by Womble Bond Dickinson

 

The construction industry was quick to adapt and carry on working in 2020, but it continues to struggle with labour levels. And this is a problem that’s not going away any time soon as, due to Brexit and the new immigration system now in place, we are likely to see a reduction in the number of available EU national workers – workers which the industry has traditionally relied upon.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that up until now more than nine per cent of the UK construction industry workforce have been EU nationals, with that rising in London to account for 30 per cent of construction workers.

Many EU nationals have now returned to their home nations to be with family and to cut the cost of living. New immigration rules are set to be extremely challenging with regard to the sector’s recruitment process and migrant worker eligibility in 2021, meaning it is likely to be more difficult to get these workers back to the UK.

The impact is two-fold. An increased labour shortage could affect the ability of companies to deliver projects on time or to take on new work, and it’s likely that the cost of labour will go up, both in terms of wage levels and also taking additional costs of recruitment and training into account.

While it seems the construction sector is frequently calling for additional Government support to bridge the skills gap, there are some practical steps that employers and contractors themselves can take to mitigate the long-term risks.

Brexit-proof your recruitment process

The new UK points-based immigration system kicked in on 1 January 2021 and it’s highly likely that this will reduce the number of lower skilled workers coming to the UK. Increased bureaucracy, and lead times, around the new points-based immigration system will create delays in the short-term. Get your recruitment process Brexit-compatible by understanding and implementing new visa criteria and processes, and be prepared to factor longer recruitment lead times into project planning.

Keep up-to-date on Government guidance

It’s important to keep on top of the latest Government guidance on matters such as health and safety. Encourage consistent use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and ensure the team feels safe. This will not only encourage productivity and minimise absence due to sickness or injury, but is also likely to have a positive impact on staff retention in a competitive market place.

Reflect on lessons learned during the pandemic

Take time out to understand the lessons learned by the sector during the pandemic. Some construction companies have found that by carefully planning and reorganising their programmes and how some jobs are carried out, and by being more focused on critical path activities, work could still be carried out efficiently and effectively, even with fewer than normal workers on site.

The post-pandemic rise in technology take-up and use has changed the way manual roles are carried out too. For example, some companies are carrying out site inspections with drones, allowing for safer remote-working and more efficient processes. Drones are also being used for 3D modelling, volume measurement and topographical surveys, and are predicted to fulfil an essential role in construction companies of the future, from planning to build. This in itself means a new set of skills is now required for the industry.

Similarly, there has been increase in the use of offsite, modular construction during the pandemic, which again requires a development in design skills and logistics expertise.

Look to youth

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics in October 2019 show there were 334,332 skilled construction and building trade workers aged between 50 and 64 and 44,681 over 65 in the UK – most of whom will typically be expected to retire over the next 15 years.

Meanwhile, the industry is struggling to attract young people. This is not a new problem: in 2018 it was widely reported that construction had, for the first time, dropped out of the top 10 career choices for people aged 22-29. According to YouGov Omnibus research in 2015, only three per cent of young people aged between 18-24 have recently searched for a job in the construction industry.

Construction firms do still have the opportunity to take advantage of Government incentive payments for the hiring of new apprentices, though this scheme only applies to apprentices hired before March 31 2021.

Perhaps, then, it will fall to the construction industry itself to do more to appeal to young people, or the skills shortage might never be fully bridged and critical skills that need to be passed on to a new generation of workers could be lost.

Embrace equality, diversity and inclusion

It is also worth broadening the scope of which parts of society future workers could come from to help improve the number of workers and breadth of skills in the industry.

Women remain under-represented in construction: in Q2 2020, there were 1.9m men in the industry in the UK compared with 289,000 women. Research by Microsoft reveals that in the UK, girls have a five-year window between 11 and 16 when they are really interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) after which their interest drops.

The industry also under-employs BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) groups. Exact levels of BAME employment in construction vary according to different sources, though one report suggested around 7.4 per cent of construction workers identified as BAME.

Figures released by the Government’s Ethnicity Facts and Figures Service in 2020 took a different approach, and analysed the percentage of ethnic groups that work in each industry sector. While 7.7 per cent of surveyed White British people worked in construction, the figures were lower for Asian (3 per cent), Indian (3.8 per cent), Black (4 per cent) and Pakistani & Bangladeshi (2.5 per cent) groups in the UK.

With the UK’s pool of talent more diverse than ever, it is important that companies make a conscious shift towards diversifying their workforce now.

Become UK industry champions

The sector needs to inspire the workforce-of-the-future by engaging with schools, colleges, industry leaders and training bodies to shake up the traditional image of the construction site and wider construction industry. Apart from the digitalisation of the industry, the sector is encouraged to recruit younger generations and minority groups to help fulfil future skills needed.

About re:build Britain

There are significant challenges for the construction sector in 2021 – but huge opportunities as well. We have launched our re:build Britain campaign to help companies in a number of sectors to navigate the next year, and beyond, successfully. Our key focus sectors will include: construction, built environment, free ports, energy and connectivity & digitalisation.

The campaign is kicking off with construction. There are major risks presented by delay and disruption, including materials shortages, contract disputes and staff shortages, and we are here to help you avoid or mitigate those risks.

However, there are huge opportunities as well – construction will be the beating heart of any economic recovery. Throughout our re:build Britain campaign we will offering grounded and practical advice to make sure your business is in the best possible shape to prosper.

After examining delay and disruption, we will look at risk and regulation, commercial and city, people and skills, modern methods of construction, digitisation and future trends.

We have launched the campaign with an easy-to-read guide to mitigating the effects of delay and disruption, which you can download here.

Source: FE News

Contour Crafting’s 3D concrete printing technology. Image via CC Corp.

 

A project carried out by the Tsinghua University’s School of Architecture has successfully constructed a 3D printed concrete bookstore in Shanghai’s Wisdom Bay Innovation Park.

The bookstore is due to open to the public at the end of January, and was printed on-site in three weeks, project lead He Yuting told the Global Times.

The building, which will reportedly be China’s first 3D printed concrete bookstore, is the latest in a string of structures based at the innovation park that have been designed and built using additive manufacturing.

3D printing in Wisdom Bay

Built on the former site of a wool textile mill, the Wisdom Bay Innovation Park has been named Shanghia’s first popular science park. Here, more than 300 companies from across the globe engage in 3D printing, intelligent micro manufacturing, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) robotics projects. Wisdom Bay is also reportedly home to the world’s only 3D printing museum.

In 2019, a 26.3 meter-long and 3.6 meter-wide concrete bridge, hailed the world’s largest at the time, was completed and installed in the park. The project was also carried out by Tsinghua University, which 3D printed the concrete components in 450 hours.

Constructing the bookstore

The project team used “fiber concrete” as the 3D printing material to construct the bookstore in order to resist compression and earthquake effects. Equipped with an underfloor heating system, the building has a floor space of 30 square meters and is able to accommodate 15 people at any one time.

The team printed the structure in three parts. The main outer round wall was printed in-situ, while the roof and the remaining part of the outer wall were printed separately. Now that the printing of the bookstore has been completed, it will be decorated before opening to the public at the end of January.

A new chapter for concrete 3D printing

Concrete 3D printing is being increasingly utilized within the building and construction sector, in many cases providing a cheaper, faster, and low-waste alternative to conventional construction techniques. Optimizing the concrete printing process has been the subject of several recent and ongoing research projects, as has the development of new concrete compositions suitable for rapid additive manufacturing and innovative printing methods.

The US Governent’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has previously demonstrated the potential military applications of concrete 3D printing in partnership with Texas-based construction firm ICON, while concrete specialists QUIKRETE and Contour Crafting Corporation (CC Corp) have partnered for the automated construction of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings in Los Angeles using CC Corp’s concrete printing technology.

Facilities dedicated to the advancement of concrete 3D printing have also sprung up, including 3D concrete specialist Vertico’s new concrete printing facility in Eindhoven which is designed to accelerate its commercial and architectural building applications. Elsewhere, the American University in Dubai announced plans to establish a scientific research center for 3D printing concrete buildings in collaboration with Dubai-based 3D printing service bureau, 3DVinci Creations.

 

Source: 3D Printing Idustry

 

 

 

Shearwater Energy, which describes itself as a UK-based hybrid clean energy company, is developing a wind-small modular reactor and hydrogen production hybrid energy project in North Wales. Shearwater says it has selected the SMR (Small Modular Reactor) technology being developed by NuScale and has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US company to further collaboration in advancing the proposed project.

The project would provide 3 GWe of zero-carbon energy and is also expected to produce over 3 million kilograms of green hydrogen per year for use by the UK’s transport sector, “ensuring full utilisation of the energy produced”, Shearwater said. The company has submitted a proposal to the UK government and the devolved governments of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Under the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), Shearwater and NuScale will generally explore opportunities for the combined generation of nuclear power based on NuScale’s leading SMR technology, offshore wind energy and hydrogen production at sites in the UK, with a flagship opportunity being explored at Wylfa on Anglesey. As international renewable energy portfolios grow, this collaboration highlights the increasing momentum and need for more flexible and reliable low-carbon energy generation.

NuScale’s assessment of the UK supply chain concluded that more than 75% of the content of a NuScale plant could be sourced within the UK, Shearwater said.

“Combining low-carbon generating technologies enables us to achieve similar performance characteristics to large thermal plants without the high cost, long construction time and environmental legacy,” Shearwater CEO Simon Forster said.

“When fully developed, an SMR-wind plant at Wylfa will provide 3 GW of reliable, zero-carbon electricity at a fraction of the cost of a conventional nuclear power station with surplus energy generation focused on the production of hydrogen to support the transport sector’s transition to low-carbon fuels. Power generation at Wylfa could begin as early as 2027,” he said.

 

 

John Hopkins, chairman and CEO of NuScale Power, added in the same statement: “NuScale looks forward to demonstrating the innovative features of our SMR design, and how our load following capability is a perfect complement to Shearwater’s offshore wind project as the country seeks to meet its clean energy goals.”

The UK recently announced plans to expand offshore wind capacity by 2030 and invest in SMR development to meet net-zero carbon emissions goals by 2050.

A Shearwater-NuScale wind-nuclear energy system will provide reliable, load following power to overcome intermittency and grid stability issues, Shearwater said. Additionally, the green hydrogen it produces will support industry, transport, power and homes “providing a further opportunity for decarbonisation and affordable energy security”, it said.

In August last year, NuScale became the first SMR developer ever to receive design approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NuScale says that its first power company customer will be breaking ground in 2023 in the US state of Idaho.

Its SMR design – the NuScale Power Module – is a pressurised water reactor with all the components for steam generation and heat exchange incorporated into a single integrated unit. The company said in November last year that, following value engineering efforts using advanced testing and modelling tools, it had concluded that the unit could generate 77 MWe (gross) per module, or about 924 MWe for a 12-module power plant. The increased power output comes without any major changes to the NPM technology.

Source: World Nuclear News

 

Support for all of those involved in the housing market, from renters and buyers to builders, and measures to help the construction industry to work safely during the pandemic, has led to an increase in the number of completed homes, new housebuilding figures show.

The official statistics show 35,710 homes were started in July to September 2020 – a 111% increase when compared to the previous quarter – while, 45,000 homes were completed in the same period, representing a 185% increase on the previous quarter.

Today’s figures reflect the housing and construction industry’s resilience and measures they have taken to keep building sites open, in line with public health advice.

 

 

Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:

“Today’s figures show that the number of new homes developers have started building have more than doubled compared to the previous quarter and the number of completed homes has almost tripled.”

“This reflects the government’s commitment throughout the pandemic to support industry to enable construction sites to remain open and operate safely.”

“We extended planning permission deadlines and flexible working hours on sites so that builders, architects and developers have been able to continue working, while following public health advice.”

“In turn this has protected millions of jobs, from builders, through to estate agents and carpenters.”

“The housing industry is key to our economic recovery, which is why we’re investing £12 billion in affordable housing, providing £400 million to build more homes on brownfield land, and investing £7.1 billion for a new National Home Building Fund over the next 4 years, unlocking up to 860,000 homes.”

 

Source: Property Notify

 

UK’S 1^ST COHESIVE HOMES SCHEME, TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY OF NOTTINGHAM

Ambitious plans for a ‘ground-breaking’ cohesive-use scheme at Nottingham’s The Island Quarter development have been submitted.

The latest phase – which is the flagship of Conygar’s The Island Quarter development – would include a 223-room hotel, 247 residential apartments and an extensive food and beverage area.

James Dilley, director at architect Jestico+Whiles, says the design focuses on the spirit of community, conviviality and collaboration. “The design we have brought forward really reflects the synergy of uses that the wider scheme will create, and we hope will create a ripple effect across the entire site and across Nottingham itself.”

Richard Watson of developer Conygar adds: “The Island Quarter is the biggest city-centre regeneration schemes in the UK, and we believe it is vital for the development to bring something outstanding to Nottingham, for which the city and the Midlands can be proud of.”

“We are fortunate to have a site in Nottingham with its great heritage and an international reputation – with developments such as this and, among other schemes, the renovation of Nottingham Castle, we want to ensure it retains its rightful place as the Queen of the Midlands and a core UK city.”

The proposal is believed to be the UK’s first cohesive-use development, incorporating multiple uses within the same flowing space, similar to Roppongi Hills in Tokyo.

Several aspects of the design have been created to meet changing needs in the aftermath of the pandemic, such as flexible spaces, relaxing community areas and green public realm.

David Jones, director at Axis Planning, which has coordinated all planning-related inputs on the scheme since its inception, comments: “This latest phase of the Island Quarter is ground-breaking in a number of ways. The ground floor provides an extensive, mixed-use food and beverage-led experience incorporating restaurant, bar, forum and atrium space in a way that hasn’t been done before in the UK.”

“The mix of linked buildings together with integral and adjacent open spaces provides a fluidity within the development which will be essential in a post-Covid world. We’re convinced this will create a truly unique experience for people to visit and to stay, live, work and play.”

The Island Quarter masterplan, which received outline planning approval in April 2019, has been designed with a full lifecycle of uses, ranging from student housing, office space and community living.

SKY EDGE, SHEFFIELD

The first phase of properties to be released at a new Sheffield development has been unveiled by UK Build to Rent developer Placefirst.

Skye Edge, a £16.5 million housing development, is set to ‘create a thriving family community’ of 113 new homes comprising 69 three-bedroom and 44 four-bedroom townhouses.

Situated at the boundary of Norfolk Heritage Park and the Manor Area of Sheffield, the scheme promises a 270-degree view of the cityscape and moorland to the west. The site had remained vacant and awaiting redevelopment since 2005.

The first 21 properties and show home are now open to the public for viewings. Each home maintains modern living with stylish interiors and practical layouts. They feature a separate lounge and kitchen, with residents able to enjoy both private and communal garden spaces.

Skye Edge is a 10-minute walk to the city centre and is nearby to seven primary and secondary schools. Economic growth in Sheffield is also outperforming other regional cities and is on target to create an additional 70,000 jobs by 2025.

The scheme is underpinned by Placefirst’s aim to offer a viable alternative to home ownership. As well as letting properties, the developer designs, builds, maintains and manages the homes. Work on the development is expected to be completed in the autumn of 2021.

David Mawson, chief executive for Placefirst, comments: “Offering arguably the best views in Sheffield, this is a major landmark development for us and one which we feel will be embraced by families seeking quality built homes and superb commuter routes into the city centre.”

“Expensive house prices can be out of reach for many hard-working families. We therefore believe that renting can be a long-term alternative to buying a house and feel this development will appeal to those wanting the security of moving to a new home for the rest of their life – without the financial pressure of being saddled with a mortgage.”

“We look forward to welcoming people to Skye Edge to view our beautiful new homes and experience the views they have to offer,” he concludes.

 

EMERGENCY HOUSING SCHEME, HIGH WYCOMBE

An installation phase for 58 apartments in High Wycombe has also been completed as part of a £9 million emergency housing scheme.

Due for completion this summer, the project is being delivered by an innovative partnership between off-site construction specialists Premier Modular and Claritas Group.

Manufactured and fully fitted out off-site, the highly sustainable apartments are being completed in a much shorter timescale to help meet the rising demand for housing for homeless people.

Each home arrived on-site complete with shower rooms and kitchens. The apartments are built around a central courtyard which will provide a valuable amenity space for residents.

“There is an urgent need across the UK for emergency accommodation for people, who, often through no fault of their own, have become homeless,” says Dan Allison, director of Premier Modular.

“These individuals and families need housing for a short period of time, while a more permanent place is found for them to live. Offsite construction is very well suited to building this type of housing.”

“As well as meeting the required standards for quality and sustainability, we can reduce the completion time to deliver new homes more quickly for people on emergency housing waiting lists.”

The building has been designed to enhance the local area and to deliver a high standard of environmental performance. The energy-efficient ‘fabric first approach’ to the development’s construction will increase the level of insulation, reduce heat loss and air infiltration, and will use roof-mounted solar panels to generate electricity.

Jon Wardle, chief executive officer of Claritas Group, adds: “Temporary housing is a challenge for many local authorities. We are extremely proud to be involved in this exciting project with Buckinghamshire Council and Premier Modular.”

“Our innovative partnership with Premier combined with the Council’s ambition and desire to think MMC first, are providing measurable benefits in time, cost and quality.”

 

PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS, LANCASHIRE

A ‘pivotal’ residential development featuring 250 properties with photovoltaic (PV) solar panels has completed in Nelson and Colne in Lancashire.

Delivered by social housing provider Together Housing Association, supply chain partners Avonside Group and structural engineers Howard Ward Associates (HWA), the scheme is the result of a three-year project to help revolutionise the sector’s usage of renewable energy.

The £2 million project sees 170 of Together Housing’s homes in Colne and 80 properties in Nelson fitted with solar panels, as well as on-site battery storage units which fill with solar energy during the day, storing power for use whenever it is needed.

The solar panels were delivered by Avonside Renewables, a division of Avonside Group. It appointed HWA in 2019 to assess the different types of properties, determining which were suitable and had the capacity for solar panels and battery systems.

The project marks a significant step towards converting England’s homes to renewable energy sources, and to the UK’s target of becoming a net-zero country by 2050.

Residents of the properties have reported substantial cost savings during the first few months since the solar panels and battery storage units were installed. They can expect to save as much as £300 per year on their energy bills.

There is the potential to roll out the project to 20,000 of Together Housing’s 37,000-plus homes across the country once the success of the landmark scheme has been assessed.

Giles Ward, director at HWA, says: “As one of the largest projects of its kind in social housing, we were proud to impart our expertise to help determine the feasibility of the properties. It was a pleasure to work with Avonside Group, which has worked with many businesses and organisations in multi sectors, to reduce carbon emissions.”

Etienne Hilaire, branch manager at Avonside Group, adds: “Solar and storage systems offer social housing providers the opportunity to open up many cost-saving and energy-reducing benefits to both their tenants and their business.”

“This was a substantial project for Together Housing and it’s fantastic what has been delivered. We have already seen the positive impact this is having, with tenants in Colne and Nelson reporting a reduction in their energy bills, thus helping to combat fuel poverty.”

He concludes: “The potential to roll this project out to similar housing schemes around the UK could have an incredible impact on our energy consumption on a national scale.”

 

Source: Property Investor Today