trading either some or all its interest in Innogy for a minority stake in Engie. A banker told the news outlet that a share swap could see RWE take ownership of up to one third in the new Franco-German group. The French government owns a 28.65 per cent share in Engie and the company is currently valued at €32.9 billion. Any agreement would need to ensure a balance between of power between the French government and RWE, the sources said. RWE and Engie and Innogy all declined to comment on the story, although a spokesman for Engie reiterated comments made by the company’s chief executive Isabelle Kocher, who in March denied reports from Bloomberg that her company had plans to take shares in Innogy.
Targeted support for vulnerable customers is right, says trade body – “The energy industry stands ready to work with the next government to help deliver an energy system that works for everyone,” Energy UK’s chef executive has claimed. Responding to the publication of the Conservative manifesto last week, Lawrence Slade welcomed wording which suggests the party’s threatened energy price cap will be limited to specific customer groups. “Targeting support for vulnerable customers and making sure the market works fairly for everyone are the right priorities, and the industry is absolutely committed to working with government and the regulator to achieve this,” he said. Prior to the publication of its manifesto, senior Conservative had suggested that price regulation in the domestic energy market would extend to 17 million consumers and result in a £100 annual saving per household. The manifesto commitment was considerably softer however, pledging to “introduce a safeguard tariff cap that will extend the price protection currently in place for some vulnerable customers to more customers on the poorest value”. For other consumers, the Conservatives will “maintain the competitive element of the retail energy market by supporting initiatives to make the switching process easier and more reliable”. Energy UK’s relief at the toning down of threatened market interventions was reflected at many energy supply firms, though one big six executive told Utility Week they were concerned by the implications of plans to extend a price cap to microbusiness customers. With regards to other energy commitments in the manifesto Energy UK urged a Conservative government to be swift in carrying out a promised review of energy costs in order to “provide policy clarity to the investment community”. It also pleaded for “an honest debate around the costs of decarbonisation, tackling fuel poverty, how to target support for the vulnerable and deliver security of supply – and how these are to be paid for.” The trade body acknowledged a willingness in the manifesto to countenance onshore wind development in the Scottish isles, but said it would like to see a Conservative government look “wider and further” to open up onshore wind opportunities. Energy UK has previously lobbied for a change to Tory opposition of onshore wind development, pointing to its strong cost competitveness in comparison to other renewable technolgies.
Worcester City Council has announced a £10.5 million pool extension. This work at the Perdiswell Leisure Centre will form part of a nationwide strategy to give support to facilities in the right areas that will encourage more people to take part in sport. This new project will create a state of the art swimming pool that will be up to competition standards and will also become a strategically placed venue that will help with the development of the sport for a number of years. The swimming pool will be extended and open at some point this year, and the project has been paid for in part by Sport England and their Strategic Facilities Fund. When the pool is open it will offer an eight lane swimming pool that measures 25m x 18m. Also constructed as part of the project is a 18m x 10m learner pool that is equipped with a moveable floor. Overlooking the pool area there will also be seating for a capacity of 250 spectators. The construction is being completed using innovative building techniques in order to ensure that the pool is at the highest standard possible and to make sure it is an asset to the swimming community for years to come. Carrying out the work on the new pool facilities is Speller Metcalfe, and the roofing on the project is being created by Britannia Site Solutions. The roof will be constructed with a 2,300m² Protan EX-A 1.5mm single ply polymer membrane that will be adhered to the roof decks that will be made out of concrete and aluminum. The roof element of this project is complex in comparison to the other features of the project because there are a number of different aspects to take in to consideration. There are a number of different penetrations in the roof and also other detailing to allow for the ducting systems to be installed. There are also a number of construction substrates to be considered and impact the chemically treated water of the pools could have on the roofing.
