Novus and The Guinness Partnership – delivering for communities across the South West
National maintenance, refurbishment and fit-out contractor Novus Property Solutions has secured a new 15-year planned improvement and major works contract with The Guinness Partnership in the South West, reinforcing a 14-year strong relationship of trusted delivery and shared purpose. Valued at £11 million per year, the contract will see Novus deliver a comprehensive programme of planned maintenance works, including kitchen and bathroom replacements, electrical heating upgrades, external works and window and door installations. Ensuring homes remain safe, comfortable and fit for modern living, the scope also includes addressing any defects classified as a significant hazard under the terms of Awaab’s Law which came into force in October 2025. The Guinness Partnership is one of the largest affordable housing providers in England, with more than 160,000 residents living in more than 70,000 homes. Committed to providing high quality homes, the framework with Novus directly supports operational delivery alongside social value to ensure meaningful impact in homes and their communities. Steve Gayter, Executive Director of Operations at Novus Property Solutions, said: “Over the past 14 years, we have developed a way of working with The Guinness Partnership that prioritises quality, responsiveness and a positive experience for every resident. Being awarded this 15-year framework for the South West region is a reflection of our ability to deliver at scale and to the highest standards while remaining focussed on the individual needs of the communities we serve.” Catriona Simons, Group Chief Executive at The Guinness Partnership said: “We’re delighted to welcome Novus Property Solutions as one of our five new long-term partners, and for them to have formally signed our Planned Investment and Major Works contract. These partnerships demonstrate our shared commitment to investing in and improving residents’ homes and marks the beginning of a relationship we expect to grow and strengthen in the years ahead, as we work together to deliver lasting benefits for our residents. “Residents are central to this partnership. When selecting our partners, we placed residents’ priorities at the front of the process. Their feedback – ranging from the importance of clear communication to consistently high‑quality works – directly shaped our decisions and will continue to guide how these partnerships operate day to day. “We look forward to working closely with Novus Property Solutions in the years ahead, as we focus on improving residents’ homes.” Novus Property Solutions has supported The Guinness Partnership since 2012, delivering more than 2,400 component upgrades as part of its planned maintenance programme. Work has included carrying out upgrades under the SHDF Wave 2 retrofit covering EWI, windows and doors, roofing, and ventilation to 50 properties in Crewe which was completed ahead of schedule. The team also successfully undertook a heritage refurbishment project including roofing works, fire safety upgrades and conservation-compliant finishes for 117 apartments housed within Grade II buildings at Lansdown Crescent in Cheltenham. To find out more about Novus Property Solutions please visit https://www.novussolutions.co.uk/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Doka Intelligent Heated Formwork to make its UK debut at the UK Concrete Show
The stage is set for Doka to showcase its Intelligent Heated Formwork prototype at this year’s UK Concrete Show. The formwork and scaffolding specialist’s next-generation system sets a new standard in automated formwork, enabling safe, efficient use of CO2reduced concrete all-year-round. The two-day UK Concrete Show (25-26 March) at NEC Birmingham provides the Intelligent Heated Formwork with its first UK demonstration, following its successful unveiling at last year’s Bauma international construction trade fair. Using targeted electrical heating, the intelligent formwork accelerates low-carbon concrete curing in walls and slabs. This supports greater building schedule certainty and leads to potential CO2 savings of circa one-third compared to a standard concrete mix. Robert Hauser, Doka CEO, said: “CO2-reduced concrete is a key driver of change, and Doka is committed to supporting a lower carbon construction future. This aligns with our own ambitious goal of achieving net zero by 2040.” Concrete and cement are significant contributors to construction’s global CO2 impact. The development of low-carbon concrete mixes helps to reduce carbon emissions, but their potentially lengthy setting time – particularly in cold weather – negates some of their sustainable value. Doka’s Intelligent Heated Formwork, which has been successfully trialled in research projects and on live construction sites, addresses that issue. The system maintains a moderate temperature to protect concrete from changes in weather and temperature. Therefore, even in winter, setting times continue unaffected, saving costly building delays and increasing project sustainability. Alongside the Intelligent Heated Formwork prototype, Doka will also showcase its proven digital solutions, Concremote and DokaXact, which are already delivering value on construction sites worldwide. These sensor-based technologies provide real-time data on concrete temperature, strength development, and formwork pressure, enabling contractors to make informed decisions throughout the pouring and curing process. By improving visibility over key performance indicators, they support safer operations, optimise stripping times, and help maintain project schedules. In the context of low-carbon concrete, where slower strength development and increased sensitivity to environmental conditions present new challenges, digital monitoring becomes increasingly critical. Concremote and DokaXact allow teams to accurately track in-situ behaviour, reducing uncertainty and mitigating risks associated with extended curing times or fluctuating temperatures. Together with Intelligent Heated Formwork, these solutions form part of a comprehensive approach to enabling the safe, efficient, and scalable use of CO2-reduced concrete in real-world conditions. James Hurst, Product & Marketing Director UK, added: “The UK Concrete Show is the ideal platform to bring this technology in front of the people who will shape the next generation of construction in Britain. Intelligent Heated Formwork represents a real step forward — not just for how we build, but for how responsibly we build. We look forward to welcoming visitors to stand B50 and showing what the future of low-carbon concrete construction looks like in practice.” Doka will be exhibiting its Intelligent Heated Formwork prototype on stand B50 at the UK Concrete Show on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th March 2026 at the NEC Birmingham. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
TOPDON brings dual-lens thermal imaging to HVAC engineers
Global thermal imaging manufacturer TOPDON has launched the TC001 Max, a dual-lens smartphone-connected thermal camera aimed at HVAC engineers, electrical contractors and building services technicians. The camera combines an infrared sensor with a built-in visible light camera, fusing the two images together to give engineers precise, on-screen fault location across heating, ventilation, air conditioning refrigeration systems and electrical wiring. Fault-finding is the most time-intensive part of any HVAC call-out, and the most commercially sensitive. Whether it’s a refrigerant leak that has partially migrated, an underperforming heat exchanger, a poorly balanced duct system or a faulty contactor running hot inside a panel, the challenge is always the same: identifying the precise source quickly, without unnecessary dismantling, and with enough evidence to justify the repair to the customer. Traditional fault-finding methods like feeling pipework by hand, checking pressures at service ports, or isolating circuits one by one, are slow, often inconclusive, and leave the engineer with limited visual evidence to share with the customer or building manager. An experienced engineer working through an intermittent fault on a multi-zone system can lose an hour to tracing work that a thermal scan would resolve in minutes. The TC001 Max solves this by rendering heat distribution across any system as a live visual image, without contact. Blocked heat exchangers, poorly insulated pipework, overheating electrical contactors and air infiltration points in building fabric all produce distinct thermal signatures that become immediately visible on screen. Until recently, equipment capable of this level of sensitivity in a field environment cost several thousand pounds and was largely confined to specialist thermographic survey contractors. TOPDON has deliberately priced the TC001 Max to make thermal imaging a practical day-to-day tool rather than a specialist hire item. It connects directly to iOS, Android or Windows devices, using the engineer’s existing smartphone or tablet as its display, interface and storage platform. This removes the need for a dedicated screen and battery pack, which account for a significant portion of the cost of conventional handheld thermal cameras. The camera’s 256 × 192 infrared sensor is upscaled to 512 × 384 pixels through TOPDON’s TISR processing, giving resolution sufficient to distinguish temperature variation across individual components rather than broad surface areas. Thermal sensitivity of ≤40mK (NETD) means the camera picks up the small differentials that matter in HVAC and electrical diagnosis – a slightly cool section of refrigerant pipework, a marginally warm return air grille, or early-stage bearing heat in fan motor assemblies. A 25Hz refresh rate keeps the image fluid during live scanning. The key differentiator is the TC001 Max’s dual-lens design. Unlike single-sensor thermal cameras that produce a thermal-only image, the TC001 Max pairs its infrared sensor with a built-in visible light camera and electronically fuses the two into a single blended image. Five selectable fusion modes let the engineer dial between full thermal and full visible, with blended options in between, so component outlines remain sharp and identifiable even when scanning a densely packed plant room or electrical panel. In practice, this means an engineer can see exactly which valve body, terminal block or pipe joint is the source of a thermal anomaly. For building envelope surveys, where identifying the precise location of insulation voids or air infiltration paths is critical to a useful report, the fused image is particularly valuable. “HVAC engineers are under constant pressure to diagnose faster and document better,” said Oscar Diaz, CEO of TOPDON Europe. “The TC001 Max gives them a tool that does both. The fused imaging puts the fault location in the image itself, which speeds up the diagnosis and gives the engineer something concrete to show the customer.” The TC001 Max works with TOPDON’s TopInfrared (Mobile) and TopView (PC) applications across iOS, Android, and Windows, supporting thermal image capture, spot and area temperature measurement, isotherm analysis, and structured PDF report creation – including client-ready reports with annotated images and temperature readings suitable for handover to building managers or FM teams. When used alongside TOPDON’s TopFix AI, thermal findings can be cross-referenced against fault data to accelerate diagnosis and inform repair recommendations. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
CBRE Birmingham launches collaboration with MK Reformed to champion workplace wellbeing
CBRE’s Birmingham office announces a new collaboration with leading Midlands-based wellness studio MK Reformed, marking the start of an ongoing initiative designed to place health and wellbeing at the centre of workplace culture. Hosted out of its Paradise home, the two like-minded businesses are joining forces to deliver a series of targeted wellbeing seminars and activities for the CBRE team and its partners. Commencing in March, the session series aim to bring together experts from both organisations to explore accessible ways to improve physical and mental health in a professional environment. The programme will run throughout 2026, focusing on three core themes including nutrition, sleep, and the benefits of movement. Matt Kendrick,CEO of MK Reformed, said: “Our collaboration with CBRE is about showing that wellbeing isn’t an add-on, it’s fundamental to how people feel and perform at work. CBRE is so progressive with its approach to health and wellness in the workplace, that it felt like a natural fit to collaborate. “By creating space for movement, rest, and education, we’re helping teams build sustainable healthy habits that benefit both employees and the business.” Each seminar will highlight the ways in which everyday lifestyle adjustments can positively impact productivity, focus, and long-term wellbeing. The collaboration will also address key workplace topics such as menopause support, low-impact movement, and seasonal mental health strategies such as navigating winter fatigue. Will Ventham, Head of CBRE’s Birmingham Office, added: “MK Reformed is an ideal collaborator for us, an innovative Midlands brand sharing our belief in people-first workplaces, and, together, we’re demonstrating that investing in wellbeing means investing in our team’s energy, resilience, and future. The connection between health, fitness, and the modern corporate environment has never been more significant. We’re excited about how this partnership can not only support our people, but also challenge conventional thinking and enhance the insight we bring across our client’s real estate strategies.” Lydia Dutton, Senior Director, Regional Markets Sustainability Lead at CBRE said: “As workplace expectations evolve, organisations must take a more holistic view of sustainability – one that places physical and mental health at the heart of future‑ready workplaces. With our 3 Chamberlain Square office targeting WELL Gold, this collaboration brings the WELL Building Standard to life, moving beyond design intent to actively promote movement and wellbeing in everyday work.” The collaboration aligns with CBRE’s broader emphasis on ESG and workplace experience, reflecting its commitment to creating environments that actively support employee health. Its new office, 3 Chamberlain Square in Birmingham, has been heralded as ‘the best UK office building outside of London’. For more information, visit: https://www.cbre.co.uk/offices/birmingham Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction industry remains the UK’s deadliest with no noticeable HSE improvements over a decade, research finds
Astutis has analysed ten years’ worth of HSE data to look at which industries have made the biggest improvements when it comes to health and safety in the UK. The research revealed that while construction is the industry that ranks most dangerous, the sector hasn’t made any improvements since 2015, research finds. In 2015, a decade ago, the construction industry had 35 fatalities in the workplace. However, the construction industry also had 35 in the year 2025, showing there has been no improvement in the number of fatal injuries despite best efforts. However, some sectors have made big improvements such as Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing going from 32 to 23 and Manufacturing going from 18 to 11 fatalities, and the Water Supply industry also reducing fatalities from 5 in 2015, to 4 in 2025. Brenig Moore, Technical Director and HSE Expert at Astutis, comments on the research, particularly around the worrying stabilisation in the construction industry: “The construction industry has always come with a massive risk, but what we’re seeing ten years on is a huge shift in where those particular risks sit, and also how they manifest on site. Traditional hazards such as moving vehicles, working at height and structural instability remain the biggest causes of fatalities in the UK. However, construction is becoming more complex, which therefore means more serious risks. Modern sites now have technology that is much more advanced and tighter deadlines and stricter outputs, meaning many people are becoming over-worked, suffering from burnout or making mistakes from feeling fatigued. The data does show a small decrease in fatalities in the construction industry since five years ago, but what we’re really looking for is health and safety awareness to improve in the sector, and get that number as low as it possibly can go, which just hasn’t happened over the last decade unfortunately.” The same research also highlighted regional data, where there were significant disparities in workplace safety outcomes. England recorded the highest number of fatalities at 88 in 2024/25, but when adjusted for population, Scotland emerges as the most dangerous place to work, with 4.69 deaths per million people. Scotland has seen a 136% increase in fatalities since 2019/20, while the North West of England has experienced a 50% rise over the same period. In contrast, regions including Yorkshire and The Humber and the West Midlands have seen substantial reductions, down 60% and 54% respectively over the past decade. For the full research piece, please visit the page here: https://www.astutis.com/astutis-hub/blog/work-fatalities-10-year-comparison Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Hyde Group and L&G launch major partnership to accelerate affordable housing delivery
Hyde Group and Legal & General have joined forces to create a new investment partnership aimed at boosting the delivery of affordable homes across the UK. The joint venture brings together the housing association’s development expertise with the financial strength of one of the country’s leading institutional investors. It will launch with a seed portfolio of more than 1,000 homes, forming the foundation for a wider pipeline of new affordable housing. The partnership will be jointly equity financed, with additional support from Legal & General’s annuity portfolio. This model enables long-term capital to be invested into housing, generating stable returns while supporting pension commitments and delivering essential infrastructure. Both organisations say the collaboration is designed to help address the significant shortfall in affordable housing supply, with traditional funding mechanisms alone no longer sufficient to meet demand. The deal forms part of Legal & General’s wider ambition to deliver 10,000 new social and affordable homes by 2030. Hyde Group is also progressing an extensive development programme, with plans to complete more than 5,500 homes over the next five years. Andy Hulme, group chief executive of Hyde Group, said the partnership reflects a growing need to attract institutional investment into the housing sector to bridge the funding gap. He explained that grant funding on its own cannot deliver the scale of housing required, and that bringing pension-backed capital into the sector is key to unlocking delivery at pace. Hyde’s role will include structuring investment, delivering new homes and managing communities, with profits reinvested into further affordable housing provision. Catherine Raynsford, managing director for stock acquisitions at Legal & General Affordable Homes, described the agreement as an important step forward for the organisation’s housing strategy. She highlighted Legal & General’s track record in delivering high-quality affordable homes since entering the sector in 2018, adding that the partnership with Hyde combines expertise with a model designed to attract further institutional backing. The collaboration signals a broader shift in how affordable housing is funded and delivered in the UK, with long-term investment capital playing an increasingly central role. As housing demand continues to outpace supply, partnerships of this kind are expected to become more common, helping to unlock development and deliver homes at scale across the country. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals