The Inclusivity Charter

In response to the lack of women and other under-represented groups in the building services engineering sector – less than 1% of tradespeople are female – leading Awarding Organisation (AO), LCL Awards has launched an Inclusivity Charter for its centres, to encourage them to take steps to make their training facilities welcoming places, with flexible course options to suit people from all walks of life.

The Charter has been developed with Hattie Hasan, founder of all-female plumbing business, Stopcocks Women Plumbers, who recently received an MBE for her services to women in the plumbing and heating industry. Hattie also introduced the Register of Tradeswomen last year, a not-for-profit organisation that connects householders with tradeswomen and helps survivors of domestic abuse to get into skilled trades.

Officially launched to LCL Awards centres at the end of April, those that sign up to the Charter must first review where they are in-terms of inclusivity – from not tolerating offensive language, to developing courses which can be delivered online and/or in the evening and at weekends to suit the needs of parents (as well as people fitting training in around the day job). This ‘Inclusivity Charter Checklist’ will form part of LCL Awards’ auditing process, which all its accredited centres must complete annually.

To introduce centres to the Charter, LCL Awards held an online CPD workshop alongside Hattie, which covered a range of important topics. Hattie delivered a session on unconscious bias, a subject that’s very pertinent in the trades as the assumption is largely that construction workers are male. Other areas covered included: dealing with conflict, flexible course delivery and representation – how centres can demonstrate their inclusive values through their websites and other marketing material.

Hattie Hasan, said: “Training is the first step in most people’s careers, so getting this bit right in terms of ensuring people feel they can move into a sector that might not be considered ‘the norm’ is crucial. This is why I was so keen to work with LCL Awards when they approached me.

“Having experienced first-hand sexism and ignorance when it comes to being a ‘female plumber’, making a difference at this grass roots level should have real impact. If women and other under-represented groups have a good experience in the training centre, they will start their careers with more confidence. An inclusive environment increases diversity in training centres, LCL Awards centres can attract more learners from more different backgrounds and help to dispel myths that trainees may have too.”

Tracy Harker, Quality Assurance & Relationship Manager for LCL Awards, said: “We are passionate about demonstrating how LCL Awards centres treat people with respect, while encouraging as many trainees through the doors as possible. The launch of our Charter cements these core values, creating a framework that centres can use to take active steps to implement inclusive practices.

“Ultimately, the UK is experiencing a skills shortage. There are countless opportunities in the building services engineering (BSE) sector – it’s an exciting industry at the forefront of change when it comes to future-proof, low carbon technologies. At the moment, the majority of BSE workers are white, male and middle aged. To move our industry forward we need more diverse inputs, which can only serve to improve the sector and society as a whole.”

Mark Krull, LCL Awards’ Director, said: “LCL Awards has an important and influential part to play in actively attracting new candidates to BSE trades, accommodating everyone who’d like to join us in the important and rewarding work we do. Our Charter has been designed to formalise requirements we’d expect from our training centres.

“We’re not playing lip-service here – centres who sign up to the charter will be expected to uphold high standards and will be audited. The Charter will become part of our equality module.”

LCL Awards centres that have met the conditions of the Charter and are continuously striving to improve the inclusivity of their training provision, will receive a plaque. Trainees can identify these centres through LCL Awards’ Inclusivity Charter logo. The Charter itself will be displayed in-centre and on websites.

LCL Awards Inclusivity Charter

  • LCL Awards centres are committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment where both learners and centre staff feel safe, heard and supported.
  • We do not tolerate offensive language, such as sexist or racist comments – from trainers or trainees.
  • We consider the needs of all learners, in order to enhance learning experiences and increase opportunity.
  • We are actively exploring a range of training options, using creativity and innovation to improve engagement.
  • Our ambition is to help as many people as possible access the building services engineering sector; to improve lives, improve the sector and combat skills shortages.
  • We believe that inclusion creates an environment where everyone is valued, feels valued and are therefore is able to achieve their highest potential.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

/0 Comments/by

DHF contributes to Build UK’s new Common Assessment Standard

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has announced its support for the new Common Assessment Standard, created by representative organisation for the construction industry, Build UK.  And, as a member of Build UK, DHF has contributed to its formation.
The new Common Assessment Standard, which has been endorsed by the Construction Leadership Council, means that sub-contractors need only be certified once a year by a single recognised assessment body before tendering for work with main contractors and clients who specify it.  This is a significant improvement on the current system where different main contractors insist on their own prequalification questionnaires being completed meaning organisations are forced to duplicate time and effort.  Build UK estimates this wasteful process costs the construction industry as much as £1 billion each year.
The Common Assessment Standard, which is regularly reviewed, comprises an industry-agreed question set based on existing PQ questionnaires, including PAS 91, and corresponding assessment standards, with two levels of certification: desktop and site-based.  Companies apply to a Recognised Assessment Body for the certification level that is most appropriate for their business based on a range of factors including trade, size, and the requirements of their clients.  For businesses that employ fewer than 10 employees and have a turnover of under £1.8 million or a balance sheet total less than £1.8 million, the assessment standards will be applied in a proportionate way.  A guide to the question set has been published to help companies prepare for an audit by a Recognised Assessment Body.  The Common Assessment Standard has been made possible thanks to a data-sharing agreement with four recognised assessment bodies: Achilles, CHAS, Constructionline and CQMS.
Main contractors using the Common Assessment Standard include Balfour Beatty, Bouygues UK, Clancy Group, HS2, Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine.
“DHF is a great supporter of the Common Assessment Standard and encourages eligible members to sign up to this excellent initiative,” explains DHF’s Head of Commercial Operations, Patricia Sowsbery-Stevens.  “We have contributed to the questions included in the PQQ (Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire) and hope that members will benefit from a standardised form.  This standard goes some way to raising the standards in the industry, so members do not have to complete a series of PQQ’s, the one is shared with all companies signing up to this great initiative.  The new approach will transform the prequalification process and make it work better for both suppliers and clients.”
Door & Hardware Federation
01827 52337
/0 Comments/by

THE ROUTE TO DECARBONISING CONSTRUCTION

Michael Bennett and Amber Wright of the law firm Shoesmiths explain the importance of reducing embodied carbon in construction – putting forward the case for legislative reform and how new technologies, methods and contracts are supporting the living sector’s move to net zero.

To date much of the government’s focus to meet its net zero targets has been on creating more energy efficient homes and buildings. While important, steps must also be taken to improve sustainability throughout the lifespan of a building.

One way to do this is by reducing embodied carbon emissions during the construction of buildings.

Embodied carbon

Embodied carbon is the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted through producing materials. For example, embodied carbon may be created in the production of clinker, used to make cement, or by the burning of gas to make steel in a blast furnace.

Embodied carbon is particularly significant in construction, as the production of steel and cement makes up between 16% and 18% of global CO2 emissions annually. There are currently no mandatory UK limits on how much embodied carbon can be emitted during the construction process.

In February 2022, a Private Members Bill was introduced into Parliament with the aim of monitoring and limiting embodied carbon emissions in construction projects.

When presenting the Carbon Emissions (Buildings) Bill to Parliament, Duncan Baker MP stated that a third of carbon emissions come from construction, with 40m to 50m tonnes of greenhouse gas emitted annually as a result of the construction, upkeep, refurbishment and demolition of new and existing buildings and infrastructure. Baker stated this is known as embodied carbon, “so called because the materials that we build are the physical embodiment of such greenhouse gas emissions”.

Regulation

The Bill sought to set limits on embodied carbon emissions in the construction of buildings and to require that the whole life carbon emissions of buildings be reported. The Bill’s passage through Parliament was cut short and was withdrawn after its first reading.

While it is rare for a Private Members Bill to progress through Parliament and become law, the Bill’s introduction reaffirmed the importance of regulating embodied carbon emissions in construction.

In 2021, the UK Green Building Council launched a ‘Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap’. Over 100 organisations contributed to the Roadmap and one of the recommendations to achieve net zero across the sector is the regulation of embodied carbon for new buildings and major refurbishments.

The Roadmap recognises that the measurement and mitigation of embodied carbon is currently voluntary and recommends introducing limits for embodied carbon across all sectors by 2027.

Many in the industry have shown support for the proposed Building Regulation amendment ‘Part Z’ and Approved Document Z. The documents were put together by members of the industry as a proof of concept of the regulations that are needed to put legal limits on the embodied carbon emissions of major projects, while outlining requirements on the assessment of whole life carbon emissions.

What else could be done?

Another option that has found favour in several countries is the requirement for developers to undertake carbon impact calculations during planning.

The calculations could then be used by a planning committee either as a criteria for granting approval, or by imposing conditions in relation to carbon offset. To ensure ongoing project viability for developers, any such approach needs to be flexible and fair.

New technologies are also being developed all the time that could significantly reduce the levels of embodied carbon. For example, JCB recently announced that it is targeting the sale of hydrogen powered diggers by the end of 2022. There are also options for low carbon concrete and zero carbon steel production that could significantly alter the emissions calculations for a new development.

Some may argue that adopting new technologies, materials or construction methods is a more effective and realistic option, as the planning stage is often too early to commit to embodied carbon emissions limits considering a building’s design at this stage may not contain sufficient detail.

Contracting for embodied carbon emissions

Whether limits on embodied carbon in construction projects become a legal requirement or the industry continues to strive to increase sustainability, drafting to achieve certain environmental objectives is likely to become a common feature of construction contracts.

Contracts can set out clear targets for embodied carbon emissions, how these will be calculated and monitored, as well as allocating the risk and consequences of these targets not being achieved.

Other options to improve the environmental credentials of a project may include:

Auditing at the tender stage to ensure minimum standards are met by the supply chain in relation to sustainability.

Contractual provisions requiring a supply chain to meet specified net zero project targets and offering incentives if emissions can be further reduced.

Requiring a supply chain to adhere to sustainable working practices throughout a project. For example, reducing the carbon footprint of plant and equipment, using sustainable materials, promoting biodiversity and setting carbon limits on staff travel and material sourcing.

Support for sustainable construction

Sustainability is on both the construction industry and government’s agenda and it’s likely that those operating in the sector are going to come under increasing pressure to reduce the carbon emissions of projects from funders, future purchasers or tenants.

The industry is, however, responding and the advent of new technologies, materials or innovative contracts show the progress that is being made. Decarbonising construction is reliant on accelerating these efforts, while moving on from just making buildings more energy efficient.

Reducing embodied carbon emissions must be considered critical on the journey to net zero.

 

Source: Shoesmiths

/0 Comments/by

The Challenging Elizabethan Line

Today’s the day: after some 13 years of construction Crossrail’s Elizabeth line will finally open.

The Crossrail project first broke ground in May 2009, with the launch of the first pile at the site of the new Canary Wharf station. Tunnelling began in May 2012 and more recent years have seen the project’s stations completed and a move to operational testing.

So what have been some of the biggest engineering challenges and triumphs during construction?

Piling at Canary Wharf

One of the project’s first tasks in back in 2009 was creating the station box at Canary Wharf − a 256m long, 30m wide, six storey deep structure rising out of the water from the below the river bed.

Canary Wharf Contractors dewatered the lower aquifer around the site to create a drier underground environment to speed piling by two or three times. Building this tied cantilever cofferdam required some heavy duty piling.

Two Giken silent piling rigs worked eastwards and westwards away from one another above the water along the north side of the box, rotating 1.2m diameter tubular steel piles down to 18.5m into the dock bed. Canary Wharf Contractors says this is the first time this machinery has done this kind of piling in the UK.

Construction work on the station box was completed in March 2012, five months ahead of schedule.

Connaught Cofferdam work

Reconstruction of the Victorian Connaught Tunnel for reuse by Crossrail was also completed ahead of schedule in September 2013.

Cofferdams that were installed in the dock to allow access to the crown of the tunnel were removed in time for the dock to be used to allow ships to access the Excel exhibition centre for a bi-annual defence show.

Tunnelling

Tunnelling work completed in June 2015, with Crossrail releasing drone footage of the completed tunnels for the railway.

Eight Herrenknecht tunnel boring machines (TBMs) bored 42km of 6.2m-diameter rail tunnels under London. Another 13.5km of new passenger, platform and service tunnels were constructed within the new Crossrail stations using sprayed concrete lining.

Six of the TBMs were earth pressure balance tunnelling machines weighing 980t and measuring 148m in length. They were employed to dig through the London clays, sands and gravels that prevail beneath the capital.

Two 110m mixed-shield slurry machines (Mary and Sophia) tunnelled through the wet chalk and flint beneath the River Thames for the section between North Woolwich and the Plumstead portal in south east London.

In total, the tunnels are lined with over 220,000 concrete segments weighing 3.4t each. In each section, seven segments and a key stone slot together to form a completed tunnel ring.

Improvements to TBM technology – including real-time settlement control at the cutting faces – gave Crossrail the confidence to set maximum face loss limits as low as 0.5% to ensure the impact on the surface would be acceptable.

 

Track installation

The permanent track for the Elizabeth line was officially completed in September 2017.

The final piece of track was laid 35m below in the eastbound tunnel of the new Whitechapel Elizabeth line station. Track quality control engineer Ellen McGuinness affixed the final rail clips to the track.

Offsite solutions for Liverpool Street station

Threaded into the urban fabric of the City of London, Liverpool Street Elizabeth line station provided unique challenges to the teams working on its construction.

Built by Laing O’Rourke, the station was transferred to Transport for London (TfL) in July 2021.

At 34m below ground at platform level, Liverpool Street is the deepest of the new central London stations and has a total of 15 escalators and seven lifts.

A maze of sewers, existing Tube lines and the Post Office Railway had to be navigated for the station, while nearly 4,000 skeletons from the Bedlam burial site and thousands of artefacts dating back to Roman times were also discovered.

Work was running six months behind schedule due to tunnelling delays, but the Laing O’Rourke team were able to recover this time using offsite solutions and a design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) approach. This enabled 17 months’ programme activity to be completed in 11 months.

The grooved and angled ceilings in both ticket halls, for example, were formed from pre-cast panels, manufactured at Laing O’Rourke’s Centre of Excellence for Modern Construction in Nottinghamshire.

Blockade success

Crossrail completed 96% of all tasks scheduled for its six week blockade in 2020.

It was put in place to help recover some of the time lost due to Covid-19, lockdown and subsequent working restrictions such as social distancing.

In total 1,235 of a total 1,286 milestones were completed, according to Crossrail data shared with NCE.

Works completed during the construction blockade included:

  • 58 Tunnel Ladders installed
  • 28 Bent Bolt OHLE replacements
  • 27 LV Power corrections
  • 15 Platform Screen Door Air Gaps
  • 8 Cross Passage Leaks completed

Whitechapel station logistics

Contractors charged with delivering Crossrail’s Whitechapel station revealed the complex challenges they had to overcome.

TfL took control of the station following the completion of work by a joint venture between Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Vinci (BBMV).

In a video released by BBMV, the project’s section manager Rob Langford emphasised the logistical complexity of constructing the station.

In particular, Langford pointed to the logistical challenge of working above an operational railway while delivering the station.

Delays at Bond Street station

Despite months of reassurances that Bond Street station was”catching up fast” with the rest of the Crossrail project, in February it was confirmed that the problem-hit station would not open with the rest of the Elizabeth line.

It is a mined station, 28m below ground with platforms of up to 255m. Two new ticket halls at street level – one at Davies Street, the other at Hanover Square – will lead passengers to the platforms.

The station has long been identified as a problem point for the project, with chief executive Mark Wild admitting in May 2019 that it would be likely to open at a different time to the rest of the line. Wild said tunnelling problems on the Bond Street project dating back to 2014 were behind the delay.

Completing civils works at the station delayed mechanical and electrical equipment installation by about a year, and delays to the installation of two large tunnel ventilation fans set work further back.

Then, of course, came Crossrail Ltd’s parting of ways with the station’s main contractor Costain Skanska JV (CSJV). In June 2020, Crossrail Ltd announced that CSJV would no longer work on the job, with NCE later revealing that the contractor was paid £19M to close out the contract.

Wild later explained that CSJV was taken off the Bond Street job because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: New Civil Engineer

/0 Comments/by

Solar Panels could become Mandatory on all new Builds

In a goal to make solar the largest electricity source in the EU, the Commission is proposing plans for mandatory solar panels on all new buildings by 2029. 

Solar panels could soon be mandatory on all new buildings in the European Union under a new proposal aimed at rapidly replacing its reliance on Russian oil and gas supplies with renewable energy.

“There is a double urgency to transform Europe’s energy system: ending the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels, which are used as an economic and political weapon and cost European taxpayers nearly €100 billion per year, and tackling the climate crisis,” the European Commission said in a statement earlier this week.

Currently, 40% of the EU’s gas is imported from Russia at a cost of over USD$110 million a day. Following the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission is turbocharging their original green energy transition with the aim of producing nearly half of the bloc’s energy from renewables by 2030 – doubling the current amount.

To achieve this, the Commission’s REPowerEU plan and the “solar rooftop initiative” is introducing a phased-in legal obligation to install solar panels on new public and commercial buildings, as well as new residential buildings by 2029. The goal is to bring online over 320 GW of solar photovoltaic energy by 2025 (more than doubling from 2020) and almost 600 GW by 2030.

If successful, solar energy will become the largest electricity source in the EU by 2030, with more than half of the share coming from rooftops.

“We can also lead by example,” said European Green Deal head Frans Timmermans.“Let us show as a commission how quickly we can put solar panels on our buildings.

The energy plan is also proposing to double the rate of deployment of heat pumps, to produce 10 million tonnes of domestic renewable hydrogen by 2030, and to double wind capacity. The latter of which recently saw four North Sea countries – Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark – commit to a joint project to increase offshore wind capacity by ten fold to help supply energy and green hydrogen in the region.

The total cost of achieving this would reach hundreds of billions, requiring an investment of €210bn between now and 2027 from the private and public sector across Europe. But the proposed funds have been described as “down payment” on the bloc’s future independence and energy security, and will save the EU €84bn a year by cutting Russian imported fuel.

Aside from these targets, the EU hopes the plan will help reduce energy prices over time. In its World Energy Outlook 2020 report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) confirmed that solar power schemes now offer the cheapest electricity in history and predicted that by 2050, solar power production will skyrocket and become the world’s primary source of electricity.

 

Source: Earth Org

 

/0 Comments/by

Solutions for After Sales

GEZE UK, the UK subsidiary of GEZE GmbH, a leading manufacturer of door and window control systems, has introduced the After Sales Solutions brochure that details the after sales services GEZE UK offers for manual and automatic doors and windows.

The brochure explains the benefits of regular servicing – maintaining accessibility, minimising downtime, prolonging usability, reducing lifetime costs and fulfilling an organisation’s responsibility as a building owner or facilities manager.

GEZE UK’s after sales team can install, maintain, repair, provide asset management, spare parts and refurbish existing doors and provide a full range of services for automatic doors, industrial doors and fire doors.

The brochure is available digitally

CLICK HERE

 

To request a copy by email or for detailed information on the after sales services available

CLICK HERE

 

Adam Presdee, Service Director of GEZE UK, said “GEZE UK offers a complete ‘umbrella’ of after sales solutions for all doors – automatic, manual and industrial. This brochure encompasses our approach whilst explaining the operational, commercial and environmental benefits of having a good maintenance regime and partner. We offer a service package that is tailored to each individual customer’s needs.”

 

www.geze.co.uk

 

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by

CITB – £233m to Support UK Construction

With a strong focus on three core challenges for construction, CITB published its Business Plan today (18 May), announcing it will be investing over £233m across Britain to support construction throughout 2022/23.

CITB’s investment plan responds to the estimated demand for an additional 50,000 workers every year and is primarily focused on securing construction’s talent pipeline. This year, the organisation will run and support a whole host of initiatives aimed not only at inspiring people outside of the industry to choose construction as their career, but also upskilling and retaining existing talent.

The three challenges set out by CITB are:

  • Responding to the skills demands
  • Developing the capacity and capability of construction training provision
  • Addressing future skills needs.

Responding to the skills demands

Following the findings of the recent Rethinking Recruitment report, CITB’s plan details how it will invest in supporting apprenticeships and building bridges between further education and work to get more learners into construction.

Initiatives such as SkillBuild, work experience, taster events, and the 350-strong STEM Ambassador network, aim to inspire more young people than ever to consider construction. In addition, CITB will collaborate with employers on the Go Construct website and promote the wide range of careers construction has to offer.

Coinciding with efforts to get more people to think again about a construction career, CITB will create even more accessible routes into construction, focusing on apprenticeships, alongside on-site experiences, and future rollout of occupational traineeships. A total of £60.3m in direct grants will be available to employers who take on apprentices, supporting the industry to address its current and future need for a skilled workforce.

Developing the capacity and capability of construction training provision

As the industry recovers from the pandemic and demand for construction projects increases, CITB will make it easier to access the right training at a time and place that is right for them.

CITB will:

  • Invest £25.9m in direct training delivery to enable the continuation of core skills training and training provision in niche and at-risk skills through CITB’s National Construction Colleges
  • Support more than 300,000 Health Safety & Environment tests over the next year, ensuring there is good availability of tests in as many locations as possible, bringing assurance to employers that their workforce can keep themselves and those around them safe
  • Offer enhanced grant support for priority skills such as Drylining apprentices and rainscreen cladding achievements.

Addressing future skills needs

Looking to the future, CITB’s plan sets out how it will address long-term challenges. The construction landscape is changing and issues such as net zero, digitisation and modern methods of construction are becoming increasingly important. CITB is investing £2.1m into research to better understand construction’s changing environment. This research will help focus CITB’s work on interventions that have the greatest impact, helping shape new training and standards development.

Tim Balcon, CITB Chief Executive, said: “I am proud to be sharing my first business plan as Chief Executive at CITB, which sets out how CITB will approach its role in supporting industry going forwards.

“While progress has been made, the construction industry has faced significant challenges in recent years, including inflation, rising fuel prices, the pandemic and Brexit, to name a few. In many ways the industry is still experiencing and feeling the impact of these events, which we know has shifted priorities greatly and pushed the demand for skills to the forefront. It’s essential now more than ever that efforts are focused on helping to alleviate those pressures and address the key needs of industry.”

Read the full plan here.

 

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by

Online Shoppers Signal a Key Change in New Contracts

The UK’s contractors are diversifying into new areas and growing their positions to compensate for a lull in workload in other sectors.

Contractors are also taking on larger value contracts as they emerge from the pandemic according to exclusive construction information research from Glenigan covering the 12 months to Q1 2022.

Morgan Sindall remains the UK’s top contractor and the firm’s order book has grown by 53% over the past 12 months as the group has taken on bigger jobs and shifted its sector focus.

There has been a 59% drop in the value of main contracts awarded for civil engineering work at Morgan Sindall. The group’s education order book is also down a quarter, but Morgan Sindall has successfully diversified by growing in other sectors.

Morgan Sindall’s workload from private residential work ballooned by 159% in the 12 months to Q1 2022. Major private residential schemes secured by Morgan Sindall in the last year include a £160 million development of 261 flats and 112 houses at Girton near Cambridge for joint clients, the University of Cambridge and developer Present Made Eddington (Project ID: 21420922).

The group is also working on the £107.3 million first phase of the Manor Road Quarter to provide 355 homes in Newham, east London, for a consortium of clients including Homes England, Legal & General and the English Cities Fund (Project ID: 20399119).

As work in other sectors waned, the biggest increase in Morgan Sindall’s order book has been in social housing, where orders leapt by 193% to £714 million. This growth was achieved by taking on larger jobs.

In the most recent period, the average social housing contract won by Morgan Sindall was valued by Glenigan at £31.0 million compared to £12.2 million in the previous 12 months. Major social housing contracts won by Morgan Sindall include a £320 million maintenance deal for Moat Housing (Project ID: 21200850).

Growth areas for medium-sized contractors

The continued strength of opportunities in the industrial sector has provided an opportunity for medium-sized contractors to diversify their order books.

Glenigan economics director Allan Wilén comments: “The warehousing and logistics sub-sector has been the strongest performing sector since 2018. Structural changes in the retail sector, accelerated by the pandemic, has rapidly increased demand for logistics space.”

Contractors taking advantage of this increased demand have been able to expand smaller market positions through taking on larger value schemes.

Glencar just edged into Glenigan’s rankings of the top 10 industrial contractors for the 12 months to Q1 2021, when the company’s biggest scheme was a £16.5 million scheme to build two warehouses at Bletchley (Project ID: 19357932).

In the most recent year, Glencar’s industrial order book has more than doubled to nearly £300 million and so has the size of the average contract the group has won to £12.4 million.

 

Major industrial schemes taken on by Glencar include the £34 million Cross Point Business Park Development in Coventry for Bericote (Project ID: 21372896) and the £33.6 million Kingston Park South warehouse scheme in Peterborough for Firethorn Trust (Project ID: 21074479).

Glencar is also looking to diversify further. “We have identified other growing sectors and will seek to expand into these, taking advantage of the opportunities available,” said Glencar managing director Eddie McGillycuddy on announcing the group’s results recently.

Bromsgrove-based Benniman is also growing on the back of diversifying further into the industrial sector. The value of the firm’s order book has quadrupled in the past year to £199 million. Again, the group has taken on bigger jobs and the value of the average contract award has doubled to £16.6 million. Large jobs in this sector won by Benniman include the £49.2 million second phase of the Vale Industrial Park for Chase Commercial (Project ID: 20485966) and a £32.2 million unit at the Prologis Park in Wellingborough (Project ID: 20269857).

Healthy appetite

The medical & scientific sector has also provided opportunities for medium-sized contractors to diversify and expand.

 

SDC did not feature amongst the top 20 contractors in this sector 12 months ago but a year on and the group has amassed a £78 million order book. SDC’s biggest job is the £65 million second phase of a biomedical campus in Cambridge (Project ID: 20388483).

Darwin Group has broken into the top 10 contractors after its order book for medical & scientific projects leapt 69% to £66 million in the 12 months to Q1 2022. Work won by Darwin includes a £20 million extension to Nottingham University Hospital (Project ID: 21519630) and a £15 million high dependency unit at Airedale General Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire (Project ID: 21396731).

Barnes Construction has moved into the top 20 contractors after building up a £32 million order book including an £11.5 million extension to Ipswich Hospital (Project ID: 19280937).

“The outlook for the health sector remains bright,” adds Mr Wilén. “We expect project starts to increase in 2022 and in 2023 as new projects come forward and as NHS trusts develop and implement their investment programmes.”

Swotting up

Education is the other area of major government investment in building work and a dearth of large value projects has helped medium-sized contractors.

For the second year in a row, Morgan Sindall has won more education work than any other contractor, but its order book is down by a third. McLaughlin & Harvey’s education order book has also more than halved.

 

Medium-sized regional contractors are successfully taking advantage. Kent-based Neilcott Construction enters the latest top 20 after building up a portfolio of education work including an £18 million extension to Harrow School (Project ID: 20440789) and a £10.5 million extension of Abbey Court Special Educational Needs School in Rochester (Project ID: 21077566).

Welsh contractor C Wynne & Sons has also moved into the education top 20 with a £45 million order book, including a £9 million new primary school at Bryn Meurig in Llangefni (Project ID: 18448511).

New entrants, new methods

In sectors where funding is mainly derived from the private sector, there is a less steady flow of jobs, but in areas such as the hotel & leisure sector, companies are able to diversify and establish a foothold.

 

DE Contracting had been working on residential and retail work according to Glenigan’s market intelligence but has entered the top 20 ranking of hotel & leisure contractors over the past year with a £68 million order book. This includes the £58.3 million One Berkeley Street hotel scheme in Westminster for Crosstree Real Estate (Project ID: 18409894).

Modern methods of construction (MMC) is also allowing new entrants to diversify into the hotel sector, in particular contractors with experience on modular building.

MY Construction was only set-up in 2005 and worked on retail and residential work but has used MMC and offsite fabrication to diversify into the hotel sector. Over the past year, the group has won £58 million-worth of work in this sector including a £42 million hotel at Manchester Airport (Project ID: 20059932).

Another recent entrant to the hotel sector is Elements Europe, which in April 2022 won a £100 million contract to build the world’s tallest modular hotel of 23 storeys at East Road in Shoreditch, north London (Project ID: 19413360).

Happy shopping

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the retail sector with shoppers turning online. The available work is increasingly being picked up by middle-ranking contractors, such as Knight Harwood.

A year ago, the London-based contractor did not even feature in the retail top 20 but has since amassed an order book of £54 million in the sector to take top spot.

 

Knight Harwood’s retail work is focused on the capital and includes projects such as a £30 million redevelopment of the Arding & Hobbs department store in Clapham (Project ID: 20365382), and a £15 million shop alterations job at 20 Thayer Street in Westminster (Project ID: 20420015).

Bradford-based Stainforth’s retail order book has swelled as others have suffered by winning jobs including a £12 million supermarket in Macclesfield for Cedar Investments (Project ID: 16030733)

Another contractor that has found a focus on retail sector lucrative is Maidstone-based UC Build. The company was only set up seven years ago and is now amongst the 20 most successful contractors in the retail sector with a focus on smaller schemes in its region.

Step change for contractors

In the civil engineering and office sectors, a handful of large projects are allowing major players to dominate.

In the civils sector, specialist contractors are breaking in such as Hitachi Zosen Inova, Mytilineos and Jan De Nul by taking on major schemes in the power and marine sectors.

In other sectors, a dearth of large projects is providing opportunities for medium sized contractors to diversify and gain market share. Glenigan’s research suggests that to do so involves a step-up and to also take on larger jobs that the national players may have eschewed or that clients prefer to be handled by more local players.

Opportunities to diversify appear to be arising in sectors where there are fewer large projects as the construction industry reshapes in the post-pandemic world.

/0 Comments/by

Failure of Competency in Fire Testing

,

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has committed to fighting for the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to be renationalised.

The commitment came in the form of a motion passed at the union’s annual conference, the first in-person conference since the pandemic. In the union’s view, BRE’s private ownership has led to failures of competency, and BRE going too far to please the corporate clients whose products it tested and whom it relied on for income.

The BRE is involved in the testing and certification of materials for the construction industry. It was responsible for testing several of the key materials used in Grenfell Tower’s refurbishment, including cladding and insulation materials, and fire safety tests. BRE was privatised in 1997, and continues to test building materials as a private company today.

In the motion the union describes this privatisation as a “disastrous decision, opening the testing regime to commercial pressures and commercial interests”, and says that renationalisation would “ensure greater accountability, including a clear obligation to act in the public interest and without pressure from business and commercial interest”.

In its submissions to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the union has previously expressed the view that errors and oversights at the BRE contributed to the Grenfell Tower fire, and that BRE testing allowed manufacturing companies to persuade others that their products were regulation-compliant and that these errors and oversights were caused at least in part by the BRE being privately owned.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “Building Research Establishment private ownership has been a complete disaster. Corners have been cut and building safety compromised as the BRE bowed down to the building material companies which pay its wages. There is even information that suggests that BRE failures may have had a role in Grenfell. It’s time to end this utter mess now.”

The conference motion specified that ‘Oversight of this restored public testing and research facility should be by a board, representative of tenants and residents, local and national government, trade unions representing workers in Fire and Rescue Services and the construction industry’.

 

Source: Scottish Construction Now

/0 Comments/by

VERIFYING NET-ZERO CARBON

carbon-negative Paradise office by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

A group of leading industry organisations including the Royal British Institute of Architects have come together to create a building standard that will verify net-zero carbon buildings in the UK.

Named the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, the initiative will help the industry to ensure and prove that buildings claiming to be net-zero hold up to that claim.

The launch, announced by the Royal British Institute of Architects (RIBA), responds to confusion over the term net-zero and “a clear demand for a single, agreed methodology”.

It is also hoped to encourage the industry to decarbonise and help the UK to meet its 2035 and 2050 emissions targets.

Standard will “help the entire industry to move forward”

“This is a really exciting and timely initiative that will help the entire industry to move forward in its efforts to reach net-zero carbon,” reflected RIBA president Simon Allford.

“Working together we will address current ambiguities around the much-used term and develop a common understanding, based on clear performance targets, to support all those involved in the procurement, design, construction and operation of buildings.”

Net-zero carbon buildings are designed to eliminate all possible emissions over a building’s lifetime. This takes into account both embodied carbon, which are emissions caused by the construction supply chain, and operational carbon, which are emissions caused by a building’s use.

Any remaining emissions must be offset by removing carbon from the atmosphere.

 

As the built environment is responsible for around 40 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, net-zero carbon architecture could help the UK meet its decarbonisation targets.

The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard will verify both new and existing buildings, and take into account both their operational and embodied carbon emissions.

The Carbon Trust among supporters

Among the industry bodies backing the initiative are RIBA, the Carbon Trust, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) and The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE).

The Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), Building Research Establishment (BRE), London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) are also in the steering group.

“We look forward to contributing to the development of this highly impactful standard, which will be instrumental in guiding the UK real estate industry, the construction sector and the wider built environment, in the rapid and urgent transition towards net-zero,” reflected the Carbon Trust’s director Dominic Burbridge.

“Addressing the energy demand of the built environment and the associated emissions is a key driver in accelerating the move to a sustainable, decarbonised future and we are excited to be supporting such an important and pioneering initiative.”

Delivery will require “radical collaboration”

According to the RIBA, the standard will be accessible to everyone and “anyone who wants to fund, procure, design, specify, or occupy a net-zero carbon building and anyone wanting to demonstrate that their building is net zero-aligned with an industry-agreed standard”.

The steering group is now looking for support from other industry figures and stakeholders to deliver the standard.

“A UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard will be critical for asset owners and managers to evidence that their buildings are built and operating in line with climate science,” concluded Sarah Ratcliffe, the CEO of steering-group member BBP.

“An industry-wide standard will enable stakeholders including investors and occupiers to differentiate between assets that are net-zero and those that are not,” she continued. “It will take radical collaboration to deliver this project.”

Architecture is “one of the least well-represented businesses” in the UN initiative to get companies to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050, according to UN climate champion Nigel Topping.

In 2019, RIBA launched a voluntary challenge to help architects create net-zero carbon buildings. However, less than six per cent of UK studios have signed up.

Source: Dezeen

 

/0 Comments/by