The future is virtual

The government has announced a £72M investment which will see virtual reality revolutionise the UK’s construction sector.

In a move designed to improve productivity within the sector, in line with government policy, virtual reality, digital design and offsite manufacturing technologies will be pushed forward as the future of UK construction.

The investment will allow the development of a new Core Innovation Hub, as part of the modern Industrial Strategy, which will make the UK a world leader in the latest construction techniques – as well as creating new jobs across the UK.

The new Core Innovation Hub will transform the UK’s construction industry by supporting the development and use of technologies such as digital design, advanced manufacturing, robotics, drones and augmented and virtual reality.

Many of these techniques are used and proven in other sectors, such as automotive manufacturing, but it will be a first for construction. The increased use of technology will enable the sector to design and build faster, cheaper and more sustainably. Smart sensors and digital systems will be incorporated into buildings and infrastructure, so they can manage and maintain themselves – and the data they gather will enable the government and industry to make our towns and cities better places to live, work and travel in.

The investment was announced by Business and Industry Minister Richard Harrington, during a visit to the Building Research Establishment (BRE), which is receiving funding, and is part of the Core Innovation Hub. He said: “We have the opportunity to revolutionise construction in the UK and the Core Innovation Hub will help us build smarter, greener and more efficient buildings much faster and cheaper than we do now.

“From the introduction of virtual reality to off-site manufacturing, our modern Industrial Strategy, is helping the UK construction sector to develop new techniques and skills – modernising the sector and delivering the homes and buildings our nation needs.”

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Robert Jenrick said: “Our manufacturing industry is vital to the UK, contributing billions to the economy every year.

“This new fund will see it partner with our construction and digital sectors to revolutionise the way we develop crucial infrastructure. It will enable us to build in more efficient and cost-effective ways, boost productivity and ensure we are fit for the future.”

The delivery of the hub was awarded to the Transforming Construction Alliance (a partnership between BRE, MTC and CDBB) following a nationwide competition launched as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

Keith Waller, Programme Director for the Transforming Construction Alliance said: “I am delighted to be leading the Transforming Construction Alliance in its mission to deliver the Core Innovation Hub project, and boost productivity and performance in the construction sector.

“I look forward to working alongside government, industry and the talented teams at MTC, BRE and CDBB to realise the vision of a transformed sector.”

The alliance aims to deliver a national Core Innovation Hub (CIH) that will support collaboration across sectors to develop, commercialise and promote digital and manufacturing technologies for the construction sector, offering an opportunity for everyone with an interest in construction to become involved.

Find out more: www.transformingconstruction.org.uk

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Festive cheer comes early for construction

The latest PMI figures have brought festive cheer early to the construction sector, with construction growth hitting a four-month high in November.

There was a broad expansion of output across the sector, according to IHS Markit /CIPS data, with three sub-categories revealing upturns in activity. Growth of new work helped rises in figures from October, which also pushed job creation and employment into the fastest acceleration since December 2015.

The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Total Activity Index registered 53.4 in November, up from 53.2 in October, to remain above the crucial 50.0 no-change mark for the eighth successive month.

This latest reading signals the strongest rate of business activity expansion since July.

However, business confidence remained relatively subdued, with survey respondents noting that Brexit-related concerns had weighed on their growth projections for the next 12 months.

Residential building reclaimed its position as the fastest growing area of construction work in November, with the latest rise in house building activity the strongest for three months. Commercial work and civil engineering activity sustained growth from the previous month, with survey respondents also noting a rise in client demand that has boosted construction output during November.

The rate of new business growth picked up since October, but remained softer than seen on average in the third quarter of 2018. Some construction firms noted that Brexit uncertainty had held back new order growth, while there were also reports citing delays to public sector spending decisions.

Once again, delivery of products and materials continues to worsen with the latest data showing longer delivery times and worsening vendor performance – a trend which has been reported in each month since September 2010.

Growing demand for construction inputs led to another sharp rise in input prices during November, with the overall rate of input price inflation was the fastest since June.

Meanwhile, latest data indicated that business optimism across the construction sector rebounded from the near six-year low seen in October. The latest reading signalled the strongest degree of confidence for three months. Anecdotal evidence suggested that Brexit-related concerns remained the main factor weighing on business optimism during November.

Tim Moore, Economics Associate Director at IHS Markit, which compiles the survey: “November data indicates that the UK construction sector remains in expansion mode, with resilient business activity trends seen for housing, commercial and civil engineering activity. The latest overall rise in construction output was the fastest since July, helped by a stronger contribution to growth from house building activity.

“Higher levels of new work were recorded for the sixth month running in November, which resulted in a robust and accelerated rise in staffing numbers. The latest upturn in employment was the fastest for almost three years. A number of construction firms noted that greater demand for staff had led to upward pressure on salaries in November.

“Business confidence regarding the year ahead outlook for construction work picked up from October’s recent low, but remained weaker than seen on average in the first half of 2018. Survey respondents widely commented that Brexit-related uncertainty had held back business optimism in November.”

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Self-healing concrete under development

Researchers at the University of Cambridge are developing a self-healing concrete, which could transform the construction industry.

Scientists and researchers are using microencapsulation technologies developed by Dolomite Microfluidics to develop these self-healing materials, which has been highlighted in recent BBC News broadcasts.

The Department of Engineering’s Geotechnical and Environmental Research Group is developing microcapsules containing ‘healing’ agents – such as minerals, epoxy or polyurethane – which can be added to building materials to allow self-repair of small cracks which develop over time.

Dr Livia Ribeiro de Souza, a postdoctoral researcher in the group, explained: “Many composite building materials used in the construction industry – such as concrete – suffer fatigue over time, developing small cracks. We are hoping to overcome this problem by adding microcapsules filled with ‘healing’ agents to the concrete before it is used. The idea is that, as cracks begin to form, they rupture the microcapsules, releasing their payload and stabilizing the material.”

“This approach requires the formation and functionalization of double emulsion microcapsules, which we have been producing with the help of microfluidics. We have been using a Dolomite Microfluidics system since 2014, and find that microfluidics offers much better control of particle size and composition than traditional emulsification polymerization techniques, simplifying the investigation and optimization of particle properties.”

The Dolomite system has enabled the researchers to create functionalized microcapsules that bind more strongly to the cement matrix, while also having thinner shell walls and higher core retention, improving their self-healing properties. Livia continued: “It is good to be able to discuss any issues we’re having with the experts at Dolomite Microfluidics, helping to accelerate our research and move us a step closer to real world applications.”

The University of Cambridge has recently been awarded funding to develop a Core Innovation Hub as part of the Transforming Construction Alliance Partnership. This development is just one example of the research being made into construction and its materials to improve performance.

For more information, visit https://ift.tt/1kWKgZY.

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Women in demolition

In this blog, Patricia Sloneczny, Development Director at AR Demolition, talks to us about being a woman in the world of demolition and construction.

Patricia Sloneczny

Patricia is responsible for incorporating the company’s distinctive ways of operating – pioneering, sustainable and inclusive – into building sustained profitable growth through client relationships, innovation and professionalism. In July 2018 the company was named in the London Stock Exchange Group’s annual report on 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain. 

For me, she says, being a woman in the demolition industry isn’t about political correctness or social justice. It’s hardly even a gender rights issue. It’s about helping our industry meet the challenges of the 21^st Century, as we face a major skills shortage and a need to adapt to changing cultural values.

Clearly there are some aspects of our industry which will always be more suited to men than to women. I’m not even looking for women to make up half of the construction workforce just because we constitute 50% of the labour market.

We know that there’s a major shortage in construction generally and demolition is certainly no different in this respect. Can our industries afford to ignore the unlocked potential in the female population?

A recent House of Commons briefing paper suggested that just one in seven jobs in construction generally are held by women. In demolition specifically, it’s hard to be precise because of lack of data (more on that later). But I happen to know that of more than 400 members of the Institute of Demolition Engineers, just 12 are female.

So we must do all we can to ensure we remove barriers to encouraging girls and women to explore careers in our sector.

I believe it’s the culture – and the perception of it – which needs changing.

I recently attended an industry event which is part of a campaign to empower women with the knowledge and confidence they need to eventually advance into senior positions in the construction sector.

What was fascinating about the meeting was sitting around a table and listening to the stories from delegates about their experiences.

From the discussions it was evident just how debilitating the loneliness and resulting lack of confidence felt by women in construction can be.

I count myself very fortunate to be working for a company, in AR Demolition, which is progressive, modern and which values my expertise and opinions at board level.

The challenges women face range – from the having the confidence to speak up and be heard in a predominantly male boardroom, to casual on-site put downs and everyday sexism which may be considered harmless by perpetrators – can chip away at their sense of self-worth.

However most of the women I spoke to were in it for the long haul and determined to make a difference to the gender disparity in the construction industry. It’s part of our mission is to encourage and inspire the next generation of both men and women to look down the lens a different way.

Of course, the industry itself can put systems and measures in place to ensure women are encouraged to become involved in demolition and construction generally.

I’m currently half way through a Masters Degree in Demolition. As part of it, I’m interested in reviewing what percentage of women are not choosing demolition specific careers and why. Using current literature and reports, can it be established that there are initiatives in place to ensure women are being informed about careers in demolition, recruited, educated to graduate level, trained at site level and then retained within the industry?

If not, what obstacles prevent women from seeking careers in the deconstruction sector and how can these difficulties be overcome?

As part of this analysis, it would be useful to know numbers of women in the various training options to get into the demolition industry. But data is hard to come by.

And this is a general point regarding demolition – specific data tends to be for construction only. I have tried The Office of National Statistics (ONS) for demolition-specific data only to be told they don’t publish figures at that level of detail.

It has proved almost impossible to obtain any data with relation to demolition and specifically any data that relates to diversity and gender.

Even when I did get something from the ONS, it was a combined figure for demolition and ground preparations (11 per cent women, incidentally – and I suspect the majority of those are in administrative roles). It’s a useful figure but something more specific is essential if we are to analyse the effectiveness of any campaigns, for example.

The problem here is that demolition is a very niche sector of the construction industry. It needs its own approach, run by its own governing bodies. But even the National Federation of Demolition Contractors has told me that that they currently have no gender related data to be able to access or assess.

So there’s clearly plenty of work to be done. Like I said before, I believe introducing women into the equation can have a really beneficial effect not on only demolition but in construction as a whole.

And we women would rather have support from our male colleagues in doing so, rather than feeling it’s a war we have to wage by ourselves.

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Brexit: ‘No Deal’ is no option, says FTA

A ‘No Deal’ Brexit should be avoided at all costs, according to the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

This statement came in response to a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) regarding the Department for Transport’s (DfT) implementation of Brexit. It alleged a “significant and growing risk” that DfT would not be ready in the event of a ‘No Deal’ scenario next March.

Now, FTA has said that appropriate project management would never have been enough to mitigate the impact of a ‘No Deal’ Brexit on logistics. Instead, the organisation claims that the only way to prevent major disruption to the UK supply chain is for MPs to vote in favour of Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement proposal.

According to Pauline Bastidon, Head of European Policy and Brexit at FTA: “We share some of the Public Accounts Committee’s concerns and have many questions, particularly in relation to traffic management in the event of ‘No Deal’ and how Operation Brock would work in practice. FTA is concerned many businesses are not aware of the true scope of possible changes, particularly on the continent, but we are doing everything we can to address these shortcomings and provide answers to our member’s questions.

“However, the Committee has missed the biggest and most fundamental problem in our view in relation to transport and ‘No Deal’. Ultimately, the biggest issue for transport is the issue of market access; the ability for operators to transport goods across the borders. This is not an issue the UK can solve unilaterally. With just four months until the UK leaves the EU, the situation is alarming.”

Bastidon concluded: “The only way to address the issues a ‘No Deal’ would present for transport, and ultimately for the entire economy, is for MPs to vote in favour of Mrs May’s proposals. The Withdrawal Agreement allows the UK to leave the EU in an orderly fashion and avoid the chaotic disruption to the flow of goods between Britain and the rest of the EU that would occur were we to leave without an agreement in place.”

Whether MPs will agree with the FTA’s assessment remains to be seen however.

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Prince of Wales pays visit to King’s Lynn Police Station

King’s Lynn Police Station has officially opened following an official visit from HRH The Prince of Wales.

During his visit Prince Charles toured the newly remodelled police station and met with the men and women who will now put the 21st century facility to good use. Morgan Sindall carried out the construction works in collaboration with independent consultancy Pick Everard.

“The original police station, built between 1953 and 1955, was in need of modernisation,” explained Paul Darlow, Regional Director at Pick Everard. “The works have given the building a new lease of life on the inside while its historic exterior has been maintained for years to come. This modernisation has enabled the police force to provide an enhanced service to the community, while also delivering greater cost efficiencies.”

To date, £3.1 million has been spent renovating the St James Street building, which now has much improved facilities for response and ‘Safer Neighbourhood Team’ officers, forensic services, criminal investigation department (CID), offender rehabilitation and multi-agency teams.

“The original police station was too big for the force’s current requirements so it was decided that the building needed to be reduced and remodelled to provide modern, high-quality accommodation for its officers with lots of natural daylight,” continued Paul.

“The open-plan office space allows the police force to work more closely together, while special side rooms for victims and witnesses provide privacy and protection when needed. There is also a conference room with video calling technology and hot desks, giving officers the opportunity to work remotely.”

Staff moved back into the station earlier in the year, having been housed in temporary accommodation while the building work – which took almost a year to complete – was carried out.

Norfolk Constabulary Chief Constable Simon Bailey said: “Norfolk, in particular the west of the county, has close associations with the Royal Family and it was a great pleasure to have HRH The Prince of Wales officially open the station in what will be a very memorable occasion for those involved.

“The modernisation of police buildings is a key part of our effort to improve efficiencies within the force and provide a cost-effective solution, compared to maintaining costly buildings which will no longer fulfil the needs of a modern police force. The reduction of floor space in Lynn will save the force £50,000 a year.”

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Will Post-Brexit UK construction lose its European backbone?

If 2018 saw yo-yoing fortunes for UK construction, 2019 could see it hurtling towards an unsolvable skills shortage, says Blane Perrotton is managing director of the national property consultancy and surveyors Naismiths.

Across the UK, European workers make up a tenth of the construction workforce. A third of London’s builders are EU nationals, and retaining them after Brexit will be a huge challenge.

Whatever the nature of the final Brexit deal, simple economics could play a decisive role. Average wages in Poland are now rising twice as fast as they are in Britain, tempting many of the skilled Poles on which parts of UK construction relies to return home.

For now the feared ‘Brexodus’ of European workers remains steady rather than a stampede. But if it speeds up, the resulting gaps in the labour market won’t be easy to plug.

Britain’s homegrown construction workforce isn’t getting any younger. As the average age of British builders creeps up, many experienced tradespeople will retire and take their specialist knowledge with them.

To make matters worse, too few young Britons aspire to a job in construction. Ours is a sector that can offer careers with big rewards, both professional and financial, yet successive governments have done little to encourage young people to consider the industry seriously.

Yet with university students typically graduating with £50,000 of debt, more school leavers are thinking twice about whether getting a degree is right for them. This presents an opportunity for the construction industry, and we must do more to show bright young people that there is more to the built environment than hard hats and hi-vis jackets.

In a worst-case Brexit scenario, where Britain ends up cut off from the foreign labour market that makes up its building backbone, we will face the mammoth task of re-enfranchising a generation of young people into construction.

Such a task won’t be easy and would require both the state and private sector to work together to restore construction’s image and make it attractive again. At the very least we are likely to see the introduction of new schemes designed to get more British youngsters into the industry.

These could take the form of a greater emphasis on college courses, apprenticeships and additional Government funding for further education in the field. Whatever the strategy, rapidly increasing the number of homegrown construction workers, specialists and project monitors will be imperative to prop up British construction.

Pre-Brexit jitters can be felt in all corners of UK industry, but it is in construction where these could escalate into damaging tremors. Valuers, for example, are nervous about setting prices in stone because of the impact Brexit might have on projects after we leave the EU.

No-one has a crystal ball when dealing with such unprecedented upheaval, making it especially difficult – if not impossible – to predict a building’s value two years from now. That uncertainty has already trickled down to site level as developers see their margins shaved.

For now, we are still being kept busy and the industry as a whole is ticking over, which is good news for addressing Britain’s housing crisis. But the question remains ‘who will deliver’? With the big beast contractors taking stock and waiting until Brexit blows over, we might see a surge in the number of SMEs tasked with building more of Britain’s homes of tomorrow.

The smaller developers don’t have the cash in the bank to weather the Brexit storm, so they simply cannot afford to stop developing. Smaller lenders, too, will need to keep lending if they are to stay afloat. So, with the bigger players willingly loosening their hold on the market, a more level playing field could open up for the SMEs to get stuck into; and it could very well be they who carry us through the housing crisis in years to come.

It is no secret that many councils are increasingly cash-strapped. The effect is far-reaching for communities but, crucially, it can also stop them growing. As shrunken planning departments in town halls up and down the country struggle to plough through their workload, desperately needed housing developments are being delayed needlessly.

The Government might tout the ‘end of austerity’ being in sight, but you can bet your bottom dollar that councils won’t be seeing a sudden boost to their budgets any time soon. Without a sudden influx of local planners, the only conceivable way to ensure new housing is delivered as quickly as possible is by cutting red tape for the planning officers.

If the Government is serious about tackling the housing crisis while at the same time dealing with any fallout from Brexit, it should relax planning rules to let developers do their job and build the Britain of tomorrow.

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