Gove wants to change the perspective of planners

Housing secretary Michael Gove has told the House of Lords Built Environment Committee that his department will shine a ‘more pitiless light on local authority performance’ – while accepting that the work of public sector planners is too often underappreciated.

Gove made this remark during a section of the proceedings on planning resources, in which he also expressed his desire to see the expertise of local planners appreciated.

Baroness Janke highlighted RTPI research that found that 80 per cent of local planning departments do not currently have the staff to meet their workload demands.

She questioned what the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is doing to evaluate the impact of additional funding and also what plans there are to help the recruitment and retention of planners, “many of whom have moved to the private sector where salaries are significantly higher?”.

Gove listed government measures including an increase in the amount being made available to local authorities “specifically for enhancing the planning department through the planning delivery grant”, which he described as “one of the most oversubscribed funds that we’ve dedicated”.

He also mentioned the increase in planning fees.

“We’ve also made it clear that statutory consultees and others have to have their fee arrangements changed in order to put money into the system. How will we monitor it? We’re going to have, not just league tables showing how well local authorities are doing – and they already exist in a way in how the Housing Delivery Test is met – but we’ll have more honest league tables. We’ll be shining a more pitiless light on local authority performance in order to see which of them are performing well.”

Gove added that he was committed to changing the perception of planners, telling the committee that he had heard from people within the profession that they feel it “has been denigrated” and is “underappreciated”.

“I think it is sometimes the case in some local authorities that the expertise of planners is not always appreciated, and I want to change that.”

In answer to Lady Janke’s question about whether the comprehensive resources and skills strategy promised in the 2020 Planning for the Future white paper will be produced and be adequately resourced, Gove emphasised that planning had been prioritised for additional support.

“We have been working with the RTPI and others to ensure we have an approach towards skills and education in this area that will encourage more people into the profession and enhance the delivery of a pipeline of skilled planners overall. And yes, there is more that can be done.”

When pressed on the skills strategy, Gove replied: “We will come back to this committee with such an outlook.”

Nutrient neutrality rules ‘inflexible’

On nutrient neutrality, Lord Best questioned whether primary legislation was still part of the plan to address it rather than continue with a moratorium on housebuilding.

Gove noted that the government had sought to introduce an amendment in the autumn of 2023 to what was at the time the levelling up and regeneration bill, which the Lords rejected . Although keen to bring forward primary legislation, there wasn’t space in the “congested” King’s Speech last November, he said.

“That doesn’t mean that we have been idle,” said Gove. “We’ve been working in order to ensure that we can provide more extensive mitigation, both to ensure that a market of mitigation can become more mature and also to use public money to help that as well.”

Lord Best brought up a Home Builders Federation (HBF) figure of 140,000 homes not being built as a result of current nutrient neutrality rules. He questioned whether this was broadly right or “an exaggeration, as some people have told us”.

“It is difficult to be precise,” answered Gove. “We use the figure of around 100,000. Because again, with no disrespect to the HBF, we thought it better to be cautious in that estimate. The work they have done reflects the direct experience of their members; there is no reason to believe it is anything other than robust, but we wanted to err on the side of caution.”

Nutrient neutrality issues are affecting 74 local authorities. Nutrient pollution is an urgent problem for freshwater habitats and estuaries that are home to wetland birds, fish, and insects. Increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, for example, can speed the growth of certain plants, which disrupts natural processes and damages wildlife.

In 2018, ‘Dutch N’ came before the European Court of Justice, which ruled that articles 6(2) and 6(3) of the EU Habitats Directive, as implemented in the UK by the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, should require that new development affecting Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) achieve nutrient neutrality.

Natural England responded by revising guidance for local authorities on how to conduct an appropriate assessment of all housing applications to guard against nutrient-related problems. Developers are expected to mitigate or offset pollution.

Source: The Planner

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FUSION POWER: Closer to a Reality

The Joint European Torus (JET), one of the world’s largest and most powerful fusion machines, has demonstrated the ability to reliably generate fusion energy, while simultaneously setting a world record in energy output.

These notable accomplishments represent a significant milestone in the field of fusion science and engineering.

In JET’s final deuterium-tritium experiments (DTE3), high fusion power was consistently produced for five seconds, resulting in a ground-breaking record of 69 megajoules using a mere 0.2 milligrams of fuel.

JET is a tokamak, a design which uses powerful magnetic fields to confine a plasma in the shape of a doughnut. Most approaches to creating commercial fusion favor the use of two hydrogen variants—deuterium and tritium. When deuterium and tritium fuse together they produce helium and vast amounts of energy, a reaction that will form the basis of future fusion powerplants.

 

Video inside the Joint European Torus tokamak of pulse #104522 from 3 October 2023, which set a new fusion energy record of 69 megajoules. Credit: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, courtesy of EUROfusion

Dr. Fernanda Rimini, JET Senior Exploitation Manager, said,

“We can reliably create fusion plasmas using the same fuel mixture to be used by commercial fusion energy powerplants, showcasing the advanced expertise developed over time.”

Professor Ambrogio Fasoli, Program Manager (CEO) at EUROfusion, said, “Our successful demonstration of operational scenarios for future fusion machines like ITER and DEMO, validated by the new energy record, instill greater confidence in the development of fusion energy. Beyond setting a new record, we achieved things we’ve never done before and deepened our understanding of fusion physics.”

Dr. Emmanuel Joffrin, EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation Task Force Leader from CEA, said,

“Not only did we demonstrate how to soften the intense heat flowing from the plasma to the exhaust, we also showed in JET how we can get the plasma edge into a stable state thus preventing bursts of energy reaching the wall. Both techniques are intended to protect the integrity of the walls of future machines. This is the first time that we’ve ever been able to test those scenarios in a deuterium-tritium environment.”

Over 300 scientists and engineers from EUROfusion—a consortium of researchers across Europe, contributed to these landmark experiments at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) site in Oxford, showcasing the unparalleled dedication and effectiveness of the international team at JET.

The results solidify JET’s pivotal role in advancing safe, low-carbon, and sustainable fusion energy.

UK Minister for Nuclear and Networks, Andrew Bowie, said,

“JET’s final fusion experiment is a fitting swansong after all the groundbreaking work that has gone into the project since 1983. We are closer to fusion energy than ever before thanks to the international team of scientists and engineers in Oxfordshire.”

“The work doesn’t stop here. Our Fusion Futures program has committed £650 million to invest in research and facilities, cementing the UK’s position as a global fusion hub.”

JET concluded its scientific operations at the end of December 2023.

Professor Sir Ian Chapman, UKAEA CEO, said,

“JET has operated as close to powerplant conditions as is possible with today’s facilities, and its legacy will be pervasive in all future powerplants. It has a critical role in bringing us closer to a safe and sustainable future.”

JET’s research findings have critical implications not only for ITER—a fusion research mega-project being built in the south of France—but also for the UK’s STEP prototype powerplant, Europe’s demonstration powerplant, DEMO, and other global fusion projects, pursuing a future of safe, low-carbon, and sustainable energy.

Dr. Pietro Barabaschi, ITER Director-General, said,

“Throughout its lifecycle, JET has been remarkably helpful as a precursor to ITER: in the testing of new materials, in the development of innovative new components, and nowhere more than in the generation of scientific data from Deuterium-Tritium fusion.”

“The results obtained here will directly and positively impact ITER, validating the way forward and enabling us to progress faster toward our performance goals. On a personal note, it has been for me a great privilege having myself been at JET for a few years. There I had the opportunity to learn from many exceptional people.”

JET has been instrumental in advancing fusion energy for over four decades, symbolizing international scientific collaboration, engineering excellence, and the commitment to harness the power of fusion energy—the same reactions that fuel the sun and stars.

JET demonstrated sustained fusion over five seconds at high power and set a world record in 2021. JET’s first deuterium-tritium experiments took place in 1997.

As it transitions into the next phase of its life cycle for repurposing and decommissioning, a celebration in late February 2024 will honor its founding vision and the collaborative spirit that has driven its success.

The achievements at JET, from the major scientific milestones to the setting of energy records, underscores the facility’s enduring legacy in the evolution of fusion technology.

Its contributions to fusion science and engineering have played a crucial role in accelerating the development of fusion energy, which promises to be a safe, low carbon and sustainable part of the world’s future energy supply.

Fusion energy’s potential

Fusion, the process that powers stars like our sun, promises a clean baseload source of heat and electricity for the long term, using small amounts of fuel that can be sourced worldwide from inexpensive materials.

When a mix of two forms of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) is heated to form a controlled plasma at —10 times hotter than the core of the sun—they fuse together to create helium and release energy which can be harnessed to produce electricity.

Deuterium and tritium are two heavier variants of ordinary hydrogen and together offer the highest reactivity of all fusion fuels. At a temperature of 150 million degrees Celsius, deuterium and tritium fuse together to form helium and release a tremendous amount of heat energy without any greenhouse contributions. Fusion is inherently safe in that it cannot start a run-away process and produces no long-lived waste.

There is more than one way of achieving fusion. Our approach is to hold the hot plasma using strong magnets in a ring-shaped machine called a “tokamak,” and then to harness this heat to produce electricity in a similar way to existing power stations.

About the fusion energy fuel

Most approaches to creating commercial fusion favor the use of two hydrogen variants—deuterium and tritium. When deuterium and tritium fuse together they produce helium and vast amounts of energy—a reaction that will form the basis of future fusion powerplants.

Deuterium is plentiful and can be extracted from water. Tritium is a radioactive variant of hydrogen with a half-life of about 12 years. Tritium can be farmed from lithium.

About the final deuterium-tritium experiments (DTE3)

JET is the only tokamak fusion machine in operation capable of handling tritium fuel. The third round of experiments using deuterium and tritium fuel were conducted over seven weeks from 31 August to 14 October 2023. They focused on three areas—plasma science, materials science and neutronics.

JET’s record is a result of the advanced capability in operating deuterium-tritium plasmas. These experiments were primarily designed as the first-ever opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of minimizing heat loads on the wall in a deuterium-tritium environment, crucial for ITER scenarios.

 

Source: Physorg

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London Buildings – Retrofit or Rebuild?

The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has published a new report called Retrofit vs Rebuild? which asks how decisions are made to either retrofit or rebuild properties and the carbon implications for both. In London, buildings account for an estimated 68 per cent of the city’s carbon emissions. These emissions arise from the construction, operation, and demolition of buildings. The report claims that, if London is to meet the Mayor’s 2030 net zero target, there is an urgent need to reduce emissions from buildings and to retrofit both housing and commercial stock.

The Committee carried out a two-part investigation into London’s built environment to produce the report. It claims that, whilst operational carbon emissions (the energy used to run buildings, heating and cooling systems) are regulated through building regulations, embodied carbon is treated differently, and the building industry is not currently required nationally to measure and reduce the embodied carbon arising from construction.

Whole Life-Cycle Carbon (WLC) Assessments are a way of measuring all the emissions arising during the entire lifecycle of a building, from its construction to its potential demolition or change of use. The London Plan 2021 set a policy requirement for developers to carry out WLC Assessments for major developments, to be submitted during planning stages.

The report offers six recommendations for the Mayor and Government, including:

  • The Government should introduce a mandatory requirement in national policy to undertake WLC Assessments for buildings, looking at the policy on minimising greenhouse gas emissions set out in the London Plan’s Sustainable Infrastructure Policy 2 Part F as a potential model.
  • The Mayor should publish annual data gathered from WLC Assessments to enable the success of the policy to be tracked, and to identify improvements needed. The GLA should analyse the data and provide an estimate of the amount of embodied carbon emissions associated with London developments, broken down by type.
  • The Government and the Mayor should assemble a working group to identify the support that local authorities need, in terms of their skills and capacity, to promote whole life carbon and circular economy approaches; and how this support could be obtained.

Sakina Sheikh AM, Chair of the London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee, said:

“The UK must take serious action to meet the challenge of climate change. With 68% of London’s carbon emissions coming from its buildings, it’s clear that planning policy can be the key to unlocking climate action. Whole Life Carbon assessments would provide essential support for developers and planning authorities to reduce carbon in how they construct.

“Retrofitting existing buildings and homes can make people warmer and lessen the impact on their energy bills. The Government can make retrofitting more financially viable by heeding the calls from industry to reduce the VAT builders currently have to pay to retrofit.

“The Committee believe that the cross-party recommendations in this report can help London build the homes we need whilst meeting our aspiration of reaching net zero by 2030. The Government and Mayor must work together to achieve this.”

Source: Insight

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Heat Training Grant – Claim Your Place

Heat Network Training Opportunities – claim your place before April 2024

A number of heat network training opportunities are currently available until April 2024 through the Heat Training Grant. You can get a grant of up to £500 towards the eligible courses below. The full price of the courses is £600 at the most, meaning all or much of the cost will be covered by the grant. Over the next two weeks we will be advertising available courses, please do sign up using the links below.

Training Opportunities

Heat Network Operation & Maintenance courses

Training shot

Chirpy Heat is a leading supplier of independent heat network support and guidance to housing providers. They are offering two types of online courses.

Operation and Maintenance for the housing sector. Focusing on effective client relationships, procurement, oversight of contractors and understanding accountability in network design, delivery and maintenance.

Operation and Maintenance for the supply chain. Focusing on enabling the supply chain to take advantage of the growth in the heat network sector and deliver better heat networks for their clients.

Herts Academy is a training company for the building services industry. They are offering courses onsite in Hertfordshire focusing on Installation, Servicing, Commissioning and Maintenance of Heat Interface Units (HIUs) and the key principles of heat networks. An ideal course for heating engineers, plumbing professionals, and anyone working with HIUs. 

Heat Networks Code of Practice courses

Greenwich

CIBSE is a professional body of over 20,000+ members promoting the Art, Science and Practice of building services engineering. They are offering two courses on the code of practice.

Introduction to Heat Networks and Code of Practice. A one-day course introducing Heat Networks and the Code of Practice aimed at developers either using or specifying the Code.

Heat Networks Code of Practice (CP1) full course. A two-day course providing a detailed understanding of the themes and technical challenges dealt with by the code. The course is aimed at practising engineers and covers all stages of the development cycle of a heat network project from feasibility through design, construction, commissioning, and operation.

CIBSE’s courses can be both virtual or onsite in Central London and Balham.

For information on all courses provided as part of the Heat Training Grant by CIBSE, BESA Academy, Sycous Limited, Chirpy Heat and Herts Energy Academy please visit GOV.UK

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NHF: Recommendations for the Spring Budget

What are we asking the Chancellor to include in the Spring Budget 2024?

SUBMISSION SUMMARY:

Protect vital homeless services by boosting and ring-fencing funding for housing-related support to ensure spending at least matches the £1.6bn per year allocated to local authorities in England in 2010.

 

  • Relieve homelessness by investing in homelessness prevention advice, support services and financial support to the hardest hit families. This includes:
  • Review the household benefit cap, the two-child limit and the removal of the spare room subsidy.
  • Review the five-week wait for Universal Credit and deductions system.

Reinstate uplifted funding for Discretionary Housing Payments so tenants with a rent shortfall can be supported to avoid rent arrears.

Make increased support available to all low-income households through the benefits system.

Reinstate the £300m Housing Transformation Fund, to support the integration of housing into health and social care systems and the development of more specialist housing.

Make sure everyone can feel safe in their home by: implementing the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign call for equal access to government building safety funding for housing associations – ensuring contractors, as well as developers, remediate defective buildings that they built for housing associations, applying a zero-rate on remedial works for VAT purposes.

Deliver more social homes by allocating funding for regeneration programmes over a longer period and ensure Local Planning Authorities have the necessary resources to enable timely granting of planning permission.

Deliver a long-term, inflation-linked rent settlement, with a reintroduction of a convergence mechanism.

Make a long-term commitment to decarbonising our housing stock by committing to release the remaining Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund in full.

Extend the temporary zero-rate VAT relief applied to the installation of energy saving materials to 2030 and include double and triple glazed windows and insulated entrance doors in its scope.

Commit to new burdens funding for new requirements introduced through the review of the Decent Homes Standard. This will enable housing associations to continue to provide the high quality, affordable homes the country needs.

Support low-income residents with their energy bills by reopening the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding to ensure all households who missed out receive their payment and introducing an energy social tariff to protect low-income residents in the longer-term.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SUMISSION IN FULL

The government has launched a consultation on reforms to social housing allocations, and the NHF are collecting member feedback on this consultation until 6 March.

 

Email us with any questions or feedback on the proposals.

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NATIONAL CHAIN OF GYMS INSTALLS RINNAI AIR source HEAT PUMPS

 

One of the UK’s biggest chain of gyms and leisure centres has switched to using products from the Rinnai range of commercial air source heat pumps – and electric cylinders – as a major part of hybrid heating and hot water systems at sites up and down the country. The innovative new range of air source heat pumps utilize R290, a LOW scoring GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerant.

Ease of install was cited as a major reason for the switch away from one of the major heat pump brands.

The installation team was quoted as stating that

‘Setting up was straightforward and simplified, this was owing to the easy navigation through parameters that enabled their part of commissioning to be shortened. When commissioning other brands there were numerous parameters and set points, in fact there are layers and layers of them – this means that if one is set incorrectly then it can lead to extensive, expensive time on site in rectifying a small issue’.

 

ADDING THAT as the Rinnai systems are provided complete with heat pump, controls, cylinders, valves and auxiliary heat sources along with schematics and telephone support the installation was hugely streamlined.

Rinnai’s R290 air source heat pump range is available in 11 different sizes, from 6 kW up to 50 kW. All units arrive with control systems that allows real time programming and customization enabling specific customer requirements to be met.

R290 allows for several operational benefits: energy efficiency is improved by 10%, hot water temperatures of up to 75 degrees Celsius can be achieved and R290 usage provides compliance alongside the European F-Gas Regulation which focuses on phasing down refrigerant environmental impact.

CLICK HERE

To preview this exciting new range visit and receive an information pack for all new Rinnai products and leave your details

As well as providing an extensive list of low carbon technologies Rinnai also offers a range of online customer services that assist in customer choice and information.

Rinnai’s carbon calculation service considers design from a holistic perspective of capital expenditure, operational expenditure, and carbon savings. Rinnai’s carbon calculation service will compare a customer’s current heating or DHW system to Rinnai’s product portfolio of low carbon, high performance, heating systems that are all proven to reduce cost. This feature will enable customers to view proven benefits when investing in a Rinnai system and understand the practical, technical, and economical benefits achievable from Rinnai system specifications.

Rinnai low-GWP range of heat pumps demonstrate Rinnai’s continuous dedication to producing low cost, highly efficient and thoroughly robust appliances that reduces operational expenditure and carbon emissions.

A hybrid (or dual fuel) heating system combines both a high efficiency continuous flow water heater or a hydrogen blend ready 20% water heater with a renewable heating system such as a heat pump or a Solar Thermal arrangement.

Widespread use of hybrid heating and hot water systems are increasingly relevant to the heating industry as the UK Government aims to reduce national reliance on fossil fuels. A hybrid system can meet all objectives in terms of being practical, economical and technically feasible.

A hybrid system would be an ideal option for projects looking to replace or upgrade their hot water system with a more energy efficient and cleaner solution. A hybrid system provides designers, property owners and managers with the familiarity of the continuous flow water heating system and renewable energy generated by a heat pump or solar thermal array.

Rinnai’s Hybrid solution is market leading technology owing to its ability to conserve energy. This is achieved by each gas fired water heater reading the temperature of the preheated hot water and modulating the gas input to boost required water temperature. This means that the renewable gains are maximised and the use of natural gas or hydrogen in the future is optimised.

CLICK HERE

For more insights on Hybrid systems

Consultants, specifiers and contractors should seek manufacturers and suppliers with systems technology that is equipped with smart controls and adjusts performance on a constant basis in the drive to lowering carbon outputs yet retaining the need to create a healthier way of living.

 

RINNAI’S H3 DECARBONISATION OFFERS PATHWAYS & CUSTOMER COST
REDUCTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND
OFF-GRID HEATING & HOT WATER DELIVERY

 

Rinnai’s H3 range of decarbonising products include hydrogen / BioLPG ready technology, hybrid systems, and a wide range of LOW GWP heat pumps and solar thermal. Also, within Rinnai’s H3 range is Infinity hydrogen blend ready and BioLPG ready continuous flow water heaters which are stacked with a multitude of features that ensure long life, robust & durable use, customer satisfaction and product efficiency.

Rinnai’s range of decarbonising products – H1/H2/H3 – consists of heat pump, solar, hydrogen in any configuration, hybrid formats for either residential or commercial applications. Rinnai’s H3 range of products offer contractors, consultants and end users a range of efficient, robust and affordable decarbonising appliances which create practical, economic and technically feasible solutions. The range covers all forms of fuels and appliances currently available – electric, gas, hydrogen, BioLPG, rDME solar thermal, low GWP heat pumps and electric water heaters.

Rinnai H1 continuous water heaters and boilers offer practical and economic decarbonization delivered through technological innovation in hydrogen and renewable liquid gas ready technology.

Rinnai’s H1 option is centred on hydrogen, as it is anticipated that clean hydrogen fuels will become internationally energy market-relevant in the future; Rinnai water heaters are hydrogen 20% blends ready and include the world’s first 100% hydrogen-ready hot water heating technology.

Rinnai H2 – Decarbonization simplified with renewable gas-ready units, Solar Thermal and Heat Pump Hybrids. Rinnai H2 is designed to introduce a practical and low-cost option which may suit specific sites and enable multiple decarbonisation pathways with the addition of high performance.

Rinnai H3 – Low-GWP heat pump technology made easy – Rinnai heat pumps are available for domestic and commercial usage with an extensive range of 4 – 115kW appliances.

Rinnai’s H3 heat pumps utilise R32 refrigerant and have favourable COP and SCOP.

Rinnai is a world leading manufacturer of hot water heaters and produces over two million units a year, operating on each of the five continents. The brand has gained an established reputation for producing products that offer high performance, cost efficiency and extended working lives.

Rinnai’s commercial and domestic continuous flow water heaters offer a limitless supply of instantaneous temperature controlled hot water and all units are designed to align with present and future energy sources. Rinnai condensing water heaters accept either existing fuel or hydrogen gas blends. Rinnai units are also suited for off-grid customers who require LPG and BioLPG or rDME.

Rinnai products are i2HY20 certified, A-rated water efficiency, accessed through multiple fuel options and are available for purchase 24/7, 365 days a year. Any unit can be delivered to any UK site within 24 hours. Rinnai offer carbon and cost comparison services that will calculate financial and carbon savings made when investing in a Rinnai system. Rinnai also provide a system design service that will suggest an appropriate system for the property in question. Rinnai offer comprehensive training courses and technical support in all aspects of the water heating industry including detailed CPD’s.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT RINNAI’S ‘HELP ME CHOOSE PAGE’

 

 

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Canadian Fire Station Rejects Modular Construction

 

St. Albert city council has decided to spend an extra $3 million on a new fire station that will now be built conventionally, instead of the modular building style council agreed on in late 2022.

The new fire station, the city’s fourth, will be built on the northwest corner of the St. Albert Trail and Neil Ross Road intersection.

Council approved a $26.5 million borrowing bylaw for the project 2021. The project’s initial budget only set aside $250,000 to service the land, and in fall 2022 administration told council the funds needed for servicing was closer to $2.2 million. To stay within the budget, administration proposed the new two-bay fire station be a modular building.

Modular — or prefabricated — buildings are built off-site, then transported and set in place.

On Jan. 23, Coun. Mike Killick put forward a motion directing administration to move forward with a conventional construction style for Fire Hall No. 4, and his motion passed, with Mayor Cathy Heron, Coun. Shelley Biermanski, and Coun. Natalie Joly opposed.

“When I look at the extra $3 million over the 20-year borrowing bylaw or 40-year life of that building, to get it right the first time is what I want to do,” Killick said in an interview. “My belief is that firefighters provide a real beneficial service … and they live at that fire station. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year … and we deserve to give them a good facility to work out of [and] almost live out of.”

Killick also argued that while he appreciates administration’s attempt to reduce costs, moving forward with modular buildings is not something that’s talked about for any other city project, such as the pavilion building planned for Millennium Park or the upcoming 12-lane expansion to Liggett Place, the St. Albert Transit depot in Campbell Business Park.

“Why on earth are we discussing or debating this for a fire hall?” he said.

During debate, Coun. Sheena Hughes said she was in favour of Killick’s motion because she was concerned a modular building wouldn’t last as long as a conventional build, and spending an additional $3 million now to avoid having to spend more money in the future to replace the modular building would be a good way to reduce risk.

“The stick-and-brick build we know will make it to 50 years,” Hughes said. “If we do the modular and we find out in four or five years time it’s not working out, it’s going to cost us $16 million to correct, it plus inflation.”

Speaking against the motion, Heron said council

“should be, quite honestly, thanking administration for trying to save us some money,” by recommending something “non-traditional.”

“Often ‘non-traditional’ is a scary word, and if we keep doing things the same way we’re never going to be innovative, we’re never going to save money, [and] we’re never going to think outside the box,” Heron said.

“I’m going to have to err on the side of saving money and even though it’s [covered] in the borrowing bylaw … just because it’s in there doesn’t mean we should spend it, and I’m going to go with the $3 million savings today.”

Joly said she would have supported the motion if spending the additional $3 million would get St. Albert a “stronger product,” but she thought a modular building would be just as good as a conventionally built structure.

“We’ve heard repeatedly that that extra $3 million is not going to give us something different,” Joly said. “I think there’s also an idea that best means conventional, and I don’t agree with that.”

“I have every confidence that with any build that administration chooses they’ll build us a fantastic facility that is a wonderful place to work in.”

Although an additional $3 million for the project will be covered under the existing borrowing bylaw, the city may need to increase the debenture further if any issues arise during detailed design or construction, a report to council written by city project managers Meredith Willacy and Deborah Johnson said.

Dawny George, the city’s director of engineering, said in an email the fire station may not open in 2025 as initially planned, now council has decided to move forward with a conventional build.

“Based on the industry knowledge and assumption that design will take the greater part of 2024 to complete, with construction anticipated in 2025-26, it is estimated that conventional structure will take longer than the modular build and will likely result in a delay of opening until 2026,” George said.

Source: St. Albert Gazette

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Unique teams up with Leicester City in the Community for outreach project

Pictured: Leicester City Football Club legend and former captain, Steve Walsh (left),

and Gary Burrows, senior project manager at Unique (right), at the handover of the new French doors installed at Gorse Hill City Farm.

Award-winning fabricator of PVCu and aluminium windows, doors and curtain walling, Unique Window Systems has lent its support to an outreach project organised by Leicester City in the Community (LCitC).

The business donated two sets of white PVCu French doors towards a project which involved the construction of a new classroom at Gorse Hill City Farm.

Unique’s installer team, who typically work on high volume projects for large commercial clients, also carried out the installation of the doors free of charge.

Located on a 20-acre site on the edge of Leicester city centre, Gorse Hill City Farm is a working farm and visitor attraction.

Operating as a registered charity and home to over 100 animals, it enables visitors, and children in particular, to learn more about farming, conservation, and animal welfare in a hands-on, fun, and interactive way.

One of the official charities of Leicester City Football Club (LCFC), LCitC harnesses the power of football and LCFC to inspire individuals to achieve their full potential.

Committed to ensuring everyone it engages with receives the support they need, either directly or through a network of partners, LCitC’s core activities entail education, community outreach and targeted interventions with football and inclusivity serving as underlying themes.

The French doors donated by Unique are from a range able to accommodate widths of up to two metres and that is available in seven different colours and finishes.

Ideal for maximising levels of natural light and for opening up spaces such as conservatories, the range also offers a choice of frame styles including straight edged, chamfered and ovolo.

Emma Lowry, senior manager (education) at LCitC, said:

“Every year, Leicester City in the Community, delivers numerous projects which are focused on making a positive difference to local good causes.

“We can only do this with the help of similarly community-minded individuals and organisations like Unique Window Systems.

“On behalf of everyone at Leicester City in the Community, Gorse Hill City Farm and all those people who will ultimately benefit from the new classroom, I’d like to thank the business for its generous support.”

Mir Patel, senior manager at Unique Window Systems, added:

“Unique Window Systems has a strong sense of corporate citizenship, and we recognise the need for all businesses, ours included, to leave a lasting and positive legacy on society.

“As one of Leicester’s major employers, we also feel it’s important to give something back to the local communities where many of our team and their families live and spend their free time.”

 

 

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Aluminium Scrap: A Promising Technology

Post-consumer recycled aluminium scrap is transformed into new building materials

(Credit: Andrea Starr, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

Twisted aluminium mesh, broken bicycle frames and used car parts languishing in junkyards could gain new life as building structures such as door and window frames thanks to a new recycling technique.

Based on a patent-pending technology developed at the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington state, the new process could reportedly provide energy savings of almost 90% when making aluminium building components.

“Strong yet lightweight aluminium parts are being deployed more often as building materials,” a PNNL announcement said. “But there’s a high energy and greenhouse gas emissions cost to mining and refining aluminium.”

According to the International Aluminium Institute, the production of 1 ton (0.9 tonnes) of primary aluminium emits an average of 17 tons (15.4 tonnes) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Rather than processing mined aluminium, new laboratory testing has reportedly shown that PNNL’s Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion Process (ShAPE) process can transform 100% post-consumer scrap aluminium into usable extrusions that meet or exceed stringent ASTM standards for strength and flexibility for common building-grade alloys.

“The ShAPE technology unlocks the possibility of creating circularity in aluminium scrap markets, thus reducing dependency on imported primary aluminium and the massive amounts of energy associated with its production,” the announcement said.

The manufacturing process deforms scrap aluminium bricks or rod-shaped billets using high shear forces to ‘pulverise’ impurities in scrap aluminium into tiny particles, uniformly dispersing them within the aluminium microstructure.

The dispersion eliminates microscopic iron clumps that can generate microfractures in recycled aluminium products manufactured using conventional methods, the PNNL team said.

ShAPE aluminium extrusion could provide considerable energy savings, the announcement said, by eliminating the need to dilute impurities found in recycled aluminium with 25-40% newly mined aluminium before processing.

“The ShAPE manufacturing process conserves energy and eliminates greenhouse gas emissions on several fronts,” said PNNL chief scientist Scott Whalen, who led the research. “First, we avoid the need to add primary aluminium. Then, we eliminate the need for what is called homogenisation of the billet material, a six- to 24-hour heat treatment near 500°C prior to extrusion.”

He added: “With approximately 55% of the global aluminium extrusion market servicing the building and construction industry, the evolution of ShAPE to include aluminium recycling for building structures is an enormous opportunity for decarbonising the built environment.

“We are finding that the unique microstructures within the metal are more tolerant to impurities than previously thought. This enables us to reach even deeper into the aluminium scrap market while maintaining material performance.”

Founded by entrepreneur Eric Donsky, manufacturing start-up Atomic13 aims to commercialise the technology and create custom-extruded parts for building and consumer products.

“ShAPE technology enables companies like Atomic13 to produce aluminium extrusions made from 100% post-consumer scrap with 90% lower carbon,” Donsky said. “At the same time, the low feedstock costs result in lower costs for consumers. We look forward to continuing to work with PNNL engineers to advance this promising technology.”

Source: I.meche

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Tall and Green, London’s Newest Skyscraper

Set to rival The Shard as the city’s joint tallest building

Updated designs for London’s newest skyscraper, set to rival The Shard as the city’s joint tallest building now includes more urban greening and improved sustainability.

Revised plans for One Undershaft include an elevated podium garden on the 11th floor and what would be London’s highest viewing platform.

The tower originally received planning approval in 2016, but developer Perennial Group and development manager Stanhope had to resubmit plans following changes made as a result of the decline in office work after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the new plans, designed by Eric Parry Architects the building will now measure out to 309.6 metres, with 74 floors, making it London’s joint-tallest building.

The planning application outlines “extensive publicly accessible spaces” in an effort to create a building “that is truly open and accessible to all.”

Plans also include several restaurants and “flexible cultural spaces”, with a public viewing gallery situated at the top and two floors of “education spaces” curated by the Museum of London.

Original plans included a “cross-bracing” pattern on the outside of the building, earning it the nickname The Trellis. The new plans show this pattern has been removed- leaving the building without a nickname.

Eric Parry Architects say the new revised plans afforded them the opportunity to “reconsidered their approach,” and the new proposal now delivers a “more wellbeing-led commercial space with high-quality external spaces, public open spaces, improved sustainability and a cultural and creative offer.

“The revised proposals will enable us to deliver a more sustainable building with enhanced urban greening.”

Main construction is pencilled to commence in 2026, with a 2029 expected completion date.

 

Source: Pro Landscaper

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