Siemens unveils next-generation fire safety protection, paving the way for autonomous buildings
Siemens Smart Infrastructure today unveiled its new Cerberus Nova fire detector portfolio, set to transform traditional fire safety into a proactive, smart, and connected approach, part of the foundation of technologies that pave the way toward autonomous buildings. The new portfolio enhances operational safety, streamlines service team efficiency, allows for ease of system upgrades, and unlocks data-driven digital services through its cloud-connectivity. With their advanced technology, these systems are designed to meet various needs across industries such as healthcare, higher education, data centres and commercial real estate. In healthcare facilities, where patient safety and operational efficiency are both essential, Siemens new fire detectors ensure performance with continuous, autonomous detection. The automated Disturbance-Free Testing (DFT) technology runs self-checks around the clock, reducing systems’ potential downtime. With support of the Smoke Entry Supervision (SES) technology, which monitors smoke entry points in real time, safety teams can intervene immediately before risks escalate. Additionally, the ASAplus technology, incorporating multi-wavelength optical and dual thermal detection, minimises false alarms – decreasing unnecessary evacuations. The fully IoT-enabled detectors are compatible with cloud-based applications, such as Siemens Building X Fire Apps. These capabilities provide facility teams and service providers with shared, actionable data insights and allow for real-time monitoring, remote diagnostics, and predictive maintenance. Data centres’ high density of electrical systems and the need for continuous operations create unique fire safety risks, including overheating and electrical failures. Siemens Cerberus Nova detectors not only help maximise uptime of critical IT and electrical infrastructure, but also provide transparency on system conditions. Automated self-checks, cloud-based monitoring, and predictive maintenance allow facility teams to respond quickly and proactively, reducing disruptions and protecting these critical assets efficiently. Other industries, such as higher education and commercial real estate, often operate multiple, widely distributed buildings, making centralised fire safety management essential. Siemens Cerberus Nova detectors help facility teams maintain consistent protection standards across all sites by providing continuous monitoring, reducing the risk of unnecessary disruptions, and supporting proactive maintenance. This holistic approach provides an oversight of widely dispersed facilities and ensures reliable and resilient operations across the entire building portfolio. “The launch of our Cerberus Nova fire detection portfolio is a game-changer in ensuring all alarms are accurate. By moving from periodic checks to continuous, data-driven, self-supervising systems, we’re laying the foundation for truly human-centric, autonomous buildings. By automating testing, delivering real-time insights, and enabling remote action, these solutions protect people while freeing up staff to focus on strategic priorities. This shift isn’t just about innovation – it’s about smarter, safer, and more efficient operations,” said Peter Nebiker, Head of Fire Safety at Siemens Smart Infrastructure Buildings. No matter the industry, the best-in-class Siemens Cerberus Nova detectors represent a transformative approach to fire safety. They allow for stepwise upgrades while ensuring continuous protection, making them suitable for both green- and brownfield projects. Existing fire panels remain compatible, eliminating the need for a rip-and-replace approach. By allowing for plug-and-play integration including automatic transfers of configured settings, these systems offer seamless modernisation while reducing installation time and risk. Carrying an environmental product performance label – Siemens EcoTech – for enhanced sustainability transparency, the detectors are not only made of recycled plastics, but also promote environmentally responsible design, resource efficiency, and circular economy principles. The Cerberus Nova fire detectors are part of the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, an open digital business platform that enables customers to accelerate their digital transformation easier, faster and at scale. The offering has been developed in Switzerland, where it is also being produced. For more information on the new Cerberus Nova fire detection portfolio, please see https://www.siemens.com/en-us/products/fire-detection/cerberus-nova-fire-detectors/ For more information on Siemens Smart Infrastructure, please see https://www.siemens.com/global/en/company/about/businesses/smart-infrastructure.html Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Tustin Estate’s Next Chapter: Bouygues UK Signs Contract to Deliver 284 New Homes for Southwark Residents as Phase 2 Progresses
Building on the success of Phase 1, Bouygues UK continues as both developer and contractor, delivering a landmark estate regeneration scheme in partnership with residents. Bouygues UK is pleased to announce the contract signing for Phase 2 of the Tustin Estate regeneration in Southwark, a significant milestone in one of London’s most ambitious community-led housing programmes. Bouygues UK brings a unique, integrated approach to the scheme, enabling end-to-end accountability and seamless delivery. Phase 2 will deliver 284 new homes, comprising 279 council homes and 5 shared equity homes for returning leaseholders. This will provide long-term, quality housing for residents at the heart of their community. ‘Tustin Estate is a community with deep roots, and it deserves a developer who is equally committed to its future. We are proud to be Southwark’s long-term partner in delivering genuinely affordable homes. Together we are creating a neighbourhood that residents can be proud of for generations to come’ Oliver Campbell, Managing Director, Development, Bouygues UK The announcement builds on the successful completion of Phase 1, where close collaboration between Bouygues UK, Southwark Council and local residents set a high standard for community engagement, design and delivery. Lessons learned from Phase 1 will ensure Phase 2 achieves the same high quality and community focussed delivery. Maintaining continuity of the project team across phases means residents benefit from a team that knows the estate intimately, its people, its history, and its ambitions. Project Highlights A Commitment to Sustainable Design Sustainability is embedded throughout Phase 2. The continuation of the SELCHP district heating connection reduces residents’ reliance on carbon-intensive energy sources, while the targeted 85% carbon emissions reduction against Part L sets a benchmark for low-carbon residential development in London. Bouygues UK’s in-house sustainability expertise ensures that environmental ambition is an outcome delivered in practice. A Neighbourhood Shaped by Its Community Building on the successful community partnerships established during Phase 1, Bouygues UK continues to work in close collaboration with residents to co-create their future neighbourhood. Collaborative design workshops with dRMM Studio Architects have empowered residents to influence everything from estate signage to interior colour schemes, ensuring the development authentically reflects the community’s aspirations. This resident-centred approach goes beyond consultation. It represents a genuine commitment to placemaking, giving the people who will live in these homes a real and meaningful stake in how they are designed and built. ‘Collaborating with residents and architects to create homes that genuinely fit the community has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey. Our goal is for Tustin Estate to be a place residents are proud to call home.’ Manon Smits, Development Manager, Bouygues UK Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Sale of Asda distribution centre in Wigan completes for £14.235 million
Colliers represented Asda in the transaction The 322,198 sq ft warehouse, located on the Wheatlea Industrial Estate, is sold with full vacant possession. Prime Box will act as development manager and, together with JD.com, is looking to bring forward a full refurbishment of the asset. The deal forms part of Prime Box’s strategy to acquire and reposition assets across the UK. John Sullivan, director in the Industrial & Logistics team at Colliers, comments: “We are pleased to have disposed of the distribution centre for Asda as part of its rationalisation strategy. The North West continues to offer some of the best located warehouses for distribution across the UK and there’s a real depth of demand for value-add opportunities.” Rob Butterworth, Head of Estates at Asda, added: “Wigan has not been a part of our supply chain for a number of years and following the end of a tenancy last year, it made sense to release the property back to the market. We’re pleased to have worked with Colliers in the disposal of the site.” Rock Real Estate and ACRE Capital Real Estate advised Prime Box. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
British Antarctic Survey’s Discovery Building first in Antarctica to achieve Outstanding sustainability rating
The British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Discovery Building at Rothera Research Station has become the first building in Antarctica to achieve an Outstanding BREEAM accreditation, the UK’s highest standard in sustainable construction awarded to just 1% of accredited projects worldwide. The accolade has been awarded to the £100 million facility, designed and constructed as part of BAS‘ Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme and delivered in collaboration with BAS partners BAM UK & Ireland, Sweco, Ramboll, Hugh Broughton Architects, NORR and Turner & Townsend. Reaching a standard attained by fewer than one in a hundred buildings globally is a landmark moment for sustainable building, achieved in the Antarctic Peninsula where construction and operational challenges are unlike anywhere else on Earth. “This is a historic achievement,” said Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director of BAS, who formally opened the building in January. “The Discovery Building is not just the largest UK construction project ever undertaken in Antarctica, it now has the highest level of UK sustainability accreditation. The rating reflects the dedication of everyone involved and our absolute commitment to polar science and operations which support our journey to net-zero.” The building is on track to reduce Rothera’s carbon emissions by 25%, cutting the station’s reliance on marine gas oil and consolidates many older buildings into one modern hub. The Discovery Building uses combined heat and power generators that recover waste heat from the gas exhaust and hot water jackets to warm the building. The building management system automates heating and ventilation to adjust to the number of rooms being used. External insulated wall panels retain heat and over 80 solar panels are installed on the north elevation of the building. The structure of the building itself ensures energy efficiency with its 90m spinal corridor, so teams can carry out their work and operations all in one place without opening external doors. A curved wind-deflector prevents snow accumulation around the building, reducing the fuel and time needed to clear it at the start of each summer season. Thoughtful design features, including the use of colour and multi-purpose spaces, also support the wellbeing of the researchers and support staff who live and work there in isolation for months at a time. Commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Discovery Building and the new site-wide services across Rothera is a centrepiece of the UK government’s £670 million Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme, the largest government investment in polar science infrastructure since the 1980s. The programme has already delivered the polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough, upgraded wharfs at Rothera and King Edward Point research stations, and an upgraded runway at Rothera. This investment reflects the UK’s long-term commitment to world-leading polar science and Britain’s enduring presence in Antarctica. The long-term monitoring conducted at Rothera, from ice sheet stability to marine ecosystems provides critical insights into global climate systems and ocean changes that affect people and communities far beyond the polar regions. Construction began in 2019 and is due for full completion this year.Take a video tour of the Discovery Building with Eliot Perez, Assistant Project Manager, Rothera Modernisation. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Young people learn about careers in construction on visit to Bellway development near Newcastle
Bellway hosted a visit by a group of young people at its Newcastle headquarters to help promote awareness of career opportunities in the construction industry. The 19 students were given a tour of the Western Grange development in Killingworth and met Bellway staff at the company’s head office in Woolsington as part of a weeklong bootcamp organised by the non-profit academy Regeneration Brainery. The organisation aims to boost diversity in the property and regeneration sector by increasing job awareness and providing hands-on work experience opportunities for 14 to 21-year-olds thinking about a career in the industry. The group were hosted by Bellway on the third day of their five-day bootcamp on Wednesday 18 March. The day began with a visit to Bellway’s head office, where the students were given introductions to core parts of the business, such as commercial, architecture, construction, sales and marketing, and customer care. The group then took part in a construction team challenge featuring dominoes to bring it to life, which was followed by an interactive session where they were tasked with planning, analysing and pitching a potential land acquisition. In the afternoon, the students were taken to the nearby Western Grange development where they got to see homes at various stages of construction and take part in a bricklaying challenge. Laura Cooper, Head of Learning & Organisational Development at Bellway, said: “Faced with an increasing skills shortage, it’s absolutely vital for the construction industry to attract people from a diverse range of backgrounds, enabling it to draw on the widest pool of talent available. In order to do this, it must not only raise awareness about the variety of opportunities that exist but also to give young people first-hand experience of what these roles entail. “Regeneration Brainery aims to do exactly that, by connecting young people thinking about a career in construction to experienced professionals who can give them a valuable insight into what working in the industry is really like. We were really pleased to partner with this forward-thinking project and it was a pleasure to host the group of young people on the day. We hope they found the experience useful and that they now feel better informed about the range of exciting career opportunities that are open to them. “Partnering with organisations such as Regeneration Brainery complements the work we already doing to raise awareness of careers in construction through our ongoing outreach with schools and colleges in the areas around our developments. And, as a company, we are committed to increasing the ethnic and gender diversity of our workforce while continuing to provide opportunities for young people to enter the industry through our graduate and apprenticeship programmes.” More information about career opportunities with Bellway can be found at https://www.bellwaycareers.co.uk/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Great Places delivers new affordable homes at Park Hill – backed by Homes England
A major new phase of the regeneration of Park Hill in Sheffield will see 24% of homes delivered as affordable housing, following a new agreement between joint venture (JV) partners Urban Splash and Places for People and leading housing association Great Places Housing Group. The deal means that 30 of the 125 homes planned for Phase 4 at the iconic Grade II*-listed estate will be affordable. It builds on a longstanding partnership, with Great Places having previously delivered 96 homes in the first phase and working alongside Urban Splash for more than 20 years. Helen Spencer, Executive Director of Growth at Great Places, said: “This is a significant step forward for Park Hill and for Sheffield. We’re proud to be strengthening our long-standing partnership to deliver more high-quality, affordable homes in one of the UK’s most important regeneration projects. This investment will ensure more people can be part of Park Hill’s next chapter, in a community that continues to grow in strength and diversity.” The agreement is supported by funding from Homes England, which has backed Great Places’ acquisition of the homes, alongside its wider £6.4m investment into the development’s fourth phase that was announced by the JV in January. Work is set to begin this month, with the new phase also delivering enhanced public realm, EV charging points, car club facilities, and secure cycle storage. The new homes build on more than a decade of progress at Park Hill, where Urban Splash and Places for People have already delivered 455 homes, accommodation for 356 students, over 50,000 sq ft of commercial space, and extensive public realm improvements. Nilam Buchanan, Regional Managing Director for Central and North Developments at Places for People, added: “Park Hill is one of the UK’s most exciting regeneration stories, and throughout its redevelopment we have prioritised creating homes of mixed tenure – and are proud to bring in more affordable homes here. By working in partnership, we’re delivering a mix of homes and spaces that support a genuinely inclusive and sustainable community – one that reflects the character of Sheffield while looking firmly to the future.” Guy Ackernley is Managing Director of Development and Residential at Urban Splash and added: “Bringing forward more affordable homes at Park Hill is hugely important to us. This partnership ensures that the next phase continues to open up this iconic building to a wider range of residents, while maintaining the quality, design and sense of place that defines Park Hill today.” Urban Splash and Places for People will also deliver a fifth phase. Already consented, it will bring a further 105 homes, including apartments, duplexes, and townhouses, alongside new commercial space for independent businesses, adding to a growing community that includes South Street Kitchen, The Pearl, and Grace Owen Nursery. For further information and to register for details of the new homes visit: https://www.urbansplash.co.uk/regeneration/projects/park-hill Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals