News

Roundtable debate highlights key drivers for smart buildings and considers what’s preventing wide scale adoption  10-December 2013 – New environmental building legislation and competition to fill office or retail space are the two key drivers for smart buildings according to delegates that attended a recent roundtable hosted by infrastructure specialists Redstone. Debating the key drivers for smart buildings and the barriers hindering adoption, Redstone was joined by industry experts from engineering consultants Buro Happold and Norman Disney & Young and construction services company ISG. Matt Salter, delivery director, Redstone said: “All commercial properties which are rented out or that are up for sale must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and this quickly shines a light on whether  the building is efficient or not. “Tenants will seek out …

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In nine days’ time, one man hopes to end half a century of government inertia over how to expand London’s airport capacity When a select group of ministers, reporters and paying passengers boarded a converted Lancaster bomber at Heathrow Airport on January 1, 1946, they knew they were part of a historic event in British aviation. What they didn’t realise was just quite how significant it would prove to be. A large crowd gathered in front of the Avro Lancastrian, codenamed “Star Light”, to hear Britain’s then civil aviation minister, Lord Winster, say a few words before the plane took off for Buenos Aires. But as they settled into the 13-seater British South American Airways aircraft, they could not have imagined that they would be taking off from what …

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Anybody that works in oily, wet, icy or generally slippery conditions will be well aware of the importance of safety, and one of the first things that you will need to do before business can commence is to take measures to protect yourself and everyone around you. The best way to do this is not through protective clothing (which should still be used), but instead to try and stop and slipping from occurring. To do this you will need to look at the flooring, and you will want to have some anti slip flooring put in place everywhere, as this will stop any accidents from occurring. This anti slip flooring will need to be of the highest quality though, as otherwise you will find that the material …

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Last week, the UK’s green plans were dealt a substantial blow when Atlantic Array was shelved. The project was set to provide power for one million homes and would have created thousands of jobs. Npower have pulled the plug on the offshore project as political uncertainty and cynical political point scoring once more threaten to severely hamper green construction investment. Struggling to Meet 2020 Targets Npower’s move is undoubtedly bad news for David Cameron and his government who had previously been banking on wind farms to generate low carbon power. By 2020, the government had expected to generate 15% of its energy through renewable sources, but the cancellation of the npower project calls this target into question. The Renewable Energies Association (REA) believes that npower’s withdrawal is purely down …

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The notoriously congested M25 has undergone a revolution of late. Recently, a new concrete repair technique has been trialled on a stretch of road that saw countless crashes over the past couple of months, and the results are outstanding. The trial, surprisingly, involves a new concrete repair system, and initial testing shows that it is cutting driver delays by around 80%. The joint venture on behalf of a number of companies has seen lane closure fall from 1,500 hours a year to just 300 and has significantly reduced traffic congestion in the area as a direct result. How Does it Work? First used in the aviation industry, rapid cure concrete works has lowered road closure times by limiting the amount of time that it takes for the concrete to …

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The number of active business start-ups in the UK is continuing to rise, thanks primarily to a reduction in the amount that it costs to establish a business venture. Advancements in technology and marketing have removed many of the barriers to entry that facing aspiring entrepreneurs, while also making it cheaper to own and operate a functional business. With this in mind, it is easier for small and individual businesses to protect their physical assets in 2013, from their core commercial office to the storage facilities where product-orientated ventures hold stock. This is critically important, as failing to safeguard your assets is the equivalent of discarding any previous investment that you have made. How to protect your Firm’s Physical Assets So what practical steps can you …

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As an accountant to the trades and trade merchants for a number of years, I’ve seen my fair share of poorly managed finances. Maybe it’s that those working in the trades are too busy toiling away on the ground that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to worry about keeping numbers in order. I’m clearly not ‘in the trade’ but I do understand the industry and know the tight margins that folk have to work with. Or, maybe it’s a case of deferred responsibility. I’ve had a client – or ten – tell me, when I’ve raised a brow at their books, that this was exactly what they were hiring me for. A fair point I guess, but you wouldn’t wait to hire in a …

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The number of active business start-ups in the UK is continuing to rise, thanks primarily to a reduction in the amount that it costs to establish a business venture. Advancements in technology and marketing have removed many of the barriers to entry that facing aspiring entrepreneurs, while also making it cheaper to own and operate a functional business. With this in mind, it is easier for small and individual businesses to protect their physical assets in 2013, from their core commercial office to the storage facilities where product-orientated ventures hold stock. This is critically important, as failing to safeguard your assets is the equivalent of discarding any previous investment that you have made. How to protect your Firm’s Physical Assets So what practical steps can you …

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To help address the current skills gap in the West Midlands, Solihull College has made a significant investment in state of the art facilities for both construction and engineering disciplines to ensure it can train work ready employees. This commitment to both students and local industry was solidified last week at the official VIP launch of the College’s new £8.5 million motor vehicle and construction facility at the Woodlands Campus. Some of the West Midlands top industry names, including Jaguar Land Rover, Arup, Mansell Construction, Monarch Airlines and Snap-On Industrial joined the College to celebrate the launch. The new facility in Smith’s Wood houses twelve new workshops, enhancing and supporting the College’s offering in subject areas including motor vehicle, motor sport, engineering and construction. To celebrate …

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The government’s decision to require that all suppliers involved in public sector construction projects use Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools and techniques by 2016 makes sense. This should help drive improvements in value and performance, whilst supporting environmental commitments by facilitating a more integrated approach to design, construction, and facilities management. However, misinformation is rife. BIM is not just about 3D data but about creating a holistic information resource that also includes 2D data sources, documents, spreadsheets, and more. Nor is BIM best realized by a single, lowest-common-denominator data model imposed on every organisation in the supply chain. BIM is a business process, not a technology. As Neville Glanville, industry sales director, Bentley Systems, explains, the key to realising the compelling BIM vision is simply ensuring …

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