Sunday, 15 July 2018
Thursday, 12 July 2018
Scotland to require sprinklers in all new social housing
The Scottish Government has agreed to introduce legislation to make sprinkler systems compulsory in all new social housing of over 10 tenants.
Currently all new high-rise domestic buildings, whether private or social, with a floor over ?18m must have automatic fire suppression systems fitted.
New legislation would extend this to all houses in multi-occupancy or more than 10 people, including care homes.
Scottish Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “I am very grateful to David Stewart for his work on bringing forward this important issue and gaining cross-party support for his proposal.
“I can confirm that the Scottish Government will implement the aim of Mr Stewart’s proposal and will bring forward legislation as soon as is practicable in this Parliamentary session.
“This is an opportunity to further improve standards in our social housing and this work will be taken forward alongside the recommendations of the two reviews of building standards and fire safety which we will consult on later this summer.”
from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2018/07/12/scotland-to-require-sprinklers-in-all-new-social-housing/
Monday, 9 July 2018
Architecture practice Maber has reorganised its top management to drive growth in London and the Midlands
Architecture practice Maber has reorganised its top management to drive growth in London and the Midlands.
Ian Harris, previously head of Maber’s Leicester office takes over as Managing Director with a brief to develop the practice’s Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Birmingham offices.
Tim Boxford, an Associate Director who has developed several high-profile projects in the East Midlands, has stepped up to lead the Leicester office. Catherine Lambert has been promoted to become an Associate.
Mark Hobson commented: “We are delighted to announce these developments in our management team that will position us for further growth. With some exciting projects coming forward in the capital, I am looking forward to focusing on growing our London office and client base.”
Through longstanding client relationships, Maber has generated a healthy crop of projects in London with a construction value around £400 million and including large scale mixed use developments, build to rent schemes, hotels and student accommodation as well as work in the education sector.
from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2018/07/09/architecture-practice-maber-has-reorganised-its-top-management-to-drive-growth-in-london-and-the-midlands/
Friday, 6 July 2018
Wednesday, 4 July 2018
Tradespeople shake off stereotypes by choosing work over World Cup
For years, tradespeople have been unfairly tarnished with the reputation for prioritising football over work. Many members of the public see them as being a bit too eager to down tools and head to the nearest big screen.
However, recent research shows that 75% of tradespeople, including builders, carpenters and joiners, will always choose work over football if the two ever conflicted. According to a poll of more than 1,000 IronmongeryDirect customers, the vast majority of tradespeople claimed they would never consider skipping work to watch their team or the World Cup. Many poll participants are planning when and where they will be watching their team – but outside of work.
If they were to ‘pull a sickie’ to watch their team play during the day, tradespeople offered some of the best excuses they would give, with the more elaborate ones including:
- “I’ve been called up as a late replacement by Gareth Southgate”
- “My boyfriend’s in labour.”
- “I’ve got soap in my eyes and can’t find a towel.”
- “I’ve been delayed at the airport on holiday…in Scarborough.”
- “My Auntie’s Gerbil is about to give birth and I’m the nominated birthing partner.”
Some of the more convincing examples included:
- “I have a dentist appointment.”
- “The children are poorly.”
- “I’ve got the flu.”
Employers are recognising that the World Cup is important to many of their staff. Many responded to the polls saying they would be more than happy to be flexible by offering them time off.
One respondent stated: “As the boss, I always give my team the time off. It also saves them giving me the daft excuses!”.
The research also revealed ongoing optimism among tradespeople, with more than half believing England will make it to the Quarter Finals. Also, half of those polled (49%) said they would give up alcohol for good to see England win the tournament.
The UK’s leading online trade supplier, IronmongeryDirect, ran a series of polls to find out more about tradespeople’s attitude to work during the World Cup in June.
Andy Wood, football enthusiast and Marketing Director of IronmongeryDirect, said: “The World Cup is an exciting time for many of us – tradespeople are no exception. We wanted to find out how our customers were preparing for the year’s biggest sporting event. The research was carried out in the name of fun, but it was great to see results challenging the outdated stereotype of contractors and other trades professionals neglecting their jobs for football! Tradespeople in Britain work hard, and we hope they enjoy watching World Cup 2018.”
from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2018/07/04/tradespeople-shake-off-stereotypes-by-choosing-work-over-world-cup-2/
Sunday, 1 July 2018
Applications open for energy balancing workshop
Students and building design enthusiasts are being offered the chance to learn the basics of one of the world’s most successful environmentally-friendly building solutions.
The Green.Building.Solutions. Summer School, Passivhaus Austria and the Passive House Institute of Innsbruck are hosting a DesignPH Workshop in the stunning city of Vienna to share understanding of the energy balancing and planning tool for efficient buildings and refurbishment.
The workshop takes place at the TU Wien from 13 to 14 August and will cover topics such as: energy balancing, shading factors, ventilation and cooling strategies, as well as hot water supply and heating.
Suitable for students, graduates and professionals, the two-day workshop will be held in English and participants will receive a free demonstration version of the software.
Naomi Morishita, Green.Building.Solutions Programme Manager, said: “We’re really pleased to be hosting this workshop for the second year running.
“Over the two days the learners will develop new skills to enable them to use the PHPP software.”
The cost of the course is €600 for professionals and €330 for students – registration closes on 31 July, to apply email office@passivhaus-austria.org.
The workshop will follow on from the Green.Building.Solutions. course, which brings together the latest thinking in sustainable design and engineering. It is taking place in 2018 from 21 July to 12 August.
The OeAD-Housing Office offers all workshop attendees a room reservation extension in the Passive House dormitory for an additional three days affording them a week’s accommodation to casually explore Vienna and beyond.
Registration for Green.Building.Solutions is open until 30 June – for more information visit http://summer-university.net/study-abroad/green-building-solutions-vienna/
from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2018/07/02/applications-open-for-energy-balancing-workshop/