The UK construction industry should beware insolvencies as demand weakens and margins are squeezed, warns UK consultant Turner & Townsend. Its latest market analysis points to falling demand, rising input costs and lower margins, and notes that the number of construction insolvencies far outstrips those in retail. The confusion over
Aggregate Industries’ coloured asphalt solution was the choice of Nottinghamshire’s new £5 million Sherwood Forest visitor centre. The project was developed by an RSPB-led consortium and Nottinghamshire County Council and it includes flagship facilities such as a shop, a café with an outside terrace, an amphitheatre as well as a
Polished concrete floors are more popular than ever – not just in industrial environments but in homes, hotels and even restaurants. But what’s behind their popularity? The team at Total Concrete are here to tell you. Style Concrete as a material is not commonly associated with beautiful decor and surfaces,
The covers give access to vital below ground services such as drainage while blending the floor’s paving with the overall surface. They are typically used in retail parks and public areas that demand a prestige finish. FAB PAVE products can also be found at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium, The Amex which is home
Skip hire services, while second nature to those in the construction industry, can seem a daunting enterprise for those who may have never used one. From knowing what you can and can’t throw in them to deciding what size to hire, skips for some are alien; but they needn’t be.
The approval of a horticulture/landscaper supervisor apprenticeship is the latest in a suite of new standards which are revolutionising careers for the future in arboriculture, forestry horticulture and landscape industries. The new apprenticeship, announced by the arboriculture, forestry, horticulture and landscape apprenticeship trailblazer group will provide the technical and supervisory
Two women managing directors who have carved out successful niches in Scotland’s male-dominated construction sector have been elected joint winners at the latest hub South West Building for Growth Programme awards event held last week in Glasgow’s 29 Club. In a break with tradition, a panel of eminent construction sector
Countryside Properties has started construction work on the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) residential site in Redhill, Surrey. The redevelopment project will provide RNIB with specialised accommodation for up to 50 residents as well as 77 luxury new homes for sale on the open market. The completed development
Friday (7 December) at the 42nd BALI National Landscape Awards, BALI Registered Contractor Bowles & Wyer received the coveted Grand Award for a Private Residence in the Chilterns, the stunning implementation of a garden design by BALI Registered Designer Gavin McWilliam and Andrew Wilson. A BALI member since 1993 and
Cube Glass, the fast-growing Scottish glass and aluminium specialist installer, has won another six-figure order, this time for Park’s Motor Group and its prestigious new McLaren dealership in Leeds. As part of a substantial project, it will supply aluminium curtain walling at a purpose built, 12,000 square feet showroom at
The UK construction industry should beware insolvencies as demand weakens and margins are squeezed, warns UK consultant Turner & Townsend. Its latest market analysis points to falling demand, rising input costs and lower margins, and notes that the number of construction insolvencies far outstrips those in retail. The confusion over Brexit keeps persisting and contractors expect tender prices to increase 2.9% in 2019, outstripped by increasing materials costs of 5.3% and labour costs rising 4.5%. Only 28.4% of contractors expect the market to improve, against 42.1% prior to the Brexit vote in June 2016. According to official data, construction witnessed the highest insolvency rate of any UK economic sector, with 2,924 insolvencies recorded in the 12 months to the end of September 2018. This figure is 28.8% higher than the UK’s struggling retail sector. Turner & Townsend thinks that the underlying cause is weakening demand in construction. Despite a small 3.4% rise on the previous quarter, new orders in Q3 2018 were down almost a third (30.8%) on the high levels seen in 2017. As a result, Turner & Townsend’s latest UK market intelligence report finds that half of contractors (50.5%) surveyed were experiencing lukewarm tendering conditions, reporting increased competition and moderate price growth. The trends are hurting profit margins. The analysis shows median margins for tier one contractors standing at 3% and 5% for tier two contractors. Since the start of 2016, median tier one margins have shrunk by a quarter and tier two margins by half, leading Turner & Townsend to warn of a heightened risk of insolvency. “So much rests on the Brexit withdrawal agreement and there remain risks of further decreases in demand, coupled with increases in the costs of materials and labour from the continent and elsewhere. Contractors’ already-thin margins could clearly come under further pressure, ” said Paul Connolly, UK managing director of cost management. “It’s essential for clients to be proactive about these risks – monitoring for warning signs, undertaking wide-ranging due diligence during procurement, and using project controls to pre-empt and correct problems at an early stage. It’s about checking and challenging the supply chain, but also collaborating – understand suppliers’ pressures and concerns, as well as holding them to account,” he added. Turner & Townsend’s report outlines the steps clients should take in terms of watching for warning signs, due diligence, pre-emption of problems, and creating a resilient client-supplier dynamic.
Aggregate Industries’ coloured asphalt solution was the choice of Nottinghamshire’s new £5 million Sherwood Forest visitor centre. The project was developed by an RSPB-led consortium and Nottinghamshire County Council and it includes flagship facilities such as a shop, a café with an outside terrace, an amphitheatre as well as a play area for children. The Edwinstowe centre, which opened at the end of August 2018, provides information on the area’s rich wildlife and woodland as well information on the Robin Hood legend. In order to complement the resin bond golden gravel used on the rest of the site, contractors Woodhead Construction and RN Surfacing were required to source asphalt. They selected Aggregate Industries’ SuperColour Ultra. “Due to the high profile nature of this project, it was vital for us to work with a supplier offering innovative asphalt solutions, with extensive colour and performance capabilities. I’d like to thank Aggregate Industries for delivering a first class service throughout – by providing us with bespoke samples of their natural coloured asphalts, we were able to practically test out and decide on the best possible solution to help us meet the client’s unique aesthetic brief,” explained Amy Stamford, Quantity Surveyor at Woodhead Group. The Aggregate Industries solution is a range of distinctly coloured asphalts, which uses a translucent penetration grade, resinous hydrocarbon binder. The special binder is readily pigmented and provides a wide range of asphalt colours. Overall, Aggregate Industries supplied 60 tonnes of SuperColour Ultra in natural colour. “As an area of outstanding beauty, it was important for the new visitor centre at Sherwood Forest Country Park to be in keeping with the natural surroundings, including the materials used for landscaping and surfacing. With a selection of high performance asphalt materials at our disposal, including different colours and performance properties, we’re delighted our bespoke SuperColour Ultra succeeded in achieving the naturally appealing look and superior performance the client was after,” said Victoria Smith, general manager of Express Asphalt at Aggregate Industries.
Polished concrete floors are more popular than ever – not just in industrial environments but in homes, hotels and even restaurants. But what’s behind their popularity? The team at Total Concrete are here to tell you. Style Concrete as a material is not commonly associated with beautiful decor and surfaces, however, polished concrete can be a superb surface that can complement almost any interior design. The sleek aesthetic works perfectly in kitchens and bathrooms, as well as wider spaces like hotel lobbies – it still possesses the uniform presence of concrete, but the polished aspect gives it a little more class. Longevity Providing you make sure to maintain the concrete floor as necessary, it can last for years on end. Its strength means that it can withstand even the heaviest of footfalls – perfect for busy commercial environments like shops and restaurants – and there’s no need for major facelifts or maintenance like there may be with other types of flooring. For all commercial cleaning needs contact CHOR Services. Maintenance Concrete floors require hardly any maintenance compared to other services. All you need is a pH-neutral cleaning agent, some warm water and a mop. Wiping the floor down once every so often will ensure that marks are removed and the hygiene levels of the floor are preserved. It is recommended that you re-seal or wax the concrete every two to three years to ensure it retains its water-resistance. Cost A polished concrete floor is an investment, owing to its fantastic lifespan and the lack of costs associated with its upkeep and maintenance. It’s on-trend at the moment, too, so if you were to sell a property with a polished concrete floor in it, you can be sure the pricetag of your property would benefit from its presence. Colour options The days of concrete only being grey are long gone; now, concrete is available in a spectrum of colours. There are a couple of ways concrete can be coloured; acid staining is one such method, but a modern technique is using pre-cut coloured overlays – thin pieces of concrete – and placing them on top of the floor itself. Concrete floors needn’t just be used for warehouses and and hangars, they can be used for anything – kitchens, bathrooms, shops, you name it. All you need is a trusted installer and some high quality concrete . This article is produced by Total Concrete , proud suppliers of the highest quality concrete for customers throughout Surrey, Woking and the surrounding areas.
The covers give access to vital below ground services such as drainage while blending the floor’s paving with the overall surface. They are typically used in retail parks and public areas that demand a prestige finish. FAB PAVE products can also be found at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium, The Amex which is home to Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham’s London stadium, Old Trafford, St James’ Park in Newcastle and Leicester’s King Power ground. Champions League finalists Liverpool also have a number of FAB PAVE access covers outside its club shop at Anfield FSP also has Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club onside after providing its FAB TRAY™ recessed cover during a recent Molineux Stadium upgrade while FAB TRAYs can be found at the reigning Eithad Stadium, home to Premiership League Champions Manchester City. The firm developed and supplied bespoke circular solid top access covers for a project to the Bearwood training ground where Reading FC plays and the home of British tennis at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in Wimbledon commissioned stainless steel drainage channels from FSP during improvements to its entrance. Its access covers can also be found at the nation’s footballing mecca Wembley and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in Stratford, London, and FSP has also supplied products to Chelsea and Manchester City’s training complexes. Richard Hilton, Managing Director of the firm, which is based in Telford, Shropshire, said: “Our ranges are ideal for paved environments, particularly where a high quality finish is important, such as these world class sporting venues. “It is a testament to the versatility of our ranges that we have been able to make such in-roads to this sector. The ability to order off the shelf or have a bespoke design to suit specific engineering function or aesthetic design means FSP products are fast becoming the product of choice for contractors and clients.” FAB PAVE access covers have also featured in other high profile locations including the refurbishment of Eleftheria Square in Nicosia, Cyprus, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès Cannes in France where the world famous film festival takes place, and Terminal 2a, known as the Queen’s Terminal, at Heathrow Airport.
Skip hire services, while second nature to those in the construction industry, can seem a daunting enterprise for those who may have never used one. From knowing what you can and can’t throw in them to deciding what size to hire, skips for some are alien; but they needn’t be. From the skip hire services you should expect to see available to the benefits you can enjoy and of course, the many uses associated with them, we want to share the ultimate guide to skip hire – what you need to know. Let’s take a look. Skip Hire Services Available Domestic – domestic skip hire covers households that may be renovating their homes. Whether you’re redoing your bathroom or clearing the garden, domestic skip hire is available for all your non-commercial or trade needs. In the end, you may find them quite useful even for domestic purposes. By typing on your browser commercial dumpster rental near me, you will find attractive local services entirely hassle-free, thus ideal for you. Builder/Trade – builder or trade skip hire usually refers to smaller tradesmen or a builder, usually working alone that may be carrying out smaller jobs such as the renovations a client isn’t able to do themselves. While still technically commercial, they aren’t considered a company, rather sole traders or loan workers. Commercial – commercial skip hire is quite possible the biggest umbrella term as it covers everything from small companies to large, industrial sized companies that require skip hire and waste management on a regular basis. Wait And Load – ideal for both domestic, trade and commercial uses. The wait and load skip hire service does exactly what it says on the tin. One of our team will arrive with the size skip of your choice, wait while you load it and leave. This is ideal for those in need of multiple skips in quick succession or those without the space to house a skip for a prolonged period. The Benefits Of Skip Hire Whether you’re a commercial client or domestic, everyone can appreciate the same benefits that skip hire can offer; from simple convenience to cost. Convenient – it’s one of the biggest reasons people choose skip hire – sheer convenience. skip hire with Mackers means simply telling them what size skip you want, when you want it and where you want it. Some companies offer same day delivery of your skip, quickly and efficiently. If the skip will be placed on your front drive or private site, great, if not you can even pay for the necessary skip hire permit needed to place them on a public road. While some may argue that you could of course take your waste to your local council skip, there’s always the question of how you’re going to get it there. This can be especially problematic for particularly dirty or dusty jobs, when you don’t own a commercial vehicle. Add on the time needed to load and unload your vehicle as well as drive to and from your local tip and it makes perfect sense to simply have a skip delivered to you. No need to worry about opening times and the added labour of unloading your vehicle when you get there. Cost – many assume the cost of a skip and immediately decide against it, when they can, “sling it in the car and take it to the tip myself”. What many don’t realise however, is that skip prices start from far lower than most assume. Then of course when you take into account the time it takes travelling to and from your local tip, as well as the cost to clean and in some cases, repair your vehicle and it’s a no brainer. Don’t have a vehicle and have to rent a van in order to do it yourself and you’ll find yourself spending a lot more money than perhaps even multiple skips would cost. Save Your Car – our cars, besides our homes, are perhaps some of the most expensive purchases in our lifetime. We work hard to pay for them so why risk damaging them by filling them with rubbish, waste from renovations, old metal and more, just to save spending money on a skip. Not only would you risk damaging the interior of your car but you would be adding unnecessary mileage on to it too. Try cramming too much in there and you’ll also risk the sight of blue lights pulling you over before laying a heavy fine on you. Just imagine how many trips you’d have to make to the tip in order to move the same amount of waste a small 6-yard skip could hold. Environmentally Friendly – using a company such as, Mackers Skip Hire, you not only find a convenient and cost-effective way to rid you of your waste but you also find an environmentally friendly skip hire method too. Mackers Skip Hire In short, using a professional skip hire company will not only save you time but it will also save you money. Add to this the ‘green’ factor as well as the damage you’ll save to your car and it makes perfect sense to hire a skip instead. For more information on the skip hire services check out Mackers Skip Hire.
The approval of a horticulture/landscaper supervisor apprenticeship is the latest in a suite of new standards which are revolutionising careers for the future in arboriculture, forestry horticulture and landscape industries. The new apprenticeship, announced by the arboriculture, forestry, horticulture and landscape apprenticeship trailblazer group will provide the technical and supervisory skills for those who are maintaining and installing parks, gardens and commercial landscapes. This apprenticeship joins the arborist, forest operative and horticulture / landscape operative apprenticeship standards that were approved in the summer of 2017. Designed by employers working together as the trailblazer group, they contain the skills, knowledge and behaviours that will provide the industry with highly-qualified workers. All these apprenticeships contain the key practical skills required for workers in their respective roles – from tree climbing, planting and felling to soil cultivation and hard landscaping. Successful candidates must pass rigorous end tests that demonstrates they have not only reached the standards required by employers, but also that they can put their skills and knowledge together and do the job effectively. In their first year of being available for delivery, 127 candidates registered on the arborist and 507 on the horticulture / landscape operative apprenticeships. This represents a solid start for these new programmes and the trailblazer group is committed to working with training and assessment providers to make these programmes successful. The employers in the trailblazer group are now discussing future applications for further apprenticeship standards, based on the findings of a recent survey of relevant businesses. Bartlett Tree Experts has stepped down as the lead employer for the trailblazer group and we would like to thank them for their tireless leadership throughout the project. They remain Chair of the arboriculture sub-group and are succeeded by Ground Control Ltd, who have been Chairing the horticulture sub-group since the start in 2014. This work would not have been possible without the hard work, investment and persistence of employers and trade organisations from the industries concerned, which shows how important it is that we work together to ensure the supply of skilled and motivated new entrants to our respective sectors.
Two women managing directors who have carved out successful niches in Scotland’s male-dominated construction sector have been elected joint winners at the latest hub South West Building for Growth Programme awards event held last week in Glasgow’s 29 Club. In a break with tradition, a panel of eminent construction sector judges concluded that of the eight participating companies on the Building for Growth programme, two businesses, one run by Claire Donnelly, MD of Hillington-based Aspire Industrial Services, and another by Caroline Barrett, MD of CVD Fire Protection from its base in Carluke, Lanarkshire, best demonstrated their vision, strategic planning and leadership. Aspire Industrial Services, which was established only last year is a one-stop shop for the supply hire, testing and servicing for asbestos, construction and demolition activities, with an open trade counter where customers can buy their Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), and branded work and corporate wear. Claire said: “We are a young business, but we have already been fortunate enough to win a number of major contracts on construction sites throughout the UK by introducing innovative products which seek to make construction sites safer. “The Building for Growth programme has been a brilliant opportunity to consider carefully how we can make our business bigger and better and capable of regularly winning work from Tier One construction sector contractors.” CVD Fire Protection, which was established in 1997 is a 50-employee strong, £3m turnover business which provides fire protection, diamond concrete drilling and cutting services to the construction industry. Caroline said: “I really enjoyed the hub’s Building for Growth programme. It was full of ideas on how to make your business better and focused our brains to think about “working on” our businesses rather than simply “working in” them. Above all, I think, it has taught me the importance of having a strategic approach, and I am delighted to have won this award.” A public-private partnership funded by Scotland’s business development agencies and a clutch of Tier One contractors including Morisons, Ashleigh, Graham, Morgan Sindall and Keir, hub South West’s development programme is aimed at ambitious companies in construction and related sectors based in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. Now in its ninth cycle, its Building for Growth programme is targeted at ambitious local SMEs looking to grow in a sustainable manner by building upon the skills and internal capacity to take on increasing volumes of work. Over 90 delegates from 72 companies across the region have now graduated from the course. Session workshops focus on topics such as smart tendering, team building, strategic growth and exit options, marketing planning, supplier development programmes, corporate social responsibility and pitching for business. Gordon Hunter, Supply Chain Development Manager at hub South West, said: “Our Building for Growth programme, has already delivered success to the leaders of its participating companies by both broadening and deepening their grasp of the factors needed to win more new, bigger contracts from the Tier One contractors. “We hope and trust that Claire and Caroline and the other participants in our ninth Building for Growth programme will follow in their footsteps.”
Countryside Properties has started construction work on the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) residential site in Redhill, Surrey. The redevelopment project will provide RNIB with specialised accommodation for up to 50 residents as well as 77 luxury new homes for sale on the open market. The completed development will include the refurbishment of the Grade II Listed Tudor House and Garden Cottage. At the heart of the scheme is a Sensory Trail which uses sounds, smells and textures to aid navigation around the site. “We are proud to be working with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) on redeveloping their Redhill site. Central to the new site are innovations such as the Sensory Trail, which highlights the role that hearing, touch and smell can play in assisting people with sight loss to navigate around the site. We hope that this will also inspire other property developers to pursue more partnerships in the charity sector that benefit social care and help connect local communities,” said Iain McPherson, Managing Director of Countryside’s New Homes & Communities South Region. In November 2015 planning permission for the redevelopment was granted and after a complex demolition and infrastructure programme, the first RNIB accommodation and private homes are now under construction. The first specialised accommodation is expected to be completed by Spring 2019, along with the occupation of the first open market homes. Meanwhile, Countryside will be launching a show home in January 2019 to demonstrate the quality of their homes.
Friday (7 December) at the 42nd BALI National Landscape Awards, BALI Registered Contractor Bowles & Wyer received the coveted Grand Award for a Private Residence in the Chilterns, the stunning implementation of a garden design by BALI Registered Designer Gavin McWilliam and Andrew Wilson. A BALI member since 1993 and winner of numerous BALI Awards, including the Grand Award and the Design & Build Award in 2010, Bowles & Wyer impressed the BALI Adjudication Panel with this year’s scheme. The BALI National Landscape Awards, with headline sponsor Green-tech, are held annually at London’s Grosvenor House on Park Lane and are the largest landscape Awards in Europe. They recognise excellence in landscape design, construction and maintenance, and in Affiliate customer service, achieved by Registered members of the British Association of Landscape Industries. 127 entries were judged this year and 101 National Awards made. The Awards ceremony was hosted by popular sports journalist and breakfast TV presenter Dan Walker, who addressed the record-breaking audience of over 1000 BALI members and guests during the luncheon and joined Awards sponsors on stage to present the 29 Principal and 3 Special Awards. The presentation of the Grand Award to Bowles & Wyer’s Managing Director Dan Riddleston was made by headline sponsor Green-tech’s Sales Director, Richard Gill. VIP guests this year included Sue Biggs CBE, Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society; Adam White, President and Daniel Cook, Chief Executive of the Landscape Institute; Sarah Morgan, Chair of the Society of Garden Designers; Matthew Bradbury, Chair of The Parks Alliance; and Rod Winrow, Chairman of the Association of Professional Landscapers. Bowles & Wyer, which is based in Bedfordshire, received the Grand Award – BALI’s highest accolade – at this year’s ceremony for their landscaping of a Private Residence in the Chilterns. The BALI Awards adjudication panel highlighted the sheer scale of the project, from the initial major earthworks and installation of attenuation draining to the outstanding hard paving and construction of multiple walls and terraces. The stunning planting schemes in a series of garden rooms had, said the judges, “also benefitted from the expert horticultural hands of the contractor”, making it a worthy recipient of the Grand Award. Bowles & Wyer is no stranger to BALI Awards success and has a long track record of delivering exceptional schemes, in both the domestic and commercial markets. Commenting on the company’s achievement, outgoing chair of the adjudication panel Greg Allen said: “It is wonderful to see a private garden scheme winning the Grand Award. The complexity and challenges of this project belie what is a simply beautiful and tranquil space. Designed to create a series of garden rooms, each with their own ambience and interest, this scheme is proof that however good a design may be it relies entirely for its truthful implementation on the skill and expertise of the contractor. Bowles & Wyer has demonstrated its professional excellence across the board and the judges’ decision to recognise the company’s achievements was unanimous.” A full list of award-winners and a description of the winning schemes is available on BALI’s website here. Benefitting from a collection at the event, this year’s chosen charities were Greenfingers Charity, which creates beautiful outdoor spaces in hospices for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families, and the BALI Chalk Fund, which supports education and training in the landscape sector, including the BALI GoLandscape careers outreach initiative. The total amount raised was £5,353.
Cube Glass, the fast-growing Scottish glass and aluminium specialist installer, has won another six-figure order, this time for Park’s Motor Group and its prestigious new McLaren dealership in Leeds. As part of a substantial project, it will supply aluminium curtain walling at a purpose built, 12,000 square feet showroom at Aire Valley Drive, featuring the latest McLaren brand identity. The company will cover 370 sq metres with a special product from the German-based global giant Schueco Group, the industry leader in window, door and façade technology and service. The new contract for a top-end client is the latest in a string of successes for Cube Glass, which focuses on curtain walling, doors, windows, glass roofing systems and shop fronts as well as bullet, bomb and blast resistant glass. It is set to secure record sales this year of around £2.75 million. “We have carried out work for Park’s Motor Group in the past, but this is a particularly exciting project at its fantastic new space in Leeds, which is only the eighth McLaren retail partner in the UK,” said Gary Thorn, Cube Glass founder and Managing Director. “Park’s is a leading name in the luxury car market. The work, which will be carried out by APP Construction, takes us into new areas and expands our portfolio as well as continuing our association with some very prestigious brands,” Gary added. The company currently has 14 direct employees and 12 sub-contractors and expects this number to increase in the new year. Around 80 per cent of the company’s sales are made to major companies including Hilton Hotels, the Ministry of Defence, Morris and Spottiswood and Clark Contracts.
