Office Principles has completed a 30,000 sq ft of office fit-out contract for Kames Capital at Keypoint in Slough.
The latest contract was completed by the design, fit out and workplace consultancy in 21 weeks and involved a complete refurbishment and design overhaul to optimise and improve the utilisation of the space.
Work on the project included the provision of a co-working, flexible seating area; dedicated meeting rooms; a concierge reception; roof terrace and top of the range facilities, including a bike store and shower and changing amenities. The building has also been refurbished with a new VRF air conditioning system, suspended ceilings, with flat panel LED lighting, full access raised floors and two refurbished passenger lifts.
Joint managing director of Office Principles, Cyril Parsons said: “Our Midlands team has worked across a number of projects to provide Kames with high quality, modern workspaces, designed to enable tenants to make the space their own. Each of the schemes allows for simple tenant modification and so is likely to attract a variety of occupiers, given this flexibility.”
Chris Munday, fund manager for Kames Capital, added: “The (Office Principles) team demonstrates a superior understanding of our portfolio and the offering that we want to present to potential tenants. It is also sensitive to current market trends and it is this awareness that is evident at the point of handover, providing us with the most sought after spaces.”
Wearables have the potential to transform the construction industry through the ability to improve safety and efficiency for workers. Safety is being spearheaded by innovations such as gyroscopes, emergency alerts, and tracking devices, while GPS-enabled wearables and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology are leading improvement in efficiency on construction sites, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
The wearable tech industry features in a recent report, ‘Thematic Research: Wearable tech in Construction’, from GlobalData. It found that growth in the wearable tech industry will be driven by the utilisation of many countries’ aging workforces in remote support roles for a younger generation of workers through AI and smart glasses technology, as well as wearable exoskeletons as an aid for workers’ physical support during strenuous tasks where there is risk of injury.
Danny Richards, Lead Economist at GlobalData, said: “Wearable tech, like the smart helmets developed by companies such as SmartCap Technologies, is helping to increase safety on construction sites. SmartCap measures workers’ fatigue levels and detects micro-sleeps, alerting them when they are in need of a break.”
Safety and efficiency are two primary trends in construction and this is driving the adoption of wearable tech. Companies such as Reactec are combating Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) in construction workers through their smartwatches and specialized app, RASOR, which monitors risks and safety issues and lets workers know when they need to down tools.
Richards continues: “This technology was recently used by former construction giant Carillion and led to a significant increase in worker protection and productivity, as well as a £3,000 saving in labour costs over 18 months. PETIT, a subsidiary of the French construction company VINCI Construction, has incorporated augmented reality (AR) into its developments.”
Construction companies such as Triax Technologies and Scan-Link are leading innovation in wearables. Triax and ScanLink utilise geo-tagging through belt clips and safety jackets respectively, which convey vital information to job site managers.
Richards concludes: “Despite wearables’ difficulty launching in the consumer market, its commercial applications have proven valuable. As the benefits of wearable tech becomes clearer to construction companies, uptake is likely to increase.”
Workloads for small building contractors fell in the final quarter of 2019 but builders are more optimistic for 2020 according to a recent survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
The FMB’s State of Trade Survey for Q4 found that in the three months to December 2019 builders workloads fell into negative territory with around 21% of firms reporting lower workloads, 5% higher than the previous quarter and that expectations for the future rose with 37% of builders predicting higher workloads over the coming three months.
Material and wage costs are likely to rise over the coming six months and mployment activity moved back into positive territory for the first time since Q1 2019 with just under one in five (19%) builders reporting an increase in staffing levels
Chief Executive of the FMB, Brian Berry, said: “The end of 2019 was a very turbulent period in the UK, both politically and economically, with Brexit gridlock and a General Election. When you consider this, along with the bad weather we saw in October, it is not surprising that the order books of small and medium-sized construction firms took a hit.
“Builders are more optimistic for the for the future, however, with over a third of SMEs predicting higher workloads over the coming three months. We are yet to see if there has been a so called ‘Boris bounce’ yet, following the election result, but there are some positive signs.”
The number of new build homes started and completed continues to fall below government targets, according to new figures published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Annual new build dwelling starts totalled 157,550 in the year to September 2019, a 7 per cent decrease compared to the year to September 2018. During the same period, completions totaled 177,980,an increase of 9 per cent compared with last year.
On a quarterly basis, new build dwelling starts in England were estimated at 39,510 (seasonally adjusted) in the latest quarter,a 2 per cent increase compared to the previous 3 months and an 11 per cent increase on a year earlier. Completions were estimated at 46,000 (seasonally adjusted), a 2 per cent increase from the previous quarter and 11 per cent higher than a year ago.
Private enterprise new build dwelling starts (seasonally adjusted) in the September quarter 2019 are up by 3 per cent on the previous quarter, and completions are up by 5 per cent. Starts by housing associations are 4 per cent lower compared to the last quarter, and completions down by 14 per cent.
Clive Docwra, Managing Director of McBains, said: “The government has set a target of delivering a million homes in the next five years, yet today’s figures show that the construction industry is way off meeting those rates on current trends.
“Last month’s Queen’s Speech contained lots of detail on demand-side measures – such as first-time buyers being offered a discount on purchases – but nothing on the supply side. The government needs to set out how it intends to boost housebuilding and increase the supply of new homes needed to tackle the housing crisis, such as freeing up more land to build and cutting red tape on planning.”
Joseph Daniels, founder of modular developer Project Etopia, may be of interest: “While completions are up significantly on an annual basis, the latest quarter of housing starts is down by some margin. This performance is also leaving Government housing targets in the dust, as the industry has shown itself unable to put the accelerator down to deliver the homes necessary. More policy ideas are needed.”
Wickes, the soon to be demerged business from Travis Perkins, has bucked the trend of trade builders merchants and specialist distributors and delivered like for like sales growth of 4.5% in Q4 driven. It said there was continued strong performance across both Core and DIFM (do it for myself) sectors. For the full year, like‐for‐like sales growth was 8.7% and total sales grew by 7.7%.
Travis Perkins said that by acting as a separate listed entity it will enable the management team to focus on delivering a distinct business plan to deliver the best service to their primary customer base, allocating capital and resources in the optimum way to deliver sustainable returns.
Wickes chief executive David Wood said: “I am delighted to report a strong sales performance for Wickes in Q4 and for the full year, setting us up well for the intended demerger from Travis Perkins, which remains on track for Q2 2020.
“We have great confidence in our strategy, which is centred around our strong brand, a distinctive and hard to replicate customer proposition, a uniquely balanced business and a low cost and efficient operating model. We are pleased with the growth Wickes is delivering and confident in our ability to continue to grow.”
The second day of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry heard opening statements from fire safety engineer Exova, cladding panel manufacturer Arconic Architectural Products, insulation manufacturer Celotex, and window and facade manufacturer CEP Architectural Facades. The Inquiry heard claims that a decision to change the facade cladding from a zinc based panel to combustible aluminium composite material (ACM) would save £454,000 .
Michael Douglas QC, on behalf of Exova, claimed that discussions about saving money on cladding were held as early as March 2014. Exova claims there was client pressure for cost reductions, and that Harley Facades had a particular motivation to press for ACM as it had made an error in its earlier quotation, and that the switch to ACM would allow it to recoup some of the losses that would result.
Mr Douglas added that Exova’s contract to advise on the work was not renewed by Rydon when it took over as contractor for the 2016 refurbishment. Exova’s barrister went on to say that it had not been consulted on the potential change of cladding material and therefore was not in a position to judge on the fire safety of the overall refurbishment works.
In Harley’s statement to the Inquiry they said that they now understand that their confidence in these materials and their certification was badly misplaced.
Harley claim at no stage in the lifetime of the Grenfell Tower refurbishment project did anyone raise any question or concern about these materials, which were specified in the National Building Specification for the Project, and known to all. This included the lead designers and architects, Studio E; the main contractor, Rydon; their fire consultants, Exova; and their Clerk of Works, as well as the manufacturers, Arconic and Celotex, and the suppliers of the materials, SIG and CEP. And finally, this included Building Control, who were charged with the responsibility for assessing whether the refurbishment complied with the Building Regulations and Approved Document B.
A Freedom of Information survey of Welsh health authorities has revealed a lack of action in curbing payment abuse of SMEs in construction supply chains. The survey was carried out last year by SEC Group during a period which saw the collapse of Dawnus Construction which left £40 million owing to SME trade contractors across Wales.
The survey revealed that the majority of Welsh health authorities were not taking steps to ensure prompt and speedy payments to SMEs in construction supply chains. Welsh Government’s guidelines are that sub-contractors (and sub-subcontractors) should be paid within 19 and 23 calendar days respectively.
Only three respondents (Aneurin Bevan, Cwm Taf Morgannwg and Swansea Bay health boards) took any measures to ensure that sub-contractors were paid within 30 days of their payment applications. Where major capital projects are let under the Designed for Life framework there is some level of compliance with the Value Wales Fair Payment Charter.
Project bank accounts (PBAs) have yet to gain traction with health sector construction procurement in Wales. They enable all firms on construction projects to be paid from the same “pot” without payments having to cascade down the different layers of contracting. In this way payments can be made to small businesses within 20 days.
It is expected that take-up of PBAs will increase following the pilot PBA being undertaken by the Aneurin Bevan University Hospital Board.
SEC Group Wales /Cymru National Executive Officer, Cat Griffith-Williams praised health authorities for paying first tier of suppliers within 30 days but there was little monitoring to ensure that this was reflected along the supply chain. She said: “As from 1 January 2018 the Welsh Government mandated the use of PBAs on public sector projects above a £2 million threshold. We would now like to see every health authority in Wales using PBAs.”
SEC Group Wales/Cymru also expressed concern that five health authorities were making use of early payment facilities. Ms Griffith-Williams added: “It is unfair that firms should have to pay in order to get paid earlier.”
SEC Group Wales/Cymru is urging the Welsh Government to implement the following three recommendations; all public bodies should maintain data on payment performance along their supply chains; procurement staff in health authorities should be made aware about the use of PBAs with a target date by which all authorities must use PBAs; and all serial poor payment performers should be excluded from bidding on Welsh public health sector works.
The companies in the design, construction and operation of Grenfell Tower will feature in the next phase of the public inquiry which began yesterday.
Richard Millett QC the lead counsel for the Inquiry said that the main contractor Rydon, its subcontractors and all those involved with the refurbishment, have said that work was carried out was in accordance with the regulations in force at the time of the fire.
Mr Millet said: “One finds in these detailed and carefully crafted statements no trace of any acceptance of any responsibility for what happened at Grenfell Tower. Not from the architects, the contract managers, the main contractors, the specialist cladding subcontractors or the fire safety engineers. Any member of the public reading these statements and taking them all at face value would be forced to conclude that everyone involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower did what they were supposed to and nobody made any serious or causative mistakes.”
The Inquiry heard an opening statement from Rydon, the main contractor, in which their barrister said the ACM manufacturer and supplier knew panels should not be used above 18m and that they could not be blamed for delegating aspects of the work to others. The company’s barrister Marcus Taverner QC told the Inquiry that Rydon was fulfilling its contractual obligations and that by delegating tasks it was not the same as ducking its responsibility.
Mr Taverner suggested that Arconic, the French firm which supplied the ACM insulation panels made from Reynobond PE, knew that the panels should not have been used for buildings over 18m in height and that a BBA certificate for the product was misleading.
Thousands of unseen documents, including emails phone transcripts and commercial agreements, are expected to be released during 18 months of hearings examining decisions taken in the lead up to the fire, its immediate aftermath and the role of the UK government.
The Construction Products Association’s State of Trade Survey for the final quarter of 2019 proved to be a mixed performance for the construction products manufacturing sector, with an equal proportion of manufacturers reporting an increase or decrease in sales. Manufacturers remain positive, yet cautious, about the next 12 months that will include the UK leaving the EU.
The Construction Products Association’s (CPA) State of Trade Survey for 2019 Q4 reports that 43% of heavy side manufacturers each reported a rise or fall in sales compared to Q3. Sales of light side products, typically used in the later stages of building, were reported to have either increased or decreased by 36% of manufacturers.
Manufacturers retain a positive, yet cautious view for the next 12 months that will encompass the UK leaving the EU and negotiating trade agreements during the transition period to the end of December. On balance, 21% of heavy side firms and 29% of light side firms anticipated a rise in sales for the year ahead. This was combined with the majority of product manufacturers anticipating that headcount would remain unchanged over the same period.
Rebecca Larkin, CPA Senior Economist said: “The Q4 survey results provide a clear illustration of the varying levels of activity across sectors of construction and regions of the country. Those manufacturers reporting decreases in sales are likely to be feeding into private new house building and RM&I, where activity has slowed as buyers and homeowners pause to take stock of the economic situation and their personal finances. In contrast, manufacturers whose products are used in warehouses, infrastructure or hotels will be buoyed by a pipeline of projects. Nevertheless, the high proportion of manufacturers citing demand as their key concern for 2020 and signs of a pause in hiring suggest that the cloud of uncertainty is yet to clear.”
Key survey findings include:
- 43% of heavy side product manufacturers reported that sales increased or decreased in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared with the third quarter, resulting in a zero balance.
- 36% of light side product manufacturers reported that sales increased or decreased in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared with the third quarter, resulting in a zero balance.
- On balance, 29% of heavy side manufacturers anticipated a rise in sales in 2020 Q1 and 21% expected sales to increase over the next 12 months.
- For light side firms, a balance of 38% anticipated an increase in sales in Q1 and 29% expected a rise over the next 12 months.
- A balance of only 8% of heavy side firms anticipated an increase in their labour force over the year ahead.
- Demand was cited as the factor most likely to constrain output over the next year, according to 71% of respondents on both the heavy side and light side.
The National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) is working with the Prison Service as part of wider efforts to bring more recruits into the scaffolding industry and help to create career opportunities for offenders.
Henry Annafi, NASC Training Officer, has attended careers events at HMPs Peterborough and Thorn Cross, at which he was able to engage directly with prisoners and inform them of the broad range of careers available to them in the scaffolding industry upon their release.
Mr Annafi and David Mosley, NASC Training Director, also visited HMP Featherstone earlier this month to talk to Department of Work and Pensions and Ministry of Justice officials about the creation of a bespoke scaffolding training programme for inmates who are due for imminent release.
Mr Annafi said: “As the trade body for access and scaffolding in the UK, the NASC recognises that it’s our responsibility to help the industry address the skills gap by raising awareness of the careers available to people of all backgrounds, abilities, ages and experiences.
“This recruitment drive has seen us engage with the Armed Forces, schools and colleges and more recently with the prison service and ex-offenders. At each of the prisons we visited in the past few weeks we found people looking to turn their lives around and also officials who were keen to discuss the possibility of working with us to provide better scaffolding training opportunities to inmates to help them find employment more easily upon their release.”
Matt Bowler, Managing Director of MK Scaffolding Specialists Ltd, has been awarded the SME National Business Award for Mentoring in recognition of his work with young people and ex-offenders.
Mr Bowler, who also serves as Managing Director of Vantage Event Structures, created a work scheme for inmates of HMP Spring Hill in 2011, giving those involved a chance to train as scaffolders and take up positions at MK upon their release.
He also providers employment opportunities to school leavers via his companies’ Apprentice Scheme, run in partnership with the National Construction College.
Mr Bowler has been open about how he turned away from gangs and violence at a young age and channelled his efforts into something productive, an experience which inspired him to help others where he can.
He said: “It gives me a lot of satisfaction to help kids who are in the same position I was in and in construction there are so many opportunities to diversify into an area that suits you. When I started as a scaffolder if someone had told me I’d be building and designing structures for London Fashion Week and commentary boxes for Premier League football clubs, I wouldn’t have believed them.”
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