News

Revised tenders for Google’s King’s Cross HQ contract are not due to be submitted to the internet giant until the New Year. The Enquirer understands that contractors bidding for the job are working to a January 2015 deadline to submit new tenders. The value of the contract has also doubled to £600m as Google radically alters the designs for its new UK flagship. BAM Construct were named preferred bidder on the original £300m contract last March. The contract race was then re-opened  after Google instructed architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris to rework the scheme. The re-bidding means original rival bidders Carillion and Skanska are back in the race with BAM. Bidders are now looking at the New Year for the race to begin as the construction …

Read more »

More than 300 subcontractors and suppliers of failed cladding group Astec are unlikely to see a penny owed to them. The latest creditors’ report from administrator Deloitte reveals that the three main businesses Astec Projects, Astec Group and Concept Design (Interiors) owe unsecured creditors £12.2m. Of this sum, £7.3m is owed to suppliers and subcontractors, with a further £2.8m owed in intercompany debt. Deloitte estimates that when they took over on 11 April this year around £1.7m was being held by clients and contractors in retentions. A further £5.6m due for work in progress is now unlikely to be recovered. Administrators said that they expect to be able to pay Barclays Bank from sales of property proceeds but have warned there is precious little …

Read more »

HSE inspectors are starting a fortnight-long crackdown on sites exposing workers to unhealthy working conditions. More than 500 deaths a year are caused by silica dust exposure Inspectors will be looking in particular at respiratory risks from dusts including silica materials and exposure to other hazardous substances such as cement and lead paint. The inspectors will also have manual handling, noise and vibration in their sights as they make unannounced spot checks this week and next. For every fatal accident in construction, it is estimated that a worker is at least 100 times more likely to die from a disease caused or made worse by their work. In 2012/13, 39 construction workers were killed. But more than 500 deaths a year are due to silica exposure alone. HSE Chief Inspector of …

Read more »

This guide should give those interested in construction or starting out in the construction industry a basic idea of the processes involved in the creation of large buildings, for both public and private use. Pre-Construction Plans for the house, office block or public building should be developed, finalized and submitted for review before any actual building work takes place. You may require permits for building work, electrical work, plumbing the septic system and sewer connection. Site tests must be conducted to examine the soil, the bearing capacity of the ground and the water table. Findings from these tests may require engineering adjustments to be made in the building plans. Foundation Preparation of the land for building involves the removal of topsoil, which is usually piled elsewhere …

Read more »

If you run a trading business then you know how important it is to keep your stock safe and secure. Securing a warehouse premise is an important task for any such firm. However if you’re looking for one then it’s vital that you find a space that meets your company’s needs. Here are a few factors to consider when seeking out the ideal warehouse. The Basics To find the best warehouse for your business, you need to ask exactly what it is you need it for. Analyse the features that you want from a potential space. What size warehouse do you want, and what kind of layout should it have? If it’s too big, will you end up wasting lots of space? Does …

Read more »

A 79-year-old-man at the heart of a family racket in exporting stolen plant to the United Arab Emirates has become the final member of the group to be jailed. Ali Ghasemi of Harrow Weald Park, Harrow was was sentenced to three years and four months in prison at Southwark Crown Court for his part in the theft ring dating back to 2008. He was assisted by four members of the Sayed family, who he is not related to – siblings Behroz Sayed, 35, Ali Farad Sayed, 23, Najia Sayed, 30 and Krezhal Sayed. Ghasemi was close friends with their mother and a father figure to them. He was also helped by Sayed Mahjub, 39, who was married to Najia Sayed. Between 2008 and 2010, Ghasemi – using the name “Javad Jan” – …

Read more »

A new construction technique to build large concrete shell structures has been developed by scientists in Austria. The “balloon” method does not require any expensive supporting structures which have previously put developers off building large concrete shells. The technique devised at the Vienna University of Technology uses a flat concrete slab which hardens on the ground before an air cushion below the plate is inflated bending the concrete and forming a sustainable shell. Professor Johann Kollegger said: “It is similar to an orange peel, which is regularly cut and then flattened out on the table. “We do it the other way around, starting with a flat surface and then bending it to a shell.” A flat slab is first created using standard concrete. Kollegger said It …

Read more »

BUDDING young builders donned hard hats and put their construction skills to the test. The children from Race Leys Junior School in Bedworth were given the chance to lay a brick at the site of a new Housing and Care 21 extra care scheme. The pupils won a competition to help name the scheme in the town, which will be known as Oakwood Gardens. They were joined by representatives from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council and Willmott Dixon, the construction company that is building the scheme. David Harding, headteacher of the school said: “Race Leys Juniors were delighted to play such an important part in the naming of the new development. “The children enthusiastically responded and suggested a whole range of interesting names. We very much look …

Read more »

When selling your house is it better to use a traditional high street estate agent or a cheaper online version? The traditional high street based estate agent charges around 1pc of the sale price of a house, plus a performance related fee in some cases, justified by in-depth local knowledge and the supposed skill of getting the highest possible price. This bricks and mortar model is under threat from an emerging low cost, online only model which charges a fixed fee of around £500 and claims to do everything a “proper” estate agent does, apart from viewings. In this video traditional estate agent, and managing director of Douglas & Gordon, Ed Mead, goes head to head with newcomer Russell Quirk, founder of digital disrupter, eMoov. …

Read more »

A CONSTRUCTION company is creating 150 apprenticeships. Esh Group, in Durham City, will take on workers over the next three years in its Esh Academy. It plans to take on about 50 apprentices this summer. Bosses say jobs will include construction roles, finance and administration positions, and surveying and engineering posts. The firm last year supported more than 6,000 schoolchildren in a training scheme, and says the academy will cover the North-East, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Scotland. The academy will be managed by Esh Training Solutions, Esh Group’s training division. Brian Manning, Esh Group chief executive, said: “We are looking to add real bite by offering traineeships and jobs to some of the youngsters who successfully come through our employability programmes, which we deliver with business partners. “We believe the …

Read more »