News Archives | Page 16 of 19

UK sets renewable energy records

January 16, 2018/in Home Page news feed, News

The UK broke 13 renewable energy records in 2017, including some especially notable ones.

The year 2017 has been the greenest ever in how the UK generates its electricity.

Renewable sources of energy produced more than three times the amount of electricity that came from coal.

More electricity was generated by wind than coal on more than three quarters of days in the year, and more by solar energy on more than half the days.

In March, the largest amount of renewable electricity was produced – 19.2GW.

In April, the UK had its first 24-hour period for more than 150 years without using power from coal.

In June, wind, nuclear and solar were generating more than gas and coal combined for the first time.

In December, the country generated the most wind power in a day – 281.5GW.

The figures have been welcomed by environmental campaigners, including Gareth Redmond-King, of the environmental campaigning group WWF.

He told Sky News: “A huge part of it is government support to install new renewables, offshore wind particularly, but also onshore wind and solar that’s enabled the industry to grow – and for much more renewables on the system.

“Of course, companies have had to adjust to provide for that and build those power stations, and of course the more consumers that switch to clean energy the more demand there is for that to be built.”

The UK has seen its greenest ever summer as low carbon energy production spikes and offshore wind farm subsidies at a record low.

The figures from the National Grid reflect a UK government commitment to reduce carbon emissions and meet its targets on greenhouse gases.

It has targeted 2025 as a date to end the use of “unabated coal” – coal from which the carbon emissions are not captured.

However, while the news is good on the use of renewables versus coal, there are less encouraging figures regarding gas.

This year, output from wind was more than from gas – a fossil fuel – on only two days, and overall renewables outstripped gas on just 23 days.

Source: Sky News / UK Construction Week

The UK construction industry now has more than 1 million small businesses

January 10, 2018/in Home Page news feed, News

The number of small businesses operating in the construction sector across the UK has increased by 32,000 in the last year, meaning there are now more than one million of them.

Small businesses are generally defined as those with fewer than 50 employees. The latest set of government business population estimates shows that the number of construction companies with fewer than 50 employees has increased to 1,005,290 – up from 972,475 in 2016.

The data also indicates that these small construction businesses are responsible for turning over approximately £185bn a year, up from £172bn in 2016. The total turnover of all businesses operating in the construction sector reached £296.8bn in 2017, up from £271.9bn in 2016. Small businesses therefore account for 62% of the total.

The analysis of government data was conducted by software firm Clear Books, whose chief executive Phil Sayers said: “There are around 5.5m small businesses in the UK and the fact that construction firms account for one million of them is indicative of how essential it is for policymakers to ensure small construction firms continue to thrive. Be it a family-run construction business or high-growth housebuilder, small businesses play a huge role in society, acting as vital job creators but also contributing a significant amount to overall economic activity. Their role as essential service providers and genuine hubs in local communities and further afield is hugely valuable. Policymakers must ensure that small businesses are supported – their success and survival, in equal measure, is absolutely essential.”

The analysis is based on the latest set of government business population estimates for the UK, published on 30 November 2017. Business population estimates for the UK and regions provides the only official estimate of the total number of private sector businesses in the UK at the start of each year. These estimates produced by BEIS cover a wider range of businesses than Office for National Statistics (ONS) outputs, which report on VAT traders and PAYE employers.

Source: The Construction Index / Show House

Government publishes ambitious infrastructure plans

December 13, 2017/in Home Page news feed, News

The National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline, which sets out projects for the next 10 years, has published details of over £460 billion of planned infrastructure investment across the public and private sectors, of which over £240 billion will occur in the next four years. This amounts to a projected total of public and private investment in infrastructure of around £600 billion.

According to the report, this should give industry, and all parts of the supply chain, the confidence they need to support government and businesses with the delivery of future projects.

Since 2010 over 4,500 infrastructure projects across the UK have been completed successfully. These range from major, nationally significant projects such as Birmingham New Street Station and extending access to superfast broadband across the UK, to smaller local schemes that have made a huge impact on the communities they serve, such as the Nottingham Trent left bank flood alleviation scheme.

Over 1100 transport projects have been completed since 2010, with 13 priority rail projects completed or under construction, and 29 priority road projects completed or under construction. There is over £135 billion of transport investment in the pipeline and over 240 planned transport projects and programmes.

Modern transport infrastructure is essential to ensuring that the UK remains a competitive and strong economy. As well as improving capacity and relieving congestion, good transport infrastructure unlocks opportunities for regeneration and new housing development. The Government is committed to a 50% increase in transport investment from 2015 to 2020, enabling the largest rail modernisation since the Victorian times and the biggest road investment programme since the 1970s.

Over 1900 energy projects have been completed since 2010. Construction of the first new nuclear project in a generation is now underway at Hinkley Point C, and since 2010, over 30GW of new capacity has been added to the electricity grid, around 75% from renewable sources. Over 100 renewable projects are currently under construction across the UK, which will provide 5.6GW of new capacity and over £57 billion of energy investment is in the pipeline between 2017/18 and 2020/21. This summer, more than half of the UK’s electricity came from low carbon sources, making 2017 the “greenest” summer ever recorded by the National Grid, helping the government to meet its long-term climate change commitments.

Over 370 social infrastructure projects have been completed since 2010, and more than 735,000 additional pupil places have been created, with over 1.1 million homes delivered.

Andrew Jones MP, exchequer secretary to the Treasury, said: “We are backing Britain with a record amount of infrastructure investment as we build an economy fit for the future. That’s why we’re working with the industry to skill up and scale up for the challenges ahead. Investing in infrastructure boosts productivity for the economy as a whole. The scale of the investment we are talking about here will deliver a step change for our country.”

Transport secretary Chris Grayling said: “We’re undertaking the most ambitious improvements in our transport network this country has seen for decades. But we must also drive forward plans to ensure these infrastructure projects are completed on time and on budget.

“World-leading projects such as Crossrail, the Ordsall Chord and the huge investment programme in our major roads show that Britain can deliver on time and on budget, boosting jobs and growth and creating new opportunities across the nation. But we want to do better. This strategy shows the way and sets out our standards for how we will do more and better in future.”

Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) chief executive, Nelson Ogunshakin, said: “In the run-up to the Budget we asked the government to support our sector by making a long-term commitment to infrastructure. We are delighted that they have responded to our call. The ten-year investment pipeline will help bring certainty to the industry and encourage our members to invest in their own skills and capabilities in order to meet this demand.

“We’re pleased to see a focus on productivity and encouraging the adoption of new digital and manufacturing technologies. As a sector we look forward to working closely with the IPA which will co-ordinate infrastructure delivery across disparate Whitehall departments. However, we need to reiterate our message to government that we cannot allow the final 15 months of the Brexit negotiations to derail delivery of this Investment pipeline. We need the current focus on infrastructure to remain, even if Brexit looms ever larger over Westminster.”

Please go here for the full report.

Source: Infastructure Intelligence

UK construction hits 5 month high

December 6, 2017/in Home Page news feed, News

The construction sector activity in the UK economy rebounded sharply in November and came in at the highest levels in five months, according to a new report from Markit Economics.

The latest monthly survey of construction purchasing managers indicates that new orders and employment numbers also increased more than they had done in recent five months. However, the improvement in construction growth was largely confined to residential work. Commercial and civil engineering activity continue to decline. Business optimism has picked up from October’s near five-year low to its strongest rate since June.

Tim Moore, Senior Economist at IHS Markit and author of the Markit/CIPS Construction PMI®, noted: “UK construction companies experienced a solid yet uneven improvement in business conditions during November. Once again, resilient house building growth helped to offset lower volumes of commercial work and civil engineering activity. “Survey respondents noted that residential projects underpinned the rebound in total new order growth to its strongest since June, helped by strong demand fundamentals and a supportive policy backdrop.”

Construction companies indicated a moderate rebound in new orders in November, with the rate of expansion the fastest for five months. Anecdotal evidence cited a general improvement in client demand after the soft patch this summer. Higher levels of new work helped to support a moderate rise in staff numbers and input buying in November.

Duncan Brock, director of customer relationships at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “At last the construction sector, has picked its feet up with the biggest overall improvement in five months, underpinned by a moderate rise in new orders, but the strongest since June. It appears that policy support and a small recovery in the UK economy has boosted sentiment and encouraged clients to come out of their shells and start building again. The housing sector was the primary driver of growth increasing at the fastest rate for almost half a year. However it is private sector companies that need to commit to big ticket spending, with commercial development still underperforming as persistent Brexit uncertainty continues to bite. Concerns over civil engineering in particular are also prevalent with its downward course the longest since 2013 and linked to a shortfall of new tender opportunities. Across construction supply chains, delivery times have been under pressure, as materials were in higher demand, while stocks remained in short supply. Lead-times from vendors have now deteriorated in every month for over seven years. Overall, the sector showed an incremental improvement, but business optimism was on the rise and up from last month’s five-year low. Perhaps the darkest days are behind the sector with fresh impetus on the horizon for the New Year.”

For the full report please go here

What does the 2017 budget mean for construction?

November 29, 2017/in News

The Chancellor Philip Hammond has today delivered a ‘budget for builders’ that should allow small builders to deliver more of the new homes Britain so badly needs, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Housing was at the centre of Philip Hammond’s autumn budget speech this month. The chancellor revealed plans to commit a total of at least £44 billion of capital funding, loans and guarantees over the next five years to ‘support the housing market to boost the supply of skills, resources, and building land and to create the financial incentives necessary to deliver 300,000 net additional homes a year on average by the mid-2020s’.

Commenting on the Budget 2017, Brian Berry Chief Executive of the FMB said “The Government has set itself a new target of building 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s. And today the Chancellor has put small and medium-sized builders at the heart of ambitious plans to tackle the growing housing crisis. The Chancellor appears to be putting his money where his mouth is with the announcement of £44 billion of capital funding, loans and guarantees. In particular, a further £1.5 billion for the Home Building Fund to be targeted specifically at SME housebuilders can play a significant role in channelling crucial funding to this sector. A £630 fund to prepare small sites for development and proposals to require councils to deliver more new housing supply from faster-to-build smaller sites will provide opportunities to boost small scale development.”

Berry continued: “A second major challenge to getting new homes built is the skills crisis we face. In the long run, the only real solution to chronic skills shortages will be a major increase in the training of new entrants into our industry. We are therefore pleased to hear the Chancellor has today committed extra resourcing to training for construction skills. With Brexit round the corner the next few years will bring unprecedented challenges to the construction sector. The Government will need to make sure that the sector continues to have access to skilled EU workers, but we are pleased that the Chancellor has today listened to the needs of SME builders”.

Stamp duty is to be abolished for first-time buyers on properties up to £300,000. This represents a cut for 80% of first-time buyers. And those spending between £300,000 and £500,000 on their first home will save £5,000 in stamp duty. The controversial help-to-buy scheme is also to be extended despite widespread concern that it contributes to ballooning house prices. The budget confirmed that an extra £10bn will go into the scheme to extend it to 2021, a measure previously announced in October.

David Thomas, chief executive of house-builder Barratt Developments, said: “We welcome the government’s continued focus on housing, the stamp duty cut will help more young families get a foot on the property ladder and further planning reform is vital to increasing housing supply – overall this is a positive budget putting housing front and centre where it belongs.”

Shares in house-building companies fell after Hammond failed to announce the ambitious programme the markets had anticipated. The chancellor said he planned to commit £44bn in capital funding, loans and guarantees to support the UK housing market. He claimed this would help deliver 300,000 new homes a year. And small building firms would get a share of £1.5bn for new homes. But planning reform was punted into the long grass again. Hammond announced a review by Oliver Letwin on how to close the gap between planning permissions being granted and houses being built.

Tom Shaw, director of consulting engineer firm Ramboll, said: “There were a number of new positive measures announced for housing in the budget, but what was disappointing was the lack of specifics that would encourage the construction industry to embrace offsite techniques. Increasing housing supply to 300,000 per year requires offsite construction methods – without it we have no chance of meeting these targets by 2025.”

However, supporting documents released later revealed the extend of the government’s commitment to promoting offsite construction: “The government will use its purchasing power to drive adoption of modern methods of construction, such as offsite manufacturing. Building on progress made to date, the Department for Transport, the Department of Health, the Department for Education, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Defence will adopt a presumption in favour of offsite construction by 2019 across suitable capital programmes, where it represents best value for money.”

Time will tell as to whether the new policies have a positive impact on the construction industry.

Global Construction Survey 2017

November 22, 2017/in Home Page news feed, News

How can the engineering and construction industry overcome fragmentation, external competition and inconsistent performance by reimagining its approach to governance, people and technology?

That is the question posed by KPMG in their Make it or Break it global construction survey.

Over the past decades, owners and contractors have made considerable strides in improving the delivery of capital projects. We’ve seen a host of advances in the form of new construction techniques, project delivery strategies, and enhanced processes and controls for safety, risk management, budget, scope and schedule.

70% track project performance based on original approved baseline project schedule and budget.

60% hold routine project review meetings with management, which trigger additional reviews — and if necessary, intervention — for any issues that could impair project performance.

47% say their organisations have separate systems for project reporting, yet a mere 8 percent have what they call “push one button, real-time, full project management information system (PMIS), capable of project and portfolio dashboard reporting.

31% report that their companies do have integrated systems for project reporting, which means that most project managers lack the capability to control all elements of the work.

30% claim to incorporate performance targets into all of their contracts, with a further 52% including targets on “some” of their contracts.

Schedule is ranked as the number one performance measure, followed by cost/cost sharing. Contract performance measures for output/ production, safety, subcontracting and schedule ranked considerably lower

40% of employees are Gen X and 37% are Millennials.

86% say that the “human element” significantly influences project delivery.

What are engineering and construction firms and project owners actually doing to optimise the human element?

As Baby Boomers approach retirement, new generations of workers are taking their place. According to the professionals participating in the global survey:

23% of their workforces are comprised of Baby Boomers (born 1945–1964)

40% of Generation X (born 1965–1979)

37% of Millennials (born 1980–1994).

What are the implications of this generational shift — especially for Millennials who’ve grown up in the digital age and, additionally, don’t always have the nurturing hand of Baby Boomers around their shoulders to help them learn the tricks of the trade?

Giving younger employees the skills, experience and confidence to manage major projects — and managing and motivating them in an appropriate manner is one of the most important tasks facing the sector. It’s also broadly the case that the younger the worker, the greater their digital skills and confidence. Millennials are attracted

by technology, and engineering and construction companies should recognise that investing in a digital workplace could increase their ability to attract and enthuse this demographic.

With exciting innovations like robotics, automation and drones, and powerful data analytics to improve design and project management, engineering and construction would seem to be a perfect stage for showcasing the technological revolution.

55% feel the industry is ripe for disruption

95% think technology/innovation will significantly change their business

74% believe such a change will happen in less than 5 years.

72% say that technology innovation or use of data plays a prominent role in their strategic plan or vision.

Which regions and industries are pioneering the adoption of technology? Our survey responses reveal some fascinating findings. For example, China appears to be leading the pack when it comes to advanced data and analytics and building information modeling, and shares top place with the UK for use of mobile platforms. Owners and contractors from the UK, meanwhile, are the most likely to be employing drones and virtual reality.

Despite a small improvement over the past 12 months, 57% of respondents to this year’s survey still consider themselves to be “followers” or “behind the curve”, and the proportion that view their organisations as “cutting edge” remains at 5%.

Robotic process automation and/or digital labor have a particularly exciting potential and are taking off in many other industries, with machines and computers replacing humans. Once again, engineering and construction lags behind.

83% say their organisation has not yet implemented such technologies, with most expecting a wait of 5 years or more before they become more common

John Herzog – Managing Director, Major Projects Advisory KPMG in the US says: The engineering and construction industry is no stranger to disruption. Over the last few decades we’ve seen the introduction of numerous new technologies, from fax machines to PCs, cell phones to email, and of course, internet to 3-D computer-aided design. Everyone in the industry should be making better use of the vast amounts of data collectedon construction sites. The respondents to this survey appear to have digital strategies, but it seems that many still need to further advance their digital/data road maps. I’m highly optimistic that, by following some or all of these recommendations, the industry can finally start to reap the huge benefits of the digital revolution.

Please go here to download the full report.

Broadsword and ORBiS Tech

November 8, 2017/in Home Page news feed, News, Projects

Works are progressing well on our full office fit out for ORBiS Tech, who develop uniquely scalable software solutions for the hospitality, fuel and retail markets.

Broadsword Projects LTD are undertaking the full scope of works from design to completion.

Works undertaken will be:

Full design and specification

Artwork manifestation and graphics

Glazed & solid demountable partitions

Joinery including tea point/full height doors/breakfast bars
Artwork manifestation and graphics
Flooring including carpet & vinyl
Suspended ceilings
Fire alarm relocations
Furniture
Data & AV
Decorations

We look forward to bringing you more pictures as the project moves towards completion.

15 million homes could be powered by green gas by 2050

November 6, 2017/in Home Page news feed, News

Biogas produce from domestic waste could generate enough power to fuel 15mn homes by 2050, according to a new report by UK gas distribution firm Cadent.

This would be enough energy to cover households across the south east of England, London, and East Anglia, and the most effective way of managing the large amounts of waste produced in the UK.

Biogas could grow significantly in the next 30 years, allowing black domestic bag rubbish, agricultural waste, energy crops, food waste, and sewage to generate 183TWh of biomethane.

Two-thirds of renewable gas could be sourced from energy crops and agricultural residues, with the remaining third coming from waste. Of that third, 83% would be produced by Bio-Substitute Natural Gas (BioSNG) and 17% would derive from biomethane, generated by anaerobic digestion.

BioSNG production is a thermochemical process that utilises gasification and the methanation of the produced “syngas”. It can be transported through existing natural gas networks to be used in domestic, commercial and industrial heating and CHP applications.

“The findings of this report show that with the right policies in place renewable gas could play a significant role in helping the UK meet its carbon reduction targets, particularly in heat and transport, which are lagging behind electricity,” commented Cadent Director of Network Strategy, David Parkin.

“Alongside other green energy solutions, renewable gas offers us an affordable, sustainable route to heat our homes and fuel transport, while tackling climate change, and contributing towards more sustainable waste management and cleaner air.”

In November of last year Ecotricity – the UKs greenest energy company claimed that by 2035, almost all homes in Britain could be heated by the green gas from grass – creating an industry worth £7.5 billion annually for the economy.

They received planning permission to build a prototype of the first-of-a-kind green gas mill at Sparsholt College in Hampshire.

Their report also stated that the green gas production will be “virtually carbon neutral” and could play a significant role in Britain meeting its climate targets.

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “As North Sea reserves run out, the big question is where we’re going to get our gas from next. The government thinks fracking is the answer, but this new report shows there is a better option.

“Recently, it’s become possible to make green gas and put it into the grid, in the same way we’ve been doing with green electricity for the last two decades. The current way of doing that is through energy crops and food waste – but both have their drawbacks.

“Our first green gas mill has just been given the go-ahead, and we hope to build it soon – though that does depend on whether government energy policy will support this simple, benign and abundant energy source. I call on Theresa May to review the government’s plan for where Britain gets its gas – post-North Sea.”

Green energy is electricity and gas made from renewable sources, green electricity from the wind, sun and sea, and green gas made from organic materials and is completely carbon neutral. In 2013 there was just one green gas plant in the UK. Now there are over 60 projects using anaerobic digestion to make biomethane useful to us.

Green gas is incredibly versatile, used as a source of electricity, a replacement to petrol, and a new way to heat homes. Using greener gas means “It’s not disruptive in terms of the roads and our urban environments,” says Chris Train OBE, chief executive of National Grid Gas Distribution Limited. “It’s also not disruptive in the home, for customers. It allows us to use existing appliances. That’s a great advantage.”

Sources – Energy digital / Utility Week / Ecotricity

Armstong Ceiling Tiles

October 30, 2017/in Home Page news feed, News

Following on from our recent social media post about using the above tiles, we are going to provide more information on the materials that we used.

The tile used on this particular office refit job for Hackwood homes were Armstrong Puretone Regular ceiling tiles in a 24mm grid system.

Armstrong provide ceilings for commercial spaces and the home and are a global leader in the design and manufacture of innovative commercial and residential ceiling, wall and suspension system solutions.

Their ceilings have acoustical properties and that means they can help control sound and noise within a room and room to room. They have ceilings that also address fire and seismic concerns too.

They offer 25 mineral ceiling solutions in grid sizes 15mm 24mm and 24/35mm with varying levels of acoustics. There are ceiling panels, canopies, vertical baffles and open cell & mesh.

They offer the broadest range of textures, sizes and shapes, with key performance features to enhance the design of any space. Mineral ceilings provide solutions for every acoustical need from high sound absorption to high sound attenuation or a balance of both.

Have a browse of their website here:

https://www.armstrongceilings.com

New home permissions hit the highest on record

October 18, 2017/in Home Page news feed, News

According to the latest Housing Pipeline report from the Home Builders Federation, the number of planning permissions granted in the year to June 2017 is the highest seen since 2006.

Permission for 321,982 new homes was granted during the 12 month period, up form 278,652 the previous year. However, the data also indicated that there has been a “slight cooling” in residential development in the second quarter of the year, with the number homes approved falling 14% from the first quarter yet the figure is still up 13% on the year before.

Demand for the help to buy scheme is continuing to boost numbers. More than 200,000 people live in new build homes thanks to help to buy. However, with the scheme supposedly coming to an end in 2021, house builders are seeking assurances as to if it will continue past this date to determine investment decisions.

Stewart Baseley, HBF’s executive chairman, was positive about the impact of the help to buy scheme. He said that ‘the help to buy scheme hasn’t just helped 200,000 people buy a home, it has helped them to build a new home which is, in turn, boosting supply and generating huge benefits for communities, councils and the Exchequer.

‘Ultimately if people can buy, builders can build and confidence in demand is crucial to future build rates. The figures show that if demand for new homes remains strong and the planning system processes applications efficiently, further increased in build rates can be delivered in the coming years.’

However, the planning system itself is still laborious, meaning that it could take 3-4 years for most of these to reach completion. Whilst housing supply is up 52% in the past three years there are still not enough homes to adequately cater for our population and the planning system remains one of the major constraints on supply. Speeding up the rate at which builders get onto sites, and ensuring Local Authorities abide by their responsibilities and allocate sites that meet their local housing needs are key requirements if the house building industry is to deliver much needed housing.

Baseley also stated that ‘These record planning permission figures are a clear indication that house builders are committed to increasing housing output. We’ve seen 50% growth in output over the last three years and these figures indicate that progress can continue. We need to see confirmation from government as to the future of the very successful Help to Buy scheme post 2021. We also need to see the proposals to improve the planning system outlined in the White Paper moved forward and implemented.’