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.

Weak information clouds construction bosses referendum decision

A survey carried out by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has revealed that 80% of construction bosses of SME’s will vote in the upcoming European Union referendum according to their own personal beliefs rather than casting a wider business interest-based vote overall.

The poll results indicate that more than 50% of small construction company owners feel like they haven’t received enough relevant information on the issues that might affect their businesses should we stay or leave come referendum time.

40% of respondents said that the main appeal to leave the EU would be the ability to “freely legislate” to meet the demands of British business. The argument to remain seemed largely based on the economic stability provided by the EU.

Only 17% of respondents said that they would put their business interests first when it came to deciding on the issue.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB said “The outcome of June’s referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU will have significant ramifications for construction SMEs, regardless of the outcome. That’s why it’s fascinating that more than 80% of our members have indicated that their vote will be determined by their personal beliefs ahead of anything else. It just goes to show that although it’s important to explore the business case for leaving or remaining within the EU, for many people their decision will be based first and foremost on other drivers. These could include the desire to be part of the wider European community or a compulsion to reclaim British national sovereignty.

“However, a recent survey by Ipsos MORI revealed that the public want to hear the perspective of SMEs more than any other type of business. Unfortunately our research shows that the people who run small construction firms feel that the ongoing debate over Brexit has done little to enlighten them on the issues that really matter, with 52% stating they do not feel well informed on the issues that might affect their businesses. This is perhaps a reflection of how few of the impartial facts that are so widely craved have actually been offered by either side. No wonder then, that the vast majority of builders will be opting to vote based on their wider personal beliefs, when the economic and business case of each argument remain so unclear.

“What’s clear is that few sectors are more sensitive to uncertainty than construction. Already, there are signs that the unpredictability surrounding the outcome is beginning to sag on industry confidence as investment is deferred and home owner confidence wanes. This explains why continued economic stability has been cited as the best reason to remain in the EU. On the other hand, 40% of SMEs identified the potential freedom that Brexit could grant the Government to set legislation that truly meets the needs of British business as the biggest potential positive of Brexit.”

How will you vote? Be sure to take our one-click poll at the top right-hand side of this page!
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Housing firm fined £100,000 over construction site pollution

A major home building company has been fined £100,000 over a pollution incident relating to a housing development in Huddersfield.

Miller Homes Ltd, of Edinburgh, appeared before Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday 18th May following a pollution incident at Lindley Park, Huddersfield, in November 2013.

The company admitted one environmental offence for an unauthorised discharge of water, containing silt and sediment, from the construction site into a nearby watercourse that runs into Grimescar Dyke.

Flannery Civil Engineering Ltd, of Willow Bridge Way, Castleford, was fined £9,000 by Kirklees Magistrates’ Court in March after admitting a similar charge for its involvement in the same incident.

Prosecuting for the Environment Agency, Chris Bunting told the court that the polluted water should have been managed on the construction site, and that neither company had permission to discharge silt water from the site.

Miller Homes contracted Flannery to construct four storage lagoons in order to reduce the risk of flooding downstream. Straw bales were used on the outflow of the lower lagoon to prevent silt from leaving the site.

But following heavy rainfall in November 2013, the lower lagoon filled with water, and Flannery removed the straw bales to allow it to drain. With the bales removed, silt water ran directly into the watercourse, affecting water quality.

A member of the public reported the pollution incident to the Environment Agency, which sent an officer to investigate. He found that the watercourse was running a dark brown colour, and traced the source back to the development site.

The officer also saw that the straw bales were situated at the side of the lagoon, no longer filtering the discharge. Water entering the top lagoon was clear, but the water leaving the bottom lagoon was cloudy.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency, said after the case “Environmental permitting laws exist to protect the environment and local communities from harm. This case shows how important it is that construction and other industrial companies adhere to the regulations to ensure that their activities do not pose a risk of pollution.”

“Miller Homes should have had more effective water management systems on the construction site to prevent the silty run-off from affecting local watercourses.”

“If anyone spots pollution of this kind, they are urged to contact the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 807060 so we can investigate.”

In mitigation, Miller Homes said they immediately improved the lagoon system following the incident. They added that they are one of a small number of house building companies that had achieved an accreditation for environmental standards, and that their board of directors had been “apoplectic” that the problem had not been reported to the Environment Agency or even themselves at the time.

The company was also ordered to pay £2,901.03 in costs.

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Many schools are “dangerous, dilapidated, poorly built and wasteful”, says RIBA

RIBA have highlighted the urgent need for school refurbishment in a new report into the state of school buildings, entitled ‘Better Spaces for Learning.’ The report revealed:

  • 1 in 5 teachers have considered quitting because of the wretched condition of the school buildings they have to teach in
  • The Government’s Education Funding Agency’s new school building programme is too rigid and is leading to waste and poor value for tax payers
  • Over 90% of teachers believe well-built and designed schools improve educational outcomes and pupil behaviour
  • Over-engineered schools, with Government-specified equipment that only costly consultants know how to operate, is costing £150 million per year which could have been avoided if schools were designed better

A new report on the state of school buildings in the UK has been published by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Using the largest ever analysis of primary and secondary school buildings in the UK, a nation-wide poll of teachers, and extensive engagement with school buildings experts, RIBA’s Better Spaces for Learning report makes the case for an urgent review of the Government’s Education Funding Agency’s current school building programme.

The report emphasises the importance of well-designed school buildings on young people’s wellbeing, behaviour engagement and crucially, attainment.

RIBA has identified that good school design can reduce running and maintenance costs, in some cases by more than several times a teacher’s average salary a year; it could have prevented the English school estate from spending upwards of £150m annually on unnecessary operation and maintenance costs.

The new report is further insight into the Government’s own assertion that just 5% of the nearly 60,000 school buildings across the UK are performing as intended and operating efficiently.* The prevalence of damp, leaky classrooms and asbestos-ridden buildings in British schools means too many pupils and teachers are struggling to learn and teach in conditions damaging to their health and education.

Better Spaces for Learning reveals that the Government’s current programme of building new schools is inefficient – with a lack of flexibility to make the best possible use of resources, and little opportunity for school staff to input into the design of their own new buildings. RIBA believes that the Government programme must be improved to guarantee better outcomes for our public money.

RIBA President Jane Duncan said “This country is in the grip of the worst shortage of school places in living memory. Our report highlights the vital importance of school design and how it affects the general health and wellbeing of their users, our children and their teachers. As limited funding is available to deal with the growing problem, every penny spent on schools must deliver maximum value for money. Award winning well-designed, successful schools with happy pupils and productive staff like Burntwood School in London shouldn’t be the exception, they should be the standard.

“How can we expect our children to compete with the world’s best when too many of our school buildings are substandard? Educational improvements resulting from the current programme of school building are not reaching the basic standards that British taxpayers and our economy expects. We need to do better for all of our children and their hardworking teachers. We urge the Government to review its programme of building new schools.”

To read more about buildings and construction within the education sector, subscribe to our sister publication School Building Magazine. School Building magazine is aimed at the key named buyers and specifiers with Local Authorities, LEA’s, Universities, Architects and contractors responsible for the design, build and refurbishment of educational facilities.
Read the latest edition here.
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Is the growth of cities causing a baby boom?

While urbanization has historically been linked to lower birth rates, research is dispelling the myth of cities as “fertility traps.” A recent study from Allianz found that the birth rate in 41 major European and US cities is actually higher than the national average of the respective country.

As cities experienced unprecedented growth in recent decades, global fertility rates have decreased dramatically. Some demographers believe that the conditions that draw people to cities, such as increased access to education, better employment for women and family planning options, could also be linked to this decline.

Yet recent evidence has indicated that cities in developed countries are experiencing a “mini baby boom.” How widespread this is was shown in recent research conducted by the International Pensions unit of Allianz, one of the world’s largest insurers. It found that the birth rate in 41 major European and US cities is on average actually 7% higher than the national average of the country in which the city is located.

In this study of fertility in cities in Europe and the US, birth rates were calculated and compared with national birthrates.* The list studied includes European capitals and cities with more than 1 million inhabitants. Researchers found that the higher fertility pattern transcends borders: Lisbon (+50%), Bratislava (+31%) and Birmingham I the UK (+17%) lead the list of cities studied in terms of excess birthrate. In the US, the adjusted birth rate for NYC was +5% compared with the national average; in Chicago it was +3%, and in Dallas, +17%.

“Surprisingly, cities with some of the highest living and housing expenses also show an excess birthrate compared to the national average,” said Brigitte Miksa, Head of International Pensions. “These include New York City, Munich (+5%), London (+8%), Stockholm (+13%), Copenhagen (+14%) and Oslo (+16%).

Drivers for the fertility increase in some cities include better opportunities for jobs that offer work-life balance, more comprehensive infrastructure with easier access to childcare, shifting attitudes towards parenthood among affluent couples, and increases in immigration.

However, the Allianz researchers also caution that while a city baby boom is a demographic plus, it isn’t a panacea for the issues faced by aging societies. Of the cities surveyed, only Dallas and Birmingham have fertility rates of 2.1 children per women, the number considered necessary for one generation to replace itself without immigration. Five other cities – Brussels, Stockholm, Oslo, London and New York – have fertility levels just under the replacement rate. What this means, according to Brigitte Miksa, is that “countries will still need to find other ways to sustain their populations and fund their public services and pensions systems.”

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VIDEO: 10 amazing construction technologies that could change the world

The effects of humans on the Earth are becoming more profound every day. Our energy consumption is higher than ever, and it is only getting worse. The population is also growing, which is putting a dramatic strain on basic resources like space, water, and food. Finally, the environment is rapidly changing, which has led to extreme weather that has had a tremendous effect on cities around the world.To address some of these problems, innovative changes are being made to old construction technologies to make the future beautiful, clean, and (most importantly) liveable.

Watch the video below to see 10 truly amazing construction technologies that have the potential to change the world:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzucewwlfX0

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What do clients really think of architects?

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is starting a new piece of work to find out what consumer and construction industry clients think of architects. A new ‘working with architects’ survey will be launched by RIBA Immediate Past President, Stephen Hodder MBE and the broadcaster Kevin McCloud at Grand Designs Live in London on 5 May.

The findings will benchmark client attitudes, inform future RIBA policy, and for the first time gather a body of evidence which will demonstrate the value of working with architects. They will also give valuable insights into what clients want, information that architects can use to improve how they win and deliver work. There are two versions of the survey, one for private domestic consumer clients, and another for commercial clients. The findings for 2016 will be announced at Grand Designs Live and UK Construction Week in Birmingham in October.

The survey will monitor attitudes, providing valuable up-to-date market intelligence for members and the profession as a whole.

RIBA President, Jane Duncan commented “I expect the results from this survey to help our profession develop their skills not just to remain relevant, but to continue to provide a significant and valuable leadership role and add creative innovation to the construction industry.”

Stephen Hodder added “This is a watershed moment for the RIBA. Investing in this kind of market intelligence gives our members the validated information they need to develop their professional service offering for the new era.”

Kevin McCloud, broadcaster and client, said “Building is a much more collaborative process than it used to be and among the shifting sands of responsibilities it’s hugely important for clients to understand their roles and to communicate their experiences. The client-architect relationship remains the most powerful and most creative bond on a project; we need to find ways of nurturing it in a world where ways of building are evolving.”

’Working with architects’ client survey is an online questionnaire hosted on www.architecture.com. It should only take about 5 minutes to complete. Click here to participate!
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Government’s financial support for Tata Steel UK explained

A package of support worth hundreds of millions of pounds will be made available to potential buyers of Tata Steel UK. What does this mean for the UK steel industry?

According to the gov.uk website, the support will include the following:

  • hundreds of millions of pounds worth of financial support on commercial terms will be made available
  • additional grant funding support also on offer
  • comes on top of wider action already being taken by the UK and Welsh governments to support the steel industry
  • A package of support worth hundreds of millions of pounds will be made available on commercial terms to potential buyers of Tata Steel UK, the UK and Welsh governments have confirmed

The announcement follows a second meeting between Business Secretary Sajid Javid and Tata Global Chairman Cyrus Mistry last week in Mumbai where progress on the sales process was discussed.

The UK government has been clear that since Tata announced its intention to divest its UK operations, it is ready to support a credible private buyer of Tata Steel UK, offering financing on commercial terms to support the ongoing operations and deliver long-term investment in the future of the business.

The financial support package will be tailored to the purchaser’s strategy and financing needs. However, it is expected that all, or the large majority, will be through the provision of debt financing. Other options include:

  • providing hybrid (convertible debt) or alternative forms of financing
  • supporting a purchaser’s financing by taking a minority equity stake (up to 25%) acting in support of the purchaser; however, government will not acquire a material element of control over the business

The UK government say that they are actively working with Tata Steel and the British Steel Pension Scheme’s Trustees to find a solution that will help minimise its impact on a potential purchaser, and potentially separate it from the business.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid said “This government is committed to supporting the steel industry to secure a long-term viable future and we are working closely with Tata Steel UK on its process to find a credible buyer. The detail of our commercial funding offer is clear evidence of the extent of that commitment.”

“Ministers have visited Tata Steel sites across the country and the pride and dedication of the highly-skilled men and women working there is obvious to see. We have already delivered on energy compensation, on tackling unfair trading practices and on procurement of British steel, and we will keep on going further to support this vital industry.”

Read more: Sir David Attenborough opens namesake building… by abseiling down living wall in the atrium!

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones added “We’re committed to supporting any credible bid to secure steel making in Wales. We have worked with the UK government to put in place this significant package of support and we believe that this will help secure a successful sale of Tata Steel’s operations in Wales and the rest of the UK.”

Last week’s announcement, made in partnership with the Welsh government, follows the start of a formal sales process announced by Tata Steel last week. In addition to the support package, the UK and Welsh governments will also be willing to consider additional grant funding support, for example to support the development of power plant infrastructure, energy efficiency and/or environmental protection measures, R&D and training.

The European Investment Bank has also stated that it recognises the diverse challenges facing European steel companies and stands ready to consider possible financing for new investment in the UK steel industry on the basis of specific proposals.

How Europe affects UK steel

Approximately 18,000 people are employed within the UK steel sector. Analysts suggest that if current trends hold up, around one in four of these jobs could be at risk over coming years.

However, whilst cries have been heard for the government to simply bail out struggling companies within the sector to reduce this risk, it isn’t as simple as that. EU rules tightly restrict just how much support governments can give to certain industries. This includes the steel industry, with EU member states not able to use public funds to rescue struggling steel manufacturers.

However, despite these preventions being in place, EU countries are permitted to increase the global competitiveness of their own steel firms, through R&D funding and help paying high energy bills.

Do you think the government’s announcement will help the UK steel industry? Let us know in the comments below!
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Sir David Attenborough opens namesake building – with a twist!

Sir David Attenborough officially opened the new conservation campus named for him… by abseiling down the living wall in the atrium.

Sir David Attenborough said “By bringing together leaders in research, practice, policy and teaching, we stand the greatest chance of developing the solutions required to save our planet. I am enormously proud that these collaborations are occurring in a building bearing my name.”

The building is the new home of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, a strategic collaboration between the University of Cambridge and nine biodiversity conservation organisations. The radical remodelling and refurbishment, designed by Nicholas Hare Architects, is a working exploration of how to promote biodiversity and create new habitats in the midst of a busy city.

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Volvo urges construction industry to be more sustainable

Martin Weissburg, president of Volvo Construction Equipment, discusses the industry’s obligation to address environmental issues during Volvo’s Construction Climate Challenge seminar at bauma 2016.

Weissburg notes that the industry as a whole currently contributes 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions, requiring all participants to be part of the solution in reducing the carbon footprint created in meeting the needs of growing global economy.

Watch the video below:
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VIDEO: Construction mistakes and mishaps

There are a multitude of examples of fine architecture, engineering feats and skilled construction… these are not any of them.

From bridges that don’t meet up in the middle to a door suspended 30ft in the air with no way of getting to it, Worst Things Ever have compiled a collection of embarrassing blunders made by the construction industry. Hey, nobody’s perfect!

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