What can construction companies do to improve gender equality?

Gender inequality is a long-standing issue that has crept into every industry, and construction is no different. Though many industries have a fairly even ratio of male to female employees at entry level, there are almost always fewer women at the top.

A report from the Directory for Social Change takes a comprehensive look at how imbalanced the gender ratio is in the UK. Using company CSR policies and annual reports, the study was able to determine the gender statistics for 399 corporate boards. An analysis of the data shows that the overall percentage of women on boards was around 22%.

Although small, this number is actually higher than, it was in 2013, where similar reports found that only 13% of board members were women. However, of the remaining 78% of companies, 16% still confess to having purely male board members – excluding women entirely.

Addressing gender inequality and calling for more women in the workplace is more than just trying to fill a quota, it could be the key to a company’s success.

Gender inequality in construction

Much like the tech, science and other STEM industries, the construction industry is still lacking in gender equality and is dominated by men. In 2007, 12.1% of workers in construction was represented by female workers, whereas reports in 2016 showed that statistic only increased slightly to 12.8%.

In fact, a more recent study in 2018 by Wise found that the number of female employees in construction numbered just 11%, meaning the industry could actually be taking a step backwards.

Even in 2019 as a training provider, 3B Training hasn’t seen a huge percentage of women walk through the door for training courses when compared to men. Of nearly 10,000 delegates we have booked on courses so far, only 15% of those are women.

Overlooking female talent

When looking closer at the causes of gender imbalance in construction, a common issue seems to be that female employees aren’t given the same opportunities as their male coworkers.

Randstad interviewed 1,200 people who experienced gender discrimination in the construction industry, 60% of whom were women. Of the women surveyed, three-quarters say they feel overlooked for promotions because of their gender, not their skills.

It’s not just progression where women feel like they’re missing out, either. Eight in ten women surveyed have felt left out of social events and conversations by their coworkers. This feeling of exclusion risks creating a toxic culture of bias throughout the industry.

Women leaders in construction

Due to the lower number of female workers in construction in general, it’s unsurprising to find that the industry is lacking in women at an executive level or higher. Nearly half of workers went so far as to say that they had never worked with a female manager.

However, that doesn’t mean that the industry would react badly to more female leaders. In fact, Randstad’s study found that 93% of construction workers felt that being managed by a woman would have the same effect as a male manager, or even improve things.

And, according to the data, they’d be right. All 169 companies in the FTSE 350 with at least one woman on their executive board saw a higher return on capital than companies with none.

Hiring from the top down is also a way to create a more inclusive work environment for women at all levels. By having a senior female leader, it sends a message to other female workers that progression is achievable. Companies that opt for a woman as their chief executive are, on average, likely to have more than twice as many women on their executive board than companies run by a man.

As an industry currently suffering from a severe skills shortage, opening the door to talented women in senior roles could be the answer construction is looking for.

Raising awareness

When it comes to women in construction being overlooked, unconscious bias and ignorance play a huge part in the issue.

There are only six construction companies in the UK that have an equal number of male to female directors or are female-led. One of those companies, Renishaw plc, has a board of 70% women and regularly runs engagement programmes with schools, universities and the government to help raise awareness of gender imbalance and overcome stereotypes. If more companies in construction follow suit, the industry can knock down barriers that would otherwise deter potential female candidates.

Multinational human resource consulting firm Randstad has reached out to organisations to find out how they are currently supporting their female staff to help remove gender bias in the workplace:

Addressing the pay gap

Due to the overwhelming male to female ratio until now, the construction industry has been guilty of a wide gender pay gap.

A recent survey conducted by RICS, however, has found that the industry has acted and is making strides to address the issue. Whereas the construction industry had a gender pay gap of 36% in 2018 (one of the worst industries for pay disparity), it has since narrowed to 20.43%.

Although this is a positive result for the industry, more steps are needed before the pay gap is a thing of the past. Nearly half of construction companies not monitoring their gender pay gaps, so it’s difficult to accurately determine how well the industry is dealing with the issue.

By properly analysing and understanding exactly how men and women are paid, as well as being transparent about their pay policies, construction companies can work towards total equality of pay for their workers.

Changing perception and reducing stigma

One of the biggest problems with creating a diverse workforce in construction is that it has developed such a strong perception of what the industry is like, making it hard for people to see past the stereotypes.

Keepmoat conducted a survey on 1,000 adults between the ages of 16-25, looking at the differences in perception of the construction industry. The survey showed that 21% of men interviewed would consider a career in construction, but only 13% of women would do the same.

The prevailing narrative about construction is that it is physically demanding, creating a stigma for employment in construction. Roles in health and safety, construction management, procurement, surveying, estimating and site inspection are all potential routes that are available, yet people may not be aware of them. Only 22% of construction companies work in schools to help to answer questions about the industry and encourage people to consider it as a potential career path.

Strategy for change

To really tackle the issue, a clear strategy needs to be put in place for all construction companies to follow. There are two major steps that companies should take to ensure gender equality in construction:

1. Create more opportunities for women

74% of women in Randstad’s survey were not part of any ‘women in construction’ initiatives that will help them progress to senior positions. This highlights the need for more programmes to help encourage women to get involved, as well as greater advertising that current programmes are available.

Balfour Beatty has taken gender equality into their own hands and has recently introduced an initiative that supports women through career breaks for childcare, urging other companies to work together as an industry to do a similar thing.

2. Provide education early

As we can see from Keepmoat’s survey, education is a real issue in the industry. Some 29% of female respondents feel like they’d be limited to on-site work and 56% were surprised to find out that a significant number of women in construction are hired at an executive level or higher.

With so many stereotypes around the construction industry, it’s important to educate people early about the potential career opportunities that are available. Some 64% of respondents claimed they would like construction companies to work closely with schools, colleges and universities. Without the right knowledge, many women will continue to believe that the construction is limited to working on a building site.

Addressing the problems with gender balance in construction may appear like a huge undertaking, but by companies adopting some of the methods we’ve discussed, they are chipping away slowly at the bigger picture – helping to create a pathway to gender equality.

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Global infrastructure investment to grow by 2023

New research from GlobalData anticipates global infrastructure construction to grow by 4.8% on an annual average basis in real terms between 2019 and 2023.

The forecast comes from GlobalData’s tracking of over 14,000 large-scale infrastructure projects in both the public and private sectors that are worth a minimum value of US$25M (totalling US$14.8 trillion) worldwide at all stages from announcement to execution.

It is anticpated that the growth will be propelled by Asia, where growth is expected to average 7.0% a year in South and South East Asia, as well as 5.8% in North East Asia.

The power sector has the most projects in the pipeline with 5,681, followed by the road sector with 4,004, and railways with 1,945. Rail projects dominate valuing US$5.4 trillion, followed by power, accounting for the second-largest sector valued at US$4.7 trillion, and roads at US$2.6 trillion.

When completed, the tracked road projects will comprise a total 186,993km under construction (or expansion/renewal) in the next five years. The most notable road expansion in terms of total length is taking place in South and South East Asia, with a total of 59,835km of ongoing and upcoming road projects spread across the region. A total of 160,198km of railway track and 1,271.6GW of generating capacity will be undertaken and completed in the next five years.

Yasmine Ghozzi, Economist at GlobalData, comments: “In Sub-Sahara Africa and the Middle East and Africa (MEA), where infrastructure construction growth is expected to average 7.3% and 6.6%, respectively, there are huge infrastructure upgrades underway in roads, railways and power generation.

“The pace of growth in North America and Europe’s construction industry will perform better in the forecast period than the previous forecast, 2014–2018 – albeit slower than emerging markets. Electricity and power infrastructure will be the one of the fastest sectors in Europe as countries across the continent reaffirm their commitment to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement and intensify their cooperation on climate change and clean energy.”

US President Donald Trump’s US$2 trillion infrastructure plan will undoubtedly provide support for the overall growth of the North America region’s industry in the next five years. However, the successful implementation of the plan will hinge on how individual states and municipalities can respond, knowing that the Federal Government is contributing just US$200Bn to this ten-year program.

Ghozzi concludes: “Whether solar, wind, or hydroelectricity, most countries in all regions are boosting their investments in green energy. Saudi Arabia’s landmark US$200Bn SoftBank deal to build the world’s largest solar farm tops the list of the power project pipeline.”

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Contract values boosted in July

The latest contract values for July have been released by Barbour ABI in the latest edition of the Economic & Construction Market Review, showing UK construction contract awards up by 11% from July 2018.

The value of all construction contract awards in July 2019 registered at £5.1Bn based on a three-month rolling average. These figures mean July’s figures were slightly lower than June’s by 1.8%, yet the year-on-month figure were solidly higher than July 2018.

The three-month period ending July 2019 showed total construction contract awards at £15.3Bn, which is an increase of 14% on the previous quarter and 13.8% higher than for the comparable quarter ending July 2018.

Not only are values going up, by the number of contract awards also rose in July to 1,011, an increase of 38.5% on June and 3.7% higher than July 2018.

Residential held the largest share of contract awards in July at 39.9%. Commercial and retail came in second with 16.0% of contract awards, followed by the industrial sector with a share of 13.6%.

London was the contract hotspot for July and was also the location for the three largest contract awards. These include the largest contract award for the month; at £300M was the Stoney Street Commercial and Office development which is part of the Borough Yards redevelopment, Southwark. Wandsworth was the location for the second largest contract award and was Nine Elms Plots B & D – valued at £276.4M. While the third largest contract award was also in the residential sector and was the £240M fit-out contract for the Old War Office in Whitehall.

Commenting on the figures, Tom Hall, Chief Economist at Barbour ABI said: “The planning pipeline continues to defy recent negative economic news. We have seen significant activity for contact awards across the UK for the past three months, with a 13.8% increase on the comparable quarter ending July 2018. Over the next three months, we will be rolling steadily towards the Brexit deadline which may impact figures as uncertainty once again sets in.”

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Student developments defy Brexit confusion

Construction of student accommodation has continued to soar in Britain despite unhealthy forecasts for the construction sector in the wake of Brexit uncertainty as projects have become increasingly led by private developers instead of the universities themselves.

This privatised construction of student accommodation buildings is a strategy much approved of by investors, with Glenigan forecasting the niche sector of student accommodation construction to experience an increased workload in the coming years.

Part of that which is fuelling this subsector is the demand for student housing, after it has been revealed that for the 2018/19 academic year universities received 272,910 applications whereas for the 2019/2020 academic year universities received 275,520 applications.

In Guildford the developer, Future Generation, has appointed the contractor, McAleer and Rushe, to construct a new 533-bed student accommodation development at a cost of £102M, while in Leicester £200M has been sent on a scheme, organised by the university developer Equitix, to construct an accommodation development over the course of three years.

Meanwhile, in Nottingham, Unite have bought a site on Derby Road which is scheduled to be developed into a 620-bed development, at a cost of £48M, ready in in time for the 2022/23 academic year.

The Property Director at Unite, Nick Hayes stated: “This latest acquisition reflects our strategy of aligning our business with mid and high tariff Universities in cities where there is strong demand for affordable, high-quality student accommodation.”

While, according to Glenigan’s construction market research, the RG Group have laid plans to construct a 24-storey student development, containing more than 1,000 bedrooms, in London.

The Economics Director of Glenigan, Allan Wilén stated: “Student accommodation has become an important niche market for private sector developers. The development pipeline is strong and project starts are forecast to rise by six per cent this year.

“Looking further ahead, the number of student entrants to universities is projected to decline 4.5% over the four years to 2021/22, a trend that may temper the flow of investment into this market over the medium term.”

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When modular met medical: healthcare facilities get a dose of efficiency and quality

There has been much talk of late about recent studies revealing that while most industries have seen impressive increases in efficiency and productivity in the last few years, the architecture-engineering-construction (AEC) industry has somewhat lagged behind.

Experts agree that this is mainly due to architects, contractors and subcontractors working in silos. They also agree that the healthcare sector has suffered most from this lack of progress due to the complexity of medical facility buildings and their very specific requirements, such as NHS compliance. Modular buildings are fabricated under controlled plant conditions, using the same robust materials as more traditional construction projects. This, combined with the rigorous adherence to building codes and standards makes offsite construction as, if not more, safe as conventionally-built facilities.

Improving collaboration to lower costs

By definition, modular building requires close collaboration between architects, contractors and subcontractors early in the building process. By eliminating silos and fostering a greater sense of teamwork, the modular building process results in better upstream decision-making, which helps keep projects on time and on budget.

Off-site construction is also protected from various sources of costly delays. Weather-related risks are minimised, and labourers are able to operate in safer working conditions – in a controlled environment, rather than facing the elements in a less contained working environment.

The offsite construction process provides opportunities to cut costs by increasing the efficiency of the materials purchasing process. By keeping construction in a protected manufacturing environment, the risk of damage or theft of equipment and materials is also greatly reduced.

Cutting construction timelines

One of the most valuable advantages to offsite construction for the healthcare sector, however, is a reduced time to occupancy. With a modular construction project, the offsite building process can take place in parallel with on-site preparation; project timelines are thus halved.^[1]

It goes without saying that minimising the impact of construction on existing parts of a hospital or medical centre, where vulnerable patients may be undergoing delicate procedures, or simply trying to rest and heal, is also a top priority. Plus, since the very nature of medical facilities usually places them in built-up areas, where access is easy access for staff and patients, managing disruption to surrounding homes and businesses is another major concern. Off-site construction overcomes these challenges whilst offering a host of performance benefits – from increased scope for customisation to the latest innovations for greater sustainability, and of course Considerate Construction also at the forefront.

The anatomy of an offsite healthcare facility

In June 2015, Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield chose a two-storey modular solution for their new Clinical Support Unit for Ophthalmology. This permanent building, created to house an advanced eye clinic and state-of-the-art office space, was constructed using the latest Ibex steel-frame modular building system which allowed large elements to be completed off site.

With a facade clad in a combination of facing brick, render, and Trespa® panels, the building benefits from the latest ducted air conditioning technology for managing internal environments within clinical areas. Ecological features incorporated into the design include increased levels of insulation, low-energy lighting, energy-efficient heating systems, and water-saving technology.

Not only did this building achieve BREEAM Excellent rating, it was completed in just 32 weeks -including site remediation and external works.

Modular moves healthcare facilities forward

As more and more decision-makers in the healthcare industry become aware of the benefits of choosing high-quality, cost-efficient, and attractive modular buildings that are quick and safe to construct, the AEC industry is likely to see a boom in projects like the Pinderfields Ophthalmology unit. The prognosis is highly positive for both the healthcare sector and the modular building industry.

Find out more about Elliott, the principal contractor for the Pinderfields Hospital Ophthalmology building.

^[1] https://ift.tt/2UmTENb

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Social housing rises after two year slump

Social housing over the course of the next two years is predicted to rise following pledges of support for shared ownership developments in the latest Budget announcement.

According to Glenigan’s construction market analysis, the quarter building up to July 2019 witnessed a 40% surge in the underlying value of social housing projects starting on site, with the remainder of the year forecasted for a further two per cent rise while a longer term forecast, for 2020, shows predictions of a three per cent rise.

In fact, the 50 greatest spending registered social landlords (RSLs) are forecasted to construct 42,278 social housing units in 2019, as stated by the Inside Housing survey, while grand total of 146,000 units are scheduled for completion between 2019 and 2022, measuring at 48,667 units per year.

Much of the aforementioned workload is scheduled as part of schemes which have already been in place, and therefore granted planning permission, as the underlying value of social work gaining approval slumped in the quarter building to July 2019, this likely being a consequence of RSLs reorganising their priorities.

This upsurge in social housing has, however, come after a long period of decline, attributed to the necessary disruptions following the Grenfell Tragedy in 2017, which saw an 11% fall in the underlying value of social housing starts in 2018.

The Economics Director at Glenigan, Allan Wilén stated: “A brighter outlook for project starts is forecast for 2019. Progress of planned developments has been disrupted over the last two years as housing associations have reviewed the implications of the Grenfell fire for refurbishment and new build schemes.

“This is evident in an 11% decline in the value of apartment projects that secured planning approval during 2018. In contrast, the value of housing projects increased 5%.

“Overall, the value of detailed planning approvals for affordable housing projects stabilised last year. This is expected to support a modest improvement in affordable housing project starts during 2019 as projects reviewed in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy start on site.”

The biggest RSL, when considering spending in the year building towards July 2019, has been reported by Glenigan as Clarion, a merger company of Affinity Sutton and Circle, who currently have £22M proposal for over 200 homes in Plymouth.

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Aggregate Industries makes Watertight concrete

Aggregate Industries has celebrated the launch of its new Watertight^TM concrete, in partnership with BASF Construction Chemicals, which can protect structures from water ingress or retain water within the aforesaid structure.

The new product, designed by Aggregate Industries, is available as a three-tiered waterproofing solution: Watertight Pro Protect, Watertight Super Protect and Watertight Core Protect, and is an improvement upon current waterproofing materials by reducing installation time, being non-sensitive to weather conditions, and being a pumpable or flowing mix in slump and flow grades.

Each of the three tiers are individually created using Watertight concrete mixed with a customised blend of BASF’s MasterLife WP 799, a high performance integral waterproofing system for concrete incorporating combined waterproofing and super-plasticising components.

Through this type of system customers can select the correct solution depending on application and level of waterproofing needed so that a solution can also be provided with a manufacturer’s warranty that gives the customer confidence using a specific and unique product.

The Head of Business Development in Asphalt and Ready-Mixed Concrete at Aggregate Industries, Joanne Wilkins stated: “At Aggregate Industries, we understand that waterproofing isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. That’s why we’ve partnered with BASF to develop our Watertight range into a new three-tiered system, giving architects and specifiers greater flexibility than ever before when choosing an appropriate waterproofing solution.

“What’s more, given the ever-rising importance of sustainability, we are the first construction materials supplier to offer Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) to determine the environmental impact of our Watertight concrete. This will make it easier for our clients to meet the environmental requirements of a project by providing detailed information on everything from production to recycling options.”

The new EPD rating to be allocated to Aggregate Industries products will be calculated with consideration given to factors such as global warming potential, o-zone depletion potential, and acidification potential.

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Manufacturing park underway in Middlesbrough

Construction is currently underway at the former site of Newport Ironworks in Middlesbrough for the new £55M advanced manufacturing park, TeesAMP, which should reach completion by early 2020.

The first phase of the new manufacturing park will feature 180,000sq ft of manufacturing space across the 11 hectare site, with building size varying from 3,000sq ft to 30,000sq ft, creating job opportunities for a predicted 1,000 people.

The Regional Managing Director of Robertson North East, Garry Hope stated: “The site is really starting to take shape and seeing the first buildings come together is an important milestone in what is a nationally significant project. We are proud to be playing our part in creating a game-changing development and adding to the industrial footprint on Teesside.

“We extended TeesAMP’s commitment to appoint local businesses and we’re working with local sub-contractors and suppliers wherever possible.”

Construction is being carried out on the site by Robertson North East, who have been appointed at the principal contractor on the project, while funding was gained from the Middlesbrough Council, who provide £12.5M, the Tees Valley Combined Authority, who supplied £7.65M, the SSI Taskforce, which provided £2.3M, and various large private investments.

Geoff Hogg, of Cleveland Property Investments, added: “TeesAMP is gathering momentum and the high-quality accommodation isn’t the only thing that sets it apart from any other business park or cluster. Manufacturers based at TeesAMP will have access to a wrap-around package of business support and a ready supply of highly-skilled workers from local educational institutions such as Middlesbrough College and Teesside University.

“We’re in talks with a number of national and international companies interested in ‘making it in Middlesbrough’ – bringing skilled advanced manufacturing jobs with them. TeesAMP truly is the go-to location for the next generation of manufacturers who want great connectivity, world-leading skills and first-class accommodation.”

The site is also located near very accessible transport links within Middlesbrough, which is located, itself, within the heart of the Tees Valley, and will operate in conjunction with several heritage sites and visitor attractions.

Possessing educational facilities on the history of the old ironworks, the new manufacturing park will also become an educational and historical centre for any visiting schools, colleges and members of the general public to provide an unparalleled educational experience of the local area.

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HS2 Ltd organise BEM activity day

HS2 Ltd organised an activity day in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, on Wednesday 31^st July 2019 for Black and Ethnic Minority (BEM) young people, in order to get them interested about the roles required and careers available through the construction of HS2.

The event, which took place at the Donut Creative Arts Studio (DCAS), was organised in partnership with the Derbyshire BEM Forum and included activities such as a quiz and the construction of model bridges which were then tested by laying a track over them.

Fifteen young people, between the ages of ten and 19, took part in the activities, learning about the complexities of constructing major infrastructure components, construction, design, and even cyber security.

After 2033, Chesterfield will be served by HS2, providing links to many other cities across the country and increasing journey times substantially following the freeing up of other lines which could, thereafter, provide more local services.

Furthermore, the region will benefit from the additional construction of the East Midlands Hub in Toton which will result in quicker journeys, lasting just 16 minutes to arrive in Chesterfield.

Judith Rowe, Engagement Advisor at HS2 Ltd, said: “At the peak of construction, over 30,000 people will play a role in delivering Britain’s new high speed railway. HS2 is investing in young people now to help address the country’s skills shortage and ensure we leave a lasting talent legacy for the future.

“At events such as these we are introducing children to a diverse range of career opportunities that HS2, and the wider construction industry, can offer. We want to encourage them to think about how they might play their own part in this once in a generation project that will bring Britain closer together.”

Adding to this, construction of the HS2 Infrastructure Maintenance Depot at Staveley will provide an extra 75 jobs roles and, once operational, will supply a further 200, benefitting the job market in the area while increasing the necessary infrastructure to free up space for housing.

In fact, Derbyshire Council is planning the construction of an additional 1,500 homes and the creation of 800 jobs following the completion of the maintenance depot.

The Derbyshire BEM Forum aims to provide and support activities in the local area which will increase opportunities for Black and Minority Ethnic youngster and communities.

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Mecalac nominated for excellence awards

Mecalac Construction Equipment UK has been nominated onto a shortlist for two categories, ‘Excellence in Industry’ and ‘Excellence in Innovation’, at the Coventry Business Excellence Awards 2019 in association with the Metro newspaper.

The awards ceremony is organised to celebrate success and achievement for Central England’s most innovative businesses, with Mecalac having achieved a nomination through judges recognising its ambitious corporate policy and recent model launches.

The company was recognised for its disruptive approach to product development, substantial investment in technology, and persistent adjustment to the evolving marketplace, reinvesting six per cent of its revenues per year into innovation as a result of their focus upon research and development.

Some of the products which Mecalac recently launched over the past 12 months include its Connect Energy Link technology, three new cabbed site dumper models, and a new marque of its MCR crawler-skid excavator.

The UK Sales and Marketing Director at Mecalac Construction Equipment UK, Paul Macpherson stated: “Being shortlisted in two categories at the Coventry Business Excellence Awards is testament to the team’s continued hard work and dedication. With more than 60 years’ manufacturing experience, we’re hugely proud of our Coventry roots and consider it a real honour to be recognised by our peers.”

“We believe that innovation plays a driving role in our commercial success and, as such, keep it a fundamental part of our operations. In the compact construction equipment market, we are a relatively small business compared to our competitors, yet our commitment to being innovative is what puts us on the map and sets us aside.”

The winners of each category in the Coventry Business Excellence Awards 2019 will be declared at the awards ceremony at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena on Thursday 19th September 2019.

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Industrial Park completed near Doncaster

Bowmer + Kirkland have completed the construction of the new Nimbus Industrial and Distribution Park in Thorne, South Yorkshire on behalf of Derbyshire-based commercial property developers, Sladen Estates.

The total area of land developed exceeds 27,000sq ft, which the development itself being divided into two units, one consisting of 164,366sq ft while the other is comprised of 106,502sq ft, both of which have been finished to a high standard and have earned a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’.

The two units are located just off of junction six of the M18 near Doncaster, providing any distribution companies who take up residence at the site with easy access to transport routes, and is also located close to a readily available local workforce.

Both of the units are scheduled for occupancy under a leasehold basis with the Commercial Property Partners (CPP) and Moriarty & Co named as the agents for the two buildings which are now ready for use.

A launch events was recently held to celebrate the completion of the development with attendees comprising of the region’s leading industrial agents, showcasing the units in a time when quality industrial space in South Yorkshire is a much-needed rarity.

The Managing Director of Sladen Estates, the site’s developers, Rachel Wood stated: “We are delighted to see these high-quality, well located buildings just off J6 of the M18, complete.

“The units provide high-quality warehousing space benefitting from higher than average eaves heights of 15m and 12m respectively. The office and ancillary spaces have been completed to a Grade A standard with feature lighting and high-quality finishes throughout.

“Nimbus Park would suit both local and national businesses looking to expand or relocate to the Doncaster area and represents an excellent addition to the region’s booming industrial and distribution market.”

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New Park and Ride will create 9,000 jobs

The Flintshire County Council has received over £2M in funding for the construction of a new purpose-built Park and Ride, increasing accessibility to the Deeside Industrial Park in North Wales.

The new Park and Ride will possess 227 parking spaces and will be served by the existing Deeside Shuttle bus service which will travel along a bus-only link, which likewise requires construction, from the Park and Ride into Zone Two of the estate.

Funding for the development has comes from two sources, with the Welsh Government providing £988,500 to Flintshire Council for the scheme in 2018 while £1,300,000 was presented in 2019.

The project is predicted to better connect the local community with the industrial park, which provides 9,000 jobs, and will apply waiting restrictions so as to tackle the issues that have arisen from indiscriminate parking.

The Economy and Transport Minister, Ken Skates stated: “Poor accessibility has long been the dominating factor for business retention and employee recruitment within the Deeside Industrial Park whilst also acting as a major constraint when attracting prospective business and facilitating business expansion.

“Businesses have also raised concerns regarding the lack of sufficient parking within the Park, leading to indiscriminate parking and traffic congestion.

“This development will address many of the on-site issues, while opening up opportunities for many in the surrounding areas to take advantage of the employment prospects right on their doorsteps.”

The Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Transportation, Councillor Carolyn Thomas, added: “I am delighted that funding has been secured to construct the Park and Ride facility in Deeside.

“This is one of many exciting schemes in the pipeline which will integrate all modes of transport. This key stage in the plan demonstrates the commitment in moving forward with the transport vision for Flintshire.

“Deeside Industrial Park has 400 businesses and employs 9,000 people but accessibility has long been raised as an issue and, often, barrier by businesses and potential employees.

“Flintshire County Council in partnership with Welsh Government has been working to address the issue by developing the North East Wales Metro integrating the rail, bus and cycling network improving accessibility to this important employment hub.”

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Winvic organises site tour for students

The construction company Winvic has been educating and inspiring the next generation of women in the construction sector by inviting 15 Year Nine female students and two members of staff from the Polesworth School in Tamworth to one of their latest project sites in the local area.

The site in question was Plot Five of the industrial warehouse project that is currently underway in East Tamworth, commissioned by the development and regeneration company, St Modwen.

The students were guided around the site by Winvic’s Project Manager, Adam Broadhurst, Trainee Quantity Surveyor, Abigail Butler, and HSEQ Manager, Amy Millership, while being taught about the different aspects of construction and the career opportunities it presents.

Winvic’s Project Manager on the scheme, Adam Broadhurst stated: “It was a delight to have the opportunity to break down some of the barriers by showing the next generation the different opportunities that a career in construction can offer.

“The students appeared to really enjoy learning about the varied roles and processes on site as much as we enjoyed showing them”.

The Head of Careers at Polesworth School, Chris Davis added: “I would like to thank Winvic and in particular Adam for the invitation and this opportunity to visit a construction site and learn so much more about the different careers within this industry.

“It was great we could show a number of Year 9 girls the diversity of jobs in the industry and for them to meet female role models is a great inspiration and motivation for the pupils. It really does help if young people can visit an employer and see people at work and learn about their jobs.

“We look forward to a return visit to see the project at its completion stage. Thank you again Adam for this insightful visit.”

With construction still a being a male dominated sector, various companies are making strides to balance out gender diversity with Winvic making efforts such as these, which likewise work to engage with young people as well.

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Cost-benefit calculations: How sound are they?

When done well, cost-benefit analyses are an effective tool, which can be used to guide decision-makers about whether to invest in a new project or infrastructure programme. However, it is important to follow best practice and ensure the analysis is robust and accurate.

What are cost-benefit calculations?

Commercial enterprises use return on investment (RoI) as a method of assessing and comparing the value of different projects / products to their business. Many Government and infrastructure projects are not intended to make a profit – so how can different projects be assessed and compared? In the public sector, the common approach is cost-benefit analysis, where the expected benefits of the project have to be converted into cash equivalents. These cash equivalents can then be factored against the project costs. If competing projects are assessed using the same methodology against the same criteria, decision-makers have an objective measure to support the project selection or rejection.

Cost-benefit calculations usually involve an assessment of the long-term benefits of a project, alongside any associated costs. The costs are factored by the benefits to provide a cost-benefit ratio. Projects with a ratio below a certain value would not normally get the funding to go ahead. However, it may be left to the client or sponsor to decide what ratio is acceptable. Clearly, if a client or sponsor wishes to compare a number of schemes, a common approach is needed to cost-benefit analysis. The key benefits to be considered in the analysis should be agreed by key stakeholders, for example, journey time reduction and reduction in pollution levels, as should the way these benefits are valued.

Are cost-benefit calculations effective?

Recent media reports about the Stonehenge tunnel project highlight the problems that may arise if cost-benefit calculations are not well grounded. In this case, the cost-benefit assessment was apparently based primarily on one factor – the amount of money that members of the public would be willing to pay to have the site’s existing road removed. The data used in the analysis also seems to be based solely opinion-based, which raises more questions than it answers. This has raised doubts about the robustness of the approach. With the vast majority of the benefits (73 per cent of the total cost benefits) based on public opinion, one has to ask how the “value” was assessed:

• How many people were asked?
• Over what period were they asked?
• What was the demography of those asked? (Where did they live? What was their reason for travel? Were they regular or occasional travellers through the area? What’s the value of goods they were transporting? Etc)
• When the public were surveyed, what context and background information was available to them?

There are many questions that could be asked about the value of a project, and the way a question is asked is also significant. For example, a simple open question such as “What would you pay to have the road removed from the World Heritage Site?” is different from asking the same question but with multiple choice answers, each choice covering a different range of costs.

What can make cost-benefit calculations bias?

A stakeholder analysis may play a significant part in the cost-benefit analysis. It’s important to consider who exactly the key stakeholders are and what they see as the key benefits. Other questions to consider are whether there are direct and indirect benefits, including benefits that must be delivered, and others that are nice-to-haves. A freight-haulier will probably put high value on journey time improvements, whilst some local residents may put a higher value on reductions in noise levels and air pollution. How the potential benefits are measured and then how those benefits are converted to cash equivalents is therefore likely to be a compromise between different stakeholders’ views, in order to have an approach that is accepted by the sponsor and key stakeholders.

There are risks and uncertainties to be taken into account as well, and it’s important to consider how certain the cost estimate is. Author and mega project expert, Bent Flyvbjerg, has spoken about a culture of ‘optimism bias’ in the project management industry, which can cause managers to sub-consciously over-estimate benefits, and understate costs. What are the risks in delivering the project? These may affect both the time required and the cost to deliver it. What assumptions have been made when assessing benefits – and potential disadvantages? For instance, in the case of the Stonehenge scheme, which is one of eight proposed schemes along the A303 corridor, is it to be assumed that some, all or none of the other schemes are also funded and delivered in the next few years?

How can cost-benefit calculations be carried out effectively?

Conducting a thorough stakeholder analysis at the outset of a project is key to revealing the full range of predicted benefits. A clear and consistent strategy should then be applied to determine exactly how they should be taken into account. Where individual projects form part of a larger scheme, it may make sense to adopt an integrated approach to cost calculations, rather than performing them individually. For example, the Stonehenge tunnel project could bring far-reaching benefits for people living and working across the south west and a failure to recognise this could be giving investors and project partners a misleading view.

A comprehensive and objective approach to cost-benefit calculations, will ensure that all stakeholders have a sound understanding of the project’s true potential. This in turn will increase their decision-making power and help to drive value from any potential investments.

Article submitted by Graham Ramsden, Principal Risk Analyst, Equib.

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Culvert repairs underway in Derbyshire

Repair work has begun today on the damaged culvert which carries the Hogshaw Brook in Buxton, Derbyshire, underneath the Lightwood Road area with the work taken on by the Environment Agency and Derbyshire County Council.

Repair work to this culvert comes shortly after the Environment Agency commissioned JBA Bentley to repair the culvert at Earby in Lancashire using pipe bursting techniques, while it was also recently discovered that the Hogshaw Brook culvert was damaged during the recent heavy rainfall which threatened to overflow the Derbyshire dam of Whaley Bridge.

The area under which the culvert runs is owned by various different people as the culvert flows underneath various different properties, so funding for the repair works would, under the usual circumstances, take a considerable amount of time.

As a result, the Environment Agency and the Derby County Council have elected to jointly fund the repair works so that they can be completed as swiftly as possible in the interest of public safety.

The Environment Agency commented: “We have been working closely with Derbyshire County Council to find a suitable repair for the damaged area of the culvert and have agreed the funding to enable it to go ahead quickly. We are confident that the works will restore the culvert to a safe condition.”

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Transport and Infrastructure, Councillor Simon Spencer stated: “We understand this has been distressing for residents so we’re pleased we’ve been able to work closely with the Environment Agency to appoint a contractor to repair the culvert at the earliest opportunity.”

Following the completion of the culvert repairs the Environment Agency will stay partnered with the Derbyshire County Council to carry out a full assessment of the county and identify any other flood risks so that a coordinated method of approach and mitigation can be taken so as to prevent any other crises such as those at Whaley Bridge.

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Kier completes new unit for York Hospital

Kier has completed the construction of a new Endoscopy Unit at York Hospital on behalf of the York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with the unit itself becoming one of the biggest and most advanced unit in the country.

Both Kier and York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been in a partnership for some 15 years now and have marked their 15 year anniversary with the completion of the Endoscopy Unit which presides on top of the existing physiotherapy building.

The new unit comprises of two storeys and possesses a connecting bridge between itself and the main body of the hospital, featuring distinct gold coloured cladding on the outside and with the design for the unit proving to be complex during the process of construction, as the building was land locked on three sides and could only be built out form the furthest point.

The new unit will help to increase the hospital’s capacity for endoscopy services by increasing the number of available rooms for such procedures from three to seven, accommodating the rising demand for these types of operations and likewise maintaining a consistent flow of patients without becoming overrun.

The Managing Director at Kier Regional Building Northern, John O’Callaghan stated: “Completing this project has seen us celebrate 15 years of working with the York Teaching NHS Foundation Trust. We’re delighted to have been a part of such a fantastic project and we look forward to seeing the unit opened to the public in September.”

The Director of Estates and Facilities for York Hospital, Brian Golding added: “This is an exciting development for the Trust and it will transform our service into a centre of excellence for endoscopy, providing enhanced high quality care to our patients.”

In addition to this project, Kier has various other schemes underway across the county of Yorkshire such as the PET MRI scheme in Sheffield which will entail construction of a two-storey concrete framed extension to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

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New enterprise park underway in North Wales

Conwy County Borough Council has received £1.5M in funding from the European Union to construct the Conwy Morfa enterprise park on Penmaen Road in Conwy, North Wales.

The site is located near the A55 dual carriageway and taken up approximately 2.4 hectares of land, the current plans for the site outline the construction of four units which, once occupied, will lead to the construction of further units that will cater to the requirements of interested businesses.

Counsel General and Brexit Minister, Jeremy Miles stated: “Welsh Government is committed to making Wales a more prosperous and secure place to live and work. North Wales is a priority growth area, so this investment in the Conwy region is very welcome.

“This is another great example of a project benefitting from EU funds to support partner organisations through transition, and to future-proof the regional economy.”

The local area surrounding Conwy needs a boost to the job market while local businesses have also made requests for medium and large industrial units of over 1,000sq m and, thankfully, the new enterprise park just off of the A55 will provide both the necessary industrial area and around 150 jobs.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Development at Conwy County Borough Council, Councillor Goronwy Edwards added: “This is excellent news, we intend to spend the grant on infrastructure work across the whole site and to build four initial units.

“Penmaen Road is within an identified employment growth area, there is significant demand in the energy and environment, food, construction and creative sectors, so we’ll be focusing on these uses, and looking to complement the businesses based at the neighbouring Parc Cae’r Seion site.”

In the past ten years, EU funding has provided Welsh communities with more than 48,000 jobs and 13,000 new businesses, with 86,000 people being helped back into employment

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Earby culvert repaired by JBA Bentley

The Environment Agency has carried out £1M worth of repairs to a culvert in the Lancashire town of Earby in an attempt to reduce the risk of flooding to 91 homes and 17 businesses in the local area.

Works began in July 2018 and continued up until recently with the main objective of the project being to make the Victoria Clough more structurally solid after the previous culvert had partially collapsed beneath the disused railway embankment where it was built.

The Environment Agency’s contractors, JBA Bentley, carried out the installation of the new 40m culvert using a technique named ‘pipe bursting’ while also lining various other sections so that the total length of the culvert reached approximately 60m, travelling beneath Victoria Road and the A56 Skipton Road.

The Flood Risk Advisor at the Environment Agency, Paul Swales stated: “Earby has suffered devastating flooding over recent years, most notably the Boxing Day 2015 flood. We’re delighted that this project is now complete and will bring significant flood risk benefits to homes and businesses in Earby.

“While we carried out this work, traffic management was in place for some time and delays were encountered, so we’d like to thank residents and businesses for their patience and understanding while we carried out this essential work to reduce flood risk.”

Culverts are underground networks of drainage which carry excess water away from watercourses when levels become exceptionally high, for example in times of torrential rain.

Funding for the Earby Culvert repair scheme, which totalled more than £1M, came out of both the Grant in Aid fund, which donated £813,000, and the Yorkshire Local Levy fund, which donated £200,000, with further flood protection structures planned for the area in the form of a New Cut flood wall which may commence at the end of 2020.

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Transforming Construction: Government and industry join forces to haul construction into the 21st century

Buildings often fail to meet our needs, says Sam Stacey, Challenge Director, Transforming Construction, UK Research & Innovation. They use more energy than they are designed to do, and indeed are designed to use more energy than the planet can sustain – the greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment represent about a third of the total. In terms of user experience, a long list of construction problems include traffic congestion from inadequate infrastructure, and the cost of treating illnesses caused by poor living conditions.

Research has developed so that building quality is now being scientifically analysed, with the findings being fed back into the design process. Over half a century ago, Sir Winston Churchill commented that ‘we shape our buildings, and then our buildings shape us’. The design of schools affects the rate at which children learn, hospitals the rate at which patients recover, offices the productivity of workers, and homes the happiness of inhabitants. Data is at the heart of the new science of user experience.

The UK government and industry are now working together to propel construction into a new era. As part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, the government is investing £170M in the ‘Transforming Construction’ programme. This will be matched by at least £250M from industry. The funding will be delivered over four years in order to establish a sustainable long-term model for the industry.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s Transforming Construction programme is focused on three strategic solutions. The first is delivering better building outcomes with less risk using digital techniques. This will draw on the skills of the digital industries, including gaming such as Minecraft. The second is to create buildings using manufacturing approaches. The new era of construction will see more work done in efficient factory environments and much less complicated work carried out on site. It will incorporate knowledge from the manufacturing industries, including aerospace and automotive. Finally, there is the focus on improving through-life performance of buildings, using a combination of sensor technology and social science.

This will require changes in the nature of construction organisations and the way they interact. The industry will need to become more vertically integrated, using standard products and processes to create all buildings, including where possible, active (energy positive) technology. This will either mean companies that span the value chain, or projects that take an enterprise approach with agreed common success factors for all participants.

The industry will also need to horizontally integrate, collecting and sharing much more information. This shared information will enable construction to mobilise the potential of machine learning (artificial intelligence) to improve decision making. Furthermore, people and organisations will need to develop new skills, drawing on expertise from sectors which have already been through this process. Lastly there will need to be more longitudinal integration, whereby strong business to business relationships are sustained over time from project to project.

We are thrilled with the progress we have made so far. UKRI has so far provided £129M of funding to industry with a further £36M upcoming for collaborative research and development projects. Funding is being used on over 100 companies of all sizes to work on solutions in collaboration with academia. Particular highlights include the SEISMIC project that has developed standard frames for schools that will meet the targets listed above. These are already being procured at scale as part of the Department for Education’s Generation 5 programme. Another highlight is the ‘Advanced Industrial Methods for the Construction of Homes’ (AIMCH) – a collaboration that will improve the delivery of over 35,000 homes per year.

What we have today is an enormous industry, with many challenges but lots of potential solutions. I have no doubt that construction will leave behind the problems of the past and become an exciting industry that people aspire to be part of. It will offer opportunities for the development of new skills, for tangible contributions to the health of people and planet, and no shortage of financial rewards.

Article submitted by Sam Stacey, Challenge Director, Transforming Construction, UK Research & Innovation

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Modular homes approved in Cardiff

Wates Residential have been contracted, in partnership with Homeshell, by the Cardiff City Council to construct nine two-bedroom, modular homes on the former site of a laboratory on Crofts Street in in Plasnewydd, with the development plans having been approved by a planning committee.

The development is the first in Cardiff to use modular built homes while all the homes scheduled for construction will fall under the label of affordable housing. Moreover, the development was designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and AECOM, with construction arranged to start at the end of 2019

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Councillor Lynda Thorne stated: “The Crofts Street development will provide nine new council homes in the city and helps us on our way to building 2,000 new council homes, around 600 of which are being delivered through our Cardiff Living partnership with Wates Residential.

“We’re always looking for opportunities and new ways of developing more affordable housing to tackle growing demand in the city and to do so as quickly as possible. This exciting scheme, which will be the first time we have used a highly energy-efficient modular build system, can be delivered in considerably less time than a traditional-build project and has been awarded Welsh Government Innovative Housing Funding.”

The Cardiff Living partnership, under which the Crofts Street development has been organised, aims to construct 1,500 homes in the city within ten years as a means of tackling the rising need for housing, with 40% of the homes constructed under the scheme being reserved for council renting.

The Regional Director for Wates Residential, Edward Rees added: “It is fantastic to see consent given to this affordable housing project, which is part of our long-term partnership with Cardiff Council. The modular design will increase energy efficiency and shorten our time on site, helping to reduce emissions and disruption for existing residents.

“This is just one of the ways innovative solutions can help tackle growing demand for housing and we look forward to working with the council to deliver more homes over the coming months and years.”

In order to further the affordability of these nine houses, each will possess mechanical and natural ventilation and will be energy efficient, reducing the traditional value of heating bills by 90% to reduce the likelihood of fuel poverty.

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Half of UK favours alternative housing

According to a survey carried out by the company, BLP Insurance, over half of the people currently living in the UK are looking towards more adventurous styles of living.

What this means is that more and more residential property owners in Britain are seeking unconventional types of housing such as boats, tree houses, converted barns, warehouses, or churches, all in an attempt to create a more modern and adventurous home life.

Data from BLP, regarding the demographics of people most interested in alternative housing, showed that the greatest proportion of people seeking new ways types of housing came out of the 35-54 year-old age range, with 61% of survey replies from those within this range saying they would opt for more adventurous living.

While it was the over 55 year-old age range who declared themselves as the least likely to opt for alternative living, with just 42% of replies from recipients within this demographic saying that they would consider it; whereas, in regard to gender, men showed themselves as the more adventurous, with 57% saying they would consider types of alternative living in contrast to just 48% of women.

In terms of the types of houses, the most preferred types are as follows: converted buildings (24%), boats (20%), eco-homes (19%), shipping containers (11%), tree houses (9%), pallet homes (5%), and yurts (4%).

The most popular reason for making this choice, of considering alternative housing types, was to achieve a more interesting and creative mode of living (42%), followed by cheaper running costs (33%), environmental awareness (32%), and, finally, to escape hectic urban life (25%).

The Director at BLP Insurance, Phil Harris stated: “The days when most middle aged homeowners aspired to buy a semi-detached house in a quiet tree lined suburban street could soon be a thing of the past. It seems that people approaching their 40s and 50s are looking for a greater level of freedom and adventure and want to try a different type of home away from the suburbs.

“Reflective of a shifting cultural mind-set, there is also a definite trend among younger people specially to factor in variables such as environmental impact when choosing a new home.

“It could now be time to invest in an unconventional property as demand increases and people chase the limited supply.”

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Kier funds upskilling at Fieldway

The construction company, Kier, have donated funds from their Apprenticeship Levy to one of their supply-chain partners, Fieldway, in order to train two of their employees up to management positions through an apprenticeship programme, becoming the first company to make such an investment in the city of Liverpool.

Fieldway are an electrical contractor based within the city and received the funding after Kier has made moves to tackles skills related issues in the construction sector.

The Managing Director at Kier Regional Building North West, Peter Commins stated: “We are thrilled to have been the first contractor in Liverpool to able to transfer some of our apprenticeship levy. Fieldway is a valued supply chain partner of ours and we have worked with them on a number of projects, most recently at the enabling works for Shakespeare North.

“Having the ability to support not only the upskilling and training of our employees, but of our supply chain employees is something I’m really proud of and I look forward to continuing to support both local apprentices in our region and the construction industry generally through the use of unspent levy.”

The Managing Director of Fieldway, Tony Carden added: “Identifying managers is important but SMEs don’t always have the funds to support them and that’s where the levy transfer comes in.

“We look at our staff development from the point of view of getting our new staff qualified in their specialist areas so they can work on site. What Kier and Sysco have done is enable us to take our training opportunities to the next level and we now have clear progression routes to management for established staff in our organisation.”

Kier, in September 2018, even took part in a meeting at the Liverpool Town Hall, to discuss the skills crisis, which is currently plaguing the sector, with the Metropolitan Mayor, Steve Rotherham.

The Business Development Manager at Sysco, Becky Dutton concluded: “For the Liverpool City Region to deliver it’s aspiration of 20,000 new apprenticeships each year by 2020, more levy paying employers need to consider transferring levy funds and supporting their supply chain.

“Kier have given Fieldway the opportunity to develop future leaders within its business, ensuring they have leadership with skills and knowledge needed to continue to prosper.”

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Kier organises ‘Building Week’ at primary school

Kier have been contracted to construct a new building at the Yew Tree Primary School in the East Midlands by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), taking the opportunity to organise a ‘Building Week’ to educate the young pupils about the work going on.

The construction of the new building falls under the East Midlands Priority School Building Programme 2 (PSBP2), with the build itself being two-storeys high and including six infant classrooms, eight junior classrooms, a main hall, a drama studio, library resource centre, SEN provision, and ancillary teaching facilities.

Meanwhile, the ‘Building Week’ was a tremendous success that featured student receiving a site tour, a question and answer session with the project team, assemblies regarding building design that were given by representative from Kier’s design team partners, Maber Architects and Cundall Engineering, as well as several activities and competitions.

The activities and competitions themselves included bricklaying activities and guessing the number of bricks it would take to build the new school building, which was organised by Caxton Builders, in addition to den building, building models of famous buildings, and making wooden models, which would be judged before prizes were donated by Kier supply chain partner C G Reynolds.

The winner of the brick guessing competition won a bike that was donated by Caxton Builder.

The Kier Project Manager, Terry Robertson stated: “We were pleased to be able to come and do a ‘Building Week’ at Yew Tree Primary. It is important to engage with the next generation and teach them about the built environment and it was very encouraging to see all of the pupils take a great interest in the group and activities.

“Thank you to Mrs. Hawkins for being so enthusiastic about teaching the pupils about the built environment and letting us do this activity and to all of our supply and design chain partners who helped us make this week a success.”

The Headteacher at Yew Tree Primary School, Rachel Hawkins added: “Pupils had a fantastic opportunity to learn about their new school at Yew Tree. They met people within the construction industry and found out about the amazing work they do.

Each class visited the construction site in hard hats and high viz jackets. Thank you Kier for making our construction week such a success.”

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BIM: the solution to the UK’s housing crisis?

In a recent survey, building professionals rated building information modelling (BIM) as the most useful form of PropTech. Increasing collaboration among architects, engineers and construction professionals, BIM has the potential to streamline the construction process.

Some of the benefits include clash detection at pre-construction phase, sharing real-time drawings of a project, and easily making changes to a design. This drives both cost and time efficiencies for all parties involved and can increase quality and reduce wastage.

Paxton House © Alma-nac

The UK is suffering a housing crisis and embracing new ways of working and building is essential if we are to build more homes and to build them better.

While the drive to construct homes at a rapid rate in the UK has resulted in some less than desirable schemes coming to fruition – fuelling continued debate around housing standards, planning regulations, political representation, social cohesion and inequality – the intensity of the challenge is in fact breeding innovation from some of the city’s foremost architects and developers.

In June, three architecture practices came together with Graphisoft UK, the company behind the BIM software solution, ARCHICAD, for the premiere of Habitation: Reinventing housing for the urban age. The film looks at issues such as urban density, affordable homes and sustainability, and outlines how each architecture practice has offered a solution to these challenges.

Three innovative approaches

Designed by Waugh Thistleton, Watts Grove is an affordable modular scheme of 65 homes for Swan Housing in east London. The project is set to be constructed with cross laminated timber (CLT) panels produced in Swan’s factory in Basildon.

nu-build factory
© Agnese Sanvito

After taking the decision to go modular, Swan commissioned Waugh Thistleton to develop its initial outline scheme based on the architects’ previous experience with CLT schemes.

“One of the reasons Swan have looked towards offsite manufacture is they want to control their supply chain,” explains Kieran Walker, associate at Waugh Thistleton.

The scheme contains 158 modules of 85 different types.

“The important thing to understand about offsite modular construction is that it’s really about repeatable processes and customisable products,” explains Walker. In this way, he adds, “we can get homes much quicker and more cost-effectively, onto more difficult sites.”

Construction works are set to commence later in 2019.

While Waugh Thistleton has turned to modular, offsite construction and engineered timber, Chris Bryant, partner at Alma-nac, has embraced a concept that he describes as “urban dentistry”.

“You can look at this idea of urban dentistry as carefully picking apart or adding to what’s there with a sort of surgical precision,” Bryant explains.

Alma-nac’s 2.3m-wide “Slim House” – a three-bedroom property built into an old south London stable passageway that is narrower than a tube carriage – is an example of the firm’s approach.

Alma-nac has now applied this approach to Paxton House; an office to residential conversion in Croydon, south London. Although initially conceived as a build-to-rent scheme, some tenants have since purchased their properties.

Bryant’s team have managed to avoid many of the pitfalls of this type of project by designing dual aspect flats, with living spaces oriented to the south and south west and an access gallery to the north side of the building.

“Most of our work happens in this highly complex urban environment – complex in terms of policy, in terms of the urban fabric, sustainability and the environment,” Bryant concludes. “All of these parameters together set up something where innovation really shines.”

At Brentford Lock West, Mae Architects created an innovative residential scheme of 557 homes on brownfield land.

“A lot of our housing need can be delivered on repurposed sites,” explains Alex Ely, principal at Mae.

Brentford Lock West © West Mae Architects

However, this does not mean designing and delivering identikit housing devoid of character. Instead, Mae Architects designed the scheme to fit in and reflect the qualities of the surrounding area, while still delivering a dense residential scheme.

“It’s a mixture of responding to the industrial past and then trying to marry that with the human scale of a neighbouring conservation area,” says architect Helen Clark.

This means not only creating a mix of dwelling types, such as townhouses and flats, but also integrating architectural features such as garden walls, front gardens and gable ends.

Such an approach created a mix of housing types while also addressing the need for family housing in outer London.

“We tried to innovate in the project [by developing] a new typology of villas connected by townhouses. The villa plan allows us to create a lot of dual aspect apartments with generous outdoor space and well-lit, generous internal spaces” adds Ely.

Creating homes for all

From reimagining the waterside, to embracing offsite techniques and adapting existing structures, these schemes prove that the challenges of London’s housing crisis can be overcome through innovation. Moreover, the urgency of housing need does not have to drive the delivery of knee-jerk, reactionary developments that sacrifice quality and architecture in order to achieve speed.

The success of each of these schemes – in such a densely occupied city – offers lessons and guidance for those grappling to deliver housing in major urban areas around the world. They powerfully demonstrate the innovation, creativity and ingenuity that is prevalent throughout our remarkable sector – arguably the world’s most important industry – that has the ability not just to build houses, but to create homes for every human being on our planet.

Habitation: Reinventing housing for the urban age, watch now. 

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Boiler installations spike in heatwave

According to data provided by the Boiler Guide, enquiries about the installation of new gas boilers have increased by 44.5% in the three months from May to July when compared to the same three year period last year in 2018.

This comes as some surprise considering the soaring temperatures of the few months in question, as it says that people are anticipating an extremely cold winter in spite of the extremely hot summer which has only just passed.

Experts at the Boiler Guide suggest that this is a likely product of people becoming more financially savvy and realising that it is better to enquire about boiler installations during periods of extreme heat, when the demand for heating is low, as opposed to during winter when said boilers will be needed.

The Founder of the Boiler Guide, David Holmes stated: “It is great to see that more UK homeowners are not waiting until winter to get their boilers replaced. We are all well aware of the high demands on repair people during the colder snaps of winter and the potential implications of a broken boiler.

“In some areas of the UK you can save up to £500 by replacing your boiler in August as opposed to November so it is worth speaking to a heating engineer in the summer if you’re after a bargain.”

The Co-Founder of Alertr, Andy Barr added: “Getting household repairs done during the summer can save you a lot of money. It’s best to have your boiler checked during the months you are less likely to use it, so that if anything does go wrong then you have time to get things fixed before the colder months hit. Wait until you need it and you’ll likely face long queues and higher costs due to demand.

“It is also a good time to get your roof and guttering checked to ensure no leaks have sprung and you’re not left with broken guttering or leaks when the rain comes in. It is also generally a lot nicer to do household repairs whilst the weather is pleasant, such as painting the house and garden fences.”

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Seddon begins extension to Bolton College

The contractor company, Seddon, has recently won a project to construct the new £3.8M Bolton Sixth Form College extension, with work on the project scheduled to commence this month.

The new extension will include features such as study spaces, teaching spaces, office spaces, and refectory spaces, all of which will enable a further 230 students to enrol at the Greater Manchester sixth form institution.

Alterations and refurbishment to the interior of the building, onto which the extension will eventually be attached, have already taken place in July while the actual construction of the extension will not go ahead until the end of the month, continuing through to term time but with minimal disruption to the staff and students of the college.

A second phase of construction will be undertaken throughout the summer of 2020, which will continue alterations and finally connect the extension, which should be completed this year, to the original building, with the second phase finishing in the autumn of 2020.

The Regional Director at Seddon, Ed Wootton stated: “This extension will provide an already excellent college with much-needed facilities that will enrich the lives of both students and staff.

“With room for another 230 students, we’re excited to deliver a project which will make a real difference to the learning experience of young people in Bolton.”

Seddon has had a history with Bolton Sixth Form College after completing an extension of the student refectory back in 2013 so, naturally, they were awarded the newest contract alongside 10 Architects, a Manchester-based architectural company, WML Consulting, structural designers, and the Waterman Group Limited, a mechanical and engineering service company.

The Deputy Principal at Bolton Sixth Form College, Lesley Hart added: “I am delighted that Seddon was awarded the contract. It is a local company that I have previously worked with and I was extremely happy with the extension completed in 2013.”

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Aggregate create eco-friendly asphalt

Aggregate Industries makes drastic moves towards low carbon footprint targets by developing Superlow, a new type of asphalt for highways and road infrastructure that can be mixed at low temperatures, meaning that less energy is used in the production process.

To be specific, Superlow asphalt can be mixed within the range of twenty to forty degree centigrade, thus it takes much less energy to heat to mix to this temperature and the amount of energy used in production is far less than in the mixing of other types of asphalt, currently being used.

Furthermore, Superlow achieves travelling temperatures far quicker than traditional types of asphalt, making the construction process quicker and cheaper while also allowing motorists to access roads more quickly after road works.

Lower temperatures during the process of mixing the asphalt have likewise meant that the binding agents used have not been as degraded as in hotter mix asphalts, making Superlow more compact, durable, and longer lasting than most asphalts that are currently on the market.

The Head of Business Development for Asphalt and Ready Mix Concrete at Aggregate Industries, Jo Wilkins stated: “With contractors and clients under increasing pressure to meet the Government’s ambitious sustainability targets, often the first step will be specifying more environmentally-friendly construction materials.

“That is why we have developed Superlow, a new range of low temperature asphalts which have a lower carbon footprint than traditional asphalt. As with all our products, our in-house team of technical experts will work with customers to enable quicker and more cost-effective project completion.”

Aggregate Industries’ development of Superlow follows pledges made by the British government to achieve a net zero of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and also follows the Construction Sector Deal, laid out in 2018, to reduce harmful emissions in urban areas by half before 2025.

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Flood defences refurbished in Essex

The Environment Agency is funding £2M worth of refurbishment to the flood defences that are currently in place to the west of Stansgate in Essex, providing the local residents with greater protection against winter storm surges which will be sure to hit in late 2019 and early 2020.

Work is focused upon the refurbishment of the embankment that is situated to the west of Stansgate Abbey Road and to the north of Steeple, which protects more than 200 homes in addition to agricultural land and natural habitats.

The outdated defences that are currently in place are consisted of worn concrete which has partially eroded from years of assault by the sea, however the Environment Agency’s contractors, JBA Bentley, will be removing the old concrete scour protection and shall be replacing it with a specialist mixture of stone and asphalt (OSA).

The Environment Agency Project Leader, Robert Brown stated: “This work will improve the condition of the defence and will reduce the need for maintenance works for many years to come.

“The OSA and equipment is being brought to site by lorry. We and JBA Bentley are working hard to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.

“For example, the old concrete blocks will be placed at the bottom of the seawall to act as a wave break and habitat, which will remove the need to take them away by lorry.”

The majority of protection will cover the village of St Lawrence and work will continue until the winter storms are predicted to hit in December 2019, although other work is currently underway at the adjoining defences by the landowner.

The funding comes as part of the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy which, between 2015 and 2021, has reserved £2.6Bn to be spent on over 1,500 projects which will, in turn, protect 300,000 British homes.

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HS2 receiving independent review

The Transport Secretary announced yesterday that the terms of reference for an independent review into the continuation proceedings of HS2, with the review being chaired by Douglas Oakervee while Lord Berkeley will serve as the Deputy Chair.

Mr Oakervee has gained a wealth of knowledge over the course of his 60 year career into the review of major projects but will also be supported by a panel of experts so as to concentrate the varying perspectives of leading figures within the business sector, transport sector, and within academia.

The aforesaid panellists will be consulted in regard to the conclusion of the review so as to confirm that it’s finding are, in fact, independent and objective, and in the interest of both the government and the public.

Secretary Shapps stated: “The Prime Minister has been clear that transport infrastructure has the potential to drive economic growth, redistribute opportunity and support towns and cities across the UK, but that investments must be subject to continuous assessment of their costs and benefits.

“That’s why we are undertaking this independent and rigorous review of HS2.”

The terms of reference, which were published on Wednesday 21^st August 2019, will take into account a cost-benefit analysis of the scheme in going forward, the affordability compared with the efficiency of the end result, delivery and scope of the project, and also its relationship with any subsequent phases such as the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.

Mr Oakervee stated: “The Prime Minister has asked me to lead this important review into the HS2 programme. I am looking forward to working with my deputy, Lord Berkeley, to advise the government on how and whether to progress with HS2, based on all existing evidence.”

Preparation works will continue on HS2 until the independent review committee forwards their finding on to the Secretary of State, with oversight from the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, which will ultimately decide on how to proceed once the review is received this autumn.

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Bangor University to construct new data hub

Bangor University has received £4.6M in funding from the European Union for the construction of a new data science hub, focusing upon green energy, as means of developing joint research between Welsh and international organisations and businesses.

The Smart Efficient Energy Centre (SEEC) will be primarily focussed upon the application of big data science as a means of improving the efficiency of low carbon energy systems such as nuclear energy, tidal energy, and offshore wind energy.

Counsel General and Brexit Minister, Jeremy Miles stated: “Developing creative solutions to renewable energy efficiency issues is vital as we tackle the global challenges of climate change.

“The Smart Efficient Energy Centre will be a dedicated facility, harnessing and developing international expertise in data science and renewable energy, and putting Wales at the top of the global climate change research table.

“By promoting collaboration and encouraging a joined up approach to global issues, EU funding continues to be vital in modernising our economy, increasing productivity, developing opportunities and driving real progress in research and development, science, infrastructure and skills.”

As many people are well aware, energy solutions are currently an area of international interest and, with the development of this centre in North Wales, it is predicted to soon become an international hub of excellence, providing a further £9M in research funding over the course of the next four years.

The Director of Research at the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Professor John Healey added: “SEEC is a flagship strategic development for the newly formed College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Bangor University.

“It will lead innovation on how advanced engineering, computer science and modelling can be applied most effectively to tackle grand challenges of increasing the sustainability of energy supply and utilisation, while minimising negative environmental impacts, in particular net carbon emissions.”

The basis of the research undertaken at the SEEC will not only concern low carbon energy systems but will likewise be centred around new cyber infrastructure and digital systems, increasing the volume and speed of data analysis to further scientific innovation.

The Director of the SEEC, Dr Simon Neill concluded: “SEEC will be instrumental in positioning Wales at the forefront of the current technological revolution in low carbon energy research, which is one of the highest priorities to address within the current climate emergency.”

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