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.

Construction in March gains momentum after a slow start to the year

Construction in March gains momentum after a slow start to the year.

After a subdued start for construction in 2016 the industry picked up the pace in March, with £6.1 billion worth of construction contracts delivered. This is the highest figures of the year to date which was particularly influenced by the continued strength of the residential sector.

According to the latest Economic & Construction Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI, total construction contract value figures for March were almost 10% higher than in February.

Alongside the improving figures, residential construction contract values were worth £1.9 billion in March, 31 per cent of the total amount of contracts for the month.

The positive news from March continues as the commercial & retail sector increased its monthly contract value by 25 per cent and Infrastructure by 30 per cent, which is an extra £500 million of contract value compared to February.

Commenting on the figures, Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said “it’s encouraging to see the industry pick up the pace after a lacklustre start to the year. Housebuilding once again continues to storm ahead in the industry, as housebuilders continue to try to keep pace with the demand and appetite for new housing.”

“With both the commercial & retail and infrastructure sectors increasing their levels of activity in March, it would be good to see this continue and take some of the pressure away from private housing, which has been the only sector that has continually grown and at times propped up the industry in recent years.”

“With the EU referendum looming, this will be interesting to follow over the coming months to see what affect it will have across the construction sector as there is anecdotal evidence to suggest this is starting to make an impact on investment decisions inside the boardrooms of construction firms.”

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The rise of new luxury garden retreats known as “she-sheds”

Shepherd hut makers Blackdown Shepherd Huts have seen a recent rise in the sale of their luxury garden huts specifically for women, dubbing them “she-sheds.”

Whilst the traditional huts are purchased for a range of purposes from extra family room space and glamping businesses, to saunas and garden offices, Blackdown’s shepherd hut retreats are fast becoming popular as the female version of the “man cave.”

Will Vickery, who runs the Somerset-based company, says “At the moment pretty much all our huts are being built for women. They’re being created for them to use as craft rooms, sewing rooms, reading rooms, art studios, that type of thing.  A lot of men are buying our self-build huts to construct them for their wives and partners as gifts.

“We sold 21 huts as she-sheds last year and the enquiries on this basis are coming in every week. It seems to be a trend and we’re happy to be making huts that fulfil all type of luxury retreat requirements. One gentleman divulged that, whilst his wife said her hut would be a mediation room, he thought it might be used more as a wine or gin den because she asked for a fridge to be put in. We can obviously create huts to all types of specifications, and we don’t judge!”

Jo Simpson, from Sherborne in Dorset, bought a Blackdown Heritage Hut and was instantly smitten. She says “My sisters talked me into getting a hut, telling me that everyone should have a ‘room of one’s own’, particularly if there is a novel trapped inside your brain and a newly retired husband looming in every corner of the marital home. So I went to Blackdown, we created my hut (whom I call Jabba) and I fell in love.”

“My she-shed sits in place under the ash tree in our garden. She is curtained, rugged and kitted out with a chair and a sheepskin and scatter cushions. I use my hut to help me on my literary venture and when I need inspiration I toddle down across the garden, light the stove and watch as the flames warm up my life and give me room to breathe.”

“I am sure at some point my she-shed will assume another guise – grandchildren’s playhouse, perhaps, or a spare room for visitors. But right now my shepherd’s but is my room of my own, and when you visit it’s my retreat, my rules!”

Inspired by the traditional shepherd’s huts of yesteryear, Blackdown Shepherd Huts create ultimate dream huts which are built to last. Customers can choose oak-clad or metal-clad exteriors and can include a bathroom and a kitchen, or just simply a log-burner.

Will concludes “I have always been captivated by the heritage of shepherd huts, but also intrigued by the opportunity that the flexibility of the space presented. It seems both genders are jumping on the shepherd hut trend, and it’s great to see so much passion for something that is so quintessentially British and traditional, but which allows us to transform it for the modern day.”

Blackdown Shepherd Huts was established in 2011 and is based in Ilminster, Somerset. Self-build huts start at £3,150 inc. VAT and hand-crafted bespoke huts start from £18,650 inc. VAT.

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Glastonbury festival supports British steel with reusable steel pint cups

Glastonbury Festival organisers have announced that they are launching a sustainable, recycled stainless steel pint cup for use on a major scale at this year’s event.

The website states that over 200,000 cups will be in circulation in ten of the main bars onsite, with festival goers paying a £5 deposit when they buy their first pint.

Green Initiatives and Sustainability Coordinator, Lucy Smith says “Everybody said we couldn’t do it with something on the scale of Glastonbury and it has been a major fight to get this scheme off the ground, dealing with everything from weights and measures to crushability tests.

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“But for us, it’s part of the reusable revolution. It’s very similar to paying 5p for a carrier bag. We think people will take to it. The pints are made by APS in Birmingham, and it was a significant part of the project to have them made with British stainless steel.”

Waste is always a big issue for music festivals, and a solution to the sheer amount of spent beer cups has been long sought after. These stainless pint cups are the truly a first of their kind and are made of food grade 80 per cent recycled British stainless steel. In order to ensure hygiene, when music-lovers get their next round in, they can simply swap their used cup for a fresh one.

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Lucy continues: “Founder of the festival, Michael Eavis wanted to support the British steel industry, and what we got was much higher, more consistent quality. The difference is clear in the quality of the steel. APS made the cups on a press previously used to make Land Rover parts.”

“I’m told the cup initiative is a bit of a revolution. But for me, the single most important thing was being able to source British stainless steel for the cups from the place where it was invented – Sheffield, and then to take it on to the home of manufacture – Birmingham.” – Michael Eavis

“Week after week, there’s a story in the national press about jobs in the UK steel industry being put at risk. There’s seemingly no end to the negative slide of this critical industry, and if the jobs, skills and infrastructure are lost they won’t be replaced.”

“We’ve worked on this project over the last three years, which will hopefully encourage other UK businesses to think about how they can support our steel industry during these very challenging times.”

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New Spurs stadium that costs £400m given final go-ahead

Tottenham Hotspur’s £400m, 61,000-seat stadium redevelopment plans edge closer after receiving formal permission to continue building from Haringey council.

Haringey council gave the scheme the green light after the government informed the council it would not call in the planning application.

A spokesperson for the Spurs said that the club would “work with Haringey council in respect of finalising planning processes, public sector support for the surrounding environs and transport improvements that are essential to the deliverability of the scheme.”

Mace are the main construction partner, working in conjunction with Arcadis and engineer Buro Happold. They hope that the stadium will be completed and ready for play to commence in the 2018/19 season.

     Read more: Constructing the future: Tokyo 2020
     Read more: How will brexit affect the construction industry? Two views

Leading Australian architect, Christopher Lee also designed the Emirates stadium, home of Tottenham’s rivals, Arsenal. Which stadium will be best!?

Not just a stadium

In order to get planning permission for such a large scale project, developers often have to include other things which will prove to be an asset to the surrounding community. The new Spurs stadium is of no exception; plans also include the delivery of around 600 new houses, a community health centre, a 180 bed hotel, a sports centre, and an outdoor open space for events and public use.

The news that the stadium has been green lighted follows the project receiving mayoral approval for the scheme back in February.

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Construction bosses in ‘tax scam’ warning amid calls for HMRC to investigate

Bosses at Crossrail and some of the UK’s biggest construction firms are being warned against engaging in a ‘scam’ which is aimed at dodging new tax rules introduced by HM Revenue and Customs to close tax loop holes and clamp down on ‘umbrella’ employment models.

The warning in a letter to bosses from Britain’s largest union, Unite comes after the union obtained documentation of employment business service providers continuing to offer construction firms an alternative to direct employment to reduce national insurance and employment costs by more than 25 per cent.

Unite is also calling on HMRC to investigate the scam which sees employment business service providers offering ways to side step the new supervision, direction and control test (see notes), which came into force on 6 April, by engaging skilled workers on a self-employed and ‘tax efficient’, basis.

The new ‘test’ was introduced by HMRC in part to prevent employment business service providers or ‘intermediaries’ from engaging workers through a ‘tax efficient’ ‘umbrella’ employment model.

The loophole allowed employment business service providers and employment agencies to minimise employer national insurance contributions and drive down wages by getting workers to claim tax relief on travel and subsistence to supplement their low pay.

In a presentation seen by Unite, one employment business service provider boasts of consulting with ‘highly skilled legal and financial advisors’. The firm goes on to offer a ‘status check’ on whether any skilled workers can be employed without supervision, direction or control. A move not only designed to reduce employment costs and be ‘tax efficient’, but one which Unite says could undermine health and safety and erode industry standards.

Unite national officer, Bernard McAulay said “Everything we’ve seen and heard points to a brazen attempt by employment business service providers to side step a tax loophole which was closed just last week.

“We’ve already had reports from construction workers being pressured to declare themselves self-employed and sign contracts agreeing to accept liability for any unpaid tax and national insurance should the tax man come knocking as a result of this scam.

“The reason HMRC closed this tax loophole in the first place was because employment business service providers were exploiting temporary workers by getting them to claim tax relief on travel and subsistence to top up low wages at the same as minimising employment and national insurance costs.

“This latest mutation of bogus self-employment would effectively see workers, who should be directly employed, being stripped of holiday pay and their automatic enrolment pension contributions, while allowing employers to pay no national insurance and circumvent nationally agreed rates of pay.

“We know that this ‘scam’ has been circulated throughout the construction industry and to companies on major projects, such as Crossrail by of at least one business service provider.

“Unite urges HMRC to investigate and calls on the construction industry to turn its back on ‘shady’ employment practices which are designed to bust nationally agreed rates of pay at the expense of the taxpayer.”

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A new and affordable era of sustainable living

Do you ever dream of living off-grid? We all daydream of that elusive log cabin in the mountains, a beautiful beach hut on a remote island, or a quiet cottage in a sleepy country village. Unfortunately, the initial outlay involved in getting a property like this and then adapting it for off-grid sustainability can be staggering. As such it often remains all but a pipedream for many.

Ecocapsule believe they have a solution for those on a smaller budget, offering a very real opportunity for them to finally getaway and enjoy an authentic, low-carbon life in nature.

What is the Ecocapsule?

According to their website, “the Ecocapsule is a compact mobile home which can enable off-grid living under specific conditions and in specific environments.

The Ecocapsule is an opportunity for an eco-life. It does not need to be plugged into the traditional power and water supply as it is self-sustaining and can generate both resources from the surrounding environment.”

Check it out for yourself in the video below:

Could you live in an Ecocapsule? Let us know in the comments below!
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The future looks bright for family businesses in the construction sector

Family firms across the UK are setting their sights on expansion following another hugely successful year for the sector.

New research by Oxford Economics for the Institute for Family Business (IFB) Research Foundation reveals the vast contribution family firms make to the UK economy – employing over 11.9 million people and making up 87 percent of all private sector firms in the UK.

There are now more than 800,000 family firms in the construction sector, making up almost one in five of all businesses in the industry. Family businesses also account for 94 per cent of all private sector firms in the construction sector – one of the highest concentrations in the UK.

Kate Woods, a spokeswoman from construction family business, Osborne, added: “Osborne echos the amazing and timely achievements of family businesses and this year we are excited to celebrate our 50th anniversary. We rebranded to a vibrant magenta in 2014 and we are committed to finding customer led solutions, listening to our customers and working in collaboration with their needs.”

Since 2013 family businesses have increased employment by six per cent and turnover has also seen a strong rise, increasing by two per cent to reach £1.3 trillion. In addition, family firms paid £125 billion in taxes and contributed over a quarter (26%) of the UK’s entire GDP.

Speaking about the new findings, Peter Armitage, Chairman of the IFB, said “The report sheds light on the sheer size and scale of the family business community. It’s an important reminder of how vital family-run firms are to the UK – serving as the backbone of our economy, with family firms making a phenomenal contribution across all sectors, industries and regions.

“Family businesses have always been at the very heart of the UK economy and based on the steady rise in their recruitment and turnover, it is clear they are here to stay. It’s encouraging to see family firms with such a buoyant attitude towards their future expansion – almost half of family SMEs expect to grow over the next two to three years.”

Growth and expansion is a top priority for many SME family firms with just under half (49%) stating they aim to grow over the next twelve months.

Looking to how they will turn this ambition into reality just under a half of firms (43%) say they will invest in improving the skills of their workforce to support growth, with a third (33%) planning to boost productivity through investing in new machinery and premises.

Looking beyond their traditional activities to diversify their business and customer base, 42% of family firms are planning to move into new markets and 37% are developing and launching new products and services.

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Willmott Dixon to build 1,000 ‘offsite’ homes a year

Contracting, residential development and property support business Willmott Dixon intend to future-proof their residential construction business against a worsening skills shortage.

The company currently deliver 2,000 homes each year. Their latest announcement suggests that they plan for half of these to be constructed using offsite methods and materials going forward.

By signing 3 year strategic agreements with leading suppliers of timber frame (Robertson Timber Engineering) and light-gauge steel frame systems (Fusion Building Systems), Willmott Dixon hope to drastically reduce current reliance on traditional construction methods due to rising costs and lack of skills.

Residential construction chief operating officer, Charlie Scherer says “This is an important step in our strategy to provide a high quality product that utilises all the benefits of factory-made systems while also reducing our exposure to the labour price escalation we’ve seen in recent years. We aim to be building 1,000 homes a year by 2017 using systems provided by Robertson and Fusion, with the consistent quality also aiding our zero defects strategy.”

“These two deals are the cornerstone of our ‘Capacity Building’ strategy. This is our people, engineering and technology programme that is central to counterweight the resource challenges in industry, and deliver cost-effective, sustainable build solutions for our clients.”

Tim Carey, product director for Willmott Dixon, added “If we are to address the significant capacity gap that currently exists in the construction sector, we need to think strategically about our supply chain. The selection of Robertson and Fusion will help maximise efficiencies across our projects, enabling us to deliver as many high-quality homes in as short a time frame as possible whilst ensuring they are delivered to the quality our clients deserve.”

About Willmott Dixon:

Willmott Dixon has built nearly 50,000 homes since the 1974, and operates across the South, Midlands and North, building for developers, housing associations and local authorities. The mix includes affordable, care residential, retirement villages, housing for sale and private rent, plus student accommodation. Projects vary in scale, from a standalone 90 unit care homes to multi-phase ten year estate regenerations that create a new ‘destination’ for communities.

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Constructing the future: Tokyo 2020

Tokyo-2020_v4

For more information please visit www.futurism.com.
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Contracts on four HS2 stations up for grabs

HS2 are planning to hold a competition for architects to submit their design ideas for some major stations along the route.

The four major stations that are offered in the competition include Euston and Curzon Street in the city of Birmingham.

Expected to cost in excess of £43 billion in total, HS2 has released the initial schedule for forthcoming expenditure, which in this case will go towards design work on Euston, Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and Curzon Street stations.

The architect-led designs could see the plans for Euston taken back to the drawing board after the desgins by Grimshaw were widely criticised by both Camden council and the landowner of the Euston estate, Sydney & London Properties.

A spokesman for HS2 said “The first stages of the procurement process for the main stations contracts will begin towards the end of the year.”

“We are still at the early stages of agreeing the contract arrangements and it may be different for south and north stations due to programme/complexity.”

This news follows recent controversies regarding materials supply chains. Ministers have been loudly proclaiming that it is imperative that Whitehall departments specify British steel throughout the project in a desperate bid to help save struggling steelworks, however, it has recently been discovered that the office in charge of procurement does not hold a record of how much it currently purchases. A revelation that many feel is reckless and irresponsible, given the fact that the very future of the UK’s biggest steel plant hangs in the balance after Indian owner Tata Steel announced last week it wants to sell its loss-making UK operations.

The knock on effect of this also jeopardises the future security of the Port Talbot works in South Wales, with some estimates suggesting that over 40,000 jobs are at risk, including workers and staff at businesses reliant in the plant.

HS2 continues to power forward in an attempt to reunite the North and South in terms of wealth and health. However, how much damage will it do along the way?

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