Building News is an information portal for all professional building specifiers. Here you can find all of the latest construction news from around the UK and the rest of the world.

New scheme launches to power office buildings… with coffee!

Coffee shops fuelling Londoners’ morning caffeine fix will also be helping to power office buildings and supermarkets, under a new capital-wide scheme.

The innovative coffee ground collection service is the brainchild of advanced biofuel company bio-bean, previous winners of the Mayor of London’s inaugural green technology Low Carbon Entrepreneur Award. They will turn the waste coffee grounds collected from London baristas into advanced biomass pellets, which will then be used to power energy networks with the capacity to heat up to 15,000 homes. The support and funding from the award has helped to turn founder and chief executive Arthur Kay’s green idea into a viable, now nation-wide business, employing over 20 people.

Mayor Boris Johnson called on more students to get involved in London’s thriving green economy and submit green business ideas as he launched the 2016 Low Carbon Entrepreneur Award with a top prize of £20,000. He was joined by Mr Kay at independent coffee shop Workshop Coffee in Clerkenwell, one of hundreds of coffee shops, office blocks and transport hubs in London now part of the daily coffee ground collection service run in collaboration with recycling company First Mile.

The competition has helped many university students launch green businesses including SolarBox, which turns disused telephone boxes into solar-powered mobile phone stations, and online clothes-swapping website Clotho London. The value of the green industry to the city is already as much as £30 billion a year and it employs 160,000 people, growing throughout the recession and now at a rate of six per cent a year.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said “Our green economy is booming and I want the next generation of Low Carbon Entrepreneurs to help make London the greenest, most sustainable innovative city on earth. The roaring success of previous winners like Bio-bean demonstrates the huge market for green technology ideas. They’ve done the hard grind and Londoners can now enjoy their daily coffee fix in the safe knowledge that as well as their own caffeine kick the energy levels of as many as 15,000 homes are being boosted!”

Bio-bean is the first company in the world to industrialise the process of recycling waste coffee grounds into advanced biofuels. Their factory has the capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of waste coffee grounds each year, the equivalent of one in every ten cups of coffee drunk in the UK, and at full capacity turn these into enough power to heat the equivalent of over 15,000 homes. Furthermore, as well as saving money for customers, each tonne recycled through bio-bean’s process saves up to 6.8 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Bio-bean has already secured a deal with Network Rail to collect waste coffee grounds from London’s seven largest train stations and has plans for even greater expansion.

Bio-bean chief executive Arthur Kay said “The first ever Low Carbon Entrepreneur Award gave me (and bio-bean) a great start. The London collection service marks a milestone in our UK development, as we collect waste coffee grounds at every scale, saving money on waste disposal fees and creating sustainability advantages for each of our clients.”

This year’s awards will be sponsored by Citi, the global banking group, and will offer £20,000 and paid internships at Citi in the UK, where the bank employs almost 10,000 people. 10 finalists will pitch to a panel of well-known judges in ‘Dragon’s Den’ style and the winners will receive funding to put towards their business idea. The competition is an important part of the Mayor’s vision to make London the European capital for green technology and to also nourish young entrepreneurship. Awards are open from today until February 2016. Entries can be made in a number of different categories, including transport, energy efficiency, product design and food waste.

Michael Lavelle, head of Corporate and Investment Banking, UK at Citi, said “We’re thrilled to be the new sponsor of this important initiative in London. At Citi, we are committed to developing innovative ways of financing projects that lead to sustainable growth. We recently announced that Citi will lend, invest and facilitate a total of $100 billion within the next 10 years to finance activities that reduce the impacts of climate change and create environmental solutions that benefit people and communities.”

The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation is currently exploring how it could deliver the Mayor’s aspiration for a clean tech cluster to be developed on site, which could allow businesses in the sector to work together in close proximity similar to the ‘silicon roundabout’ for tech companies in east London. This could support businesses to maximise the benefits generated by the new High Speed 2 (HS2), Crossrail and Great West Main Line interchange, which will be situated in the area.

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VIDEO: Disturbing lack of health and safety in Mecca

The collapse of a Saudi crane in the holy city of Mecca that claimed the lives of over 100 people over the weekend has revealed an ugly side of the worldwide construction boom. Shocking scenes recorded by local Saudis show that health and safety is of little-to-no concern for those who are responsible for building up the ancient city.
For the last few years especially, residents of the city of Mecca have been forced to accept unrelenting construction work as Saudi leaders attempt to expand the city into a bustling metropolis envied the world over.
As development has been on the rise, so too has the number of incidents, casualties and fatalities involving construction workers and bystanders, indicating a dangerous lack of health and safety precaution within the industry.
The Executive Director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, Dr Irfan al-Alawi, commented on the crane accident and the overall issue with safety, saying “It is a tragedy what has happened, but it didn’t come as a surprise. There have been many accidents. Last the last few floors of a building being constructed right next to the clock tower caught fire and they had to call the fire engine from Taif, which is about 45 mins away, to help extinguish it.”
“There is no health and safety system in place. In London when you have construction work the public are kept away, but in Mecca machinery is deployed in areas accessible to the public. There are not enough volunteers looking to check children do not go into the dangerous areas. Even some of the engineers don’t have safety gear, helmets or gloves to wear, because it is very hot, summer time temperatures 45C.”
Amateur videos of demolition work in Mecca posted on YouTube show the sheer scale of the dangers workers and locals are being exposed to every day at the hands of a poorly managed construction industry. Take a look below, they speak volumes:

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Brandon Lewis calls on youngsters to build a career in construction

The Housing Minister called on young people to consider a construction career as he welcomed the first apprentices to a brickwork academy.

Mr Lewis said the sector was booming again thanks to government efforts to get the country building and this represented a “great opportunity to carve out a successful and well-paid career.”

The housebuilding industry was devastated by the 2008 economic crash, resulting in the loss of quarter of a million construction jobs.

However, the government has put housebuilding at the heart of its long-term economic plan, leading to a revival of the sector with housebuilding levels now double those seen in 2009.

The Housing Minister issued the rallying cry for youngsters as he attended an open day at the Hodgkinson Brickwork Academy at Derby College ahead of its official launch next week.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said “For the last 5 years, our efforts have got Britain building. This means thousands of jobs are now up for grabs – roles that offer a great opportunity to build a successful and well-paid career.”

“The Hodgkinson Brickwork Academy is a fantastic example of how a new generation of talented, ambitious, highly skilled bricklayers can be inspired and developed – nurturing our home-grown talent and building the homes we need for years to come.”

Brickwork Academy mastermind

During the visit, Mr Lewis spoke with several new students about their ambitions and met with academy mastermind Ian Hodgkinson, who was inspired to set up the training facility because of a lack of qualified bricklayers in the area.

The father of 3 is a 30-year veteran of the construction industry, having initially trained as a builder and bricklayer before setting up a successful construction business in 1990.

Managing Director of Hodgkinson Builders, Ian Hodgkinson, said “This is a crucial area for the economy and I am absolutely delighted that the minister has taken the time to visit us and to see what we are doing here.”

“We’ve got ambitious young people seeing that a career in bricklaying and construction in general is full of rewards and it is fantastic to be working with such a forward-thinking organisation as Derby College on this academy.”

“Together we can get Britain building again and start with the ambitious young men and women who can forge a fantastic career.”

The academy, set up in partnership with Derby College, will be run at campuses in Ilkeston and the Roundhouse in Pride Park. It has already seen high demand with over 100 potential recruits attending an open day in June.

Students at the academy will benefit from individual support and mentoring from Mr Hodgkinson and his team. They will gain practical work experience and will be guaranteed an interview with his company following completion of the 1 or 2-year courses.

Derby College business development director, April Hayhurst, said “The response so far to the Hodgkinson Brick Academy has been outstanding and we are confident of a significant number of new learners joining the programme this September at both our Derby and Ilkeston campuses.”

“Our role as a college is to ensure that young people are ready for the world of work and have the skills that employers need to grow and increase their competitive edge.”

Getting Britain building

The government is committed to driving up the number of apprentices across the construction industry. Last year, more than 15,500 new construction apprenticeships started – a 14% increase on the previous year.

Housebuilding is at the heart of the government’s long-term economic plan with plans to build 275,000 new affordable homes during this parliament.

This will build on the strong performance of its previous Affordable Homes Programme, which delivered 186,000 properties between 2011 to 2015 – 16,000 more than originally planned.

In total, more than 800,000 additional homes have been provided since the end of 2009.

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Slow BIM adoption could harm UK industry

According to new research published by the RICS, 75% of surveyors believe that slow uptake and non-adoption of BIM could seriously hinder construction as an industry over the next 12 months.
The survey also found that although 74% of surveying firms have considered the very real business case for BIM adoption, there are still a large number of firms not using BIM in the day-to-day aspects of their work.
One of the main reasons for non-adoption appears to be a lack of information; 68% of respondents currently not implementing BIM within their organisation say that they don’t feel there is adequate information available for small companies in order to assist them in adopting the new modelling system.
Luddism is also playing its part to some degree; 31% of surveyors claim that there is not a need to use the technology in their organisation, whilst 26% stated that they don’t feel their firm have the technical knowledge, expertise and resources in place to adopt BIM.
55% of those members interviewed revealed that they are currently already doing business with architectural firms that are utilising BIM. Additionally, half of these respondents said that the architects they have collaborated with have been actively encouraging them to adopt BIM within their own organisations.
Global Director of Built Environment Professional Groups at the RICS, Alan Muse commented “Our research clearly shows that the importance of BIM is not being lost on the UK’s surveying sector with 73% identifying that non-adoption is likely to have a negative impact on the industry as a whole.”
“It’s clear from the research that the industry needs to be doing more to help smaller surveying firms – as well as the wider industry – in getting up to speed with the technology, particularly when it comes to how they can implement the technology across their organisation.”

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It’s official: Walkie Talkie is the worst building in Britain

2016 update: Whilst the Walkie-Talkie was awarded the Carbuncle Cup last year for being the worst building in Britain, it appears there could be far worse to come on the horizon – how about a skyscraper that looks like a tin of processed meat, for example? Originally approved back in 2008, work soon stalled on this bizarre tower as it happened to coincide with the UK financial crisis. However, work is now reportedly back on track and the 105m, 24-storey building is due for completion in Summer 2018. The architectural version of spam, perhaps?

Original story:

20 Fenchurch Street, a commercial skyscraper in London designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly, has been awarded the annual Carbuncle Cup for being the worst example of architecture in the UK.

Nicknamed the Walkie-Talkie because of its distinctive bellowing shape, critics have long since argued that tall buildings should taper inwards elegantly rather than bulge out in order to not litter the skyline.

The shape isn’t the only gaffe made by designers with the Walkie-Talkie; since construction began in 2009 the building has been mired in controversy. First it inflicted solar glare problems on the people of London, burned holes in cars and bicycles parked below its looming stature. Then it became apparent that the placement of the building caused a dangerous wind tunnelling effect that actually blew passing pedestrians off their feet. Then there was the anticlimactic opening of a “sky garden,” which was criticised since opening for the tight restrictions and advance booking requirements placed on the visiting public, and for failing to meet pre-construction expectations of the extent and quality of the “garden.”

Editor of Building Design Magazine (who run the awards), Thomas Lane, said the carbuncle “crashes into London’s skyline like an unwelcome party guest.”

Thomas described the tower in a cutting and succinct manner, saying that “It bulges out towards the top in a cynical move to maximise the amount of high-value space at the upper levels, in defiance of the principle tall buildings should taper elegantly inwards or at least feature parallel sides. The result is Londoners now have to suffer views of this bloated carbuncle.”

Here’s what the people of twitter have to say about this year’s winner:


To see other buildings shortlisted for the Carbuncle Cup, please Click here to visit the site.

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Chernobyl: key milestone reached as two semi-arches join together

The structure designed to contain the crumbling casing surrounding the dangerous ruins of reactor 4 takes another great leap forward in its uncertain journey to completion. It has now been announced that the two sections of the giant containment building have been joined together in Chernobyl.

WALKIETALKIE-BS-ARTICLE
The ‘New Safe Confinement’ now stands at 360ft tall, 541ft long and 853ft wide. Its frame is constructed from a lattice of steel tube sections built on two longitudinal concrete beams – weighing in at an impressive 30,000 tons. To put that into context, it will be almost 4 times the height of Big Ben, over the length of two professional football pitches and nearly as wide as two Westminster Abbey’s. Not to mention a weigh equating to a herd of approximately 6667 fully grown Elephants!
Plans to create a new container to house the poor, leaky structure of the original makeshift sarcophagus were made as early as 1992, but construction work didn’t actually begin until September 2010. Since then it has consistently been plagued by funding issues. The cost of the entire plan is estimated to be €2.15bn, or £1.7bn. A construction such as this has never needed to be built anywhere else in the world, or had such costly obstacles and issues that needed to be addressed throughout every stage of construction.
The structure is comprised of two separate sections that were built offsite at a safe distance from the reactor, so as not to put the workers at prolonged risk of radiation exposure. The building implements two heavy duty cranes on rails that were used to slide the New Safe Confinement into place over the ruins of the reactor. It will purportedly be tornado-proof and will stand efficiently and safely for 100 years. It will also contain all the equipment required to deconstruct the old structure from within, as well as the damaged reactor.
Nuclear Safety Director at the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), Vince Novak said “This is another major step forward. The construction of the steel structure is nearing completion. We are confident that all work will be concluded by end-2017 as planned.”
There is still a lot of work to be done until the structure is completed and can be positioned in its final destination. The official date for completion is now the end of 2017; a two year extension on the original date given of 2015. This is because the project is reportedly currently running short of money, €600m behind by the end of the year, to be exact. Also casting a dark shadow over the project are proposed government sanctions that will freeze construction work within the Ukraine; all alarming obstacles that could potentially trip the Chernobyl Shelter Implementation Plan on its rocky road to success.
On 26th April 1986, during a safety check, reactor 4 of the Chernobyl power plant experienced a meltdown that could not be contained. As a result, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people have died as either a direct result of fallout or from subsequent radiation-related illnesses. It is also estimated that over £111.7 billion worth of damage was caused by the disaster. These astounding figures prove that regardless of who is considered responsible for the accident, cleaning up Chernobyl is of worldwide concern. If another reactor had blown during the meltdown, Chernobyl could have rendered the whole of Europe uninhabitable.
The sheer scale and paramountcy of this project cannot be overstated. As you read this the old sarcophagus is crumbling, threatening to release 200 tons of radioactive material into the environment. All eyes are on the Ukraine as they painstakingly press forward, working tirelessly on arguably the most important structure of the 21st Century.

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Think bike – don’t turn left!

Lorries delivering to various construction sites and developments in London could be made to take special routes that minimise the number of left turns while making site deliveries, in a new incentive to reduce cyclist injuries.

Cyclists are considered at the highest risk of obtaining an injury or being killed when lorries make a left turn the rider is in the blind spot cannot see them. Between 2008 and 2012 more than half of cycling fatalities in London involved Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs). Most cyclist and HGV collisions happen when vehicles turn left at traffic lights or other junctions.

Other measures planned to reduce cyclist fatality is to fit larger side windows to reduce blind spots and add sideguards to prevent cyclists being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision turning left at a junction.

The Mayor of London’s office announced the plans, saying “Many of the most dangerous vehicles are construction-related.”

“For future major construction projects, GLA planning powers will be used to strictly prescribe the routes which HGVs serving them can follow – requiring, for instance, that they avoid a road heavily used by cyclists or take a route that minimises the number of left turns, the most dangerous manoeuvre.”

“Discussions with the London boroughs and the construction industry have already started to ensure that this happens as fast as possible.”

Heavy Goods Vehicles without appropriate safety equipment to protect cyclists and pedestrians fitted are now prohibited from entering Greater London under the “Safer Lorry Scheme.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson commented “We are ahead of any other part of the UK in closing the legal loopholes that allowed many HGVs to operate without basic safety equipment, and I am delighted that over the 18 months since we announced the Safer Lorry Scheme the vast majority of operators have got the message and fitted safety equipment to their vehicles in anticipation of the ban.”

“We have, from this morning, begun vigorous enforcement action against the laggards.”

“I announce today that I propose to require further safety modifications to all HGVs in London, including the retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce the driver blind spots that contribute to so many tragic accidents.”

The new left turn rules are expected to come into force in April next year, starting with all vehicles delivering to Crossrail and TfL.

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Talking in Your Client’s Language

Many British construction companies have grown by developing overseas. While this brings great opportunities and benefits it also presents many challenges. Over the coming years, export plays a key role in the government’s strategy for economic development. Whether this exporting involves the EU, or one of the new blocks such as the BRICS, MINT, or RISE countries, these are nations that have relatively little exposure to English in their business communications. To target these nations and communicate effectively, it will become more and more important for British business to be able to speak their language.

While most companies are aware of the need to reach out to clients in their own words, there is still an underlying issue of quality. More and more research is showing the “can’t read, won’t buy” problem. Clients who can’t understand a website, brochure or sales presentation, or find it “strangely written” or “written like a translation” are far less likely to buy products or services. Where, in recent decades, British companies were not attempting to translate anything into the client’s local languages, the issue today revolves more around the usability of the translations. This means there is an increasing emphasis on quality and precision.

The need to use specialist linguists cannot be overstated. A civil engineering translator who works on technical engineering documents should be able to understand the same documents and terminology that a working civil engineer would be expected to know. A legal translator should understand how legal terms work in both languages, and be able to match the correct term to the correct idea, rather than just translating from a dictionary. These specialist translation tasks require much more than a simple languages background. Modern translators need to be “engineers who translate” rather than “linguists who try to do engineering”. In some ways, we can think of translating as being similar to “rewriting something in your own words”, imagine trying to do that with a specialist document outside your field. It’s virtually impossible to get good results.

Another important point to remember is that translation is far too often a “distressed sell”. Clients only start looking when the already need a document translated; many smaller companies are reduced to going onto their internet search engine in a panic. The result of this is that there are hundreds of very similar translation agencies with no differentiating skills, all paying a fortune to get onto the front page of search engines.

We recommend being proactive and finding a good languages partner when you have plenty of time to evaluate them properly. Make sure they have the skills and ability to deliver your projects to the required quality, every time. The net result will be better sales overseas, and more growth for British business overseas.

Written by David Smith – Managing Director, Constructive Translations
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Could Battersea chimneys be turned into giant Tesla coils?

Danish architect, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has revealed an interesting concept to transform the four chimneys at the Battersea Power Station project in London into the largest Tesla coils on Earth.

The purpose of the coils would be as a form of public art, partially powered by the high volume of foot traffic that passes by underneath the giant chimneys. The pavement below could generate a kilowatt of energy from the pressure on plates created by footsteps – known as the piezoelectric effect. This energy would then create a spectacular burst of electricity between the chimneys – a physical testament to the true power of the collective.

Bjarke Ingels unveiled the unusual idea at a lecture at the Royal Academy, saying “We’re working with experts in Tesla coils, looking into how to incorporate them into the chimneys so essentially we might celebrate the transformation from carbon footprint to human footprint.”

“We imagine it like Big Ben; when the clock strikes the hour, we can have this celebration of human energy and human life.”

“It could be interesting to create a public artwork that ties into the heritage of the power plant.”

“We don’t have coal any more but we do have 50,000 people passing by every day.”

A Tesla coil (created by Nikola Tesla around 1891) consists of two parts: a primary coil and secondary coil, each with its own capacitor. (Capacitors store electrical energy just like batteries.) The two coils and capacitors are connected by a spark gap — a gap of air between two electrodes that generates the spark of electricity.

Electrical engineer Greg Leyh and his colleagues in San Fransisco are currently fundraising to construct two 37m Tesla coils in a bid to understand more about lightning. These are on track to be the largest in the world – however, Bjarke Ingels are proposing an astounding 91.5m set of coils.

Whilst unlikely to be approved, the concept illustrates that there are still bright sparks within the world of architecture; pushing boundaries and helping take the artform into the brave unknown.

The Battersea project is due to be completed in 2019.

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A city without water – the ugly side of glitzy construction

There are many examples of elaborate, ostentatious cites that serve more as a playground for the rich and elite rather than a functional, thriving metropolis. These places construct more rapidly (and sometimes recklessly) than anywhere else in the world. We take a look at perhaps the most infamous example of rapid expansion and ‘construction boom.’

It has been said that 30% of the world’s cranes are working in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Once the pinnacle of the world economic boom, Dubai now teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. Shanghai in China witnessed such rapid expansion and proliferation of high rise construction following economic reforms in the early 1990s that it is now considered one of Asia’s financial centres and the busiest container port in the world. This of course comes at a price, as the rapid growth in population, factories and motor vehicles has generated environmental issues such as air and water pollution, the accumulation of solid wastes and the lowest birth rate in China.

However, when looking for the showy, wild and at times careless side of the construction industry you need look no further than the original ‘Sin City’ itself – Las Vegas, USA. With an estimated construction workforce of 88,100 people in the city and the race to build the most outrageous casino/resort in Las Vegas seemingly never-ending the construction industry is – needless to say – booming in the City of Lights.

Vegas has had a rocky economic past, suffering greatly throughout the recession, which saw hotels go under, construction sites abandoned, foreclosures, bankruptcies and an unemployment rate estimated at somewhere between 7 and 13.2%. A recent report in the area echoes similar industry complaints we are used to hearing here in the UK; 80% of employers are saying that they can’t find skilled workers such as plumbers, carpenters and roofers—despite 100,000 people losing their jobs during the last recession.

However, seemingly in the face of adversity Las Vegas has financially come up trumps. In 2005 American business magnate Steve Wynn started the latest and largest building-boom, with high-rise, condo, hotel, mixed-use, adaptive-reuse and other projects in the area currently in various stages of planning, development and construction.

With economy and construction industry now seemingly back on track, the city finds itself facing issues arguably far greater than any financial or commercial concerns it has experienced historically. Alarmingly, Vegas could run out of water by 2036. Not a financial, sociological or cultural draught but an actual, acute shortage of water that sustains the ability to live, work and play in the middle of the desert.

Running dry through attrition

The city of Las Vegas relies entirely upon a reservoir created by the iconic yet controversial Hoover Dam. After a 14-year drought, experts say that the water level in this reservoir is now well below half full. Due to the population swelling from 400,000 to 2 million since the dam was created in 1936, a massive 4 trillion gallons of water has been drained from the lake that supplies 90% of the Vegas’s water.

VEGAS 2

There are currently two pipes that transport this water 25 miles from the lake to Las Vegas. The first extracts water at an elevation of 1,050ft and is suspected to be sucking at air rather than water in the near future. The second straw is at 1,000ft; which is okay for now.

A £480million rescue mission is underway and expected to be finished by the end of this year to complete a new, lower straw which will be able to draw the very last of the water from the lake.

Currently a giant drill the size of two football pitches is advancing at a snails pace of one inch per day to make this a reality. Unfortunately, once completed the new pipe will only prove a temporary solution to a permanent problem, as the lake will continue to deplete rapidly, running the risk of becoming a “dead pool.”

Despite the near-chronic water situation, Las Vegas still uses 219 gallons of water per person per day, one of the highest figures in the entire USA. A large percentage of this water is used to sprinkle golf courses, parks and lawns. In response to this, the water authority has declared war on grass, paying homeowners to remove it from their gardens at the rate of $1.50 per square foot. So far 165 million square feet of turf has been destroyed, which if laid end to end in an 18-inch strip would stretch 90% of the way around the Earth.

The dimming of lights

The current daily usage of electricity in Vegas is roughly 8,000 megawatts. Furthermore, each new resident of Vegas is estimated to need 20,000 KWh of electricity every year.

Perhaps obviously Hotels and Casinos consume the most electricity. With the constant addition of gaming machines, flashing lights and air conditioning, expansions currently under construction will serve only increase the need for power even more.

Tying in with the draught, Las Vegas consumes 15% of the electricity generated by the Hoover Dam. This is predicted to be insufficient to meet the needs of the future, especially as water levels lower; it appears that soon the giant concrete arch-gravity dam will offer a diminishing return.

The higher they build, the harder they fall

Sustaining a city (especially one as excessive as Las Vegas) deep in the desert is no mean feat. It seems that in the battle against nature the house doesn’t always win – attrition does. Aerial photographer Vincent Laforet described Sin City as an “island of light in the middle of nothingness.” Through rapid, ill-thought out construction, greed and reckless it now runs the severe risk of becoming an island of nothingness in light of the warnings. Viva Las Vegas – I hope!

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