A historic builders’ merchant is planning to open a new design centre in Birmingham.

EH Smith has lodged plans to renovate a derelict warehouse in the city’s Digbeth district to create a new hub for the construction industry.

It is eyeing a site at 312-314 Bradford Street currently occupied by a 20th-century warehouse.

The family-owned company wants to carry out a wholesale renovation of the vacant building which was once a tool-making workshop for the Birmingham Machine Tool Rebuilding Co.

The proposed new design centre and construction hub will have showroom space, workshops, displays of more than 1,000 brick types along with ceramics, terracotta, stone and masonry support systems.

The design centre will also contain mock-ups to demonstrate modern methods of construction and education and demonstration areas about how materials can be used in fields such as sustainability, fire safety and water conservation.

A newly submitted planning application proposes to retain and restore original features of the building such as its pitched roof and arched gateway alongside an original eight-tonne crane and supporting structure which will become a focal feature within the shed.

Mezzanines floors will provide flexible workspace for EH Smith staff and a new conference room on the second floor will provide space for larger meetings and collaborations.

EH Smith is working with Digbeth-based architecture practice Howells on the scheme and its design is inspired by its London Design Centre which opened in 2020.

Now headquartered in Shirley, EH Smith was founded in 1922 in Small Heath, Birmingham, and employs 450 staff and trades from 13 locations, the majority of which are in the Midlands.

Executive director John Cave said:

“I’m delighted to be able to share the plans we’ve developed with Howells for our new design centre in Digbeth.

“While emulating our Clerkenwell Design Centre in London, it will be distinctively Birmingham, offering a collaborative space for architects, contractors, clients, designers and construction professionals and those with an interest in the city to gain inspiration, share ideas and be educated on the latest materials.

Birmingham is our home town, the first branch of EH Smith opened a short distance from here 100 years ago. With the opening of this new facility, we’re excited to enhance our position as a leading player in the construction materials industry.”

Howells’ founder and partner Glenn Howells added:

“We are very pleased to be collaborating with EH Smith to create its new design centre next to our own offices in Digbeth.

“I am sure this new facility will be a huge success in not only showcasing the amazing range of construction products provided by EH Smith but also as a hub that will bring together designers, manufacturers and developers to explore better ways to create buildings that are beautiful and sustainable.

“I believe the new design centre will soon be seen as a national beacon of how we can achieve the best construction solutions through genuine collaboration.”

Source: Business-Live

Eco-friendly bamboo potential mainstream construction material after researchers make break through

Scientists at the University of Bristol have successfully used screws as connectors in bamboo without splitting the material.

The study, recently published in the journal Construction and Building Materials, proposes a safe yet efficient prediction model for a simple connection method for bamboo, which is commonly used in wooden structures.

Once bamboo is standardised, it can be carefully implemented in construction.

Bamboo has green qualities, absorbing carbon at greater rates than other woods.

Dominika Malkowska from Bristol’s School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering explained:

“Bamboo can help to fight climate change by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.

“Wood also does this but takes 30 years to mature for harvesting while bamboo only takes four-to-five years, so we can sequester carbon at a much faster rate if we use bamboo rather than timber.”

There are currently plantation trials in the south of Europe with the aim to establish which species can be grown in that climate. If these trials are successful, bamboo may be used as a construction material for houses in the UK in the future.

Companies are already building bamboo houses in other parts of the world such as the Philippines where this research has a potential to be directly applied now.

Dominika carried out over 200 experimental tests, testing various combinations of the parameters relevant to the connection: screw material, count, spacing, diameter of screw, wall thickness of bamboo, steel plate thickness.

 

She explained:

“The most interesting finding is that the screws are in fact good candidates for connectors in bamboo, as they do not cause splitting as it was widely thought, as long as the connection is well designed.

“It also has several benefits over the conventionally used bolted connection with cement mortar infill to the inside of the bamboo pole, such as potential reduction in carbon footprint, easy disassembly on site and superior stiffness and ductility, to name a few.

“Bamboo in general is susceptible to cracking due to its material characteristics, such as fibres running in one direction only, unlike in wood where fibres have the tendency to grow in a spiral around the tree trunk, so screws may not seem appropriate as there is no spiral fibre to stop the fracture from happening. But this study proved that this is not the case as long as the connection is well designed.”

The method can be implemented straight away in simple low-loaded connections. It can also be further developed to increase the number of screws as only a limited count of screws was tested resulting in low capacity, to validate it for higher loaded scenarios.

Now Dominika plans to investigate a higher number of screws per connection to match it to the typical capacity of the conventional bolted connection, and to investigate the behaviour in an actual structure such as in shear walls.

Dominika concluded: “Bamboo connections do not need to be complex. Knowledge of timber has its use in bamboo.”

Solar Energy UK has stated that “planning rules have become uneven and unfair” for installing solar panels.

A statement released by the organisation highlights an altercation that occurred in Derbyshire when a local resident installed solar panels on her roof. According to the BBC, it is alleged that Mary Smail, of Ashbourne, Derbyshire, applied to her local council to gain planning permission to install solar panels.

However, the council replied stating that there was “no chance of it being granted due to the historic nature of the area”. It is then believed that “she installed them anyway while the council was considering her application and applied retrospectively for permission, which was refused”.

Derbyshire Dales District Council obtained a court injunction to remove the solar panels alongside threats that she could be jailed for two years if she did not comply. The solar panels are now in the process of being taken down, Solar Energy UK said.

Solar Energy UK stated: “The root of the issue is that Ms Smail’s home is both in a conservation area and is a Grade II listed building. Under current rules, both listed building consent and planning permission would be needed to make the installation lawful, though this does not apply everywhere.”

Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK provided his verdict on the situation. He said: “While Ms Smail’s actions were unwise, the rules that led to this situation make not a jot of sense and offer no public benefit.

“We strongly encourage the government to implement recently proposed reforms to permitted development rights, so that people like Ms Smail will be able to enjoy the same benefits that solar now gives to over 1.2 million UK households: cutting bills, cutting emissions and avoiding burdens on over-stretched planning departments.”

 

Source: Solar Power Portal

UPDATED: 28.09.23

COMMENT FROM CROMER HOMES:

“The Royal Borough of Greenwich has taken the decision, as the local planning authority, to progress with enforcement action against the Comer Homes Group’s Mast Quay Phase II development of two residential towers, one of which is stepped, with 23, 11, nine and and six storeys, located on Woolwich Church Street, London SE18.

“The Council’s extensive investigation over the last year has concluded that the completed Mast Quay Phase II built-to rent-development has been built without planning permission and is therefore unlawful because it is so substantially different to the scheme that was originally permitted by the planning permission given in 2012.

“In total there are at least 26 main deviations to the original planning permission. These include:

• visible design changes to the external appearance of the towers – the final towers look more solid and bulky because of the removal of the stepped back top floor and the glazed curtain wall façade to Block E that would have given the appearance of a sail.
• visible changes to the materials and windows – different cladding, less glazing, smaller balconies, smaller windows and no wraparound balconies resulting in a reduction of daylight and sunlight, and to a reduced outlook.
• increasing the approved size of the footprint of both towers

• not providing the roof gardens for residents and the public, children’s play areas, green roofs or landscaped gardens
• lower quality residential accommodation
• non accessible ‘accessible’ apartments that have steps to the balconies so that wheelchair users cannot use their outdoor space.
• provision of a residents’ gym in place of the approved commercial floorspace which is also not accessible to anyone who uses a wheelchair
• a reduction of the amount of commercial floorspace for offices, shops and cafes at ground-level

• failure to provide enough underground car parking so that car parking dominates at ground level replacing what should have been a landscaped garden area with trees and plants and less car parking overall that could place pressure on street parking
• a lack of disabled parking bays
• shared residential/commercial basement access that could lead to conflicts
• a poorer quality footbridge to Woolwich Church Street

“The Council believes that the only reasonable and proportionate way to rectify the harm created by the finished Mast Quay Phase II development to the local area, and the tenants living there, because of the changes made during its construction is the complete demolition and the restoration of the land to its former condition.

“Therefore, the Council issued an enforcement notice on Monday 25 September which is subject to appeal rights for a period of at least 28 days following the date of issue. To support the residents currently living in the development the Council has written to them directly to provide them with support, assistance and advice.”

 

Cllr Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said:

“This decision is not one that the Royal Borough of Greenwich has taken lightly, but I believe it is reasonable and proportionate to the scale and seriousness of the situation. Mast Quay Phase II represents two prominent high-rise buildings on Woolwich’s riverside that just are not good enough, and the reason that they are not good enough is because the development that was given planning permission is not the one that we can all see before us today.

“In Our Greenwich, our vision for the borough by 2030, I committed to development that delivers positive change to the area for existing and new communities, and this is simply not the case with Mast Quay Phase II.

“The right thing to do is not usually the easy thing to do. That is why we will not standby and allow poor quality and unlawful development anywhere in our borough and we are not afraid of taking difficult decisions when we believe it’s the right thing to do.”

Cllr Aidan Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said:

“The Mast Quay Phase II development had the potential to deliver hundreds of beautiful riverside apartments in an exciting area of London with a rich maritime past. Instead, what we have is a mutant development that is a blight on the landscape, local conservation zone and heritage assets and views.

“High quality, beautiful and sustainable buildings and places are fundamental to what the planning and development process should achieve. Good design is a key aspect of sustainable development, creating better places in which to live and work. As a borough we work with many responsible property developers who deliver schemes that we can be proud of and we will always work with responsible developers to unlock sites and deliver the new homes that our borough needs.

“If a scheme matching what has been built at Mast Quay Phase II was submitted for planning permission today, it would be refused, and we cannot let what has been delivered at Mast Quay Phase II go unchallenged.”

Cllr Ann-Marie, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement, said:

“Following a complex, lengthy and detailed investigation, including complaints from local residents, we are taking this unprecedented step because of the magnitude of the number of significant deviations that we have discovered from what was approved by the original planning permission. We believe Mast Quay Phase II represents significant harm to the area and harm to present and future occupiers of the buildings.

“The developer has had plenty of opportunities to apply for planning permission to vary what they had permission to build before they carried out the work, instead of applying after they had already done it. For example, since starting work on site in 2015 they have had many years to engage with us regarding the amendments they claim it was necessary to make, due to changes in building regulations, yet there was no contact or application made, and an attempt was only made retrospectively as a consequence of the enforcement investigation.

“Why should children have no place to play because it was cheaper not to include it? Why should disabled tenants be prisoners in their own homes because step free access to the balconies wasn’t included? Why should the outside areas be dominated by tarmac and cars instead of trees and grass and plants?

“Without enforcement our planning system can have no integrity and that is why we will not shy away from property developers exploiting the system for their own gain, to the detriment of residents and other responsible developers who do the right thing.”

Link to the FAQ: https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/mast_quay

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WHAT DO MMC READERS THINK OF THE DECISION BY GREENWICH COUNCIL?

 

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UK-Germany energy link on track as construction advances

Source: Energy Live