Smart Cities Delivering Fresh Veg!

We are seeing smart cities in the UK and overseas collecting a wealth of data by installing different sensors around the community.

This can range from measuring air quality, as used by the London Air Quality Network, to detecting leaking water pipes, with Vodafone recently partnering with SES Water.

Cities are increasingly making city-wide data available to use; in 2012 in New York, the then-mayor Michael Bloomberg signed Local Law 11 of 2012, known as the ‘Open Data Law’.

This mandates that all public data be made available on a single web portal.

With just seven years to prevent the temperature from rising 1.5ºC according to the Climate Clock, government and industry need to invest in smart technology as a priority.

The stats speak for themselves:

  • Buildings account for 40% of all energy consumption 
  • When it comes to electricity, buildings account for 55% of consumption
  • It is estimated that 30% of all energy used in commercial buildings is wasted 
  • In Europe 75% of buildings are inefficient

Research has found that in buildings with clean air technology, productivity can increase by 11%.

To achieve this, businesses will need to install ventilation, filtration, and disinfection technology, which must be linked to an occupancy measuring solution and technology to measure air quality.

These types of building management systems can maintain and optimise buildings on their own, and only need humans when they are notified.

With new technologies such as digital twins, IoT, ML, AI and Automation, smart buildings can operate without much human interference at all.

A digital twin can be used to simulate how different policies may affect a city.

With such technology, if a product is having any issues or is nearing the end of its lifecycle, it can notify and send out an engineer with the right part to fix it first time.

The building can remain energy efficient, while bringing down costs to the business and freeing up the time for engineers, building owners and facilities managers to spend on the more pressing issues at hand.

Smart technologies on their own are not “sustainable”, but it’s how they’re used.

For example, they can help to monitor the usage of utilities such as heating and electric, keeping costs down for homeowners/tenants and ensuring properties remain greener and more energy efficient.

Smart technologies can reduce waste output, minimising the carbon footprint of developments.

They can also make developments a more comfortable place for homeowners/tenants to live, improving quality of life and therefore increasing the demand for such properties.

We use renewable energy resources wherever possible in both our commercial and residential developments, promoting cleaner energy and a more cost-effective solution for the end user.

Modern methods of construction speed up build time and lower the carbon output.

Our largest opportunity will use pioneering saltwater greenhouse technology to grow produce on-site in harsh conditions.

This will give the local community direct access to fresh fruit and vegetables rather than having to import the produce from elsewhere, lowering costs and carbon output.

 

Source: Development Finance

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£1.2 billion-worth of modular homes

New public sector framework to deliver £1.2 billion-worth of modular homes

 

Winning construction sector companies have been named for a Britain-wide £1.2 billion framework to provide thousands of homes built using modern methods of construction (MMC).

The new modular and offsite homes will be delivered under not-for-profit public sector construction framework provider LHC Procurement Group’s (LHC) new Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) of New Homes (NH3) Framework.

It is designed to help boost the speed and quantity of delivery of the homes required to fulfil housing need across communities in England, Scotland and Wales.

NH3 will be delivered through LHC London and South East (LSE),  Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA), South West Procurement Alliance (SWPA), Consortium Procurement Construction (CPC), and Welsh Procurement Alliance (WPA).

Dean Fazackerley, head of technical procurement at LHC, said:

 

“NH3 is a vital addition to support more programmes to build low-carbon, modern homes from housing associations and local authorities across the country. It will adopt MMC and offsite techniques to produce energy efficient homes for the communities they serve.

“Now, we are looking to build on the success of our previous framework, NH2, which has so far enabled £93.5m-worth of offsite homes projects with a total forecast value of £277m.

NH3 has been developed to be a market-leading framework providing a wide range of systems and project delivery models to give public sector organisations the flexibility to deliver MMC projects the way they want. With the range of manufacturers and contractors appointed to this framework, NH3 provides an excellent choice for clients to access a range of MMC solutions and providers and is built to facilitate greater collaboration between suppliers and the public sector.”

 

NH3 replaces the previous NH2 framework and has been shaped by extensive engagement with housing contractors and manufacturers. It allows for a range of housing types, from low rise and medium/high rise, through to specialist accommodation such as care homes. The framework also provides for delivery of ‘room in the roof’ projects and adaptive pods.

 

Dean Fazackerley added:

“Through NH3, LHC is looking to support the public sector to increase the use of modern methods of construction and deliver low and net zero carbon homes with high levels of pre-manufactured value (PMV). It will support social housing providers in addressing some of their new housing challenges around the need for sustainable methods of construction and a greater supply of housing stock that is environmentally fit for the future.”

 

NH3 fulfils a key LHC guiding principle to increase the public sector’s access to regional and local supply chains, encouraging SME involvement and driving economic uplift to regional areas.

 

Covering the full range of MMC categories, the workstreams covered by NH3 are:

 

  • Workstream 1 – Three-dimensional (3D) modular systems – category 1
  • Workstream 2 – Two-dimensional (2D) panelised systems – category 2
  • Workstream 3 – Main contractors delivering MMC solutions – all categories
  • Workstream 4 – Groundworks and site preparation for MMC housing projects

 

The NH3 framework runs until 1 May 2027. For more information on the framework visit:

 

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AI & Sensors in Construction

Construction AI & Sensors: Unlocking Productivity & Sustainability

How integrating artificial intelligence with sensors can lead to a more efficient and sustainable concrete construction process and avoid overdesign.

The construction industry is constantly evolving, and the use of concrete has seen significant advancements in recent years. As one of the most widely used building materials, it is crucial for contractors to find ways to improve both the productivity and sustainability of concrete. It is important for concrete professionals to be aware of the issues surrounding embodied carbon in concrete and to consider the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and sensors to provide a solution, ultimately leading to a more efficient and sustainable construction process.

Embodied Carbon in Concrete

Concrete is an essential component in modern construction; however, its production comes with a significant environmental cost. Cement, a primary ingredient in concrete, is responsible for a large portion of embodied carbon in the material. Embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the production and transportation of building materials, which ultimately contribute to climate change. Cement alone accounts for 8% of global embodied carbon emissions (that’s more than three times the aviation industry).

 

Reducing the embodied carbon in concrete is of utmost importance as the construction industry strives to minimize its environmental impact. Historically, concrete overdesign has been a common practice due to conservative design methods and lack of accurate performance data. This leads to the use of more cement than necessary, which in turn, results in higher embodied carbon levels. We believe that there is on average approximately 15% excess cement in concrete. Addressing this issue requires innovative solutions that can optimize the use of concrete without compromising its performance. Find a significant ROI with the combination of Converge’s ConcreteDNA providing contractors real-time concrete curing data and A.I. predictions with technology from DEWALT’s embeddable wireless sensors.DEWALT

AI & Sensors

One approach to reducing the embodied carbon in concrete is to design mixes that provide just the right level of performance for various applications. For example, summer and winter mixes can be tailored to address the specific challenges posed by different climate conditions. However, achieving this level of optimization requires real-time monitoring and accurate data on concrete’s performance.

This is where concrete maturity sensors and monitoring methods come into play and boost productivity. Sensors embedded within the concrete can collect data on temperature and strength development, providing valuable insights into the material’s performance. By leveraging AI, this data can be used to automate concrete mix designs, making the process more efficient and scalable.

Productivity Benefits

The use of AI and sensors in concrete construction offers numerous benefits, including:

  • Faster construction:Real-time monitoring enables faster decision-making, reducing the time spent waiting for concrete to reach its required strength. This translates to lower generator usage and overall energy consumption.
  • More efficient use of materials:By optimizing concrete mix designs, builders can reduce waste and minimize the need for rework, leading to better quality control and resource utilization.
  • Remote monitoring and safety:AI-powered sensors allow for remote monitoring of concrete, reducing the need for foot traffic on-site and enhancing overall safety.
  • Less destructive testing: The use of sensors and AI for real-time monitoring can help minimize the need for damaging testing methods, preserving the integrity of the structure and reducing waste.
  • Promotion of novel materials and methods: By providing scientific proof of performance using the maturity method and justifying commercial viability, AI and sensor technology can support the adoption of new materials and construction methods, driving further innovation in the industry.

 

What This Means for the Future

The integration of AI and sensors in concrete construction has the potential to significantly reduce the embodied carbon in concrete, leading to a more sustainable and productive industry. The large-scale implementation of these technologies could contribute to a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the construction sector, making a notable impact on global efforts to combat climate change. For example, we estimate that simply by reducing overdesign by 15% by 2030 we could reduce embodied carbon of concrete by 400 million tonnes per annum. This is equivalent to over 1 trillion miles driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger per annum.

Continued research and development in this area are essential to drive further progress and unlock the full potential of AI and sensor technologies in the construction industry. By embracing these innovations, builders can pave the way for a more sustainable and efficient future in concrete construction.

Editor’s Note: In January 2023, Converge, one of the leading concrete material and operations optimization company, and DEWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker brand and leader in total jobsite solutions, announced a strategic partnership to help decarbonize construction through Converge’s AI-based platform, ConcreteDNA, powered by data from DEWALT’s new wireless concrete sensor, the DEWALT Signal Sensor. Their goal is to help tackle the challenge of decarbonizing concrete to boost productivity and sustainability, as well as to bring a total solution to the DEWALT ecosystem of concrete tools.

 

Source: Construction Pros

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Calls for ‘Nightingale Style’ Approach for New Hospitals

Lord Markham CBE has stated that the New Hospital Programme will only be possible by radically transforming the way building engineering projects are procured and delivered.

In a webinar hosted by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), The Portfolio Minister for the New Hospital Programme Lord Markham said:

“We need standardised designs using modern methods of construction (MMC) to improve efficiency and standardised components to manufacture at scale and get the speed we need,” said Lord Markham. “These are not just buildings – they will need to be showcases for what the hospital of the future will look like.”

He also called for a “Nightingale Style” approach – referring to the delivery of healthcare facilities during the pandemic.

The government says that they are “on track” to deliver their manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals in England by 2030.

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Crucial

 

Lord Markham also said that MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) would be crucial “for making sure these are fantastic places for patients” and that the expertise of specialist contractors would be vital. He said that improving ventilation was a top priority – not just to mitigate the risk of infections, but also to speed up patient recovery and so reduce waiting times.

He also acknowledged that the government was “often the biggest barrier to progress” and was responsible for an “unwieldy planning process” that would also have to be addressed. “We need the industry to invest and scale up to meet this challenge,” he said. “So, we need you to have confidence in the programme.”

Lord Markham said the fact that there were “27,000 different door types” in UK hospitals was one example of why standardisation was so desperately needed. The Hospital 2.0 programme is working to reduce that number to around 700.

Morag Stuart, the New Hospital Programme Chief Programme Officer, who was also a guest on the webinar and said the building services sector needed to see that it was

“a clear part of this journey otherwise we won’t be able to deliver at the scale we need”.

She said manufacturing and production-based design was crucial to this platform approach. “We are looking at what level of investment will be needed to support the supply chain. The mechanism will be via frameworks for the main works, but we will need a wide range of contractors including new entrants into the market to cope with the scale of what we are doing.”

The issue of ongoing maintenance would be a central part of the planning with Stuart citing the example of an operating theatre that was currently out of action because it was “waiting for a replacement light bulb from Finland”.

“We plan to be ground-breaking to move from a typical construction programme to a manufacturing approach with a key role for standardisation. We will be very explicit about the standards that must be adhered to in all our hospitals.”

 

Source: FM.com

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Modular Construction – what isn’t clicking together?

Modular construction has been heralded for several years now as a construction methodology that saves time, reduces waste and minimises cost. It is therefore unsurprising that modular construction forms part of the various “modern methods of construction” that are now being encouraged by the UK Government. Use of modular construction can range from isolated elements like bathroom pods to where the majority of the building is comprised of modules and is commonly encountered in housing, student accommodation and hotels. However, it is not without its challenges as demonstrated by Legal and General’s announcement of the closure of their modular factory.

Legal or contractual issues tend to arise when modular construction is used for the majority of the construction of a building but the various contractual agreements have been drafted on the assumption that “traditional” construction methods are being used – trying to fit the square peg into the circular hole does not work without some forethought. and adjustment.

There is not enough space here to list all issues that one should consider when employing modular construction but we discuss a few key issues below:

1. Payment and Transfer of Title

Under a “traditional’ construction contract, a contractor will usually receive payment on a monthly or stage basis based on the value of works carried out during the previous month or stage. There has been a rise in advance payments over the last few years so that materials can be acquired at a known price but those are still likely to be a small percentage of the overall construction costs.

Whereas a modular contractor will likely incur large costs at project inception (accounting for material and fabrication costs) and therefore will seek for payment terms to be front-loaded.

This creates some issues and how those are managed will depend on the procurement method and the funding of the development. For example:

  • Is the modular contractor the main contractor? Or are they a key sub-contractor?
  • Is the modular contractor also responsible for installation?
  • If there is a facility agreement in place, what conditions precedent will the funder require before any payment to a modular contractor can be made?
  • The preference will be for the modules to be delivered to site before payment but how can the modular contractor incur all of their costs before payment?
  • If payment is made before the modules are on site then the funder and employer will expect ownership of the modules to pass to the employer – but can the modular contractor agree to this? What happens if the employer becomes insolvent?

Off-site materials agreements are often used to allow for greater security of performance however these agreements may be of limited use in the context of modular construction, at least at the outset. If a modular contractor is looking for payment upfront to procure materials then, whilst title can be transferred in the materials, the materials will be fabricated into the module. Therefore the materials in which the Employer has ownership will change form and therefore at some point may be considered to no longer exist however ownership of the module can’t be vested in the Employer before it actually exists!

Although in these situations an advance payment bond may provide some comfort, there is a cost associated with these bonds and there is a limit to the value that can realistically be covered under these bonds before the costs become prohibitive.

2. Location of modules

Even if title in the modules (or parts thereof) is transferred effectively under UK law, if the modules are located elsewhere will this transfer of title be binding under the law of the jurisdiction where the modules are located? From a practical perspective, even if an employer obtains a legal opinion from an appropriately qualified foreign lawyer (which will come at a cost) to ensure that title has transferred properly, how easy will it be to get access to the modules and procure their delivery to site should the modular contractor become insolvent?

3. Insolvency

Insolvency is a concern in any construction project but practical issues are exacerbated in modular construction as modules are often specialised materials that are unique to each modular contractor. Other contractors may not have the facilities or hold the necessary intellectual property licence to reproduce these designs.

Insolvency is equally a concern for any modular contractor. The modules they are produce may only be appropriate for a particular building/development and therefore, in the face of employer insolvency, any modules produced may not be re-usable for other projects.

A potential solution may lie in the utilisation of escrow accounts to provide parties with further comfort.

4. Delivery

There are additional considerations around delivery that traditional construction contracts are not normally required to consider:

  • Who is best placed to manage any delays at port if the modules are coming from outwith the UK?
  • Has the contractor checked the access route to site and is there enough storage space pending unloading?

Parties can borrow terms from plant contracts (such as the incorporation of Incoterms) to provide certainty as to who is responsible for transit risk, payment of duties and insurance.

5. Inspection

Employers will want to inspect modules at certain stages in the factory before items are closed up. This is of increased importance as defects identified in delivered modules may have already been replicated in the construction of other modules yet to be delivered to site.

6. Interface

As noted previously, the procurement route may affect the contractual responsibility for dealing with physical interfaces but from a practical perspective it will be important that any platform on which the modules are being placed is at the correct gradient and can bear the required structural load.

7. Intellectual Property Obligations

The standard position in construction contracts is for the Contractor to provide an Employer with a non-exclusive, non-terminable, royalty-free licence to use and reproduce any design in the works. The most common restraint to such a licence is that the designs cannot be reproduced in any extension of the works.

However, in a modular construction contract, the contractor may seek to provide a more limited form of licence as their modular designs will be proprietary and are the product of significant investment. Which they want to avoid being shared with a rival modular contractor.

Conclusion

Modular construction offers many benefits but equally can lead to complications if not properly considered. It is therefore critical that construction parties do not assume that one size fits all. The traditional procurement model and standard form contracts such as SBCC and JCT are not fit for purpose in ensuring that the different risks are addressed appropriately and it is important to have considered these before the contracts are entered into so that all parties are clear as to the risks and responsibilities.

 

Source: Lexology

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Green Washing – The Deceitful Marketing

If you think greenwashing is limited to retail or fashion, think again. It’s rampant in the construction industry. So buying the right materials requires a lot of diligence, writes Victoria Brocklesby

Brand after brand within the retail and packaging spaces is being undone by ‘greenwashing’ claims. Just look at Coca Cola, Unilever, Tesco and H&M among others. Yet greenwashing isn’t just limited to these sectors; it’s rife within the construction industry too. It’s just no one was talking about it, until now.

For many, greenwashing is a deceitful marketing tactic intended to deliberately mislead customers. For others, it can happen even when there are good intentions, like when the messaging is not clear enough or if the company is not thorough enough in its sustainability policies across all aspects of its business.

Greenwashing in the construction industry is challenging to identify. Terms like “eco”, “green”, “sustainable”, “non-toxic” and “recyclable” are often used vaguely or with unclear language on websites, marketing materials, and social media posts. Superficial claims lacking substantiation are common. Trusting brands blindly is no longer an option, necessitating self-education on the sustainability aspects of products and services to prevent exploitation.

I have seen businesses manipulate product information to ensure they “meet” industry regulations. This includes exaggerations of the time and money spent on upgrading products to be more thermally efficient, when in fact, they have simply added an extra pane of glass to a window. While this does achieve the short-term aim, it’s a quick fix and has long term implications, such as making the product more expensive for the consumer, and less environmentally friendly due to more materials being used.

This continues into the recyclability of products. We have seen UPVC manufacturers, who solely use long-lasting plastic, speak about how they recycle, but in practice, recycling it is incredibly challenging. Materials made from something called uPVC – unplasticised polyvinyl chloride – do not decompose, making them difficult to eliminate, with 83 percent of UPVC waste going to landfill, according to the WWF.

This means identifying greenwashing requires diligence. Accreditations play a vital role in establishing trust, allowing people to assess a company’s commitment to ethics and sustainability. It can be useful to look for third-party recommendations from reputable organisations, rather than self-appointed accolades. Consumers should pay attention to product-focused industry accreditations, while industry professionals should seek certifications demonstrating commitments to quality and sustainability, such as ISO 9001 for quality or ISO 14001 for environmental standards.

Source: City AM

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Is modular housing still the solution to the housing squeeze?

Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, visit a modular home in Cambridge.

When Kevin McCloud, presenter of hit property TV show Grand Designs, went to the typically English town of Tunbridge Wells last September, it looked like a potentially revolutionary moment in Britain’s housing industry. One that might reverberate in Australia.

McCloud was there to watch Rob and Kate Harris demolish a semi-rural 1940s bungalow and replace it with a prefabricated, modular two-storey home. Once the old place was demolished, the company Boutique Modern trucked in the new one, built entirely in its nearby factory.

The various modules came already kitted out with their kitchen and bathroom fittings, and Boutique Modern’s team slotted it all together in just a couple of days. The new owners were impressed with the result, as was a rhapsodic McCloud.

It seemed like modular housing’s long-heralded escape from its redoubts in Sweden and Japan was at last beginning.Modular housing has for some years been touted as the answer to the British construction industry’s labour shortages and net-zero challenges – and experts have advocated a similar solution for the housing supply squeeze in Australia.

Three years ago, estate agency Savills Research predicted modular construction’s share of British new-build housing would double to 20 per cent by 2030.

Prince William and Kate were even photographed visiting modular houses built in Cambridge to tackle an affordable housing shortage.

But early last month, the industry’s aura of evolutionary inevitability hit a setback. Legal & General, which had positioned itself as the industry’s front-runner by setting up a big factory in the northern English town of Selby in 2016, had to shut up shop.

Having invested a reported £182 million ($348 million) and hired almost 500 people, the business had racked up cumulative losses put at £176 million – leaving L&G little choice but to withdraw and lick its wounds.

Mark Farmer, CEO of Cast Consultancy and a committed advocate of modular housing, admits the closure was a blow.

“A story like that, it makes waves and it will have affected people’s perceptions. There’s a lot of naysayers out there. They’re all sitting there rubbing their hands, saying ‘told you so’,” he said.

“What’s happened to L&G is probably a good reflection of the struggles that anyone has – whether it’s Legal & General or an SME startup – trying to change an industry that just hasn’t been changed for decades, if not hundreds of years.”

Savills’ Richard Valentine-Selsey said his agency’s forecast for the take-up of modern methods of construction (MMC) was now looking a bit optimistic.

“We will get to that sort of level, but it’s just going to take us longer to get there than we thought two to three years ago, because the sector hasn’t taken off as quickly as we thought,” he said.

Australia watching

Some pioneers are still ploughing ahead, most prominently the modular housing company TopHat. It has backing from Goldman Sachs, is building a second factory, and in April signed a deal with top-three British house-builder Persimmon.

TopHat managing director Andrew Shepherd says his company wants to grow incrementally – a contrast to L&G’s apparent willingness to dive in head-first.

And he says TopHat’s model is already attracting curiosity Down Under, where the challenge of building enough affordable housing is just as pressing as it is in Britain.

“It’s a nascent industry here, and I’d say it’s even more a nascent industry over in Australia,” he said.

“But there’s definitely keen interest in what can be done over here in the UK and the replicability of that back home for you. We’ve seen huge interest from Australian contractors and Australian manufacturers over the last few months, asking ‘what have you learnt?’.”

Cast Consultancy’s Farmer has just returned from a trip to Sydney, where he was looking at a NSW government modular construction project involving school buildings.

“As in the UK, I saw part of the market really hungry for change. But I also saw a mirror image of the UK’s behavioural issues, the resistance, the vested interests not wanting things changed. And that nervousness, just the nervousness about change.”

Psychological barrier

It might seem surprising that an industry with an ageing, expensive and short-handed workforce – particularly in trades such as bricklaying – might resist innovations that could drive huge efficiency gains.

The hesitancy is especially strange because modular housing can more easily accommodate the new green building regulations – covering areas like insulation, for example – that are only a couple of years away.

But as TopHat’s Shepherd tells it, these structural dynamics are being trumped by simple psychology.

“The people that are making the decisions on how to do construction on construction sites, they’ve got 30 years of muscle memory in doing things traditionally,” he said.

One of his biggest jobs is to walk the industry – “the mortgage market, insurers, contractors, developers, planners and build-to-rent investors” – into the modular “journey”.

“It is not going to happen overnight. It is steps. We’ve worked with customers delivering almost proof-of-concept, delivering smaller schemes to get them more comfortable.”

Persimmon’s investment in Shepherd’s company is primarily aimed, at least initially, at securing supplies of some of TopHat’s modular components, particularly its 3D-printed brick cladding, rather than buying full-scale, or “volumetric”, modular homes.

Farmer said this now looked like the best way forward. “I think the learning from L&G is that to do the whole thing in one go is a big step initially, it is high risk. You need to know your manufacturing, you need to have that demand there,” he said.

“Whereas if you have a more distributed, diversified offer with different types of manufacturing – pods and panels mixed up, giving more versatility to your customers – then you’re likely to have a more certain demand market. I can see the house builders going down that route over the next decade.”

Supply side

But if there’s a case on the supply side, what about demand? The question is whether consumers are equally as conservative as developers when it comes to factory-built housing.

“In the UK, if you go back to postwar, there are some relatively negative connotations around prefab building,” said Valentine-Selsey.

“That has left a public perception, completely incorrect, that the current system is delivering something that is inferior in some ways to the traditional bricks and mortar that everyone knows and loves.”

Shepherd suggested that younger buyers were more interested in the price and environmental sustainability of a house than its construction method.

Still, even if TopHat tees up the demand side as well as the supply, it would be just a drop in the sparsely filled bucket that is the British housing industry.

TopHat’s new factory will supply 4000 houses a year. Demand in Britain is more like 300,000 houses a year. A modular revolution would need a lot more companies with a lot more factories.

“We’re not trying to deliver the 200,000 houses that are already built every year. Those are already happening. It’s the next 50,000 that really suit the modern methods of construction,” Shepherd said.

It remains to be seen how quickly the idea will catch on. The Harrises’ new house in Kent will not be to everyone’s taste. But for the industry, that hour of Grand Designs fame remains a moment to savour.

“Whenever you see programs like the one Kevin did a few months ago, on Grand Designs, that’s a massive opportunity to show the public what is possible,” Farmer said.

Source: Financial Review

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Offsite Speeds up £35m Hospital Construction

The long-awaited new £35m hospital for Berwick is being built one year quicker than traditional construction methods would take.

Work is well underway on the new hospital at manufacturing specialist Merit’s its offsite manufacturing factory in Cramlington.

Marion Dickson, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust’s executive director for nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals and project lead said:

“We’re very impressed with Merit’s offsite manufacturing capabilities which can fortunately bypass any bad weather and provide quicker solutions to the build of our new hospital.

“Our new hospital will not only provide high quality healthcare well into the future but will also provide a much-improved environment for our staff and patients, enable additional services to be provided and support staff recruitment and retention.

“It will be something that Berwick, Northumberland, and the North East, can be very proud of.”

The factory was recently visited by Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy.

They were able to view the start of the build of the 800+ pre-assembled modules (PAMs) and 17 UltraPODs® that will be delivered to site to form part of the state-of-the-art building.

The parliamentarians also received a demonstration of Merit’s factory robot, just one of the Industry 4.0 initiatives in progress along with computer numerical control (CNC) technology, automation and digitalisation.

Merit’s approach also offers a zero carbon emissions-design, class leading lower energy consumption, enhanced infection control and is technically enabled for the future of health care.

Ms Trevelyan said:

“It’s really exciting to see the work being done on Berwick’s new hospital and it’s amazing that this area of the country will be the first to benefit from this modern solution to healthcare.”

Tony Wells, CEO at Merit, added:

“We are delighted to be working closely with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management (NHFM) to build the new Berwick hospital which will be completed by late 2024.

“It was great to welcome Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP and Ian Levy MP to our factory to show them the work being done on the region’s newest hospital and to explain how different manufacturing processes are being used to improve productivity.

“We believe that on a larger scale, this solution will bring affordability to the NHS with hospitals being built significantly faster with cost certainty.”

The hospital trust recently announced a number of upcoming changes to inpatient care as groundworks progress.

A new temporary ward for inpatients is being installed in the maternity car park to ensure that the new hospital opens on schedule towards the end of 2024.

The relocated 10-bed inpatient ward, which will have all the facilities and access that the existing one does, will admit inpatients from around mid-July.

Some patients that would usually be admitted to Berwick Infirmary will be cared for at Alnwick Infirmary and the trust will also care for as many patients as it can within the community.

Where a patient is cared for will depend on their clinical need and Northumbria Healthcare will provide transport for patients and relatives as appropriate.

Maternity, oncology, ambulatory care and minor injury unit services will remain within the Berwick Infirmary building and will not be affected. This will only affect patients being admitted to the infirmary.

 

Source: Northumberland Gazette

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Partnership to Develop Fusion Energy Plant

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has partnered with Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform to develop a fusion energy plant.

Fusion energy harnesses the same processes that power the sun and stars.

The collaboration aims to demonstrate the production of safe, virtually limitless energy through UKAEA’s Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme.

Using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the UKAEA plans to create a concept design of a spherical tokamak by 2024, paving the way for a prototype fusion energy plant capable of supplying electricity to the national grid.

The platform will provide a centralised source of information, enabling improved connection and management of the plant’s entire life cycle.

The platform is designed to help mitigate bottlenecks, risks and delays, ultimately enhancing confidence in project delivery.

Chris Waldon, Delivery Director of the STEP programme, highlighted the challenge of managing vast amounts of engineering design data and expressed enthusiasm for working with Dassault Systèmes to develop the virtual twin of the fusion plant’s design.

 

Source: Energy Live News

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Bill Gates Plans Mini Nuclear Plant in UK

Trawsfynydd Lake, Snwdonia

 

Companies including TerraPower, founded by the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Rolls-Royce have declared an interest in building small modular reactors (SMRs) in North Wales, according to reports.

Development company Cwmni Egino – established by the Welsh government – recently completed the first phase of its viability study on the site of the decommissioned nuclear plant at Trawsfynydd.

It now says the location could viably host SMRs generating up to 1GW of electricity.

The UK government has said there will be a competitive tendering process for the development of SMRs, which it plans to roll out before the end of the decade.

If the Trawsfynydd project gets the green light, it could become the UK’s first SMR, with construction expected to start before 2030.

The plant could potentially generate 400 long-term jobs, as well as thousands more direct and indirect jobs during the construction phase.

A credible opportunity

Cwmni Egino believes it could also generate around €1.5 billion in gross value added for Wales, over the plant’s estimated 60-year lifespan.

Cwmni Egino CEO Alan Raymant said, “In addition to meeting our energy needs and net zero targets, deploying SMRs at Trawsfynydd offers a huge inward investment opportunity for Wales. This is aligned with key policies and priorities of both the UK and Welsh Governments.

“We believe that Trawsfynydd presents the first, most credible opportunity to kick start a long-term programme of SMR projects in the UK, and catalyse significant economic growth locally, regionally and nationally. Cwmni Egino provides a development vehicle to drive this forward.”

Raymant added, “Our plans are more advanced than other sites suited to small scale nuclear, and the work we’ve done over the past 12 months gives us added confidence that we can successfully deliver a project at Traws. We have already put in place a five year development programme which means our project can be ready for approval by the latter part of this decade – in line with the UK Government’s energy security ambitions.”

Source: Construction Europe

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