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.

Buildings need to come together more quickly than ever. To do so without compromising integrity and quality depends on every little detail being thoroughly considered. This detail comes right down to the fasteners and fixings that hold the building envelope together, explains David Fraser, NVELOPE® Business Unit Manager at SFS UK.

Almost everywhere you look in the field of construction, there is talk of needing to build faster and more efficiently. Whether it’s because there’s a lack of crucial infrastructure, or simply because there’s not enough labour, it’s evident that we need to streamline our approach to construction.
This is clearly evidenced by the UK’s housing shortage crisis. In 2018, it was estimated that England had a backlog of 3.91 million homes, meaning 340,000 new homes need to be built each year until 2031. Yet at that time, the government was only targeting building 300,000 homes annually, and any shortfall only further compounds the problems.
However, as the old saying goes, haste makes waste, and this couldn’t be truer for buildings. Structures that are not planned out and correctly specified can cause waste from construction right through to building operation. For example, poor specification can lead to unnecessary servicing and maintenance, and needing to replace materials that don’t meet their expected lifespan.
To ensure that we can maximise construction efficiency, while still maintaining the quality and integrity expected of multi-million-pound buildings, it all boils down to detail. This is especially the case with fasteners and fixings, the very components that hold structures and building envelopes together.

 

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Planned to Perfection
As with many things in life, well-planned projects minimise the chance for errors to occur during construction, which can be costly to rectify further down the build chain.
Building envelopes, brackets and subframe systems need to be especially well considered. They need to withstand whatever the elements throw at them, from wind loads, to corrosive substances in the air and the substrate they are fixing back to. Meanwhile, they also need to be able to assure the deadweight of the cladding that is being installed on them.
Identifying these components correctly though is easier said than done. For architects and specifiers, trawling through datasheets and product specifications can be time and labour intensive.
Here is where manufacturers can help at the planning stage. With expert knowledge and tools, manufacturers can help suggest rainscreen and cladding systems that are fit for purpose, which was the case during the refurbishment of Kew Tower in Richmond.
This refurbished office building, had the upper floors of its building reclad by building envelope contractors, using the NVELOPE® NV4 system from SFS. The key to the success of the project was as much in the NV4 system as it was in SFS’ Project Builder tool.
Project Builder provides a comprehensive, project-specific cladding solution involving only a two-step process. The tool factors in considerations such as local wind loads, height of the façade, the substrate that the rainscreen system is being fixed to, selected cladding material and the cladding zone.
With this forward-thinking, planned-out approach, Kew Tower achieved an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating following the refurbishment. The NV4 system will also help the building endure for many years to come, thanks to built-in adjustability that allows for contraction and expansion in extreme weather conditions.

Fast and Furious Fasteners and Fixings
Raising buildings faster is not just in the planning – it’s in the detail. This includes selecting the most appropriate components that are designed to help installers on the job, such as fasteners and fixings.
Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of fasteners and fixings need to be secured on a given building. The time needed to install these components can quickly add up, leading to costly labour expenses. Here, any incremental gains can lead to major reductions in construction time.
This was certainly the case with the refurbishment of Parsons Tower, Newcastle College. The tower block, which dates to the 1970s, was refreshed with a contemporary zinc and copper façade with the help from SFS’ specialist fastening systems. To secure the cladding back to composite panels on the building, low profile, high-grade stainless-steel fasteners were required. The solution was the SX2/8-D9 self-drilling fastener in A4 316 austenitic stainless steel. As well as giving excellent pull out values, the thread design helped construction time by reducing over-driving.
Similarly, construction time was significantly reduced when installing the PIR insulation into concrete deck of the roof. The contractors were facing issues with extensive drilling and the need for multiple combinations of fasteners and polypropylene sleeves. The isotak® TIA adjustable fastener system from SFS was the ideal solution in this instance. The system reduced fastener and polypropylene sleeve combinations by 50% and in turn, dramatically decreased drilling times.

Buildings? Here’s one I made earlier
As well as planning and choosing the right components to help achieve faster builds, a big shift in the way buildings are realised is through modular construction. More and more, buildings and their components are being prefabricated off-site under factory conditions.
Much like fasteners and fixings that aid installers on-site, manufacturers must also be able to adapt to these new offsite construction techniques and adapt their products to suit.
In reality, this can be as simple as inserting fasteners into their sleeves before they are sent to site or supplying brackets pre-assembled. Crest Girls’ Academy in Neasden, which required modernisation to its various buildings, is a great example of pre-fabrication. As well as using the Project Builder to create a detailed design to support approximately 6,000m2 of timber and cedar cladding, the project also utilised vertical point brackets with thermal isolators to help reduce thermal bridging. These brackets were pre-assembled from SFS, to speed up construction time and also prevent loss of materials on-site.

Fast Tracked for the Future
The future of our world very much depends on the construction projects of today being built right and being built to stand the tests of time for years to come.
While we improve the pace at which we construct new buildings, it must not be to the detriment of the finished products themselves. Building envelopes must be well thought out and designed, to minimise the need for amendments both during specification and installation. They must also be well considered so that they can be as thermally efficient and sustainable as possible. By looking at all these details closely, we can facilitate faster construction and create buildings where future generations can live, work and play in comfort.

www.sfsintec.co.uk

Buildingspecifier.com’s Joe Bradbury discusses the topic on everyone’s lips at present – flooding.

“It’s a bit black over Bill’s mothers” is an understatement. Apparently, according to the Met, England has received 144% of the average February rainfall this month, and as a resident of Tamworth, a town in the Midlands that two rivers pass through, I’m inclined to agree. Record river levels have been broken on the Colne, Ribble, Calder, Aire, Trent, Severn (which passes through Tamworth), Wye, Lugg, and Derwent.

Even our local theme park Drayton Manor is currently closed, due to their lake bursting its banks. Make no mistake, Britain is waterlogged. We must not underestimate the destructive power and danger of flooding. Not in this day and age.

Global warming

Did you know, the world’s population is currently consuming the equivalent of 1.6 planets resources a year? The Global Footprint Network estimates that if we continue to consume at current rates we’ll blow the global carbon budget and lock in more than 2C of global warming in approximately 17 years.

 

Over the next 100 years with 2C+ global warming locked in, the very existence of some atoll nations is threatened by rising sea-levels. Limiting warming to 1.5C may restrict sea level rise below 1 metre; yet even at 1.5C warming, regional food security risks are significant. Africa is particularly vulnerable, with significant reduction in staple crop yields in some countries. Between 1.5C-2C increase, mountains lose their glaciers meaning people will lose their water supplies. The entire Indian subcontinent will be fighting for survival. As the glaciers disappear from all but the highest peaks, their runoff will cease to power the massive rivers that deliver vital freshwater to hundreds of millions. Water shortages and famine will be the result, destabilising the entire region. The whole Greenland ice sheet would vanish within 140 years. Miami would disappear, as would most of Manhattan. Central London would be flooded. Bangkok, Bombay and Shanghai would lose most of their area.

 

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Lack of awareness

A recent YouGov research identified an alarming general lack of flood risk knowledge across the UK.

Ten years since the devastating summer floods of 2007, which saw over 48,000 homes affected by flooding, it seems the UK population is still failing to take adequate steps to understand whether their homes are at risk of flooding, with more than half (53%) of respondents to the infamous survey confirming they have never checked whether their homes’ in an area officially considered to be at risk of flooding.

This actually increases to 63% when specifically asking people in Scotland and higher again, 75%, when questioning people in Northern Ireland.

In addition, when asked what their biggest concern would be if they were to find out their home is located in an ‘at risk’ area, 31% said the potential for loss of damage to personal possessions was their main worry.

It was clear that those surveyed felt that the likes of construction companies, local councils, government and environmental authorities could be doing more to raise awareness and manage defence against flooding with 35% saying their confidence is about the same as it was in 2007. The online survey highlighted that consumer knowledge of how to check whether a property is considered at risk from flooding was limited; 39% said that checking online via Google or other search engines would be their first port of call, followed by asking the Environment Agency (25%) and then asking their local council (13%).

The same number of people also (13%) also stated that they would not know where to turn for this information at all.

Should we build houses or an ark?

An article in the Guardian this week revealed that more than 11,000 new homes are planned to be built on land at the highest risk of flooding in the regions battered by the worst winter storms in a generation.

The article stated that “an analysis of planning documents reveals that 11,410 new homes have been planned for land the government considers high-risk in the seven English counties where thousands of properties have been devastated by flooding since November.”

Greenpeace’s journalism project Unearthed and the Guardian conducted a joint analysis of housebuilding plans for the next five years in those areas already affected.

Unearthed’s coverage noted that “parts of the West Midlands have been devastated by the resulting floods. Whole areas of Shrewsbury were left underwater, with villages and towns affected all along the Welsh border.

“Local plans for Worcester, Shropshire and Herefordshire councils, which were badly affected, show they are planning for 1,224 homes to be built over the next five years in medium and high-risk flood areas.

“In Herefordshire alone, 325 homes are set to be built in flood-prone areas. Some of this land has already been left under water by Storm Dennis and other new developments had caused problems downstream for older homes that had never flooded before.”

 John Harrington, the council’s cabinet member for infrastructure, described the government’s housing policy as “completely and utterly flawed” and that it was forcing local authorities to approve “idiotic” developments on floodplains so they can meet demands from Whitehall.

“Central government just say ‘There’s a housing target, now go do it’. It’s really quite stupid. It’s devolving responsibility without giving the authority any power or money to deal with the situation. It is absolutely unacceptable.”

In summary

When it comes to dealing with flooding, planning ahead really is the best policy and knowing whether your property is at risk from flooding will ensure that you are better prepared.

After seeing first-hand the impact of the flooding in and around the Midland’s alone, it is clear that the growing threat from more extreme weather events means we must reassure ourselves, and those communities at risk, that our defences, our modelling and our future plans are robust… So are they? Let’s take a look.

 

As building specifiers, I ask you; is building on flood plains a good idea? Let us know in the comments below.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced new measures which go faster and further to improve building safety and in particular with regard to the removal of the combustible cladding that still surrounds many buildings.

Mr Jenrick’s announcement is set to name and shame companies who have not begun the removal of the unsafe cladding from their buildings, but for some the spotlight has swung too late.   The UK Cladding Action Group, created to raise awareness of the problem has said the progress by the government are “simply unacceptable” while John Healey, shadow housing secretary, claims the proposals are “too little, at least two years too late”. He added “Thousands of people continue to live in unsafe homes, condemned to do so by this Government’s failure on all fronts after Grenfell”.

 

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The proposals are published on www.gov.uk and reproduced below:

  • Government committed to delivering the biggest change in building safety for a generation
  • Housing Secretary announces the new Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive, to be established immediately
  • Government sets out clarified and consolidated advice for building owners, proposal to extend cladding ban, update on fire sprinklers
  • Response to Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry published
  • Building owners who have not taken action to make their buildings safe will be named from next month

The Housing Secretary has warned that the slow pace of improving building safety standards will no longer be tolerated and he has announced measures that go further and faster to ensure residents are safe in their homes.

To give effective oversight of the design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings – a regulator will be at the heart of a new regime – and established as part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Building owners are responsible for ensuring their buildings are safe and where there is no clear plan for remediation, the government will work with local authorities to support them in their enforcement options.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Jenrick also made clear that from next month he will start to name building owners where remediation has not started to remove unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding from their buildings.

While government action in this area has led to considerable progress to remove unsafe cladding, there are still some building owners who have been too slow to act.

Mr Jenrick confirmed the government will consult on extending the ban on combustible materials to buildings below 18 metres and we will seek views on how risks are assessed within existing buildings to inform future policy.

The package comes as the Prime Minister has written to the chairman of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, updating him on the government’s response to Phase 1.

The Prime Minister and Housing Secretary also met with bereaved, survivors and residents of the Grenfell Tower fire in Downing Street last week.

Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:

The government is committed to bringing about the biggest change in building safety for a generation.

Progress on improving building safety needs to move significantly faster to ensure people are safe in their homes and building owners are held to account.

 

That’s why today I’m announcing a major package of reforms, including establishing the Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive to oversee the new regime and publishing consolidated guidance for building owners.

Unless swift progress is seen in the coming weeks, I will publicly name building owners where action to remediate unsafe ACM cladding has not started. There can be no more excuses for delay, I’m demanding immediate action.

Today’s package of measures includes:

Building Safety Regulator

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will quickly begin to establish the new regulator in shadow form immediately, ahead of it being fully established, following legislation.

It will raise building safety and performance standards, including overseeing a new, more stringent regime for higher-risk buildings.

With a strong track record of working with industry and other regulators to improve safety, they will draw on experience and the capabilities of other regulators to implement the new regime. Dame Judith Hackitt will chair a Board to oversee the transition.

Chair of the Health and Safety Executive, Martin Temple said:

We are proud the government has asked HSE to establish the new Building Safety Regulator.

HSE’s vast experience of working in partnership with industry and others to improve lives will ensure people are confident the creation of the new regulator is in good hands.

Advice on building safety for multi-storey, multi-occupied buildings

Recent high-rise fires, including that in a block of student flats in Bolton in November 2019, have highlighted that many building owners have still not taken sufficient measures to ensure the safety of residents in buildings at all heights.

The government appointed independent expert advisory panel (IEAP) has clarified and updated advice to building owners on actions they should take to ensure their buildings are safe, with a focus on their external wall systems, commonly referred to as cladding.

This consolidated advice simplifies the language, consolidates previous advice into one place, and – vitally – makes clear that building owners need to do more to address safety issues on residential buildings under 18 metres.

It additionally reflects the independent panel view that cladding material comprised of ACM (and other metal composites) with an unmodified polyethylene core should not be on residential buildings of any height and should be removed.

A call for evidence will also be published, seeking views on the assessment of risks within existing buildings. This important step will help to gather ideas and lead to research which will provide a firm evidence base to guide decisions for both existing buildings and future regulatory regimes.

Fire doors

The consolidated advice also makes clear the actions building owners should take in relation to fire doors.

The government welcomes the commitment by the Association of Composite Door Manufacturers to work with building owners to remediate their doors which failed tests.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that this commitment is followed through.

Remediation of buildings with ACM cladding

To speed up remediation, we will be appointing a construction expert to review remediation timescales and identify what can be done to improve pace in the private sector.

To ensure cost is not a barrier to remediation, the government is considering different options to support the remediation of buildings. We are examining options to mitigate costs for individuals or provide alternative financing routes.

Combustible cladding ban

The government has also launched a consultation into the current combustible cladding ban, including proposals to lower the 18 metre height threshold to at least 11 metres.

Sprinklers

The government’s consultation on sprinklers and other measures for new build flats concluded on 28 November 2019.

We have proposed lowering the height threshold for sprinkler requirements in new buildings and will set out detailed proposals on how the government will deliver the technical review of fire guidance in February.

Fire Safety Bill

The government has also set out further details of the upcoming Fire Safety Bill being introduced to Parliament, which we set out in more detail in our response to the Public Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations.

This will clarify the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 – ‘the Fire Safety Order’ – requiring residential building owners to fully consider and mitigate the risks of any external wall systems and front doors to individual flats.

The changes will make it easier to enforce where building owners have not remediated unsafe ACM by complementing the powers under the Housing Act.

The pipeline of social housing new-build projects entering the planning system boomed last year according to exclusive market research from Glenigan.

There was a 14% rise in the number of detailed planning applications to build new homes by registered social landlords last year. Those 527 applications contained plans for 28,489 new social homes, which is an 18% rise on the number of units entering the pipeline in 2018.

Four RSLs put together planning submissions for more than 1,000 units last year with Notting Hill Genesis proposing the biggest number of new homes.

Social housing new-build pipeline booms

Projects

Notting Hill Genesis’ Grahame Park estate redevelopment in Colindale, north London, was the biggest project to enter the planning pipeline. This proposal from Notting Hill Genesis will provide more than 2,000 homes and construction is likely to begin in 2022.

Other major social housing schemes about to go live include the Turnhouse Road development of 1,400 homes in Edinburgh by Dunedin Canmore Housing Association and West Craigs (Glenigan Project ID: 16368698). According to Glenigan’s research, construction should start on this scheme later this year.

 

A host of other major social housing projects are moving through the system according to Glenigan’s data with some smaller RSLs joining forces to progress bigger developments. For example, Lochaber Housing Association and Highland Small Communities Housing Trust is working with Link Group to build 325 homes at Upper Achintore in Fort William (Glenigan Project ID: 17311006).

Top RSLs

There were also five RSLs amongst the industry’s top 100 construction clients in 2019 and Notting Hill Genesis was also the biggest spender. The association is building a swathe of new homes on the Aylesbury Estate at Southwark in south London. Hill Partnerships bagged a major deal and started on site last summer (Glenigan Project ID: 18257506).

Other contractors working on the Aylesbury Estate packages include Vistry, which is due to start on a £60 million package this summer (Glenigan Project ID: 16270537).

Social housing new-build pipeline booms

Other RSLs amongst the construction industry’s top 100 clients include Southern Housing, which is working on a £150 million residential scheme at Shoreham-by-Sea (Glenigan Project ID 16244688), and Places for People.

Places for People is spending £100 million on modular homes with Ilke Homes (Project ID: 19181842) and also progressing other large developments, such as the Egham Gateway development, which is delivering hundreds of new homes with phase two starting this spring according to Glenigan’s analysis (Glenigan Project ID: 19105039)

In the pipeline

Social housing construction is one of the sectors that is predicted to weather any post-Brexit downturn according to Glenigan’s latest industry forecasts.

Economics director Allan Wilén says: “Housing associations are now better placed to finance and take forward new developments. Government requirements limiting association’s rent increases to 1% below the rate of inflation are ending. This will provide associations with greater flexibility to increase their borrowing to fund new developments.”

After some weakness this year, Glenigan is predicting a rise of around 9% in the underlying value of social housing project starts next year.

Researchers have developed a nondestructive and noninvasive optical technique that can determine the setting times for various types of cement paste, which is used to bind new and old concrete surfaces. The new method could aid in the development of optimized types of cement with less impact on the environment.

“Our noninvasive optical method characterizes and determines the setting time of cement, which is a very important parameter for the construction industry,” said José Ortiz-Lozano, a member of the research team from Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Tecnológico Nacional de México and Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica, in Mexico. “It can also precisely assess the cement hydration process in real-time. This information is crucial for both the study of physical chemistry and the quantitative characterization of the nanomechanical properties of cement-based materials.”

In the Optical Society’s (OSA) journal Applied Optics, the researchers describe the new method, which combines laser-based technology with an optical model to calculate the dynamic behavior of the cement paste. The researchers show that their approach can accurately calculate both the initial setting time — the time available for mixing the cement and placing it in position — and the final setting time, when the cement reaches its full strength.

“Our group is trying to enhance the performance of cement-based materials, such as cement pastes, mortars and concrete,” said Ortiz-Lozano. “New material characterization methods, such as the one we report here, can be used to improve the behavior and performance of cement by optimizing its constituents. This could lead to new types of cement that use less water and raw materials like limestone and clay, which would make them more environmentally friendly.”

 

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Studying cement with light

Although a variety of techniques exist to study the dynamics of setting cement, they come with various drawbacks such as being destructive, invasive or influenced by human factors. The new method uses the optical properties of cement paste to directly calculate the initial and final cement setting time by measuring the diffuse light that reflects off the cement.

As the cement sets, the diffuse light reflection changes as it reacts with water and the spaces between the cement particles change. The amount of water present and the protective surface layer at each setting stage also influence the diffuse reflection properties. The researchers combined the diffuse reflection measurements with the Kubelka-Munk model, which is used to describe diffuse reflection of opaque samples.

“This new optical method was developed using tools, components and materials common among the optical industry,” said Ortiz-Lozano. “It would be, therefore, quite simple and economic to implement in cement quality control laboratories. It can be applied to any type of cement once the appropriate calibration is performed with the Kubelka-Munk model.”

The researchers applied the new technique to six cement samples and found that the results for all the samples were repeatable and agreed well with measurement techniques commonly used today.

“This laser-based technique gives continuous and accurate assessment of cement hydration process with high repeatability and reproducibility, showing its potential for studying the physical chemistry properties of cement,” said Ortiz-Lozano.

Next, the researchers plan to acquire more data using more types of cement, mortars, concretes as well as additional water to cement ratios and cement pastes that contain chemical and/or mineral admixtures. They are also planning to perform the work required to normalize the method as a standard.

 

Source: Science Daily

 

 

NORTHERN IRELAND and England could be linked by two tunnels rather than a bridge, according to the latest updates.

Last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson put forward the suggestion of linking Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK by building a bridge over the Irish Sea.

The plans would see a 28-mile bridge between Larne and Portpatrick in Scotland, though an alternative route was also being considered.

 

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In December, Johnson advised the nation to “watch this space”, while Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the construction was something worth considering.

However, the best course of action might well be to build a tunnel instead, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

They say they want to dig two high-speed rail tunnels under the Irish Sea to link the four countries of the UK together for the first time.

The idea being that a tunnel would be far less susceptible to bad weather than a bridge would.

The cost for building the tunnel would be around £15 billion – similar to the price of building the proposed bridge.

The tunnel itself would run from the west-coast of England to the Isle of Man, 50 miles from the coast, and then a second tunnel would run from the Isle of Man to the east coast of Northern Ireland, some 30 miles westward.

The exact locations of the entry and exit points of the tunnels are yet to be confirmed.

It would represent a similar feat of engineering to that of the Channel Tunnel, which connects England and France.

Construction of the 31-mile tunnel took six years and it was first opened in 1994.

The longest tunnel in the world with an undersea segment is the 33-mile long railway tunnel running from the Japanese island of Hokkaido to mainland Japan.

The proposed Anglo-Irish tunnel – if built to the specifications mentioned above – would be over twice the length of this, become the longest undersea tunnel in the world.

Source: The Irish Post

Non-regulation manhole covers may be being installed incorrectly on type III roads on new housing and commercial developments across the UK.

According to the civils and drainage supplies specialist Scott Parnell Ltd. and manufacturer Wrekin, the issue could cost housing developers significant sums to rectify.

The regulations, which were updated as part of Sewers for Adoption (7th Edition), include a stipulation that manhole covers situated on trunk roads, dual carriageways, A roads, and bus lanes and services, should be 600mm x 600mm with a frame depth of 150mm and should comply to BS EN124, BS7903 and HA104/09* standards.  

 

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Steve Parnell, Director of Scott Parnell, said:

“The updates, which have been in force for quite some time, can be overlooked. Currently, there is a real lack of awareness for what constitutes a correct manhole cover for the purpose. For example, EN124 compliant D400 manhole cover with the correct clear opening and frame depth might be deemed suitable, but it’s not necessarily Highways Agency compliant.”

However, the issue isn’t just the type of manhole covers being used, but also how they are installed.

Wrekin, explained:

“Manhole covers situated in NRSWA road categories I, II and III should be installed using Highways England DMRB HA104/09* compliant bedding mortar. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, this isn’t always happening so we are regularly seeing the groundwork around manhole covers disintegrate over time. This can cause problems in the long term, including surface cracking, as well as more major issues where manhole covers have sunk into the ground creating serious hazards for vehicles that could prove to be catastrophic.”

Scott Parnell and Wrekin have been working together to formulate a solution. In addition to raising awareness of the issue, it is urging housing developers to consider using specified, ‘own-brand’ manhole covers.

Wrekin, continued:

“It is important that housing developers to ensure the correct product is always installed onsite. By manufacturing fully compliant manhole covers that include the developer’s logo on the top side, the developer can specify this product be used onsite, making it instantly recognisable as a compliant product and providing the assurance for the developer, associated contractors and the Highways Agency that it meets the required regulations and that costly rectification work doesn’t have to be carried out. The additional bonus is that the developer’s brand remains visible onsite for its lifetime, even after the project has ended and they have departed.”

While there is still some way to go to ensure compliance is adopted across the board, the hope is that more awareness of the issue will result in better communication among developers, contractors and sub-contractors resulting in fewer replacements having to be carried out and substantial cost savings.

 

Website: www.scottparnell.com

The UK’s steelmakers have urged the government to complete HS2 to boost the struggling sector.

The rail project – which would link London, the Midlands and the north – is expected to use 2m tonnes of steel if it goes ahead.

However, the project is in some doubt as estimated costs have spiralled to £88bn and the government is currently undertaking a review of its viability.

 

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Director general of British Steel Gareth Stace stated that the project needs to happen in order to boost the steel industry.

“The prime minister spoke frequently during the election campaign about unleashing Britain’s potential, investing in much needed infrastructure, as well as a promised new approach to public procurement with a focus on buying British,” he said.

“Giving HS2 the green light will signal to industry that this was more than campaign rhetoric. For too long HS2 and other major infrastructure projects have been hampered by the political stalemate in Westminster, the time for delay and indecision is over.

“Government must live up to its promises to improve procurement to ensure the benefits of public infrastructure spend are experienced by UK industry.”

High energy costs, Brexit uncertainty and competition from foreign competitors has crimped the UK’s steel sector, resulting in British Steel announcing insolvency earlier this year.

Chinese dealmaker Jingye Group has since agreed to buy the company for £70m.

If HS2 gets built the project would add 2000 jobs to the industry, according to advocacy group UK Steel.

The government is expected to soon rule on whether the project goes ahead, after its projected budget has increased from its original £56bn figure.

A government-commissioned report into the viability of the project recently leaked to the press, suggesting that HS2 should go ahead in its entirety.

Source: City A.M.

As part of its ongoing commitment to keeping up to carbon neutral standards, XL Joinery, the market-leading supplier of doors and associated products, has announced its support of three inspiring projects throughout 2020. The projects were chosen as a result of a staff vote at the company’s head office.

 

The first project chosen was the Borehole Rehabilitation Project, which helps ensure safe supplies of clean drinking water for local communities in Uganda. The support will help the project identify and repair broken boreholes, thereby lowering the risk of disease by providing clean drinking water. The need for fuel is also lessened as water does not need to be boiled before consumption.

 

XL Joinery will also be supporting the Nanyang Dajing River Solar Cooker Project in China which helps replace 50,000 stoves in the Nanyang region with clean solar cookers. This simultaneously builds a better quality of life for the local community and lessens the impact on the environment.

 

Finally, staff voted to continue support of the Mariposas Hydroelectric Power Project which recycles the unclean waters of the Maule Norte Alto canal in order to generate electricity, replacing traditional gas or coal.

 

David Crossley, Head of the Carbon Neutral team at XL Joinery, commented: “We are so proud to be supporting these projects that not only help to combat climate change and also people who are most at risk. Sustainability is at the forefront of our business and we will continue to pave the way for sustainable business practices in the future.”

 

For more information about XL Joinery, please visit: www.xljoinery.co.uk

 

Toomebridge headquartered concrete products manufacturer Creagh Concrete has invested £1m in new offices to accommodate the company’s growing workforce.

One of the UK’s largest producers of concrete products for a range of market sectors, Creagh operates from five sites across GB and Northern Ireland, including its head office and largest manufacturing site in Toomebridge.

Privately owned by the McKeague family, the company has grown significantly in the past two years to now employ over 700 staff, including 300 at its primary location. To accommodate the expansion, a new 6,500 sq. ft. office block has now been completed next to The Elk complex on the Hillhead Road and staff from Creagh’s Rapidres team have moved in. This team are responsible for the design and delivery of prestigious, offsite bespoke concrete building systems.

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Creagh Concrete’s Chief Executive, Seamus McKeague, said: “We’re proud to open these new offices, which were needed because of the rapid growth of the business. In recent years Creagh has moved from being just a concrete and materials supplier to a specialist subcontractor, which has opened up new opportunities. Today, some 85% of our turnover comes from Great Britain and we are also seeing new opportunities unfolding in the Republic of Ireland.

“We believe that Creagh is leading the market with innovation in concrete, providing new solutions across the construction industry. Our turnover to 31 March 2020 will be £110m and, based on the pipeline of contracts secured, we expect turnover to grow to £200m by 2020/21. We hope to increase direct employment to 1,000 in the next year, growth which will support a lot of additional employment in our local community.”

Creagh Concrete’s latest construction projects include Circle Square, a six-storey hotel on top of a 9-storey car park in Manchester and St. Martin’s Place, a 17-storey premium residential development in Birmingham, both due for completion soon. Other multimillion-pound contracts won recently include a 7-storey apartment block in Chatham Waters, Kent, a 17-storey five-star hotel in Portland Street, Manchester and a 14-storey apartment block in Sutton Court, Surrey.

Mr McKeague added: “We have seen many good Northern Ireland based companies who have gone out and found new markets. In some sectors they have become dominant players. Many are our customers and we have followed their lead to help us identify new opportunities.

“Today, we have active jobs from the north of Scotland to Southampton and we are able to service those jobs because we have invested in manufacturing bases in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

Creagh Concrete has the largest prestressed manufacturing plant in the UK and has gained market share due to the efficiency and performance of its products, including its Spantherm thermally efficient flooring and Rapidres, an offsite fast-track build system.

At present the company is recruiting for a few technical roles, including structural engineers, REVIT technicians, CAD detailers and technical sales representatives.

More information can be found at www.creaghconcrete.co.uk