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Broadband cables could be fed through water pipes
Fibre broadband cables could be fed through the country’s water pipes as part of plans to speed up the nationwide roll out of lightning-fast broadband and mobile coverage in rural areas.
The government has launched a £4m competition calling for innovators to trial what could be a quicker and more cost-effective way of connecting fibre optic cables to homes, businesses and mobile masts, without the disruption caused by digging up roads and land.
Civil works, in particular installing new ducts and poles, can make up as much as four fifths of the costs to industry of building new gigabit-capable broadband networks.
Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman said: “The cost of digging up roads and land is the biggest obstacle telecoms companies face when connecting hard-to-reach areas to better broadband, but beneath our feet there is a vast network of pipes reaching virtually every building in the country.
“So we are calling on Britain’s brilliant innovators to help us use this infrastructure to serve a dual purpose of serving up not just fresh and clean water but also lightning-fast digital connectivity.”
The project will also look to test solutions that reduce the amount of water lost every day due to leaks, which is 20% of the total put into the public supply.
It will involve putting connected sensors in the pipes which allow water companies to improve the speed and accuracy with which they can identify a leak and repair it.
Any solution used to trial fibre optic cables in the water mains will be approved by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) before being used in a real world setting. The DWI requires rigorous testing ahead of approving any products that can be used in drinking water pipes, and fibre has already been deployed in water pipes in other countries such as Spain.
The government is already considering giving broadband firms access to more than a million kilometres of underground utility ducts to boost the rollout of next-generation broadband – including electricity, gas and sewer networks – and will soon respond to a consultation on changing regulations to make infrastructure sharing easier.
The government has already given broadband suppliers access to existing infrastructure to help speed up roll out, with electricity poles used extensively throughout England to carry broadband cables.
The Fibre in Water project is due to conclude in March 2024. The final year of the project will explore scaling proven solutions right across the country.
Deadline for applications to the competition is 4 October.
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Morgan Sindall tops contracts league with big fit-out job
Morgan Sindall soared to pole position in the rankings for July new orders after its Overbury fit-out arm secured a record-breaking job.
The £300m-plus overhaul project for Citigroup’s landmark tower at Canary Wharf is one the biggest office fit-out jobs awarded in the Capital.
Known as Project Saturn, the modernisation of the 45-floor skyscraper at 25 Canada Square, which Citigroup bought for £1.2bn two years ago, includes major building services infrastructure replacement, structural and façade works and extensive refurbishment of lifts.
Top 10 contractors league for orders in July
Click for full tables
The project also catapulted Morgan Sindall from sixth to second in the annualised league table for orders secured over the last 12 months.
According to data collected by information specialist Barbour ABI, Winvic continues to lead the annualised league with a £1.46bn haul of orders, closely tracks by Morgan Sindall with £1.6bn and then Royal BAM with a £1.5bn tally of contracts in the UK.
Among the other big wins during July, construction group JRL bagged Moda’s £200m build to rent scheme of 560 flats at Sackville Road in Brighton city centre on the south coast.
In Manchester, Renaker has secured the contract to build 390-co-living apartments for Vita, the first of two towers to be built on the Water Street.
In London, Multiplex also secured a 200-bed hotel to be build at 5 Strand, near Trafalgar Square will launch under the luxury Park Hyatt brand.
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Over 100 Cleveland Bridge staff back to work this week
Administrators have agreed terms to restart steelwork production at failed Cleveland Bridge UK’s main Darlington factory.
Over 100 staff are now expected to return to work over the next week raising hopes that insolvency partners at FRP are close to selling the assets of the business and protect jobs.
Martyn Pullin, Partner at administrator FRP, said: “Restarting production is an important milestone for us as we look to secure the future of the business and supports our ongoing talks with interested parties.”
The decision to take staff off furlough to fullfil existing order follows 53 mainly office staff redundancies last week.
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Twenty tonne lorry tips over into trench on HS2 site
The Health and Safety Executive is investigating after a fully loaded 20 tonne lorry tipped over into a trench on an HS2 site.
The Enquirer has seen pictures of the accident last month at the Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture site in Hillingdon, west London where work is ongoing for the scheme’s Copthall Tunnels.
The lorry driver was was taken to hospital suffering from concussion after the incident and has since returned to work.
An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: “The safety of our workforce and the public is our number one priority. An investigation into this incident is ongoing and we are sharing information about the incident with the HSE who have visited the site.”
More than 200 Unite members staged a protest at Skanska Costain Strabag’s HS2 site in Euston on Friday as part of an ongoing row about union recognition on the job.
Unite national officer for construction Jerry Swain said:“These demonstrations will not only continue, but will spread to include other areas where Skanska-Costain-Strabag currently work. We will not stop until union officials are allowed on site.”
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Profits set to hit £820m at Taylor Wimpey
Taylor Wimpey is on course to post an operating profit of £820m this year as the house builder delivered a record first half performance.
The firm completed 7,303 homes in the six months to July 4 2021 compared to 2,771 last year as pre-tax profit recovered to £287.5m from a £39.8m loss on revenue up to 2,196.3m from £754.6m.
Pete Redfern, Chief Executive,said: “We have delivered a record first half performance and a strong operating profit margin performance of 19.3%, which reflects tight cost discipline as well as higher completions in the period.
“Our focus remains on driving further improvement in our operating profit margin and accelerated outlet-driven volume growth from 2023.
“Backed by last year’s equity raise we stepped up our activity in the land market before competition returned and we successfully increased our land pipeline with high-quality sites that will deliver a strong financial performance.
“We are progressing this land through the planning stages as expected, providing excellent momentum for growth, enhanced returns for our stakeholders and increased numbers of new homes.
“We have a clear purpose to deliver high-quality homes and create thriving communities and a strategy to ensure the long term sustainability of the business.
“We now expect to deliver 2021 full year Group operating profit of c.£820 million, above the top end of consensus, with UK completions (excluding joint ventures) expected to be towards the upper end of our guidance range of 13,200 to 14,000.”
Taylor Wimpey is now targeting profit margins of 22% and added “looking further ahead, we have excellent momentum going into the medium term and are well positioned for accelerated volume growth from 2023.”
The firm has set aside £165m for fire safety cladding. It said: “Where we own the buildings, we are undertaking assessments on the buildings and where works are required, we are procuring those works. Where a third party owns the building and we have been contacted by the freeholder or management company we are engaging with them in relation to the assessment process.”
Taylor Wimpey said rising house prices were offsetting increases in materials.
It said: “Whilst there is pressure on pricing and supply chains for certain materials such as timber and steel owing to strong global demand, healthy increases in house prices are fully offsetting build cost inflation.
“Our central procurement team and logistics business continues to work closely with our supply chain to understand and track the origins of our components and subcomponents and stocking levels within the supply chain. This helps provide visibility of our materials supply, identifying and pre-empting potential bottlenecks.”
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Mace wins green Mayfair office scheme
Mace has been appointed by property investor Astrea to deliver a major new office scheme at 38 Berkeley Square in London.
Located in the heart of Mayfair, the project will provide 85,000 sq ft of premium office space across nine stories with over 7,000 sq ft of communal terracing.
Toureen Group is understood to have secured the enabling and foundations package for the job, which is Mace’s first with Astrea.
Mace is working towards the highest sustainability standards for the project of BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Platinum and LEED Gold. The building will also achieve WiredScore Platinum.
Designed by architects Piercy & Company, the transformation of 38 Berkeley Square will involve using a mix of precast facades and Portland stone.
Completion is expected in the first quarter of 2024.
Ged Simmonds, Managing Director for Commercial Offices and Residential at Mace, said: “We are delighted to work on the transformation of 38 Berkeley Square, on behalf of Astrea.
“Our team will support the client’s vision for a destination office space with an innovative sustainability strategy, minimising carbon emissions during demolition and build.”
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Government pledges another £81m for cycle lanes
The government has boosted its “active travel” budget by another £81m to £338m.
The money will promote cycling and walking across the country and further increase the construction of bike lanes.
The government said: “This funding will help see the construction of hundreds of miles of new high-quality cycle lanes.”
A new version of the Highway Code is also being published which “ensures road users who can do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger they may pose to others.”
The new code will also give “guidance on safe passing distances and speeds and ensuring that cyclists have priority at junctions when travelling straight ahead.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Millions of us have found over the past year how cycling and walking are great ways to stay fit, ease congestion on the roads and do your bit for the environment.
“As we build back greener from the pandemic, we’re determined to keep that trend going by making active travel easier and safer for everyone.
“This £338 million package marks the start of what promises to be a great summer of cycling and walking, enabling more people to make those sustainable travel choices that make our air cleaner and cities greener.”
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5 Reasons Construction Projects Fail
For commercial contractors, both GCs and subs, a successful project is one completed on time and within budget. The client is happy with the finished product and the contractor walks away with a tidy profit. Everybody wins. When a project fails, it’s typically due to conflicts and issues that cause cost overruns and delays in the schedule.
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IDH opens Bahrain office
Engineering design consultancy Independent Design House (IDH) has expanded with the launch of IDH Bahrain in the Middle East.
IDH Bahrain is based in the Gulf, and will also service markets in nearby Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
IDH provides both temporary and permanent works design, with full 2D draughting and 3D modelling services along with all BIM requirements. Clients include ISG and Laing O’Rourk.
The Bahrain office will be run by Hany Ibrahim who brings with him 20 years of industry experience.
He said: “Middle East is presenting excellent business opportunities this year and even more in the next few years. Mega projects are set to come live and some of these projects include those in alignment with Vision 2030 plans that Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have in place, which aim to help create a thriving post-hydrocarbon economy for the region.
“Our vision is not only to establish the business in Bahrain but to expand it to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE.”
IDH CEO, Tim Burt, added “I am extremely excited about the opportunities opening IDH Bahrain will generate for us, and I believe it will take us to the next level as a business. We foresee continued growth over the coming months as IDH North and IDH Bahrain come on-stream, and we are genuinely forming an international business.”
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Economic Heavy Lifting by U.S. & Canadian Homebuilders
Texas is in a League of its Own
Through the first half of 2021, the monthly average of seasonally adjusted and annualized (SAAR) housing starts in the U.S. has been +23.2% compared with January-June 2020. The one-quarter increase in groundbreakings warrants the ‘mini-boom’ description being applied to the U.S. homebuilding market.
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