If you need new school space or if it needs to be expanded, we can assist you. In a mobile school created from portable and accommodation units, everything is exactly the same as in a permanent structure. For example, a complete school was built using flexible space modules in just 2 months in Feldbach, Austria. The school consists of 455 portable and sanitary cabins and along with a grammar school, a business school and a teachers college for economic vocations, there is an administrative building and the Feldbach council library.

The bright and friendly rooms created space for 1,300 pupils. By omitting wall panels and partition walls, large areas can be created as required.

The mobile schools can be used as both a temporary transitional or as a permanent solution. Thanks to our decades of experience, you have the opportunity to be very flexible and to resort to existing planning examples.

Omitting partitions in your schools creates large classrooms, teachers’ rooms, canteen areas, changing areas and sanitary facilities including shower facilities. Thanks to the optimal thermal insulation and air conditioning features, our products can be used all year round.

 

To learn more visit the Containex website here:

Forterra’s pre-fabricated walling system uses high performance bonding mortar to create innovative, factory fabricated masonry panels. These can be manufactured as a single skin wall construction in clay brick, Thermalite aircrete blocks or Forterra Aggregate blocks. Complete cavity wall panels incorporating partial fill, or full fill, insulation in sizes up to nine metres long and 2.6 metres high can also be produced. In addition, the panels can be manufactured with openings for doors and windows as required and use off-site construction techniques, which means they are quick and easy to install, saving time and money on-site.

Benefits

  • Fast and easy installation
  • Efficient insulation reducing the risk of thermal bridging
  • Design flexibility
  • Consistent quality
  • No on-site waste
  • Construction possible in all weather
  • Reduces environmental impact and nuisance on site

Further information available here

Jakarta, already 40% below sea level, is building one of the biggest sea walls on Earth.

Jakarta sinks an average of three inches a year, and parts of the coast are going down as much as 11 inches a year.

In an attempt to halt the damage, authorities are building a gigantic wall off the coast, measuring 25 miles (40 kilometers) long and 80 feet (24 meters) high, National Geographic reports. To fund the $40 billion and 30-year-long project, the city will also create 17 artificial islands, on which developers can build luxury homes, offices, and shopping malls.

A Dutch firm, KuiperCompagnons, is assisting with design. The first phase of the three-part plan is underway, although critics say that the project will encourage more government corruption and actually cause more environmental damage than it would help prevent.

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THE WELSH COAST

Meanwhile nearer to home the global warning is an increasing threat to the seaside communities that pepper our shores.  The rising seas will land that has housed villages for hundreds of years.   The Welsh coast is particularly vulnerable, where the village of Fairbourne could be the first UK community to be washed away.

In 26 years – or sooner, if forecasts worsen or a storm breaches the sea defences – a taskforce led by Gwynedd council will begin to move the 850 residents of Fairbourne out of their homes. The whole village – houses, shops, roads, sewers, gas pipes and electricity pylons – will then be dismantled, turning the site back into a tidal salt marsh.

No one really knows exactly what is going to happen as the earth’s atmosphere warms up and sea levels increase. But it is pretty well accepted by now that for those communities living on the coast, protecting their homes and livelihoods will almost certainly get tougher.

Since 1990, the mean sea level around the globe has risen by around 20cm. The latest estimates by DEFRA indicate that between now and 2025 they will rise a further 2cm. By 2050, they are set to rise by more than 25cm. And in 100 years, we should expect to see sea levels some 1.05m higher than they are today.

It’s a scary thought, especially for villages like Fairbourne where much of the land is already below the level of normal high tide.

Paul Blackman, director for flood risk consultancy Wallingford HydroSolutions, said current sea level rise predictions would “cause increased over-topping of existing flood defences”.

He said: “There is a limit as to how high defences could practically be raised. The relocation of communities is a very traumatic solution, but may require consideration in the most extreme cases.”

Detailed shoreline management plans will dictate exactly how sea level rise and coastal flooding will be managed around the Welsh coastline over the next 100 years, and whether defences can continue to be maintained, or if they should be changed or even left alone in future.

 

There are 48 areas around the Welsh coastline where some homes may be impacted on, the following is a list of those most at risk.

Swanbridge, Sully

Existing defences will be maintained in the short term then allowed to fail. This is likely to result in the loss of residential and non-residential properties along the coast.

Newton, Porthcawl

Although the defences would be maintained for as long as possible, they will be allowed to fail. This would result in increased flood and erosion risk and potential loss of frontal properties.

Oxwich Bay, Gower

Properties adjacent to the shore are at risk from coastal erosion and flooding. It is unlikely that new defences would be constructed and therefore there will be an increased risk of coastal erosion and flooding to these properties.

Port Eynon Bay, Gower

Properties adjacent to the shore are at risk from coastal erosion and flooding. It is unlikely that new defences would be constructed and therefore there will be an increased risk of coastal erosion and flooding to these properties.

Laugharne

There remains a risk of coastal flooding (and erosion) to Laugharne village since a surge barrier was not constructed, as the local community were primarily concerned with the associated aesthetic impact on the village.

Pendine, Carmarthenshire

In the long term, the aim is to undertake a managed realignment scheme at Pendine. As a result of this, some seafront properties are likely to be lost.

Amroth, Pembrokeshire

Once the existing defences fail the shoreline will be allowed to naturally evolve and retreat which will result in the loss of frontal properties.

The village used to have a second row of terraced homes on the beach side of the road, but these were completely destroyed after severe winter storms in the 1890s and 1930s. Major erosion along the shore swept away homes, workshops, gardens, garages and boathouses which are now but a memory in old photographs.

Wiseman’s Bridge, Pembrokeshire

Properties are likely to be lost due to coastal erosion at Wiseman’s Bridge where defences will be maintained in the short term, before being allowed to fail.

Saundersfoot

Flood and coastal erosion risk will continue to increase over time. This policy is subject to a further detailed study to investigate the future risk, but options for adaptation measures include protection measures or relocation of properties.

Newgale sands, Pembrokeshire

Along with the road, increased flooding to the valley is likely to make the properties and businesses untenable after 50 years or so.

New Quay bay

Expected that some properties together would be lost within the next 10 to 30 years.

Borth

There is the need in the future to adapt use of the lower village and the very probable need to relocate people in the future as sea level rises.

Fairbourne

Plans involve the relocation of property owners and businesses from Fairbourne

Fegla, near Fairbourne

Possibility for local defence but recognised to be major changes in expectation for continued defence and significant resource would be needed to manage this change.

Mawddach Estuary

It is not considered realistic to commit to the increasing cost of maintaining and raising defences upstream of Penmaenpool. Consideration might be given to local defence of specific property.

Barmouth

This is likely to require some future realignment of the defences, quite probably with the loss of property.

Hirael, Bangor

It is not considered sustainable to maintain the shoreline defence over the period of the SMP. To take this approach would require developing a plan for moving people and businesses from the area.

Europe is projected to dominate the smart lighting market by 2024 due to the rapid deployment of smart lighting systems in residential, commercial, and government sectors, large-scale smart city projects undertaken in the region supported by favorable government initiatives. Due to the consistent emphasis by the European Union (EU) on accelerated development of smart cities through its funding instrument, The European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC), industry leaders are focusing on providing more integrated and sustainable lighting solutions to the customers.

Asia Pacific Smart Lighting Market is projected to exhibit fastest growth between 2018 and 2024 due to increasing awareness regarding the benefits of energy efficient lighting systems among the countries in the region to achieve energy security and sustainability objectives. Also, favorable government initiatives to encourage the adoption of energy-efficient LED lights is also expected to accelerate the growth of Asia Pacific smart lighting market.

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Having been chronicled as one of the most opportunistic business verticals of sustainable technologies industry, the revenue graph of smart lighting market is estimated to be exponential over the ensuing years. The commercialization scale of this business sphere is quite evident from the study undertaken by Global Market Insights, Inc., which claims that smart lighting market share to surpass a total valuation of USD 24 billion by the end of 2024. With the growing popularity of home automation systems in residential and commercial sectors, major industry giants have been unveiling innovative products to remain aligned with the customized requirements of the current consumer base.

The competition in the smart lighting market is primarily characterized by constant product innovation and new product development initiatives by the market players by leveraging the latest advancements in the smart lighting technology and Internet of Things (IoT). These players are consistently involved in strategic partnerships for extending their smart lighting product portfolio and expanding their global presence. Also, a lot of companies are focusing on securing contracts for extensive smart streetlight installation projects from city administrators under smart city projects.

The growing popularity of smart cities one of the major contributing factors for smart lighting market growth. Developing a city-wide intelligent lighting network is becoming one of the key areas of interest while designing and developing smart city infrastructure around the world. With the increasing government emphasis on developing more smart cities to enable better city planning and development, faster delivery of e-government services, energy sustainability and improved local economic development, the deployment of connected lighting systems in smart city projects is likely to increase substantially during the forecast timeline.

Browse key industry insights spread across 440 pages with 699 market data tables & 25 figures & charts from the report, “Smart Lighting Market” in detail along with the table of contents

Speaking of which, Legrand, one of the foremost specialists in smart lighting market, has launched a new collection of lighting controls at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show, 2018. The latest range, named as Radiant Collection, comprises a wide variety of lighting and scene controllers, wall plates, dimmers, plug-in modules, and light switches. It is quite prudent to mention that these devices integrate seamlessly with smart home platforms such as Samsung’s SmartThings cloud, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant, given that they work on Open Connectivity Foundation 1.3.1 security standard.

 

Source: IT Research Brief

Netled Oy, Finnish specialists in vertical farming systems and greenhouse lighting solutions, have signed a long-term framework agreement with Astwood Infrastructure to supply equipment for industrial scale vertical farms.

The agreement covers an initial four such farms, based predominantly in the UK, to be delivered over the next three years and provides a framework for serving global customers. The total value of the agreement, including all project options, reaches over 10 million euros. The rapidly growing vertical farming market has been predicted to grow to 10 billion USD by 2025. 

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Niko Kivioja, CEO, Netled Oy, confirmed: “We have been developing our technology for vertical farming for several years now. During this time the market for vertical farming has developed very fast. Now the technology and the economic figures are in the point, where industrial scale vertical farms beat the traditional ways to grow leafy greens. Green field projects require quite massive design work for infrastructure. We are more than happy to present our partner, Astwood Infrastructure. Together we have possibility to serve global market with an all-inclusive project offering.”

Netled designs, manufactures and sells world leading technology, equipment and related automation and software for vertical farming, where its vertical farm Vera® is the most advanced vertical farming system in the world.

Astwood Infrastructure is a technology company with a focus on sustainable design and engineering. The company has significant know-how in commercialising technologies. For vertical farming, the company has developed its own brand, Vertivore, based on 3 years’ worth of research into the sector. Astwood will be working with specialist technology providers like Netled to build a position as a market leading operator and supplier of vertical farm solutions.

A pilot facility, the first under the framework, is built and is in continuous use in Redditch, UK. The long-term focus of Netled and Astwood is on industrial scale growing. The production volumes are planned to be millions of heads of lettuces and herbs annually.

Mike Capewell, CEO for Astwood Infrastructure, added: “We are incredibly excited about our new agreement with Netled Oy and the opportunity we now have in building and scaling a UK wide and potentially global vertical farm operation. Our pilot farm has shown some incredibly exciting results and we feel optimistic that we will be able to replicate this success at scale.”

“As issues like rising import costs and climate change continue to advance, vertical farming systems will become critical to production, where, through the Vertivore brand, we will be able to grow sustainable, local and clean produce without being impacted by any external sources such as weather conditions or pollution.”

Closed vertical farming systems, like the one currently being piloted by Astwood, are protected from extreme weather conditions, pollution and lack of freshwater resources as the growing conditions are created artificially. As a result, vertical farming makes cultivation possible in areas where production of traditional vegetables is impossible, and the freshwater resources are limited, whilst also improving quality, production speed and yield.

Source: Urbab Ag News

The Guardian recently reported on the worlds largest roof top urban farm due to open next year in Paris –Click here for the story

 

The new European IT headquarters for global electrical wholesaler City Electrical Factors (CEF) is described as a visual celebration of the company’s ethos and rich industrial heritage, thanks in part to an electrifying aluminium façade featuring Proteus HR rainscreen cladding.

CEF’s existing offices had reached full capacity and so a second site was developed opposite the company’s main building in 10 acres of natural landscape in Meadowfield, Durham. The brief set for the design of the award winning building, known as Janet Nash House, was to create a contemporary workplace solution which embodies and reflects CEF’s drive and commitment for innovation.

Architects FaulknerBrowns designed the £10m Data, IT and Marketing headquarters, using a variety of materials such as copper, aluminium and ceramic, which represent the components found within an electrical cable, CEF’s staple product.

Winner of the North East RIBA Regional Award 2019 and two British Council for Offices’ (BCO) regional awards, the contemporary workplace is split into two areas each with unique spatial qualities to support the requirements of the different departments across the company.

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The southern ‘L’ shaped block, which houses the ‘graphics and marketing’ teams, features a striking façade executed in Proteus HR Euromax AluNatur Elox Anodised Brushed pre-coated aluminium, for which FaulknerBrowns took inspiration from the foil shield of a coaxial cable.

Proteus HR is a lightweight, strong and versatile cladding panel that provides aesthetic screening to building facades. The integrated modular rainscreen system features an aluminium honeycomb core, structurally bonded between two thin gauges of lightweight metal skin to create an optically flat panel that is available in aluminium, steel, zinc, stainless steel, copper alloys and other materials.

The Proteus HR honeycomb sandwich panel was fabricated for Janet Nash House using Euromax AluNatur outer skins with an Elox Anodised Brushed pre-coated finish to recreate the coaxial pattern. The designers specified Proteus HR Euromax AluNatur because it offered a value engineered method of recreating the granular appearance of stainless steel but still within the client’s budget expectations.

Euromax AluNatur material consist of semi-transparent clear-coats applied on brushed or transparent lacquering aluminium surface, highlighting the natural character of aluminium substrate material. Pre-coat finishes minimise shade variation between panels and Proteus worked with the project specifiers and installers to ensure consistency of grain direction of the panels at Janet Nash House to guarantee high aesthetic detailing.

The panels were fitted by Installer, Topside, in between vertical and horizontal aluminium anodised fins to create a sheer façade, whilst giving a nod to the company’s core product range with the ‘coaxial’ pattern. The cladding panels were fixed between the fins with bespoke brackets utilising the curtain wall mullions as the primary structural point.

In contrast to the aluminium finish of the southern building, the northern block features large format porcelain panels, which are fitted throughout as a reference to the traditional use of ceramics as an electrical insulation material. The building includes cellular spaces, specialist workplaces and breakout areas.

The southern wing featuring Proteus HR Euromax AluNatur structures and the northern block are connected by a two storey, glazed atrium with interactive breakout spaces and enhanced amenities for all employees, including a café, tea points and games area.

Judges at the North East RIBA Regional Award 2019 summed up the development, constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine, when they said: “The building has a strong sense of identity and purpose.”

 

To find out more about Proteus Façade’s wide range of pre-coated aluminium façade materials or for more inspirational projects, visit: www.proteusfacades.com

The Tulipa is a designer steel radiator suitable for all rooms, its definitive style and classic open structure works in both modern and period living spaces; guaranteeing flawless heating comfort throughout the entire home.

The versatile Tulipa radiator collection is available in horizontal and vertical models, and in two model types; either flat oval tubes at the front only (single) or double row of vertical tubes, front and back. The ‘retro chic steel radiator’ merges with modern technology to provide optimum heat output and an impressive technical spec; including an official hygiene certificate for the central connection of the pipes to the collector.

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The stylish Tulipa radiator is available in white as standard, but can also be purchased in a spectrum of over 50 optional colours, enabling the consumer to select a radiator that will blend harmoniously, or create a statement feature in any room.

Sizes range from 270mm width up to an impressive 3000mm high, depending on model chosen.

The chic and contemporary Tulipa radiator not only looks good but delivers in terms of performance, its key features include:

 

  •  A classic among the pipe radiators with flat oval tubes
  •  A visually appealing radiator for all spaces and applications
  • Single (1) or double (2), wall suspension or free-standing
  • Practical and easy to assemble thanks to the central connection
  • High heat emission, suitable for low temperature systems
  • Comes quickly up to temperature
  • Available in a variety of contemporary colours
  • Optional towel bar available
  • 10 year quality guarantee

Vasco’s UK Account Manager, Mark Hickman said: “Vasco continues to impress with its stylish radiators; from traditional styles which add timeless charm to new fashionable models with a modern twist. The Tulipa radiator collection delivers both.”

 

Vasco Group

 

 

Hotel giant Marriott announced in April that it’s planning to construct a 26-story skyscraper in New York City in just 90 days — and it’s hoping to save a lot of money in the process.

The idea is simple: prefabricate modules off-site and put it all together Lego-style. According to construction website The B1M‘s new coverage of the project, the costs of such a modular skyscraper would only be $70 million — while comparable structures would typically cost in excess of $100 million.

Click here to watch the video that shows you how:  The reason why the process is so incredibly fast is because the excavation and laying of the foundation on-site can be completed at the same time as the construction of the modules. It would also require nearly 70 percent less on-site, labor according to The B1M.

 

In fact, most of the segments of Marriott’s planned hotel are being built in Poland and then shipped across the Atlantic. The rooms will be ready made according to Marriott, including bedding and even toiletries.

“We wanted to demonstrate that modular building can do more than just harness the efficiencies of the factory,” Danny Forster, owner of the firm that designed the tower, said in an April press release. “It can produce a graceful and iconic tower. And yes, it can do so at the rate of an entire floor a day.”

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The government has invited businesses to bid in two competitions worth up to £36m to fund collaborative R&D and demonstrator projects.

Both competitions focus on modern methods of construction, digital and whole-asset performance. UK Research and Innovation is providing the funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund’s Transforming Construction Challenge.

The two competitions are as follows:

Competition 1: Transforming UK construction – collaborative R&D.

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £10m in UK businesses undertaking collaborative research and development projects. Projects should go beyond the state-of-the-art in improving productivity, quality and performance of the UK construction sector.

The project must focus on one or more of the following themes:

  • Digital information management, tools, systems and standards;
  • Modern methods of construction and platform-based approaches;
  • Whole-life asset performance, including active buildings;
  • Business models, procurement, analytics, benchmarking and metrics;
  • Financial, assurance, warranty and lending products.

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • Be a UK registered business of any size or a research and technology organisation;
  • Collaborate with other businesses, research organisations, public sector organisations, academic institutions or charities;
  • Include at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise;
  • Carry out the project work in the UK;
  • Intend to exploit the results from, or in, the UK.

Your project’s total eligible costs must be between £150,000 and £1.5m.

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Competition 2: Transforming UK construction demonstrator projects.

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £26m for practical, demonstrator projects in modern methods of construction, digital and whole-life asset performance. This competition aims to invest in approximately ten world-leading practical demonstrators. They must establish improvements in productivity, quality and performance of the UK construction sector.

Demonstrators are the application of approaches, deployed at scale, that aim to improve all aspects of a built assets lifecycle. These will include:

  • Validations of new business models;
  • Digital approaches to design, construction and management;
  • Advancements in modern methods of construction;
  • Approaches to whole-life performance of a building or assets;

Both competitions open on 28 August, and close at midday on 30 October.

 

Source: Infracstructure Intelligence

 

To make the initial jump towards carbon neutrality, there are four key steps the industry must embrace, says Ramboll’s Mathew Riley.

Following the recent recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change for the UK to target net zero carbon emissions by 2050, ex-prime minister Theresa May used her final act to enforce this into legislation. As buildings are responsible for more than 40% of global energy usage, and as much as one third of greenhouse emissions, the role that the engineering and construction industry must play in meeting these targets is arguably one of the most critical.

There is a clear need within the industry to reassess not only the methods used in construction, but also how buildings are designed and managed. Ramboll’s recent analysis found that commercial buildings are frequently designed with up to 50% more energy capacity than they will ever need. When applied to the 11.8 million square feet of offices currently under construction in London alone, this over-design is costing the UK £70m in capital expenditure and 23,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum – bad news for both the bottom line and the planet. 

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The analysis showed that often this is caused by over-designing buildings in an effort to achieve technical compliance and adhere to current codes and guidance. In addition, pressurised consultants commoditising and re-using ‘safe’ designs, compounded by a procurement system that stifles innovation by focusing overwhelmingly on price, is adding to this inefficiency.

To deliver leaner and more efficient buildings, the industry must encourage innovation. This can involve taking lessons from extreme environments – for example, Ramboll’s recent work on the first phase of the Rothera Modernisation Project in Antarctica to reduce energy consumption by 35%. To do this, Ramboll developed a parametric modelling tool that identified the combination of inputs that would provide the best performing, or ‘fittest’ solution, reducing the time needed to identify these by 88%.

Engineering based on actual performance data, combined with modelling tools, enables building designers to more accurately predict performance outcomes and benefits for end users. However, whilst engineers love to solve complex problems, the industry must help provide the right environment to foster data-led innovation.

To make the initial jump towards carbon neutrality, there are four key steps the industry must embrace.

The first is to learn from the example set by others. Copenhagen, for example, will be carbon neural by 2025, having adopted a climate plan in 2009. Copenhagen airport has recently been certified as CO2 neutral, based on climate compensation, and aims to eliminate carbon emissions by 2030.

The second is to use the Construction Sector Deal to focus on strategic innovations, such as delivering new sustainable performance standards for the built environment. This will simultaneously eliminate waste in design and reduce CO2 emissions.

Thirdly, the government must introduce clear policies to accelerate change. If left to the industry there is a risk of becoming embroiled in self-interest, which should be avoided. The introduction of Part L and other similar requirements demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.

Lastly, the focus of procurement must shift in order to prioritise added value rather than simply the lowest price available. The industry needs to establish a framework by which environmental performance becomes a clear measure of success.

Mathew Riley is managing director UK at Ramboll.

 

Source:Infrastructure Intelligence