Construction Manager February 2019

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 | WWW.CONSTRUCTIONMANAGERMAGAZINE.COM

FEBRUARY 2019 For members of the CIOB

WILLMOTT DIXON

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

WILLMOTT DIXON CEO RICK WILLMOTT: WHY VALUING STAFF MAKES A DIFFERENCE

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 CONTENTS

02/19

Switchboard +44 (0)20 7490 5595 Editor Will Mann 020 3865 1032 will.m@atompublishing.co.uk Associate editor Neil Gerrard 020 3865 1031 neil@atompublishing.co.uk Production editor Sarah Cutforth Art editor Heather Rugeley Community editor Nicky Roger Redesign art director Mark Bergin Advertising manager Dave Smith 0203 865 1029 Key account manager Tom Peardon 0203 865 1030 Credit control Eva Rugeley Managing director Stephen Quirke

In this issue

28

Circulation Net average 30,699 Audit period: July 2016 to June 2017 Subscriptions To subscribe or for enquiries, please contact: Subscription team Tel: 020 7199 0069 Or go online at: https://constructionmanager.isubscribe.co.uk Or write to us at the address below: Construction Manager Published for the Chartered Institute of Building by Atom Publishing, 3 Waterhouse Square, 138 Holborn, London EC1N 2SW Tel: +44 (0)20 7490 5595 firstname@atompublishing.co.uk Editorial advisory board Mark Beard FCIOB, Ann Bentley, Ian Eggers, Peter Caplehorn, Harvey Francis, Professor Jacqui Glass FCIOB, Paul Morrell, James Pellatt, Nick Raynsford, Richard Saxon, Andy von Bradsky, Phil Wade Construction Manager is published monthly by Atom Publishing. The contents of this magazine are copyright. Reproduction in part or in full is forbidden without permission of the editor. The opinions expressed by writers of signed articles (even with pseudonyms) and letters appearing in the magazine are those of their respective authors, and neither the CIOB, Atom Publishing nor Construction Manager is responsible for these opinions or statements. The editor will give careful consideration to material submitted – articles, photographs, drawings and so on – but does not undertake responsibility for damage or their safe return. Printed by The Wyndeham Group. All rights in the magazine, including copyright, content and design, are owned

by CIOB and/or Atom Publishing. ISSN 1360 3566

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38

News 04 CLT and combustibles ban 06 Data: Product imports 08 CIOB launches quality drive 10 Rick Willmott interview

20 24 26

Technical Galliford Try site simulation Balfour Beatty HAVs strategy Futurebuild 2019

Legal 44 Informal arrangements 45 Milestone payments

28 32 34 36

Timber Facing the combustibles ban Structural timber use Timber and air quality Innovative timber projects

Opinion 14 Implementing Hackitt 15 Platform-based working 16 Mental health on site 18 Chris Blythe 19 Feedback: Readers’ views

BIM & Digital 38 Round table: consultants

Community 46 CMYA entries open 47 CIOB conservation courses 51 Meet a member

Training & Recruitment 58 Acoustic Associates Sussex

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04-12

News

06 DATA: PRODUCT IMPORTS 08 CIOB LAUNCHES QUALITY DRIVE 10 RICK WILLMOTT INTERVIEW

News in pictures

CLT advocates defiant over combustible ban Proponents of structural timber have told CM that including the material in the government’s ban on combustibles for buildings over 18m is wrong.

Anthony Thistleton, founding partner of Waugh Thistleton Architects, which has used cross-laminated timber (CLT) widely on projects (including Sugar House Island in east London, pictured), said: “The inclusion of CLT within this ban is not merited by the evidence. We are now working closely with the industry to try to get a ban that is more reflective of the risk.”

However, Tim Carey, national product director at Willmott Dixon, warned that it was becoming “difficult” to get insurance for engineered timber. He told CM the contractor was recently unable to get cover to build a 15-storey CLT tower block. As the material was a requirement for the customer’s architect, Willmott Dixon had to decline the opportunity.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we start to see exclusion clauses relating to CLT appearing in insurance documents,” Carey added.

See Timber, p28-31.

Sugar House Island in east London, designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects, uses cross-laminated timber

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3D-printed wood Columbia University, New York, has replicated the internal and external structure of timber using a 3D printer.

For daily updates on the latest news, go to constructionmanagermagazine.com

ISG wins Lord’s stands deal

News in quotes

ISG has won a deal to build two stands at Lord’s cricket ground in London in a redevelopment scheme worth £50m, after Westminster City Council granted full planning permission to Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

ISG will construct two new three-tier stands to replace the existing Compton and Edrich stands. The redevelopment of the stands forms the second phase of the ground’s updated masterplan.

“If I had known then what I know now, I would have set the fire alarm off.”

Crossrail chief executive Mark Wild tells members of the London Assembly that the delayed Crossrail is far more complicated than anyone realised and a December 2018 opening would have been impossible.

HS2 installs Euston crane The first tower crane to be used on the HS2 project has been erected in London.

The 66m-high crane was delivered to Euston station and assembled over four days in January. It is the first of three in the Euston area and comes ahead of the demolition of One Euston Square and Grant Thornton House, which stand above the entrance and exit to Euston’s old underground taxi rank.

Expected to take around 10 months to complete, their removal will be the biggest change to the Euston skyline for almost 50 years.

Kier trials four-wheeled robot Kier is one of three international contractors trialling new robotic technology designed to automate onsite progress tracking and check for health and safety hazards. The four-wheeled robot, developed

by European start-up Scaled Robotics, is fitted with a range of sensors that enable it to manoeuvre autonomously around a building site and capture detailed 3D survey scans and panoramic photos of ongoing construction. Online software then compares the 3D as-built survey information against the original BIM model to identify any discrepancies or deviations from the design.

MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 NEWS

“My bill would not only protect small businesses from losing money owed to them should the tier one supplier become insolvent, as Carillion did, but stop small businesses being paid late by large companies.”

Labour MP Debbie Abrahams on her bill to make project bank accounts mandatory on public sector projects over £500,000, which has a second reading, scheduled for 1 March.

“I would like to know when we might get back to a normal functioning government.”

Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn voices his frustration with the uncertainty around Brexit, following the defeat of prime minister Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement in parliament in January.

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NEWS FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

£89.7m

Data

Where do UK construction products come from?

Construction imports could suffer in the event of a no-deal Brexit, as it emerged that 60.5% of all products on UK projects came from the EU in 2017.

The rising cost of cladding replacement In January, details emerged of how the cost of replacing cladding on five buildings on the Chalcots Estate in London has risen fourfold:

£56m

January 2018: Cost of a solid aluminium panel system for all five blocks estimated to cost £22m.

March 2018: Scope of works extended to full replacement of curtain wall system. Cost estimated at £31m. Cladding cost revised upwards to £25m. Total cost: £56m.

£22m

January 2019: Council documents reveal that Wates’ initial tender for the works totals £89.7m after the scope of the project was progressed again, with engineers establishing a specification for an A1-rated fire safety system as well as other works.

JANUARY 2018

39.5%

60.5%

SOURCE: BEIS

EU imports

News in numbers The proportion of the top 150 UK contractors still confident in the future, despite fears about a return of socalled “suicide bidding”, according to a survey by law firm CMS.

JANUARY 2019

Prompt payment?

Non-EU imports

52%

MARCH 2018

15%

Proportion of high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings where cladding remediation is complete 18 months on from the Grenfell Tower disaster.

The Cabinet Office is responsible for developing prompt payment policy in the public sector but figures show it failed to meet its own target of paying 80% of undisputed invoices within five days and 100% within 30 days.

It blamed a new finance system and said it was confident of meeting future targets.

347

The number of new modular homes to be built in Birkenhead as part of a £55m JV between Peel and Urban Splash.

0

Financial year 2018/19

n Percentage invoices paid within 5 days n Percentage invoices paid within 30 days 0%

The number of Crossrail stations that would have been ready by the planned December opening, according to Crossrail CEO Mark Wild.

100%

3m

The number of new social and council homes needed across England according to a cross-party commission and housing charity Shelter.

600

The number of years the Temple area of the City of London has housed barristers, where Sir Robert McAlpine will oversee refurbishment of the Inner Temple, one of the four Inns of Court.

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Galliford Try’s project simulator, p20

MPs join CIOB for launch of quality drive

STUART BAILEY X2

PARLIAMENTARY RECEPTION WELCOMES INSTITUTE’S LATEST PUBLICATION

MPs Eddie Hughes and Roberta Blackman-Woods

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) launched a new report aimed at improving quality in the built environment in front of MPs and senior industry figures.

The report, Improving Quality in the Built Environment, was presented at a parliamentary reception hosted by Eddie Hughes MP. MPs and industry figures heard about the outcomes of the CIOB’s Construction Quality Commission, which was set up to identify what promotes or prevents delivery of quality in construction and the steps needed to bring about change.

Hughes, MP for Walsall North, said that 30 years ago industry standards were somewhat different but we have now reached a point where a culture of “health and safety is the way we work” and firmly embedded within the sector. He called for those present to support the CIOB’s work, adding: “I want to see that same cultural shift with regard to construction quality.”

Paul Nash, chairman of the commission, added: “Quality, or rather the failure of quality, is arguably the most important issue facing the construction industry today.” He then outlined what the CIOB report focuses on: “Our research identified… an underlying cultural issue in the industry. Quality was being sacrificed to achieve targets.”

Nash, a CIOB past president, then spoke of one of the key outcomes of the

commission’s work, the forthcoming Code of Quality Practice.

“Today we are announcing the launch of a consultation on the code,” he said, adding that the intention behind this was to set standards for the industry to achieve and “provide practitioners with the tools and processes needed to deliver quality on construction projects”. He concluded by saying: “There is never an excuse for poor quality.”

Roberta Blackman-Woods, MP for the City of Durham and shadow minister for housing, communities and local government, added her voice to the debate. She welcomed the CIOB’s report, saying: “I think the work you are doing is really important and I’m glad to see that improving the quality of the built environment has gone up the political agenda.”

New impetus after Grenfell The institute’s Construction Quality Commission was launched in early 2017 in response to a report into defects that led to the closure of a number of Edinburgh schools.

It was given a new impetus following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.

Led by a group of the CIOB’s past presidents, it has worked with members and other industry organisations to identify the main issues with regard to quality in construction.

The Improving Quality in the Built Environment report is now available on the CIOB website. ●

Quality alarm bells over permitted development plans The government has been urged not to continue with its policy of permitted development, which sees the rapid conversion of offices into homes, amid concerns that it leads to the creation of substandard housing.

The government is currently consulting on planning reports. Its consultation document, Planning Reform: Supporting the High Street and Increasing the Delivery of New Homes,

suggests plans will introduce flexibility to react to local circumstances by allowing employment space to be converted into residential easily.

But both the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have warned that the policy could have damaging consequences and has already led to a decline in standards in England since it was

established in 2013, with some new homes as small as 13 sq m – smaller than some hotel rooms.

A CIOB spokesman said: “The CIOB in their response to the chancellor’s 2018 budget urged caution in simplifying the process for converting commercial buildings to housing. At a time when building quality is under severe scrutiny, there is a need for the policy to be developed alongside the

building regulations review and the Hackitt implementation plan.”

RIBA president Ben Derbyshire said: “These proposals would enable homes to be built without any scrutiny – undermining the planning system and resulting in a race to the bottom to create the cheapest possible housing.

It is unacceptable that families end up living in developments like these.”

See Feedback, p19

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NEWS FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Interview

‘IT’S VITAL WE RESPECT OUR PEOPLE AS INDIVIDUALS’

PHOTOGRAPHY: TIM FOSTER

THIS MONTH, CM LAUNCHES A NEW SERIES OF CEO INTERVIEWS – TALKING TO THE PEOPLE HEADING CONSTRUCTION’S LEADING ORGANISATIONS ABOUT HOW THEY WILL MEET THE SKILLS REQUIREMENTS OF THEIR WORKFORCES IN A FAST-CHANGING INDUSTRY. FIRST UP, WILL MANN SPEAKS TO WILLMOTT DIXON’S GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE, RICK WILLMOTT

“It is easy for the company to concentrate solely on its proclaimed activity, with little or no reference to the environment and society of which it forms a part. At Willmott we have, for a long time, recognised our responsibility to help wherever the advice or services our employees can be of use.”

The quote comes from Willmott Dixon’s then chairman Peter Willmott in the 1978 annual report. Four decades later, his son Rick, the current group chief executive,

reckons “those words pretty much sum up our philosophy today”.

He has plenty of evidence to prove that Willmott Dixon “walks the walk” – from training and developing staff and suppliers to social value programmes. But Willmott recognises these are fast-changing times for the industry.

An ongoing digital transformation, ethics and professionalism in the spotlight, and then Brexit – however it plays out – which has put construction’s skills shortage into even sharper focus.

“Why would anyone join this industry given the Brexit uncertainty?” Willmott says. “At the moment, we feel an inability to influence anything because of the political situation which is very frustrating. It has become very difficult to track ministerial changes and the industry needs to lobby for a minister who can speak up for construction, at a time when we’re losing so many EU workers.”

“In the meantime, what we can do is try to set ourselves up in a way that we continue

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 NEWS

60% to attract people, customers and suppliers who will work with us.”

That includes increasing diversity among its new recruits. The Willmott Dixon Group, which employs 2,500 people, has a set a target of being gender-neutral by 2030.

“Traditionally, we fish from a very maledominated pool of individuals and we miss out on half the population,” says Willmott.

“All the evidence shows, if you have a balanced scorecard on diversity, you perform better.”

He admits the target “has generated some interesting feedback”.

“Male staff members were asking, ‘will we be positively discriminated against?’, and the females were saying, ‘are you dropping the bar on standards?’” Willmott says. “I said, ‘absolutely not’, to both questions.

“Our recruitment statistics show that 38% of male candidates are employed, and 35% of female candidates. So we’re not discriminating against anyone. But we need to get more women through the interview process.”

Currently, 25% of staff are female, though the firm had a 51% female management trainee intake in 2018, so the strategy is moving in the right direction.

Beyond traditional recruiting Willmott Dixon has also started a returners programme, Welcome Back, which offers women a trial at the company, even if they lack industry experience. For its first intake, the company received over 100 applications, with four women picked for a 20-week paid placement, to finish later this month. Willmott says the company will use agile working, flexible working and “as much as tech as possible” to help the programme.

On the topic of technology, becoming more digitally enabled will also help draw recruits from beyond that traditional pool, Willmott believes. “There are two key points here,” he says. “Firstly, the millennial generation is obviously very digitally enabled, as well as caring more about issues like sustainable development. Secondly, there are huge

Rick Willmott on... ...Quality

“The cost of errors is high. If we could rid that from every part of the business, 5% margins are achievable” …Professionalism

“All members of our construction operations teams are encouraged to be CIOB members – that stamp of professionalism is a third-party assessment of an individual’s capability” …Paying suppliers

“We want our suppliers to reflect our values, which means, I hope, they pay their suppliers on time as well. It falls apart for everybody when people don’t play the game” productivity benefits to BIM – fewer clashes, better coordination, less wasted work.

“It is a big part of our training, because all our Scape work is at BIM Level 2, so 60% of our site workers will be working to that level.”

He points to the “BIM Cave” at the company’s Birmingham office, where the immersive environment allows Willmott Dixon to explain a building’s design and construction to customers or potential recruits, using 3D models and 280-degree videos.

Willmott Dixon’s Scape work is at BIM Level 2, so 60% of site workers are working to that level

“It is great for non-professionals who don’t understand 2D drawings, and can be really useful for clients – at the Menai Science Park project, we used our BIM model to help sell commercial space to tenants,” Willmott explains.

He expects data from finished projects to grow in importance: “We have developed our digital reporting tools so that every project we complete is reported in the same way, which makes it easier for ourselves and our customers to access and make use of all this data.”

Willmott Dixon has also encouraged its supply chain to come forward with digital ideas, which led to the current trial of an exoskeleton, provided by tech firm Ekso Bionics, on a site in Wales.

Supply chain relations The company’s supply chain relations are strong, exemplified by its position at the head of the Build UK payment league, paying its suppliers more quickly than any other member.

“It is about ethics,” says Willmott. “And as part of our Brexit protection plans, we need good suppliers who want to work for us. We can only deliver projects using our supply chain, so if we don’t pay them on time, it will have a knock-on effect on our own business.”

Willmott also recognises that suppliers are key to quality, which he describes as “a massive issue” for the industry.

“We keep a record of how much we’ve had to spend on rework, and year on year we’re seeing it come down dramatically, helped by good quality management systems,” he explains.

This is also about understanding what “quality” looks like, says Willmott. Last year, the company launched its “Yellow Book”, a manual which brings more standardisation to design choices, with the aim of flushing out defects through high repeatability and ultimately providing better quality outcomes.

“It is born of a belief that, if we ask 10 architects to detail, for example, a window reveal, they would each come up with a design that conformed to the required standard 11

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…Social value

“When you scratch below the surface in the communities where we work, the level of deprivation is staggering.

Big business has a duty to assist and make that more of its purpose” – but every single one would be different!” says Willmott. “So, with the Yellow Book, we are saying, ‘this is our design and that’s what you will get’.”

Quality management has, of course, been a key focus for the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) over the past year, and Willmott says: “All members of our operational teams are encouraged to be Chartered Institute of Building members – that stamp of professionalism is a third-party assessment of an individual’s capability.” The group also led with the CIOB on its modern slavery campaign, and gives strict guidelines to all its supply chain on their obligations.

Driving ethical initiatives Willmott Dixon’s ethical values extend into the communities where it works. Although the Social Value Act was passed in 2012, Willmott says there have been “limited obligations on a contractor” to date. But in November, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington announced “new rules to drive social change” through public procurement, and Willmott says customers are now asking construction to step up.

“We’ve already done the thinking, with initiatives like Ready for the Gate, working with offenders at HM Prison Elmley – we opened a new dry-lining academy there last month – and our Building Lives Academy in Croydon,” Willmott says. The Croydon scheme, a ‘pop up’ academy that can move from site to

site as projects complete, won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise and Willmott Dixon now plans to migrate it round the country.

The company is also beta-testing a social value reporting tool. “It allows customers to choose from a shopping list of social value initiatives – such as homelessness, work experience, young offenders – which they would like us to roll out in their community, and can be up to 15% of project value,” Willmott says.

Measuring social value is difficult, he acknowledges, and the company currently uses the National TOMs (themes, outcomes, measures) framework. “It’s a bit arbitrary but you have to start somewhere,” Willmott says.

Willmott Dixon staff feedback shows it is doing something right. Now in its 10th year, the engagement score of the latest annual staff survey was 83%. “The company which runs the scheme says 60% is ‘world class’,” says Willmott. The group also ranked 14th in the 2017 Sunday Times Best Companies To Work For league table.

That can be attributed partly to its social value work, and its attitude to training – “We actually increased training during the recession, when other companies were cutting it,” says Willmott – but it’s also down to the company’s belief in looking after its people.

“Our staff spend the majority of their time with colleagues and in work premises the company provides, so if they are unhappy, then we’ve not really done our duty,” says Willmott.

“It’s vital they feel respected as an individual. All our managing directors will meet anyone we bring into business. They each look after around 250 people – with that number we think they should be able to know everyone in their part of the business, and not pass someone in the corridor and think ‘who is that?’.

“We also consider their families,” Willmott continues. “We had a recent instance of a new joiner who was diagnosed with cancer three months later. But our insurance meant he received 18 months’ income, and happily

Rick Willmott CV l Joined Willmott Dixon in 1982 as a project management trainee. l Seconded to Department of the Environment in 1993. l Appointed group chief executive in 2008. l Fifth family member to lead the business since its founding in 1852. l Set up and chairs the Willmott Dixon Foundation, the group’s charitable arm. l UKGBC trustee.

he is now in full remission. His wife wrote to us saying ‘he wouldn’t have got that support anywhere else’. These are tough things to talk about, but we believe in providing that vital safety net.

“We think long and hard about the individual’s needs, and the difference an individual can make to an organisation. If we can meet their expectations, and harness their potential, then we create an environment for sustainable development.” ●

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Your reputation wasn’t built overnight Make sure it’s in safe hands

Leading the way since 1936 NHBC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

NHBC is registered in England & Wales under company number 00320784. NHBC’s registered address is NHBC House, Davy Avenue, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK5 8FP. P034 01/19

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OPINION FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

14-19

Opinion Gavin Dunn CABE

Hackitt: Full implementation is not a quick fix KEY PLAYERS IN ANY NEW REGULATORY REGIME MUST NOT BE CONFLICTED ABOUT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND ROLES AND GETTING THE IMPLEMENTATION RIGHT WILL TAKE TIME, ARGUES GAVIN DUNN

News that the government has pledged to implement the Hackitt Review of Building Regulations in full is welcome. While the implementation plan might in places appear light on detail, this should not necessarily be seen as a bad thing if it results in the right decisions being made to ensure delivery of the effective and sustainable regulatory framework that we all want in the longer term.

The review of fire safety requirements and guidance in the Building Regulations is ongoing, with the government continuing to respond to concerns on technical standards. This is already leading to quite complex transitional arrangements for industry which need to be kept under review and which are indicative of future challenges in rolling out reform at a pace which balances political appetite, consumer demand and industry capability.

Clear roles and responsibilities A key consideration in the ultimate design of the new building regulatory regime

must be to ensure that it does not leave key players conflicted about their roles and responsibilities.

Regulators must also be able to enforce effectively wherever needed, while clients and their agents (designers, contractors, installers) must be in no doubt that responsibility rests with them and that safety is not “somebody else’s problem”.

It was recently reported that one of the Grenfell survivor groups has called for the new housing regulator to completely separate economic interests from enforcement of conduct. This is a simple principle that may indeed create the clarity of roles and consistency of compliance that is needed.

Certainly, central to all aspects of reform must be a genuine change in our industry culture, and we should welcome the principle of government’s (as-yet-unpublished) proposals for a Building Safety Charter, which I hope will be something that the industry as a whole can adopt from top to bottom. This should provide

persistent reinforcement of our individual and collective responsibility to the people who will occupy and live or work nearby to the buildings we design, construct or manage.

While some may take umbrage at being lectured on ethics, we need to accept that as memories fade, it will be all too easy to revert to old behaviours. For decades our industry has been shaped by client demand for lowest price delivery above and beyond all other considerations. As a result, changing culture so that we think clearly about personal impacts first and foremost will take more than a simple acknowledgement today: it is something we need to hardwire into our daily working lives in the long term.

There needs to be a fundamental shift across industry, away from a focus on cut-throat competition to win work, to a focus on the surety of delivery and performance. After all, if we can move beyond the overly simplistic, lowest capital cost culture to one of best value, the opportunities (and economic benefits) to add value from quality design and construction go way beyond managing safety alone.

Transform the industry as a whole While the current proposals for regulatory reform are focused on high-risk residential buildings (HRRB), if that transformation in quality can be achieved for one part of the industry, then why not for the industry as a whole? If the system is as broken as Dame Judith Hackitt states, then perhaps now is the time to look at how to fix some of the construction sector’s underlying problems in a more holistic sense.

As an industry we need to understand this isn’t a sprint to a quick fix – we may be looking at a decade or more of reform. That journey will be entirely worthwhile if in the end we are all working in a transformed industry that people can trust. ● Gavin Dunn is chief executive of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE).

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 OPINION

Jaimie Johnston Bryden Wood

can make the common components. This, of itself, creates economies of scale and dramatically increases productivity, but many other benefits follow:

Building on platforms THE CONCEPT OF A PLATFORMBASED APPROACH HAS BEEN GAINING TRACTION, AND LATE LAST YEAR THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD USE IT TO DELIVER ITS COMMITMENT TO MODERN METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION. JAIMIE JOHNSTON EXPLORES THE BENEFITS OF THE APPROACH AND EXAMINES WHAT COMES NEXT

Last November, Construction Manager reported on a platform approach to construction, proposed by the UK government and advocated by Bryden Wood. In the short time since, support for the idea has continued to gain momentum.

Platforms make construction a lot more like manufacturing. A digitally designed “kit of parts” can be used across many different kinds of asset, creating a high-volume, consistent demand so that a wide, diverse supply chain

Digitally driven Platforms maximise the benefits of design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA), for example, reducing time and cost, but increasing quality and certainty. This plays to the strengths of a new generation of digital natives and supports advanced, digitally enabled workflows. And with digital libraries, a platform can be part of a new, tech-driven industry, holding internet of things (IoT) sensor data and facilitating machine learning.

Architectural freedom Shared processes and componentry does not mean a common look. Mass customisation offers huge flexibility and architectural freedom. You can’t tell that a building was constructed through a platform approach by looking at it.

Lowering the barrier to employment Instead of the months or years needed to learn a trade, training need take only weeks. In work for the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Bryden Wood used design for assembly to create an easily understood system that a group of prisoners used to assemble new assets quickly and safely. So platforms offer a route back to work for prisoners and other groups such as ex-servicemen or the unemployed.

At a time when a skills shortage looms over our industry, this has to be a good thing.

The government’s stance With so many benefits, platform construction is how government will deliver its commitment to modern methods of construction. It intends to use its £600bn budget for planned infrastructure to create critical mass and effect change, with the potential to boost productivity by as much as 90%.

Implementation In the 2017 autumn Budget, government committed to “use its purchasing power to drive adoption of modern methods of construction”.

This culminated in the announcement of funding for the Core Innovation Hub (CIH) and a call for evidence on its “Proposal for a New Approach to Building” (P-DfMA). Both happened in the same week of November 2018.

Funding for the CIH is delivered through the Transforming Construction Alliance. As design lead, I will be making the work we’ve done at Bryden Wood available to test the platforms developed so far and establish the manufacturing processes and quality assurance required to deliver them. Adoption will then be scaled up. I am also on a crossgovernment working group that is looking to assist in the adoption of platforms across sectors – which demonstrates joined up thinking from government.

Bryden Wood, together with Easi Space, have invested in the Construction Platforms Research Centre. This will complement the CIH, providing another location for physical prototypes and platforms testing for private sector clients.

The work on platforms to date, for public and private sector clients, has been independently benchmarked by T&T and shows considerable capital cost savings. Against this background, our firm is working on the Heathrow expansion to see how and where platforms can assist in its delivery, especially in the optimisation of logistics hubs.

What’s next?

Bryden Wood is now looking at how platforms would facilitate automation in the design and delivery phase. This includes automated, highly digitally enabled workflows in design, and automated plant and machinery in delivery, to dramatically reduce numbers of site operatives and boost productivity. ● Jaimie Johnston is head of global systems at Bryden Wood.

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22/01/2019 15:38

OPINION FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Silvana Martin Laing O’Rourke

How Laing O’Rourke tackles mental health ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN CONSTRUCTION MEANS REACHING OUT TO A WIDE WORKFORCE DEMOGRAPHIC, EXPLAINS SILVANA MARTIN

Male site workers in construction are three times more likely to commit suicide than the average UK male, according to Office of National Statistics data. With 8,000 employees, Laing O’Rourke is one of the UK’s largest construction employers and we take our responsibility of workforce wellbeing seriously; we invite challenge and interrogation of our practices from Mind by taking part in the charity’s Workplace Wellbeing Index.

In 2015, Laing O’Rourke tried to engage employees in dealing with specific areas of mental wellbeing and help overturn the stigma around mental health issues and illness. Last year, we were awarded Silver in Mind’s Wellbeing Index, which demonstrates the impact we are making.

Also in 2018, we piloted a six-month lifestyle change to encourage adoption of a more physically and mentally healthy lifestyle across our workforce. The 320 people who took part together lost 118 stone,

saw improved sleep and energy, had better focus and concentration and an increased understanding of nutrition. Our aim for 2019 is to support our people to build resilience and capacity so they can manage the mental and physical demands of their work environment.

Our strategy has always been based on prevention and intervention. The most significant challenge we have had to address is the diversity of employees, who now range from 16 to 60+ years old and who require varied tools for communication.

Apps and online engagement At the start of our campaign, we realised not everyone wanted to engage in the channels we offered. We needed to ask “What can we provide that our workforce actually wants?” and this has led to a multi-channel approach. The younger generation don’t want to pick up a phone or meet face to face, so alongside the traditional channels we have set up apps and online engagement

tools; since implementation we have seen engagement increase by 15%.

While our support services offer professional assistance, we also have 127 mental health “champions” across the business. As well as benefiting the recipients, our champions have felt a boost to their own confidence and increased value in the work they do. This engagement is helping build a community across our workforce, and bringing the topic of mental health into the open and tackling the stigma around it.

Training in how to spot problems Creating an environment where people can talk openly is a significant step forward for us.

Results from our Mind survey in 2017 showed that the way line managers react to mental health issues can be a barrier. In response, we have developed line manager training in how to spot problems and manage them effectively. Since we introduced this in 2017, we have trained 400 managers in how to spot signs and symptoms and support their people through mental health issues.

Laing O’Rourke’s ambition is to change our internal culture and also be regarded as a leader in the industry in tackling mental health issues. We pride ourselves on our support services which include mental health literacy, the provision of mindfulness and resilience training. We are also looking to change our physical environment by transforming what is quite a traditional workplace into something that stimulates creativity and innovation.

Three years ago, we had a 3% usage of our confidential counselling line. In 18 months, this rose to 12%. This summer, in our employee engagement survey, 81% of our employees agreed their line manager would take action to support their wellbeing.

Our goal is to create an environment that allows everyone to bring the best version of themselves to work. ● Silvana Martin is health and wellbeing leader at Laing O’Rourke.

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21/01/2019 10:28

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21/01/2019 15:10

OPINION FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Chris Blythe

Chief executive CIOB

Comment

Construction’s parallel universe

CROSSRAIL

IN ORDER TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

BY THOSE OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRY, CONSTRUCTION NEEDS TO LEARN LESSONS FROM ITS OWN FAILINGS AND EMBED QUALITY IN EVERYTHING IT DOES, ARGUES CHRIS BLYTHE

Crossrail: was anyone paying attention?

The construction industry sometimes seems to inhabit a parallel universe. To those outside the industry, and those in government especially, what the industry says has very little value. Any kudos that the industry got as result of the Olympic delivery has long evaporated.

The current cycle of cynicism started with the Edinburgh schools fiasco where bricklayers seemed unable to build walls with the right ties in place, compounded with poor supervision and inadequate inspection which failed to identify the issues. How children were not killed was a miracle.

Dysfunctional industry About the same time, a housebuilder was alleged to have been involved in a scandal where it was paying people cash to move into unfinished homes, presumably to hit “completion” targets.

Imagine if you went to pick up your new car and the dealer said: ‘The car’s not finished – we still have a door to put on but we need to book the sale, so here’s £50 for you to take it out of the showroom.’ Perhaps if you worked in housebuilding you might take the deal!

Along came Grenfell Tower and what Dame Judith Hackitt said in her report came as no surprise to anyone. She characterised a dysfunctional industry full of wellintentioned people but missing the point.

As if to prove her case, the finger-pointing that followed came as no surprise.

The consultants blame the contractors, the contractors blame the client and subcontractors, the subbies blame the consultants and designers, everyone blames the lawyers, and the designers blame the regulations and the government.

Credibility gets stretched to breaking point with the Persimmon bonus lark. What sort of board of a PLC agrees such a deal and what sort of beneficiaries allow this to roll out the way it did?

“The contractors blame the client and subcontractors, the subbies blame the consultants and designers, everyone blames the lawyers” Credibility is finally shattered with Carillion. Unfinished roads, hospitals left empty, and the lives of both the people depending on Carillion for providing the means for life-saving treatment and businesses and livelihoods wrecked. It is no wonder the government has asked public contractors to prepare a “living will”.

Appreciating complexity The big project competency gloss finally went when less than three months before Crossrail was due to go into operation in December 2018, it was announced it would be delayed until December 2019.

I cannot help but think that someone was not paying attention to what was happening because I suspect anyone working underground could tell you that the opening date was impossible to meet. The criticism of Crossrail is that no one appreciated the complexity of the project.

Is there any guarantee that the same is not the case for HS2? London to Leeds and then Newcastle via Birmingham? Originally conceived to move people quickly and rejustified on grounds of extra capacity, it is already admitting that it is considering running fewer, slower trains in order to save money.

Is HS2 doomed, leaving devastation to homes and communities in its wake? Or will efforts within the industry to learn lessons and embed quality in construction bring them back to the real world? ●

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22/01/2019 15:26

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 OPINION

Consultants’ experiences with BIM Level 2, p38

Feedback A new CM/Hilti campaign will ask how construction should tackle dust control

A selection of readers’ comments about news and issues in the industry from www.constructionmanagermagazine.com CM 15/01 Quality Anthony Bonnett

Permitted development needs to be regulated but at the same time we can’t stick with the same outdated and cumbersome planning criteria which have contributed a lot to the crises.

Can building control not inspect and ensure standards are being maintained?

A predetermined list of all qualifying criteria – minimum size, materials, access – could be made available and building control then inspects before issuing an occupancy certificate. Insurers would not be allowed to insure unless the occupancy certificate were issued.

Richard JF Moore

As Anthony Bonnett stated, it is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that standards comply with the Building Regulations, which will have been approved prior to construction.

Surely, the policy of permitted development only refers to planning approval aspects and not to the specification of materials or the details of construction?

Is this debacle just another example which highlights the failure of local authority and client supervision?

CM 10/01 How to tackle dust Clive Chamberlain

As a UKATA-approved asbestos awareness and non-licensed asbestos trainer, I am in daily contact with the trades, who we must respect and care for.

The HSE’s Hidden Killer campaign has been around now for nine years. UKATA was formed 11 years ago and the excellent IOSH “No Time to Lose” campaign is well established but I find it amazing that many people still don’t understand the need to protect themselves.

Even the most basic dust control hierarchy of avoiding dust creation, control by wetting down, extraction with M-class vacs before face fit testing and use of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) are widely misunderstood.

We need more site discipline, coupled with good practical training. We also need more enforcement officers in local authorities and the HSE.

CM 08/01 Manchester refurb Sean Morgan

After years working in the construction industry both on site and at management level, the problem with dust control has never been really addressed. It is always the subcontractor’s problem, never the main contractor’s problem. I am not aware of anyone who has been prosecuted for lack of dust control, pollution, damage to adjacent property or vehicles.

Denis Lawler

When you travel around sites like I do, it’s frightening to see the complete lack of care given to protecting site operatives from the effects of dust: concrete dust, wood dust, plasterboard dust. All construction dust is dangerous. The HSE needs to take a strong stand with companies who fail to protect their employees.

Geoffrey Williams

Manchester Town Hall is a fine building with a historical background.

The wood content in its structure means that it is susceptible to a high fire risk. It is important to feature the highest standards to ensure protection against fire.

A proven fireproof cable like type MICC (mineral insulated non-ageing), must be considered to ensure that fire protection and the electrical supply to essential services is deemed secure.

CM 15/01 ‘Suicide bids’ Robby Watt

The sooner lowest price bidding is banned from the industry the better.

In our construction industry, I suggest that MBAs should be broader and feel more like engineering degrees.

Estimators should rely on engineers and project managers to prepare prices and programmes for the bid, and to critically review the contract conditions.

The upstream design information must be assessed, and the client’s consultants held to task if the information is not adequate.

Mike Mogul

The construction industry has many “fat cats” but they are always crying out that they are not making money! Market forces bring out the best in innovation and value for money for the public.

Provide your own feedback on latest industry issues by posting comments online at www.constructionmanagermagazine.com or emailing the editor at construction-manager@atompublishing.co.uk

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22/01/2019 17:25

TECHNICAL FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

20-42

Technical

20 GALLIFORD TRY SITE SIMULATION 24 BALFOUR BEATTY HAVS 26 FUTUREBUILD TIMBER: 28 COMBUSTIBLES BAN 32 STRUCTURAL TIMBER USE 34 TIMBER AND AIR QUALITY 36 INNOVATIVE TIMBER PROJECTS BIM & DIGITAL:

38 ROUND TABLE: CONSULTANTS

SIM CITY GALLIFORD TRY IS USING A LIVE STUDENT ACCOMMODATION PROJECT IN COVENTRY TO TRAIN STUDENTS IN THE REALITIES OF SITE MANAGEMENT – USING THE UNIVERSITY’S HIGH-TECH SIMULATION CENTRE JUST AROUND THE CORNER. NEIL GERRARD FINDS OUT MORE Computer visualisations (top) replicate the towers of the nearby project site (above)

The gateman barges into the site office and he isn’t happy. “It’s happened again hasn’t it? Someone has nicked my milk,” he complains.

But the inexperienced site manager does not respond to this relatively minor complaint. He is already struggling with a project execution plan, a health and safety plan and various unfamiliar specifications.

It gets worse. A QS arrives demanding that a telehandler is removed from its position as quickly as possible. He is followed by an angry mother whose daughter is being harassed by site workers as she passes each morning. Nothing is getting resolved, despite the site manager’s frantic phone calls as he tries to get on top of the situation.

Fortunately, none of this matters – because none of it is real. This is a simulation of a Galliford Try student accommodation project at Coventry University. The gateman, the QS, and the angry mother are all actors. The incompetent site manager is none other than the author of this article.

The university’s simulation centre is being used to train students in a 3D digital environment, combined with real-life scenarios using specially trained actors. The facility has a huge “Learning Curve” interactive screen to simulate construction environments – and what makes this course unique is

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 TECHNICAL

900 that the project being simulated is live and happening just across the road.

The contractor is building the £52.5m, 893-bedroom Paradise Street student accommodation development for client The Elite Group. It consists of a set of townhouses which have already been handed over, along with three towers of nine, 11 and 13 storeys.

On a tour of the real-life site, Galliford Try project manager David Duff and operations manager John Freeman explain that the project, started in February 2017, has been built on what was an old tyre warehouse and garage.

The site was fully piled following a survey for unexploded ordnance, a legacy of Coventry’s heavy wartime bombing, and, though nothing was discovered, the investigations did mean the contractor was granted an extension of time.

The buildings’ frames are traditional reinforced concrete, with slipform cores. Generally, each floor of the towers is the same, housing clusters of between 10 and 14 people sharing a communal kitchen – 111 in total. Tiny bathroom pods are installed in each room, floor by floor, using CantiDecks.

With more focus on fire safety in highrise buildings post-Grenfell, cladding used is non-combustible and all three towers are fitted with sprinklers.

Hot water is delivered from a nearby district heating main, with room heating from electric panel heaters, so there is no substantial onsite plant room.

Logistics has been the main challenge for the contractor, with only one walkway as access to the site, and 900 bathroom pods to be delivered. The first floor slab of Tower A was left out while the ground floor slab was installed and then protected to create a second entrance to the site, and only closed before Christmas. Final completion is

Logistics is the main challenge for Galliford Try at Paradise Street, with 900 bathroom pods to be delivered to the site and only one walkway as access

“I can have the students working with customers, talking to M&E suppliers, or just doing general management” Janet Campbell, Coventry University Simulation Centre

The simulation centre’s Learning Curve screen

scheduled for September 2019, though Tower C will be handed over in April.

These challenges encountered during the build have all been fed into the simulation and the training.

Duff ’s predecessor as project manager, Richard Peace, has worked closely with academics to make the experience as realistic as possible, including a scenario where a telehandler is accidentally backed into a member of the public’s car.

“The crashed car was a real scenario,” explains Peace, who has also replicated more common site issues. “Milk thefts are a daily occurrence, as well as contractors arguing with each other for space, trespasses on site, angry delivery drivers, and so on,” he adds.

The 3D model used in the simulation was created using CAD drawings for the project. “We had the structural engineer’s drawings and the architect’s

The Paradise Street project Client: The Elite Group Main contractor: Galliford Try Demolition: Provectus Group Piling: Foundation Piling Groundworks: MPB Structures RC frame: MPB Structures M&E: J Tomlinson Cladding: Longworth Value: £52.5m Project start: February 2017 Expected completion: September 2019

model. There was a Revit drawing in the background and it was all given to the guys at the simulation centre, which has a BIM specialist,” explains Peace.

The model was combined with a specialist simulation package called XVR, allowing students to virtually “walk” around the site.

There are limitations to the virtual training – there is a limited cast of actors, for instance – so students are given phone numbers of different contacts they may need to talk to, including the project manager, the hire company and other suppliers. The calls from the site manager’s office all route through to a central control room in the facility so the course tutors and actors can respond as if they were the appropriate contact.

The construction programme has been partly designed to suit the simulation and reflect the widest range of scenarios possible. That means that while Tower A is complete, Tower B is in fit-out and Tower C is still being built.

Janet Campbell, who has run the simulation centre since its first simulation in 2009, explains: “It means I can have the students working with customers, talking to M&E suppliers, or just doing general management. We can take people to the real site and show them what is happening there, and that makes it easier for the students to then come here and become immersed into it and understand what is happening.”

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22/01/2019 15:20

TECHNICAL FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

A student’s perspective Students can visit the real-life Paradise Street site, just across the road from Coventry University’s simulator

STUART BROWN

‘Having done the simulation, I would do it in a different way’

Peace recalls: “When this was first shown to me, they took me to look at one of the towers. On the model, they have included problems like defects and unsafe site conditions – anything that could cause you some pain. Students can cross-reference this with the programme and work out whether some packages are behind schedule.”

Then the actors get thrown into the mix. “The students get disrupted and interrupted which means they have to make decisions while also carrying out the work they have been tasked with, so it is a very busy, intensive day. We can look at different learning outcomes and then change the scenarios. This is about leadership and management and based on finding out the facts and making a decision,” says Campbell.

Take the situation with the QS who wants to have the telehandler removed from site because he doesn’t believe

“They have included defects and unsafe site conditions – anything that could cause you some pain” Richard Peace, Galliford Try

it should be there, for example. “He just comes in and demands that the site manager off-hires something immediately,” says Campbell.

“It is your site and your cabin and this guy has just walked in and told you to do something. It is very hard when you are 18 or 19 when someone a lot older comes in and tells you to do something.

They feel they have to follow what they are told, so it is about giving them the confidence that you can politely challenge someone and find out what it is all about first,” adds Steve Austin, head of school for engineering, construction and environment at the university.

All of this required quite a bit of faith from Galliford Try. The idea for the simulation of a live, real-world project was the university’s and it has evolved into something much larger than the contractor originally envisaged, explains Jon Marston, regional managing director at Galliford Try Building. He says the firm was nervous about putting the company name to the project, particularly because the health and safety issues that the students see in the simulation did not occur on the real-life project.

“That is the uncomfortable part of it,” says Marston. “You want to put an image out there from a corporate point of view that it is very clinical and precise. But this is what you have to get site managers ready for. There are some uncomfortable virtual scenarios in there.”

There is agreement among both Galliford Try staff and the students that the simulation provides a valuable new learning experience, teaching not just the theory but preparing students for the realities of working on a site – only in a consequence-free environment.

Unfortunately for the gateman, that means that he never did get a replacement for his stolen milk. ●

The virtual site entrance Coventry University’s simulation of Galliford Try’s Paradise Street project was piloted by a group of fourth-year MEng students. Tom Wood, who is finishing his MEng in civil engineering before taking up a job with Aecom, describes his experience of using it.

“It is much more like real life [than a conventional university course] because you can learn the soft skills,” he says.

“In one of the simulations, someone had their car crashed into.

I dealt with it really badly and wasn’t empathetic enough. I was stressed and got in a flap about it but, having done the simulation, I would do it in a different way where there would have been much less conflict.

“People skills in construction are really important,” he continues.

“Instead of just worrying about how to get rid of the woman who had her car crashed into without admitting liability, now I would calm her down, make sure she got a taxi, and make sure she left happy. The feedback I got was that it is important she leaves happy, particularly because she is a neighbour of the site. If she leaves happy, even if the case then has to go legal, she is not going to be an issue with getting the work done on site.

“In the simulation, you don’t have to worry about the consequences of getting things wrong. I would have been much better prepared for my placement if I had done the simulation beforehand.”

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22/01/2019 15:20

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22/01/2019 11:04

TECHNICAL FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

HAVS NOT: BALFOUR’S 2020 SAFETY TARGET BALFOUR BEATTY PLANS TO ELIMINATE NEW CASES OF HAND ARM VIBRATION SYNDROME (HAVS) BY 2020.

HEAD OF HEALTH AND SAFETY HEATHER BRYANT EXPLAINS HOW TO WILL MANN

Is it possible to eradicate Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) from construction? That’s the ambition of a new health and safety strategy from Britain’s biggest construction group Balfour Beatty, which wants to see no new cases of HAVS on its sites by next year.

The disease has long been associated with construction, particularly with breakers, saws and drills, though instances have fallen over the last decade as control measures have improved. In

2017, there were 270 new HAVS claims across all industries, out of 7,115 over the 10-year period dating back to 2008.

Heather Bryant, Balfour’s health, safety, environment and sustainability director, says “awareness has grown” but “HAVS is still an issue”. Formerly the Health & Safety Executive’s (HSE) chief inspector of construction, she says: “Based on my experience, HAVS has not always been declared because people didn’t want to be stopped from working.”

There were 270 new Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) cases across all industries in 2017

Bryant is also concerned about how the industry uses the HSE’s exposure points system, created following the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, which calculates exposure values based on time and vibration magnitude level.

“People think that if their exposure score is under the recommended level, then they’re fine,” she says. “We’re saying ‘that’s the wrong approach’. You should be trying to eliminate vibration exposure from the outset by planning your work differently.”

This holistic approach, which also ties in with the goals of the Construction Design & Management Regulations 2015, puts more onus on upfront planning.

“We can build very well, but our designers and architects don’t always think about the health and safety aspect,” says Bryant.

“So, for example, when ducting is required, usually site workers will use drilling. But on one of our projects, for installation of the M&E service trays, instead we cast Unistrut channels into the underside of the precast floor slabs.

This eliminated drilling – and dust and vibration – plus an estimated 75% reduction in working at height. It also yielded a one day a week saving on the M&E programme.”

She adds that drilling has now been banned on some Balfour Beatty sites.

Bryant believes there is a big role for BIM with this ‘health and safety by design’ approach, as she calls it. “We should be starting at the beginning, putting health and safety considerations into the design stage,” she says.

“It is through forethought that we can eliminate HAVS risks, rather than trying to solve everything at build stage.”

Balfour Beatty’s supply chain will be key to the strategy, Bryant recognises.

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22/01/2019 15:09

PAULINA HOLMGREN

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 TECHNICAL

Pile-breaking best practice is to use remote-controlled Brokk robots

“It is through forethought that we can eliminate HAVS risks, rather than trying to solve everything at build stage”

Heather Bryant, Balfour Beatty

As part of its ‘Zero Harm’ philosophy, it has established working groups to tackle various concerns, and established one for HAVS last April. The members are specialist contractors Morrisroe, Carey and Fortel, tool manufacturer Hilti and recruitment business McGinley.

“We set them the challenge, by December, of identifying the key HAVS risk areas and establishing a hierarchy of control,” Bryant explains. “They came back with a guide which we are calling the ‘Hateful Eight’ [see box].

“So, for example, for pile-breaking, the best practice recommends eliminating the risk by using remotecontrolled Brokk demolition robots.”

Bryant wants suppliers to collaborate and share ideas, but is firm that best practice will have to be adhered to. “There will come a time in 2020 when we tell our suppliers, ‘these are the solutions and they are what we expect on our sites’,” she says.

“But we will also tell our suppliers if they find something better, safer, more innovative than what is in the Balfour Beatty plant standards book – then we’ll take a look at it.”

This will likely include more use of robotics and automation, says Bryant.

On an M3 project, collaborating with Extrudakerb, Balfour Beatty used an automated saw for cutting into concrete step barriers. “We reduced HAVS

exposure to operatives by 32%,” Bryant explains. “The remotely operated saw also reduces exposure to dust and noise, and makes a cleaner and more accurate cut, reducing the need for rework.”

On another Balfour Beatty road job, the M1 Kislingbury scheme, structural repair specialist Balvac used positioneractuator-manipulators (PAMs), a supported, free-moving arm which operatives can guide to break out concrete with no HAVS risk.

Repetition and standardisation will help promote this kind of technology and cut risk, Bryant says. “It also fits with our target of reducing onsite work by 25% by 2025, as we move more work into the factory,” she adds.

Use of offsite manufacturing and feeding safety thinking into the design stage is, of course, fine in theory – but will it work in practice when lead-in times are tight and construction programmes even tighter?

“The answer to that is educating clients about the benefits,” replies Bryant. “On our 5 Miles Street project in south London, where the ductwork was cast in to the precast floors, we actually delivered the building more quickly. So, while the original aim of the strategy was to improve operational safety, a positive consequence was that the client got the building early.”

Bryant stresses that the primary reason for the HAVS strategy is “zero harm to our workers”. But she adds: “There may be more time, cost and planning required upfront, but there are bigger benefits further down the line.

Our industry has a skills shortage and productivity is low. That can be partly addressed by keeping workers healthier, so they can stay in their jobs for longer, and by making efficiency games from technology such as robotics.” ●

Balfour’s HAVS ‘Hateful Eight’ Pile cutting

Cutting reinforcement

Vibration magnitude 3m/s2

Vibration magnitude 3.9m/s2

Reduce risk by making use of integrated pile-breaking methods.

Eliminate/reduce risk by use of boltcroppers (up to 10mm manual and up to 20mm electrical).

Vibration of concrete

Install edge protection

Vibration magnitude 2.5m/s2

Vibration magnitude 9m/s2

Eliminate risk by use of precast elements, self-compacting concrete or shutter vibrators to eliminate exposure to HAVS.

Eliminate risks by using cast in anchors/halfens.

Eliminate HAVS risk and reduce exposure to silica dust by using diamond coring or drill rigs.

Scabbling

Use of skill saws

Vibration magnitude 35m/s2

Vibration magnitude 2.5m/s2

Eliminate risk by making use of precast elements or surface retarders applied to concrete connections to eliminate the need for scabbling.

Eliminate/reduce risk by use of precast elements or panel systems or eliminate/reduce timber formwork.

Pile breaking/trimming

Power floating

Vibration magnitude 6m/s2

Vibration magnitude 5m/s2

Eliminate risk by making use of remote breaking equipment.

Eliminate risk by making use of ride-on power floats to eliminate exposure to HAVS.

For each risk, reduce HAVS exposure by tool selection and rotation of operatives.

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22/01/2019 15:10

TECHNICAL FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

LOOKING AT THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

With an overarching theme of “time for action”, the conference sessions will be collaborative forums where visitors will develop plans for implementing change and proposing action for a more sustainable future.

FUTUREBUILD 2019 WILL EXPLORE AND TACKLE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IMPACTING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT SECTOR, PROVIDING VISITORS WITH INSIGHTS AND HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE ACROSS THE LATEST INNOVATIONS AND PRODUCTS. CM REPORTS Futurebuild is the leading built environment event for professionals working across the industry to meet and learn, be inspired and do business.

Taking place from 5-7 March at ExCel in London, the 2019 event will address the key challenges of the built environment sector, and will include 500 hours of CPD-accredited structured learning across three levels: the conference programme, 11 seminar streams

and four deep-dive workshops will be hosted in the Knowledge Forum.

Ecobuild conference Central to the event will be the Ecobuild conference, where visitors will receive insights and knowledge-sharing from industry experts including Ann Bentley, chair of Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), and Jane Briginshaw, director, Design England.

Futurebuild’s conference programme, seminars and workshops will offer 500 hours of CPD-accredited structured learning

Meeting challenges A total of 13 key challenges will be tackled through the conference programme, including: delivering on the ambitions of the £420m Sector Deal; how to achieve a built environment fit for 2050; developing a future workforce; and transforming existing homes through behaviour change and deep retrofits.

Other topics being addressed include: delivering long-term value and sustainable performance; how to achieve a truly circular economy; strengthening environmental protections; meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals; how to put health and wellbeing at the heart of design.

Knowledge Forum The Knowledge Forum is a new feature for 2019, where industry-leading partners, academia and professional bodies will offer a comprehensive look at the biggest issues facing the built environment and will provide solutions and guidance for construction managers to take back to the office.

Hubs seminar programme To ensure visitors gain a truly immersive and in-depth experience across all areas of the industry, the Futurebuild Hubs seminar programme will provide expert insight and inspirational case studies on the key themes of buildings, energy, interiors, materials, offsite, urban infrastructure, waste and the circular economy, and the future vision of London (see panel). ●

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 TECHNICAL

In association with

To register for free, visit: www.futurebuild.co.uk/register

Hubs seminar programme l Buildings

The Buildings Hub will cover all aspects of building, including new build, retrofit and refurbishment. Visitors will have the opportunity to speak to pioneering brands working across construction and maintenance – such as Internorm, Recticel, Bauder, Durisol and Smart Systems – as well as engage in conversation around the latest technology and legislation.

A Buildings seminar programme will give visitors insights into the latest thinking and initiatives in building quality and performance and occupier comfort. The sessions will explore new tools, technologies and delivery approaches to improve both new and existing buildings.

In an industry still feeling the effects of Grenfell, attendees will also be given the opportunity to voice their concerns on topics such as social value, overheating, high-rise, Passivhaus and build performance.

Further key features include the Home of the Future feature build, created by Tufeco and the RIBA Bookshop, designed

by Gundry + Ducker and sponsored by Rockwool

a spotlight on emerging alternatives, the Materials Hub will bring together the latest advances and expertise from across the sector.

With a focus on supporting visitors in making the best possible material choices on the projects they are working on, the Hub will provide a platform for visitors to meet and learn from leading industry bodies, including TRADA, The Concrete Centre, Wood for Good and the Mineral Products Association.

Adding to the knowledgesharing and practical demonstrations on offer will be an exhibitor list featuring top brands representing all building materials, including Nudura, Glavloc, Cemex UK, Creagh Concrete, Piveteaubois and Steico.

The Future of Concrete, created in collaboration with The Concrete Centre, will allow visitors to learn more about concrete’s design potential and sustainability.

TRADA will also highlight timber’s design capabilities, with a gallery l Materials of shortlisted entries for Uniting the latest the TRADA University innovations, research and Challenge competition in understanding in mainstream its bookshop. In addition, materials such as timber the Natural Building Area and concrete, alongside will offer free educational

and Rockpanel. Both will create key focal points and networking opportunities for building professionals.

As an official UK government innovation partner, Futurebuild will also be hosting the Innovation Zone with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK. At the Zone, which sits next to the Buildings Hub, BEIS will be showcasing the work of the Energy Innovation Programme and demonstrating how it is delivering the Clean Growth Strategy. Focusing on true innovation, it will provide a platform for investment and knowledge exchange across three areas: a dedicated three-day seminar series; an exhibition featuring innovative companies BEIS and Innovate UK have provided funding to; and a “Business Bar” in collaboration with the Knowledge Transfer Network – providing one-toone advice and support on accessing funding.

information, expert support and showcases of natural materials and businesses within the UK natural building industry.

l Waste Zone and Circular Economy

The Waste Zone will return with new and expanded features. Curated by architect, academic and author Duncan BakerBrown, the area will showcase how waste can be a valuable resource for industry. Central to the experience will be the new Circular Economy Hub, which will take a unique beach hut format and feature a collection of hand-picked brands at the forefront of making the circular economy a reality.

l Offsite

Visitors will be at the heart of construction innovation in the Offsite Hub, hosted in partnership with Explore Offsite. Four dedicated seminar theatres – each focused on a specific technology or theme within offsite and backed by a relevant trade body – will provide hours of in-depth, structured knowledge sharing. This comprehensive education programme will

“The Materials Hub will provide a platform for visitors to meet and learn from leading industry bodies” allow attendees to gain a deep understanding of the latest insights and approaches from across the sector.

l Urban Infrastructure

The Urban Infrastructure Hub will explore the latest solutions across blue, green, grey and social infrastructure.

The Urban Infrastructure Seminar Theatre, sponsored by ACO, and the accompanying exhibition will feature both nature-based and manufactured solutions to address challenges in active travel, air pollution, landscaping, water management and more, while the Hub’s own green space, City Walk, will allow visitors to experience the benefits of a green setting and see innovations on display.

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28-37

Timber

TIM CROCKER (ORSMAN ROAD); HUFTON + CROW (HIVE); JACK HOBHOUSE (ALFIRSTON)

Cross-laminated timber has been widely used in recent years (clockwise from top left): 6 Orsman Road, London, a hybrid steel-and-CLT structure; Sky’s Believe in Better building; The Hive, Worcester; Alfriston Pool, Buckinghamshire

TIMBER FACES HEAT OF COMBUSTIBLES BAN THE TIMBER SECTOR IS UP IN ARMS OVER THE GOVERNMENT’S BAN ON COMBUSTIBLES IN NEW HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS – BUT HOW WILL THE RULING IMPACT THE MARKET? STEPHEN COUSINS REPORTS

The UK stands at the forefront of a revolution in engineered timber construction as architects and contractors push creative and technical boundaries to deliver increasingly challenging structures.

Innovative new products and design methods have allowed timber to compete structurally at scale with concrete or steel, which among other things has resulted in development of the world’s first nine-storey timber residential building, Murray Grove in the London Borough of Hackney, and the world’s largest cross-laminated timber (CLT) building, in terms of volume of wood, Dalston Works in east London.

Constructing with timber, versus traditional materials with high embodied carbon, helps cut emissions and may be critical to keep global warming below 1.5 deg C, needed to prevent the worst effects of climate change. CLT, which is relatively light and quick to erect, has even been held up as a potential solution to the housing crisis.

But growing ambitions for engineered timber could be cut short by controversial government fire safety legislation, introduced to prevent a repeat of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The ban on the use of combustible materials in the external walls of residential buildings over 18m tall, enforced from 21 December, has the potential to damage the CLT

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500

Engineered timber has been used to deliver more than 500 UK buildings to date

market and has been fiercely opposed by architects and manufacturers who claim it is not based on the evidence (see box).

Meanwhile, Whitehall’s decision to “take forward” all the recommendations in Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of building regulations and fire safety will have wider implications for supply chains working in engineered timber across all building types.

Growing market The past five years has seen engineered timber take hold in the UK where, thanks in part to falling prices and the rise of the sustainability agenda, it has been used to deliver over 500 buildings to date.

A proven solution for low and medium-rise residential buildings and schools, CLT is now being applied to swimming pools, gymnasiums, light industrial buildings and office blocks.

Its use by Sky, on the Believe in Better building – the tallest commercial timber building in the UK – and more recently Google, for the new European HQ currently on site at King’s Cross, are evidence of CLT’s increasing popularity.

Key benefits include rapid installation, reduced waste, lighter weight compared to concrete, meaning fewer foundations, and much lower embodied carbon.

I n n o v a t i o n s a re d r i v i n g t h e development of new engineered timber products and design methods.

Hybrid structures that use CLT in combination with glulam, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) or steel beams make it possible to achieve the bigger spans required for commercial offices and industrial buildings. For example, the recently completed factory headquarters for Vitsoe in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, was able to achieve 25m column-free spans using a newly developed beech LVL.

New parametric modelling systems are also making it possible to develop panels that are bespoke to specific purposes using different types and thicknesses of timber and different laminates.

Adrian Campbell, director at engineering consultant Changebuilding, says: “There is a tremendous drive for offsite right now, fuelled by the digitisation of the industry, and a significant number of timber modular systems appearing, including volumetric CLT systems by Swan Housing. There are numerous ways engineered timber can be used to supplement or replace traditional building elements.”

Grenfell fallout The Grenfell tragedy sent out shockwaves that will be felt for many years to come. Where previously, insurance to construct tall buildings was relatively straightforward, albeit with slightly fluctuating premiums, post-Grenfell they have increased significantly. And although much of the media focus was on the tower’s cladding, a knock-on effect has been that insurers today perceive any tall building as an insurance risk.

“In the past the industry took it for granted that you could get insurance to build things, but the market is becoming tighter and tighter – it’s a rapidly changing landscape we have to operate in,” says Tim Carey, national

Reaction to the combustibles ban Anthony Thistleton, founding partner of Waugh Thistleton Architects, a prominent CLT advocate

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we start to see exclusion clauses relating to CLT in insurance documents” Tim Carey, Willmott Dixon

The inclusion of CLT within this ban is not merited by the evidence and is a result of the government trying to act quickly without understanding the full consequences. There was a political imperative for the government to be seen to be doing something strong in response to Grenfell. We are now working closely with the industry to try to get a ban that is more reflective of the risk.

Our frustration is that the Hackitt report came out with strong recommends around the “golden thread” and the chain of custody over fire, and general oversight of construction, and Dame Judith specifically said that a ban is not the answer.

We were told by civil servants with the MHCLG that the move was a political one and not based on the evidence.

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“Part of the advantage of building in CLT is that the frame for each floor goes up simultaneously and from a single source of delivery”

TOM ROE

Anthony Thistleton, Waugh Thistleton

product director at Willmott Dixon.

“Certain products and systems that were previously acceptable, including engineered timber, are now very difficult to get insurance on. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start to see exclusion clauses relating to CLT appearing in insurance documents.”

He is part of an early adopters group set up by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to trial ways of working in line with the recommendations of the Hackitt Review.

According to Carey, things came to a head recently when the main contractor was unable to get insurance cover to build a circa 15-storey tower block out of CLT. The material was a requirement for the customer’s architect so Willmott Dixon was forced to decline the opportunity.

This prompted it to develop a new set of internal policies for fire safety and compliance to help futureproof

Australia’s tallest timber building, 25 King, is constructed using glulam and CLT

the business and its customers and projects in the shorter term. In a move that pre-empted the latest government ruling, the company banned the use of any combustible materials in external wall build-ups, including structural elements, cladding and insulation, for any buildings over 18m tall.

“This is about taking a pragmatic position on what we think is reasonable.

Our view is that in the wider industry, too many buildings are being built with inappropriate materials without sufficient duty of care or auditing to know what goes into a building to make it safe,” says Carey.

Up in flames?

The decision by government to impose its own ban on combustibles was welcomed by many, but strongly criticised by architects, manufacturers and others working with CLT (currently the only viable structural timber

solution for high-rise) who believe its inclusion within the regulation was arbitrary and unjustified.

The law applies to all new housing, student accommodation, registered care homes, hospitals and boarding school dormitories over 18m tall and states that only materials with European fire rating of Class A1 or A2 may be used in external walls, which excludes all wood products.

Some critics pointed to the fact that Grenfell was a concrete-framed tower and the spread of the flames is thought to have been accelerated by combustible aluminium-composite cladding, not by wood.

Also notable is the fact that the final Hackitt report itself does not recommend a ban; instead it states that too much focus has been placed on the faults of the Grenfell cladding rather than on reviewing the system as a whole.

One of its eight key recommendations is to develop a clearer, more transparent and more effective specification and testing regime of construction products, including products as they are put together as part of a system.

It states that this should include clear statements on what systems products can and cannot be used for, with their use made essential.

Mark Stevenson, chairman of the Structural Timber Association, says:

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The international perspective on high-rise timber Away from the UK, the rest of the world continues to build higher and higher with timber “Given the way that clients are looking at their buildings and wanting to better understand performance and how things get delivered, we need to be looking at overall systems. This isn’t about individual products, it is more about how they come together to provide safety for occupants. You could imagine a situation where a collection of non-combustible materials still act like a chimney to spread fire, so wouldn’t it be better to design a system that prevents something like that from happening?”

TOM ROE

Thick and resistant Connecting timber with elevated fire risk might seem like common sense, but one of the major advantages of CLT is its inherent fire resistance. As a panelised system with a thick cross-section, it is designed to char slowly and maintain its structural integrity.

In addition, the emphasis on upfront design and offsite manufacture makes it possible to create super-airtight spaces that prevent the spread of fire.

In practice, a combination of timber charring and fire-resistant boards are commonly used to achieve the fire rating.

However, CLT remains a relatively new material with limited in-use fire testing, and codes are still being adapted to accommodate it.

Given the global drive to build increasingly taller “ply-scrapers” (see box), there are concerns that the recent ban will compromise Britain’s position at the forefront of innovation in engineered timber.

The ban is likely to result in changes to specifications and approaches but is unlikely to prevent the general use of engineered timber frames. The reality could be some form of hybrid structural solution, which may have an impact on sequencing, speed of delivery and the amount of onsite labour.

Architect Waugh Thistleton, a prominent CLT advocate, is amending design proposals to take into account the need for some form of steel frame system for external walls, alongside internal CLT floor slabs, walls, core and stairs.

“It’s not the best way to build; part of the advantage of building in CLT is that the frame for each floor goes up simultaneously and from a single source of delivery, which ensures that the site is fully accessible and safe for use by follow-on trades on every floor below the one being built,” says founding partner Anthony Thistleton.

“We expect the speed of CLT erection to be compromised by this regulation in the short term. We are currently working to see if we can tie up with manufacturers of offsite panel systems so we can synchronise installation with CLT.” Meanwhile, the CLT Hub, a collection of all key UK stakeholders, continues to lobby the government and local authorities to overturn the ban. Evidence from global fire performance testing is being compiled to present the case.

Whatever the ultimate outcome, its proponents argue engineered timber remains one of the quickest and most sustainable methods of construction

Norway’s Mjørstårnet tower will be the world’s tallest Last month, the US-based International Code Council (ICC) gave the go-ahead for 14 tall mass timber code change proposals that will allow mass timber buildings to reach up to 18 storeys.

The changes will be included in the 2021 International Building Code.

The world’s highest mass timber tower, at 53m, is currently the 18-storey

Left: 25 King in Brisbane took just 15 months to construct

high Brock Commons in Vancouver, which is supported on a timber frame but enclosed by a skin of drywall and concrete.

Australia’s tallest timber building is a 45m-high office in Brisbane, which uses an offsite manufactured structure of glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT). It was completed last year after a build of just 15 months.

The 10-storey building, known as 25 King, was designed by architect Bates Smart for Lendlease.

Meanwhile, the world’s tallest timber tower is under construction in the Norwegian town of Brumunddal: the Mjøstårnet tower at 80m high will dwarf its closest rival by 27m.

The 18-storey structure is based around a perimeter frame of glulam columns, beams and diagonals that brace the external walls and carry vertical and horizontal loads.

A CLT core holds three elevators and two staircases.

There are about 400 giant glulam elements in total, the biggest of which has a cross section of 1.5m x 0.6m.

The Mjøstårnet tower is due to open next month.

and believe the current situation may constitute a bump in the road.

“We often draw a parallel with the growth of concrete and reinforced concrete in the 20th century. When you look at the trajectory of innovation and architecture that emerged in the concrete age, we are only just at the beginning of the timber age and there is still a huge amount to achieve,” Thistleton concludes. ● 31

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Long span GLVL being manufactured in a Steico factory

WHEN TO SPECIFY STRUCTURAL TIMBER? ENGINEERED TIMBER IS BEING USED ON A WIDER RANGE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. MARTIN TWAMLEY EXPLAINS WHICH TYPES ARE SUITED TO WHICH APPLICATIONS Steel and concrete are the dominant structural materials in construction, but they are relatively new technologies. We built for thousands of years with natural materials and it was only the onset of the industrial revolution that saw the wide uptake of man-made alternatives.

However, as raw materials become scarce and expensive to extract, and with concerns about their sustainability credentials, there is an argument in support of switching to timber for more structural applications.

Incorporating engineered timber increases the structural possibilities and makes better use of a natural resource. Combining structural timber with natural insulation also means a healthy internal climate with quantifiable benefits for the occupants.

Currently, the majority of structural timber used is in roof trusses and floors.

It is common in smaller-scale residential

developments and extensions. But engineered timber is also suitable for large-scale commercial projects which use cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued-laminated veneer lumber (GLVL) (see box: Types of engineered timber).

Long spans can easily be accommodated by increasing the depth of the sections used, with limited impact on weight. This can be illustrated by a like-for-like comparison of steel and timber beams with the same bending

“Long spans can easily be accommodated by increasing the depths of the sections used, with limited impact on weight”

strength: a GLVL beam manufactured

by Steico, measuring 360mm x 200mm, has a weight of 39.6kg/m. This is barely half that of a standard steel HEM 160 H-beam, measuring 180mm x 166m, and weighing in at 77kg/m.

GLVL was used on the extension of Steico’s offices in Munich. The high loading requirements – up to 5.0 kN/m2 – allowed the long span capacities of the GLVL to be used to their maximum. Spans of up to 7.25m were incorporated with depths of only 240mm. Fire certification up to F90-B was achieved using simple char rating calculations (see box: Key standards for engineered timber).

Ste i c o ’s G LV L b e a m s c a n b e manufactured up to 18m length, with depths up to 400mm and widths up to 1,250mm. In practice, the length of the spans depends on loading conditions.

On the practical side, the lightweight nature of timber makes it relatively easy to handle. Conventional tools and techniques can be used with structural timber, so onsite adjustments are straightforward to accommodate.

Structural timber’s sustainability is best assessed by including embodied energy, which measures environmental impact through a material’s entire life cycle, from felling trees through manufacture, delivery, use and disposal.

According to a study by the University of Massachusetts, the embodied energy for timber is 2.0MJ/kg, compared to 10.50MJ/kg for steel and 12.50MJ/kg for concrete. Additionally, wood acts as a carbon store by locking CO2 in its structure. Timber trade body Wood for Good estimates an additional 3.81 million tonnes of CO2 would be locked away each year if UK housing targets were met with timber-frame homes. ● Martin Twamley is technical manager of Steico.

Types of engineered timber l I-joists and metal web joists – typically used for basic floor, wall and roof construction. l Glulam – for higher load bearing applications. l LVL and GLVL (laminated veneer lumber and gluedlaminated veneer lumber – where the highest loads need to be accommodated). l CLT (crosslaminated timber) – for structural walls and floors often in high-rise applications.

Key standards for engineered timber Design of timber structures: l BS EN 1995-1-1 Eurocode 5, plus the relevant National Annex (UK NA). l PD 6693-1.

Non-contradictory complementary information to BS EN 1995-1-1 Eurocode 5. l BS EN 1995-1-1 Eurocode 5 also includes structural fire design, including char rating calculations.

Sustainable sourcing certifications: l Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). l Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

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TIMBER FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Gordon Ewbank Wood Protection Association

How does treated timber affect indoor air quality?

WITH MOUNTING CONCERNS OVER THE QUALITY OF THE AIR WE BREATHE, A RECENT STUDY EXAMINED THE IMPACT OF TIMBER TREATMENTS. GORDON EWBANK EXPLAINS We now spend 90% of our time indoors and it’s widely accepted that the indoor environment in our homes, schools and workplaces can have a significant impact on our health.

And while recent governments have concentrated on making improvements to outside air quality through reduced vehicle emissions, until recently the focus on indoor air quality has lagged behind.

However, the issue of indoor air quality and its impact on health and wellbeing is now gathering momentum. In particular, questions are being asked about the effects of products used for construction, including timber.

Th e Wo o d P ro te c t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n commissioned the BRE to look at preservative pre-treated wood used in construction. The study examined all the available scientific evidence, to help understand how treated timber performs in the context of air quality within buildings.

Preserved timber is present in a large range of construction products in our homes, including parts of the structural timber

frame, roof trusses, window frames and tiling battens. These products do not usually extend into the living space but are integral to the building structure.

The tests found that emissions from treated timber were minor, due to the low volatility of the active substances in the treated wood. Moreover, as preserved timber products are not usually used within our living spaces, any emissions would need to pass through insulation, lining boards, plasterboards, paints or decorative coatings before they reach the indoor air.

The study concluded that preservative pre-treated wood poses no threat to indoor air quality, stating that: “The available scientific evidence suggests that emissions from preservative treated wood particles to air are small and, further to that, the complexity of the pathway from air within the building envelope/cavity to the indoor air compartment means that the concentration reaching indoor air is negligible. Thus, the evidence indicates preservative-treated wood poses no threat to indoor air quality.”

Timber remains one of the most sustainable building materials available and the safe and appropriate use of preservatives can help to enhance its performance for specific applications. Preservative pre-treatment extends the service life of wood for many years.

At the end of the its life, treated wood can often be reused or recycled. ● Gordon Ewbank is chief executive of the Wood Protection Association.

Key points to consider when specifying treated timber First, always ask the question, does the wood need preservative treatment? This will depend on what the timber will be used for, the potential risks and consequences of premature failure and the natural durability of the chosen wood.

Don’t assume all treated wood is the same. Make sure you choose

the appropriate treatment for the end use of the timber by selecting the appropriate use class. For example, different treatments are appropriate for fencing or decking, joinery or structural applications.

An outdoor deck or fence post in contact with the ground will require higher levels of preservative than

an internal floor joist for long-term protection. More details at: www. wood-protection.org/preservation/ british-standards-use-classes.

The British Standard for wood preservation is BS 8417. This code of practice defines treatment by preservative and retention requirements by:

l The use class. l The species of wood. l The component description, for example fence post, cladding. l The desired service life: 15, 30, 60 years.

The Wood Protection Association provides guidance on specification of all wood protection systems.

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22/01/2019 12:04

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Major Projects Surveyor

If you are someone who is looking for a challenging, rewarding and lasting surveying career in construction, then Premier Guarantee could be for you. What is more, we will provide the training and funding required to achieve Chartered status. There is an on-going formal programme of technical, legislation, management and soft skills training provided to support business needs at all levels.

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18/01/2019 10:26

TIMBER FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Woven willow panels on offsitemanufactured office The new southeast office of Homes England in Northstowe, Cambridgeshire, will feature a canopy of locally manufactured woven willow hurdles set within steel frames.

Architect Proctor and Matthews’ design references the coppicing and weaving heritage of the Fenland area.

The building also features an “open weave” of vertical timber battens that wraps the ground and first floor office space. The 620 sq m office is being built offsite by modular specialist McAvoy, which is main contractor.

FIVE INNOVATIVE USES OF TIMBER ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS CM TAKES A LOOK AT HOW TIMBER IS BEING USED TO DELIVER UNUSUAL DESIGNS, ACCELERATE PROGRAMMES AND BOOST SUSTAINABILITY CREDENTIALS ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AROUND THE UK

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The UK’s largest Passivhaus secondary school Willmott Dixon is building the largest Passivhaus-certified secondary school in the UK, which includes a CLT frame. The Harris Academy in Sutton, south London, was keen to create a “healthy” learning environment using natural materials. The CLT was supplied

by KLH and the four-storey scheme also features timber cladding, provided by joinery firm NHE. Designed by Architype, the project is targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating.

London’s newest – and longest – pier Housebuilder Ballymore has begun construction of a new timber pier at West Silvertown in London’s Docklands.

The 162m-long structure, designed by architect Nex, extends out into the Thames in a dog-leg shape and will include a covered waiting area for Thames Clipper ferry passengers. The pier, which will be the longest in the capital, has integrated seating and is finished with marine grade timber.

225 timber-frame homes erected in 29 weeks The last of 225 timber frame kits has been installed by Taylor Lane, working for housebuilder Lovell on the Salisbury Plain Service Family Accommodation (SFA) site in Bulford, Wiltshire. The manufacturer is supplying its 140mm timber frame system, with pre-insulated panels, for detached and semi-detached houses and bungalows to accommodate personnel returning from Germany. Taylor Lane handed over 13 plots a week on average, completing in 29 weeks.

Glulam portal frames form community hall Storey’s Field Centre and Eddington Nursery in Eddington, Cambridgeshire, includes a 15m-high main hall, which uses an exposed, articulated timber structure.

The glulam portal frames rise from the oak-panelled base, with a backdrop of ash veneered panelling.

The ceiling’s layered ash joists, battens and veneered plywood conceal air extract routes. The development was designed by McInnes Usher McKnight Architects. Farrans was main contractor, while CW Fields carried out the joinery.

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BIM & DIGITAL FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

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PHOTOGRAPHY: JULIE KIM

BIM & Digital

HOW CAN CONSULTANTS MEET THE CHALLENGE OF BIM LEVEL 2 DELIVERY? FOR THE THIRD IN OUR SERIES OF DIGITAL DEBATES, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CENTRE FOR DIGITAL BUILT BRITAIN, SENIOR CONSULTANTS DISCUSSED THEIR EXPERIENCES OF WORKING TO BIM LEVEL 2 AND HOW THEY CAN IMPROVE DELIVERY OF A DIGITAL BUILT BRITAIN. CM REPORTS

Standing, from left: Grayham Roper (Hoare Lea); Nicola Pearson (change manager, CDBB, observer); Jason Whittall (One Creative Environments); Joe Stott (AHR); Graeme Wildridge (BIM lead, Defence Infrastructure Organisation, observer); Fiona Moore (CDBB); Julian Kent (Buro Four); Sarah Davidson (University of Nottingham); Mark O’Connor (Wood); James Colclough (Aecom). Seated: Terry Stocks (CDBB); Emma Hooper (Bond Bryan Digital)

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 BIM & DIGITAL

What would help consultants improve BIM Level 2 delivery?

“The challenge we have is that senior people want to talk about BIM Level 2 and smart cities, whereas others are still asking what BIM is” Mac Muzvimwe, Arcadis

Consultants need to listen carefully to clients’ requirements and support them in finding the best way to implement BIM on their projects. That was one of the key messages that came out of CM’s latest digital round table organised in partnership with the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB).

The event, the third of its kind hosted at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) central London office, asked consultants to examine how BIM is currently being adopted to inform the future CDBB agenda, as well as highlight some of the constraints they are facing. The discussion was chaired by Terry Stocks, leader of the CDBB BIM Level 2 workstream, and Fiona Moore, BIM Level 2 programme manager at CDBB. From the start, it became clear the consultants used BIM chiefly on projects where the client requests it.

James Colclough, technical director at Aecom, explained that having clients who fully understand the value of BIM helps to drive its adoption through the supply chain. “It is easier where the clients are telling project teams: ‘You have got to do this’. It gives us the ability to communicate why they have got to do it. Change happens more quickly,” he said.

Sarah Davidson, associate professor at the University of Nottingham, who

also provides consultancy to Gleeds, agreed. “Client leadership is helpful for driving consistency and a wholeproject-team approach so that we are, as a team, focused on data,” she said.

Consultants generally have a “vanilla” BIM offering, but anything more is usually client-dependent.

Mac Muzvimwe, BIM and digital transformation lead at Arcadis, said: “We design in a 3D environment as a starting point, up to LOD [level of detail] 3. That is a core service. Beyond that, more fees are involved. Our challenge is, the client often doesn’t want to do anything extra.”

“Tier 1 constructors reported that their digital approach is similar, in our last round table,” noted Stocks.

Selling the benefits of BIM However, while many tier 1 constructors saw benefits from internal efficiencies or risk mitigation in their digital strategies, this was less the case among consultants.

“The challenge that we have is that senior people want to talk about BIM Level 2 and smart cities, whereas others are still asking what BIM is. As a business we have to bring those people up to speed,” said Muzvimwe.

Colclough felt that project managers can be particularly challenging in this regard, given their focus on capital delivery. “It is quite easy to sell BIM at a high level because they understand the benefits. Project managers are inherently risk averse,” he asserted.

Julian Kent, project director at Buro Four, countered that project managers are often under a lot of pressure: “The client only wants to spend a certain amount of money for each stage of the project because of the risk profile.

There is a huge amount of pressure on the team not to overspend.”

Jason Whittall One Creative Environments We don’t see enough examples – not just cost-benefit analysis, but a working computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) system, that has been created from information in a BIM model.

James Colclough Aecom Our focus is communicating what digital means. The term BIM is often confused with 3D modelling and that is why I like the term “digital agenda” – it is more holistic and inclusive.

Julian Kent Buro Four At early stages of discussions with clients about projects, we should be doing a root cause analysis, looking at what we want to capture.

Not every client is informed, so it’s about asking the right questions in a format they understand.

Sarah Davidson University of Nottingham We should talk in plain language with the client – what information, data, and models they want and how they are going to receive this information.

Mac Muzvimwe Arcadis As consultants, we need to understand BIM ourselves. Then we can articulate it to clients and understand how we can improve it for them.

Mark O’Connor Wood Approaching engagement with clients with the entire life cycle in mind will provide greater clarity for them about what they need.

Our role as consultants is to facilitate that and move them along the maturity scale. BIM Level 2 is part of that. Effective, blended teams are also key.

Grayham Roper Hoare Lea We see ourselves as a service provider, translating what clients want. If we can automate BIM processes as part of our service, we can spend more time with our clients trying to find out what it is they actually want out of their building.

Emma Hooper Bond Bryan Digital BIM is about information and information must have a purpose otherwise it is waste.

Clients are key to the whole process, and we need to work with them to understand the what and the when. We also need standardisation if we are going to digitise the industry because it creates repeatability and predictability, which helps reduce risk.

Joe Stott AHR We need to look at the operational phase of the projects. Yes, there is a capex saving with BIM, but the operational expenditure saving is the main agenda and we are not very good at focusing on that.

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BIM & DIGITAL FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Clockwise from top left: Emma Hooper (Bond Bryan Digital) with Grayham Roper (Hoare Lea); James Colclough (Aecom); Mark O’Connor (Wood); Mac Muzvimwe (Arcadis)

How is BIM affected by procurement?

“We can’t really do anything without changing procurement,” argued Hooper. “We are working with a broken framework and all we are doing with BIM, DfMA, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) is papering over the cracks.”

“We need to remove adversarial behaviours.” Davidson agreed.

“We can promote BIM as a form of risk management methodology or an assurance process. Grenfell quite clearly shows that we need assurance processes, so there is a will and desire to work differently, but this aspiration is getting squashed through procurement,” she said. “This comes particularly at the point where we engage with the specialist contractors who have got a lot of the design

expertise around very complex and sophisticated systems.

“If we were accountable through performance measures, that would make a massive difference.”

“With Integrated Project Insurance (IPI), these success criteria are agreed right at the start,” pointed out Hooper.

An IPI approach is “truly innovative”, agreed Stocks. “It is all about getting the team together and not starting too early. It may be slow in the planning, but you know your risk, and it is quick in the delivery.”

However, Muzvimwe felt that addressing procurement was not the top priority. “The starting point is how buildings can improve outcomes,” he said. “We need to understand those outcomes clients want and what are trying to achieve.”

Action points for consultants from the debate

Typically, if a project manager sends requests for proposals (RFPs) out to consultants and asks them to price the project for BIM Level 2, a higher price will come back which can be hard to sell to the client, Kent added.

“Project managers understand the cost, but they don’t understand the value,” he continued. “That can be compounded by many clients taking a short-term view; they are simply concerned with whether or not a project is viable.”

A barrier to BIM adoption frequently identified by this group was procurement (see box), while clients were also criticised for being “vague” about what they want.

Joe Stott, architect and BIM manager at AHR, said the best clients are very prescriptive on BIM. “We work with some who take real ownership of the process,” he explained. “They will come to us and say: ‘I understand the requirements of BIM Level 2 and I have interpreted it this way, and this is exactly what I want.’

“Quite often one of my senior managers will ask: ‘How do we price BIM?’ They don’t necessarily understand it and see a risk element.”

The cost concerns do not arise when the client has clearly described how BIM will be used, he added.

1.

Consultant designers and managers need to question and challenge clients to identify their output goals – it will help them understand how and why to implement BIM on their projects.

2.

Wider internal BIM training is essential to bring the whole business up to speed – not just the digital leaders.

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 BIM & DIGITAL

From left: Julian Kent (Buro Four); Sarah Davidson (University of Nottingham)

“So there is a role here for consultants to engage with their clients, and support them in developing their data and delivery requirements, to aid clear articulation in the construction tender,” observed Stocks.

Mark O’Connor, asset management lead for Wood’s environment and infrastructure division, said he encourages clients to think about the whole life of their asset. “When they start the procurement process or inherit an asset, we say that they don’t inherit assets, they inherit liabilities. And it is only through a strong, quality-assured process and data that they drive that value and turn their liabilities into assets,” he said.

Barriers to early BIM use Other barriers cited by consultants included limited time to facilitate BIM use early in the design process, which they also saw as an obstacle to design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) (see box).

“The real benef it of BIM and collaborative design development is to get things right first time, coordinating designs so that errors are made in a virtual (and cheaper) world,” said Stocks. “This means increasing the proportion of early stage fees expenditure away from the more

3.

Promote more collaborative procurement models to facilitate greater adoption of BIM.

4.

Use of BIM during the design phase flushes out errors and should mean quicker capital delivery, while also encouraging DfMA adoption, as understanding of it increases.

“There is a role here for consultants to engage with their clients and support them in developing their data and delivery requirements” Joe Stott, AHR

traditionally procured projects who follow the traditional S-shaped curve of fee expenditure: more spent earlier in the process, compared to traditional routes, should give better outcomes – but should not necessarily mean more fees overall.”

Jason Whittall, director of One Creative Environments, said he frequently saw confusion about what the BIM process actually involves.

“I see a lot of BIM execution plans and proposed BIM deliverables and there is a huge variety in what people think BIM Level 2 is and what they think the process is. PAS 1192 is quite a clear process but it is amazing how many different ways it is interpreted – and these are the people who are advising clients,” he said.

Emma Hooper, digital information specialist at Bond Bryan Digital, believes BIM should be quite a

5.

Think beyond capital delivery and keep in mind how data can be used in the operational phase.

6.

Explore and understand the advantages of employing information managers.

Consultants’ views on digital and DfMA Moore asked the consultants whether design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) and use of standardised components – together known as platform-DfMA – would enable them to cut down the time required to develop the design.

Davidson argued that while these new technologies reduce the total amount of time a project takes, it requires more time up front in order to work up a complete design.

“I just wonder, with the way that construction is financed, if that is dissuading this approach,” she said.

7.

Remind clients of their duty-holder responsibilities and why BIM adoption fits with Dame Judith Hackitt’s “golden thread”.

8.

Kent added: “I think that offsite fabrication is something that should be embraced more. Does it have an effect on the deliverables? No. Does it derisk it in relation to waste and time? Absolutely.

“The downside though is that you have to spend more time designing and coordinating and checking before you prefabricate.

It comes back to trying to explain to clients that they need to spend more time planning followed by a very short delivery period and sometimes clients get a little bit nervous about that.”

Capture, measure and share the benefits of using BIM so clients and the wider industry understand its rationale.

9.

Work digitally to reduce risk and boost efficiency.

“Vanilla” BIM means costs passed on are limited to additional roles or enhanced deliverables.

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BIM & DIGITAL FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

“When a client sells a building it must have an EPC. Why not say that a client must also provide a minimum level of information?”

Jason Whittall, One Creative Environments

Above, from left: Mark O’Connor (Wood); Joe Stott (AHR)

straightforward process – so long as clients and consultants remember the principles behind it “I see BIM as just about information management,” she said. “It is what we have always done. It is part of an ecosystem, where you need inputs to make outputs – and it is the client that generates the inputs.

“Many employers’ information requirements [EIRs] are pages and

pages of documents but they don’t tell you anything. People are getting really confused and wrapped up in Construction Operations Building Information Exchange [COBie] and data which they are never going to use.”

Most members of the group are exploring offering an information management service – advising clients on using data to improve their asset management – but there is limited demand at present. One issue raised was the lack of information manager candidates in the job market, and what that role may look like (see box).

Whittall pointed out a link between the information management requirement, the principal designer role in the Construction Design & Management (CDM) regulations, and Dame Judith Hackitt’s report calling for more rigorous duty holder

The role of the information manager Information management is beginning to emerge as a built environment job role in its own right, but our consultants group find it difficult to recruit for.

“It is hard to make the role of information manager attractive to a trained engineer,” said Colclough.

Moore asked if the job needs to be filled from someone within the industry, or whether they can be recruited from outside.

Whittall doesn’t see it as a construction role. “We are seeing an increase in requests for quotations to provide information management services but there are limited people who can do it and have the right mindset,” he said.

Grayham Roper, BIM manager at Hoare Lea, thinks clients need to appreciate the value of employing an information manager.

“Quite often the responsibility gets pushed onto an architect,” he said.

“The role is about working across people, process and technology and understanding all kinds of information and how they join up on a project.

Fundamentally, the information manager should be able to reduce information waste on a project.

“But I do think they need construction knowledge,” he added.

O’Connor recounted his experience on HS1, where he recruited a data analyst. “After I had my data analyst for about six months, all the other teams on the project wanted one,” he recalled.

“It would be great to see large portfolio clients using an information manager that works within the project environment, setting corporate data standards and requirements for asset data,” said Stocks.

responsibilities and a “golden thread” of information for every building.

“Information isn’t just about saving money, it is about environmental factors and safety factors,” he said.

“In the oil and gas sector, the duty holder has that role for 30-40 years so tends to value the ‘golden thread’ more,” said O’Connor.

“If we draw a comparison with energy performance certificates [EPCs], could a similar approach be taken with building data?” asked Whittall. “When a client sells a building, it must have an EPC. Why not say that a client must also provide a minimum level of information?”

Whittall would like to see government drive BIM harder than just central government mandated departments, pointing out that while departments like the Ministry of Justice have been good at implementing the government’s 2016 mandate, those organisations within the NHS and education that are part-funded by a pension or investment firm sometimes try to argue that the mandate does not apply them.

“I think the mandate could be given more teeth,” he said.

Understanding value While the consultants agreed that helping clients understand the value of BIM would drive its adoption, few could provide evidence of BIM benefits being captured and measured. Moore urged: “We need to see a tangible benefit because people need to understand the beneficial outcome for them.”

Stocks added: “We need case studies that prove where the benefits are. The data is no good if it is all kept close to someone’s chest. It is only really powerful if we can share it.” ●

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LEGAL FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

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Legal

Christopher Reeves Mediation for Construction

When ‘friendly’ advice leads to court THE DANGERS OF MIXING WORK AND FRIENDSHIP, PARTICULARLY WITHOUT A WRITTEN CONTRACT, WERE DEMONSTRATED IN THE BURGESSES V LEJONVARN CASE, SAYS CHRISTOPHER REEVES

Providing friendly advice to family or neighbours is not uncommon for construction professionals. But the case of Burgess and another v Lejonvarn should give pause for thought.

Architect Basia Lejonvarn advised Peter and Lynn Burgess on landscaping the garden at their £5m London home.

But the couple blamed Lejonvarn for defects and cost overruns to the tune of £265,000 – and took her to court.

The Burgesses decided to landscape their garden back in 2012. A quotation of £155,837 plus a planting budget of £19,785 was quoted by Mark Enright of the Landscape Garden Company. The couple liked the plan,but regarded the quotation as being too expensive.

Lejonvarn was a friend and former neighbour of the Burgesses. She is an American-qualified architect although not registered in the UK. In spring 2013, she set up her own practice.

The Burgesses asked Lejonvarn for help. She secured a contractor to carry out the earthworks and hard landscaping and a quotation was provided. She intended to provide subsequent design work for the “soft” elements of the project, such as lighting and planting, for which she would charge a fee.

The project never got that far. The Burgesses were unhappy with the quality and progress of the work and Lejonvarn’s involvement came to an end in July 2013.

The dispute went to court in 2016.

The Burgesses claimed that much of the work done during Lejonvarn’s involvement was defective, and that she was legally responsible for it.

They claimed damages exceeding their original £130,000 budget for the works. The couple claimed Lejonvarn assumed legal responsibility for the professional services by acting as architect and project manager.

Lejonvarn argued there was no basis for the claim as she provided free advice on a friendly basis, in a “non-commercial, informal and social context”.

The question of responsibility for the advice made its way up to the Court of Appeal before the High Court then dealt with the amount of the claim.

The Court of Appeal decided in April 2017 there was no contract between the parties – but said that where a party voluntarily tenders skilled advice or services, in circumstances where they know that advice will be relied on by the recipient, then liability can arise.

However, there were questions over the scope of Lejonvarn’s advice.

In short, the Burgesses needed to set out what services Lejonvarn actually provided. It was not enough to contend that she should have delivered certain services, if these were outside the scope of the retainer.

The case returned to the High Court in late 2018, where the Burgesses failed to make out their case, and could not actually prove that they suffered any loss.

It held that Lejonvarn did not breach any duty owed to the Burgesses, and said the scope of her duty was limited to those services she did provide. It also criticised the “scattergun approach” taken by the couple against Lejonvarn, alleging various breaches of duty, and the unrealistic nature of the claim.

The claim was dismissed, with the question of costs to be determined, unless agreed by the parties.

The case highlights the importance of having robust written appointment documents, as well as the risks in taking on work where the formalities are not clear – even for friends and family. ● Christopher Reeves is a construction lawyer and founder of Mediation for Construction.

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 LEGAL

Robert Burns Quigg Golden

CIMC v Bennett: milestone payments A SHIPLOAD OF MODULAR BEDROOM UNITS FROM CHINA LED TO A DISPUTE OVER THE PAYMENT MECHANISM, WITH THE COURT RULING PROVIDING CLARITY OVER MILESTONE PAYMENTS. ROBERT BURNS EXPLAINS Section 110 of the Construction Act attempts to bring certainty to the payment terms of construction contracts.

Section 110(1) states that every construction contract shall: l provide an adequate mechanism for determining what payments become due under the contract, and when; and l provide for a final date for payment in relation to any sum which becomes due.

The parties are free to agree the length of the period between the date when a sum becomes due and the final date for payment.

The courts have heard plenty of cases involving the Construction Act, largely related to the form and timing of payment applications, payment notices and pay less notices. Now we also have guidance from the court on its interpretation of Section 110(1), following last year’s ruling on CIMC MBS (formerly Verbus Systems) v Bennett Construction.

The court was asked to decide on the legislative validity of a set of milestone payments. They are a common payment mechanism, but are they adequate when measured against Section 110(1)?

Bennett was the main contractor for a design-and-build new hotel in London.

CIMC was the subcontractor appointed

by Bennett to design, supply and install modular bedroom units. These were to be made in China and then shipped

The five milestone payments

1.

20% of the subcontract price to be paid on execution of the subcontract;

2.

30% on sign-off of a prototype room in China

by Bennett, the employer and the ultimate operator of the hotel;

3.

30% on sign-off of all snagging items

by Bennett, the employer and the operator, again in China;

4.

10% on sign-off of units in Southampton; and

5.

10% on completion of installation and snagging.

to England. The agreement between Bennett and CIMC was a construction contract and so the Construction Act, and Section 110, applied.

CIMC was appointed by Bennett under a JCT form of contract. However, the interim payment clauses were deleted and replaced with a bespoke set of milestone payments (see box).

CIMC’s lawyers challenged the validity of milestones 2, 3 and 4, arguing they did not comply with Section 110(1) of the Construction Act, because: l The employer and the operator were not parties to the subcontract, and the details around sign-off were vague; l There were no determinable criteria for establishing when, or indeed whether, sign-off had occurred; and l As no time was stated for sign-off, there was no due date or final date for payment.

The court found that milestones 2 a n d 3 d i d n o t c o n s t i t u te a n adequate payment mechanism under Section 110(1) of the Construction Act. They were lacking specific criteria and timescales for sign-off, and these would be required in order to get over the hurdle set by Section 110(1).

Nowhere did the payment terms or the specification state by what date the sign-off must be done. The court did not feel “reasonable time” could be used as

“There were no determinable criteria for establishing when, or indeed whether, sign-off had occurred”

it would still generate uncertainty and cause for dispute – which Section 110(1) was designed and drafted to prevent.

Milestone 4 was held to be in adherence of Section 110(1). It was significantly differently worded from 1 and 2, and the court considered it simply meant proof of delivery in Southampton, once the bedroom units were discharged from the vessel which brought them from China.

CIMC’s argument against milestone 4 was that a check for damage would need to occur. But the court held that discharge from the vessel would suffice.

It is worth noting that the court held that the use of milestone payments in this case was not contrary to Section 110 – the issue was that the triggers for the payments were not adequately defined and ascertainable. ● Robert Burns is a solicitor and senior associate at Quigg Golden.

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COMMUNITY FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

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Community WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL BODY

CMYA

And the winner is...

CMYA 2019, THE OSCARS FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS, OPEN FOR ENTRIES

The Construction Manager of the Year Awards (CMYA) 2019 are now open for entries.

The CMYA, the CIOB’s annual celebration for industry talent will officially open in January 2019, having celebrated 40 years of the awards in 2018.

Completely free to enter, the CMYA has a reputation for showcasing the very finest talent in construction and is unique in the sector as they celebrate

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Above right: Neil Lock MCIOB winner of the 2018 CMYA award for the basement gallery for the V&A Museum (above)

TIME TO ENTER GSC CENTRAL LONDON SITE VISIT BELFAST ANNUAL DINNER MEET A MEMBER ME AND MY PROJECT

and recognise the achievements of the person and not the project.

CIOB chief executive, Chris Blythe, said: “CMYA has always been a unique barometer for management and leadership talent in our sector and in our 40th year it was no exception. I fully expect 2019 to be even bigger and better and present us with fierce competition from the finest managers in the industry.”

The 2018 winner, Neil Lock MCIOB of Wates Construction, said: “Being recognised for what you do day in, day out, is just brilliant.” ● To register your interest, visit: www.cmya.co.uk/ register-your-interest/ The CMYA annual dinner, celebrating all the finalists and announcing the overall winner, will be on 18 September 2019 at the JW Marriott, Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 COMMUNITY

ROBIN DRAYTON

Community is edited by Nicky Roger Send member and HUB news to nicky@atompublishing.co.uk

TRAINING

Conservation course kicks off

CIOB ACADEMY COURSE ON TRADITIONAL BUILDING MANAGEMENT

also an integral part of the CIOB Conservation Certification scheme which requires all those applying for Certification to successfully complete this course unless they have an approved qualification in the subject. The course however is stand alone and those participating need not be CIOB members or have an interest in the CIOB Conservation Certification scheme.

It is an ideal grounding to all those new to conservation and seeking to improve results for clients on conservation projects.

The course costs £295 and will b e d e l i v e re d b y Jo h n E d w a rd s who is also the CIOB’s lead assessor on the CIOB’s Conservation Certification Scheme. ● Book at www.ciobacademy.org

RICTOR NORTON & DAVID ALLEN

The CIOB Academy is offering a conservation course this month in London and Swansea. Understanding Building Conservation is a two-day course designed to improve decisionmaking when working on and managing traditional buildings, including both unprotected traditional buildings, and those which are protected due to their historic significance.

Open to anyone who works with traditional buildings the course is

Roof repairs to Tredegar House. The restoration work includes the replacement of 35 tonnes of Welsh slate.

Tredegar House, Newport a 17th-century mansion house and its surrounding gardens are undergoing repair and redevelopment of a number of areas of the property.

COMPETITION

Students take their marks LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR THE CIOB GLOBAL STUDENT CHALLENGE

The annual CIOB Global Student Challenge opened for registration at the end of last year and there are already teams signing up from all over the world.

The CIOB is seeking teams made up of full-time students studying a degree in the built environment.

The winning team receives £2000 in prize money, along with access to a mentoring programme in which industry leaders provide advice and guidance to support the winning teams’ professional development.

CIOB’s Global Student Challenge is a real test of construction industry knowhow, taking place in stages over a number of months.

The competition provides a realistic simulation where teams run their own construction company.

There’s a 'Foundation Years' stage, in which competitors learn how to play the game, running their construction company in a simulated environment using the MERIT software, testing different strategies and refining tactics for the competitive game. The CIOB advises that, based on performance in previous years, teams who do well in the competition are the ones who make the most of this stage.

The 'Early Years' stage starts a few weeks later.

The competition hots up at this point, with teams playing competitively against other teams around the world, making decisions that influence the success of their companies.

More than 60 teams entered the 2018 competition, with the six teams scoring the most in the early rounds making it to the finals which made up part of the CIOB’s Members' Forum. This year, both events will once again be run alongside each other, this time in Edinburgh, at the Hilton Carlton, in June. It means the finalists, as well as competing to win the Global Student Challenge title, will also be a part of the Members' Forum and get to network with senior construction professionals from all over the world.

The competition is only open to full-time students, although there is an allowance of one postgraduate member per team. Teams are normally made up of four members, but three is permissible.

Costs remain the same as last year - details can be found on the web site: https://gsc.ciob.org/ Registration closes on 28 February 2019.

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COMMUNITY FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

“It comprises a steel frame and brick outer leaf of over 12,000 special individual bricks” Site visit

Members invited to see Osborne’s Hobhouse project

BRISTOL STUDENTS ENCOURAGED TO JOIN THE CIOB

SITE VISIT TO CENTRAL LONDON BUILD

The CIOB London Novus is teaming up with Osborne to host a site visit to its Hobhouse project. The Hobhouse estate holding companies awarded Osborne a £31m contract in 2017 for the Arquitectonicadesigned (in association with Brisac Gonzalez) mixed-use development on Whitcomb Street, next to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing.

Obituary

Andy Smith

NICK CALTON PAST CHAIR OF NORWICH HUB PAYS TRIBUTE TO ANDY SMITH

The design includes 20 high-end apartments, 1,100m 2 off ice and 650m 2 retail space. The redevelopment will also see the return of the prestigious Royal Watercolour Society to its original home.

The project is due to complete this year. It comprises a steel frame with an infill of structurally insulated panels and brick outer leaf, a total of over 12,000 special individual We were all saddened to hear of Andy’s passing, and have fond memories of his time in the CIOB for the East of England Branch and Norfolk Centre which spanned 2006 to 2015. Andy was also vice chair of the Faculty of Architecture & Surveying in 2004.

I first met Andy when he was vice chair of the Norfolk Centre from 2006 then becoming chair

bricks. The site visit will show the erection of the sip panels, brick install, M&E works, window install, and the basement grade 2 listed vaults. ● The visit takes place at 2pm (please arrive 10 minutes early to register) on 13 February at Hobhouse Court, 3-17 Whitcomb Street, London, WC2H 7HA

in 2007. He had such a calming welcoming nature it made my involvement in the CIOB feel so much more worthwhile. From the moment I joined the committee to becoming Andy’s vice chair of the Norfolk Centre, Andy was so supportive and really enthused the whole committee to help us build a very successful Centre.

This energy shone through when

The Bristol Novus group, together with the University West of England, ran several presentations to new students recently promoting the benefits of CIOB membership.

All new student memberships received had an opportunity to win one of three CIOB construction management books.

The group also engaged with first year students helping out with the ‘pyramid game’ in which each student team was challenged to quote for and build a pyramid, choosing the location, building tactics/methods, calculate costs and then present with a model to the Novus group.

he became the East of England Branch vice chair for five years from 2007 to 2012 which followed on from his time as a Professional Review Panel Member and chair.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Andy's family, at this sad time. Andy was a wonderful man and he left a memorable mark on the CIOB, that continues to this day.

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●

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 COMMUNITY

CPD

Pay attention to retention AHEAD OF GOVERNMENT ACTION ON RETENTIONS STUART WILKS FOLLOWS UP FROM A RECENT CPD Site visit

University features in members’ futures A TOUR OF NEW DURHAM SCHEME PLANNED

Members in the North East can look forward to a tour of Interserve’s Mount Oswald project – an £80m scheme for Durham University to develop new college and student facilities.

The scheme forms part of the University ’s strategy to deliver world-class research, education and a wider student experience. The project involves the construction of a new home for John Snow College

and a brand new college, together totalling 1000 student bed spaces.

The facilities will be self-catering, with a mix of ensuite rooms, shared bathrooms, cluster flats and townhouses. Each college will have its own central administrative and social space.

There will also be a University Hub building, with an events hall suitable for formal dining for up to 300, gym, music practice rooms, a performance practice room, a Yoga/dance studio, a launderette and a faith room, plus a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA).

The Hub and MUGA are scheduled to come into use in autumn 2019 and the first students will move into the residential facilities for the academic year 2020/21. ● Look out for site visit details soon.

Below: The Durham University plans

Retention payments remain a fractious issue for the construction industry. It’s currently estimated around £6bn a year is held up in retentions.

The London HUB seminar with BESA and law firm Fenwick Elliott aimed to find out what’s being done. It’s now anticipated that things will change soon. The Aldous bill, put forward by MP Peter Aldous has full support of one in four MPs. At the very least, it’s anticipated there will be a significant change in the law in 2019.

Dave Bebb of Fenwick Elliott pointed out that there’s no obligation to have retentions in your contract, it’s something you can negotiate.

So if possible, have them taken out.

There’s nothing in the construction act to suggest they have to exist at all. But the act does demand an ‘adequate mechanism’ for releasing money to sub-contractors. Being paid when the main contractor is paid, isn’t an ‘adequate mechanism’.

The scheme proposed in the Aldous bill is like that for domestic tenants.

Landlords must now hold money for rent deposits securely. The money then can’t disappear before it’s due to be re-paid. However, Dave pointed out that determining entitlement for construction retentions might be more troublesome than a tenancy agreement. Both in terms of complexity of assessment and the amounts due.

Following the talk, construction minister Richard Harrington confirmed that the Government will make an announcement on retentions very soon.

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COMMUNITY FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Events

Midlands banks on a good year CIOB HUBS LAY OUT 2019 EVENTS The four Midland hubs have launched a packed programme of events for 2019 with the focus on quality, advances in technology and off-site, building defects, sustainability and ecology.

There will be topic specific CPD talks and interesting site visits to projects such as HS2, the Derby Silk Mill and the Commonwealth Games athletes’ village and stadium. Professional review workshops are also planned throughout the year.

One standout event will be held at Twycross Zoo in March, Quality in Construction, with guest speaker Paul Nash (CIOB Past President).

Paul will be presenting the work of the CIOB’s construction quality commission, which was set up in the wake of the Edinburgh Schools report to investigate the issue of quality in the industry and what needs to be done to improve it.

Event

Paul Nash will present the Quality in Construction work from the CIOB at Twycross Zoo in March, which will also include a presentation about the Chimp Eden project

World cup finalist to speak at CIOB annual dinner in Belfast LAST CHANCE TO BOOK FOR DINNER AND AWARDS EVENT

Speakers from the CIOB Academy, Employer Engagement and CITB will also feature along with time for networking and a fascinating insight from Twycross Zoo on their project work, including the ProCon award winning Chimp Eden.

Digitisation of Off-site Construction with the MacAvoy Group will be held in the Hemel and Nottingham hubs and looks at the latest techniques.

Also on the technology theme will be events in Loughborough and Hemel on drones. They will highlight the increasing reliance on drone and satellite technology in the industry.

In May in Bedford, James Simpson from ADAS will present Our Ecology – Opportunities and Value when developing land. James is passionate about how the construction industry can work with ecologists; he has written articles on how ecological concerns do not have to be seen as an obstacle.

Returning for 2019, the Celebrating Construction Awards at the ICC promises to be the best year yet for the awards with a high calibre of industry leading companies and inspiring projects expected to enter the 14 different categories. The closing date for West Midlands award entries is the 15 February and you can view and enter any of the categories at: www.west. celebratingconstructionawards.org ●

For more details and a full programme of events contact Birmingham & Nottingham Hubs: Georgina Floyd gfloyd@ciob.org.uk Northampton & Hemel Hubs: Sonia Short sshort@ciob.org.uk .

Full events listing https://events.ciob.org

Shirley McCay, 2018 world cup finalist and highest capped player for the Ireland women's hockey team, will be the guest speaker at the CIOB Annual Dinner event on 22 February at the Hilton Hotel in Belfast.

The popular event attracts over 200 leading construction professionals each year and will be compered by TV personality Adrian Logan.

Tickets, as well as sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact Julie Fitzsimmons jfitzsimmons@ciob.org.uk.

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 COMMUNITY

Tony Bellamy MCIOB

Meet a member Tony Bellamy MCIOB is senior site manager at Interserve and became chair of the Newcastle HUB in January.

Events

Diary dates HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CIOB CALENDAR FOR THE COMING MONTH. FOR MORE EVENTS VISIT CIOB.ORG

Digitising Offsite Construction February 6, 6pm Holiday Inn, Hemel Hempstead McAvoy Group, offsite construction specialists deliver a key-note presentation on the latest techniques for digitising construction and how the new technology is taking offsite construction to the next level.

Contact: Sonia Short sshort@ciob.org.uk UCLan Masterplan February 6, 6pm, Preston In 2015, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) unveiled its Preston Campus through a £200m Campus Masterplan development.

The delivery of the first phase will include new buildings, green spaces, class-leading technologies and infrastructure.

The evening will consist of presentations about the current projects.

Contact: kpercival@ciob.org.uk Nansledan School Newquay Site Visit February 13, 2.30pm Newquay Site Visit to Nansledan School, Newquay, a brand new school due to open in September 2019 to cater for 420 local children.

Work is now well underway on the 14 classroom primary school on this 4.7 hectare site.

Contact: esteames@ciob.org.uk

Belfast Hub Annual Dinner February 22, 2019, Belfast The Annual Dinner and presentation of awards at the Hilton Hotel in Belfast (see opposite page).

Individual and corporate table bookings are being taken.

Contact: Julie Fitzsimmons at jfitzsimmons@ciob.org.uk or Rachel Corbally email: rcorbally@ciob.org.uk CHF 302 Modern Slavery 260219 February 26, 7pm, Chelmsford Essex Police discuss the different characteristics that distinguish slavery from other human rights violations.

Contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people of all ages, gender and races. Modern Slavery is illegal.

Contact: Chia Oh at coh@ciob.org.uk Hub in the Pub February 27, 7pm London Join the CIOB London Hub Committee and London Novus group for their laid back social gathering, Hub in the Pub. This monthly event takes place on the forth Wednesday of every month, and allows members and non-members to meet with committee members and Novus group to find out more about what is happening in and around London. Location: The Theodore Bullfrog, 26-30 John Adam Street, WC2N 6HL Construction Law Update February 26, 6pm Kegworth, Derbyshire A construction law update with Philip Harris, partner and construction solicitor at Wright Hassall. The session will cover: Getting paid and cashflow; contract clauses on liquidated damages; liability for fitness for purpose in the goods supplied.

Contact: gfloyd@ciob.org.uk

How did you get into construction and why?

I actually stumbled upon working in construction by chance. I was working in the leisure industry at the age of 18 when I was reluctantly paid off due to staffing cuts. This was back in 1988 and at the time my father was working for RM Douglas (which later became Tilbury Douglas, followed by the name we all know these days, Interserve Construction) and they were looking for apprentice joiners. He asked if I was interested in this position. It didn’t take me long to accept this offer and for 18 months I learnt my trade to become a time served joiner and in January 1990 I was fully qualified. It was the best decision I could have made.

What change would you like to see in construction?

On a personal note and something I believe in is, we need to bring more trade apprentices through, men and women. We have a lot of personnel coming up to retirement age that need to be replaced with the younger generation. If we can get this generation in now, they can learn from the personnel before they retire. For the past two years I have worked closely with the Newcastle NOVUS Group and we have toured and carried out talks at schools and colleges throughout the North East, encouraging the younger generation to consider construction as a career.

Why have you become involved with the CIOB locally?

I have been involved locally with the CIOB for the past four years. I first joined

what was the Durham and Wearside Committee through a colleague and did this for two years. I mainly helped out on the CIOB/NOVUS Student Challenge, which is very popular and successful within the North East. When it became the One CIOB, I sent my application off to join the Newcastle Hub, which was to cater for the whole of the North East of England.

I was fortunate to have my application approved and immediately put my nomination forward to become vice chair. I was lucky enough to be voted in by my fellow committee members and held this role for two years.

I became involved with my Hub because I wanted to contribute and help make a difference to North East construction. This industry has given me so much and has been my life for the last 30-plus years, so giving something back is the right thing to do.

Where would you like to see your career progressing? Ambitions?

I am now in my 30th year working for Interserve and they have trained me and looked after me from being that apprentice joiner, up to my current position of senior site manager. I am very ambitious and moving up the ladder is something I am always striving for.

As well as looking at my future with Interserve, I will always be on hand to help and work with the CIOB in whatever capacity I can, once my two years as chair is completed.

How do you spend your spare time?

I have a daughter who is at Middlesex University studying Fashion and Textiles and a 15 year-old son in his last year a school. They both keep me busy and on my toes, especially my son who is a very talented runner for his age. He is the current u17 men 1500m England Champion and finished 2018, ranked number 10 in the country for this distance. He runs throughout the country, so as you may have guessed, I am his taxi driver and take him here, there and everywhere. When I do get a bit of spare time for myself, I am a bit of film buff and enjoy watching many genres of films.

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Construction_manager_DPSART.pdf

1

18/01/2019

12:41

C

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CM

MY

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CMY

K

IT’S YOUR TIME TO SHINE ENTER THE 2019 AWARDS AT

CMYA.CO.UK

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HOW TO ENTER

1

2

The online portal for entries couldn’t be easier. Register and receive your log in to the application portal.

3

Complete your application in the format of a project report.

Answer a total of ten questions in relation to the project.

CMYA TIMELINE January 2019

15 March 2019

April – May 2019

May – June 2019

July 2019

18 September 2019

Online entry portal opens

Entry deadline

Candidate site visits

Candidate interviews

Finalists announced

Awards ceremony at JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2019

18 SEPTEMBER 2019 JW MARRIOTT GROSVENOR HOUSE HOTEL

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COMMUNITY FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Below: The new Guildford Fire Station, one of three similar projects managed

by Sue Hanford

Me and my project

Emergency call PROJECT MANAGER FOR SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL SUE HANFORD TALKS US THROUGH THE LATEST FIRE STATION BUILD WHICH DELIVERED UNEXPECTED SURPRISES I have project managed three of the new build fire station projects on behalf of Surrey County Council and one of my current projects is the new-build Fordbridge Fire Station in Ashford Surrey. I have worked with Surrey Fire & Rescue Service for several years now, and in that time I have learnt a great deal about its work and the building and training requirements necessary to facilitate its essential role.

The new Guildford Fire Station is now located close to the previous old building originally built in 1936, and was my first fire station project. Right from the start my brief from Surrey Fire & Rescue Service was the importance of response times and operational assurance.

Working with the design team and in consultation with SFRS, we designed a building and training site to meet these requirements. The new and subsequent fire stations include features such as enhanced training facilities including a four-storey training house to further improve firefighters’ competency in working at height and dealing with multi-storey incidents.

An area for road traffic collision training allows for more realistic training simulations which mimic likely scenarios. Furthermore, the new fire stations have been built to provide modern, efficient, low cost premises

“The flints have been dated to the upper palaeolithic age, which goes back to over 10,000 years ago” Sue Hanford

that are fully accessible and meet equality and diversity targets.

Bombs and ancient finds Prior to the build, however, the site presented us with a number of challenges. Flints and Roman pottery were previously found on the site in the 1970s so I commissioned a team of archaeologists to excavate the site prior to any construction works commencing.

Within the first few days on site the archaeologists unearthed a bomb. The police were called and arranged for the evacuation of the fire station and surrounding buildings, and then the army arrived to carry out a controlled explosion. The bomb was found to be a WWII smoke bomb, most likely used by the Home Guard for training. The archaeologists could not return to site until checks were carried out to ensure there were no further bombs.

There weren’t any, but we lost a couple of weeks until we knew it was safe to return to site.

Mesolithic flints were found, as well as some Roman pottery, but the next occurrence was the discovery of further flints, all within a different area on site.

This resulted in some extremely important finds – most unusually the flints had remained in place for thousands of years as they have been dated back to the upper palaeolithic age which goes back to over 10,000 years ago.

The find generated a great deal of excitement in the archaeology world and we had visits from various professors and experts all wanting to see the flints. There was an article in the local paper, and I was subsequently interviewed on BBC Radio Surrey.

I enjoy my job and each time our new fire stations become operational I feel a great sense of achievement. ●

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | FEBRUARY 2019 COMMUNITY

Partnership An inspector calls PREMIER BUSINESSCARE, THE CIOB'S INSURANCE BROKER PARTNER, ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR CONSTRUCTION SITE SAFETY INSPECTIONS

Construction is one of the most dangerous industries and as such, is subject to rigorous health and safety inspections. HSE inspectors have the right to enter worksites without prior notice, although many will give notice where appropriate. It is your responsibility to make sure that you are prepared when inspectors come.

Generally, inspectors will inspect the worksite and its activities, how

“Construction is one of the most dangerous industries.

It is vital to be prepared for HSE inspections”

you manage health and safety, and whether you are complying with the law. Inspectors may also talk to workers and take photographs or samples.

Some may offer guidance. If there is a problem, inspectors may serve enforcement notices.

What inspectors look for The following are examples of good risk management that inspectors look for at construction sites.

General risk management l Agree on risk control measures with contractors. l Communicate the agreed-upon risk control measures to the workforce. l Ensure equipment has been correctly installed and/or assembled. l Inspect equipment regularly and arrange maintenance as necessary.

Working at height Construction companies should follow the Work at Height Regulations hierarchy, which includes avoiding work at height where possible and using work equipment or other measures to minimise the distances and prevent negative results of a fall when work at height cannot be avoided. l Take proper precautions, such as edge protection on scaffolding. l Make sure ladders, if used, are the correct type, in good condition, set on firm, level ground, properly secured and set at the correct length and angle.

Housekeeping l Keep walkways, stairs and work areas clear of debris and other obstructions. l Store materials safely in a secure place. l Ensure walkways are even and gritted if icy.

Welfare facilities Keep facilities warm, well-lit and well-ventilated. l Provide a place to change, dry and store clothing. l Provide clean and working toilets, soap, towels and washbasins with hot and cold running water.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) l Provide appropriate PPE to workers, including hard hats, ear protectors, masks and gloves. l Ensure PPE is in good condition. l Ensure that workers are using PPE correctly. ● For full HSE guidance visit www.hse.gov.uk.

For more information on insurance contact Premier BusinessCare on 0330 102 6158.

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TRAINING & RECRUITMENT FEBRUARY 2019 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Training & Recruitment Job spotlight Peter Attwood Founder, Acoustic Associates Sussex

SOUND PRINCIPLES PETER ATTWOOD, FOUNDER OF ACOUSTIC ASSOCIATES SUSSEX, ON THE VARIED ROLE OF THE ACOUSTICS SPECIALIST

What role does acoustics play in building?

Good acoustics within a building are essential to the comfort of its occupants and, in some cases, are critical to the performance of the building itself. A school classroom, for example, will only succeed as a learning space if the teacher’s voice is sufficiently audible.

Performance spaces clearly depend upon the quality of the acoustics, but this extends to village halls, recording studios, lecture theatres, conference facilities – many areas

where people interact with buildings. We don’t want to hear excessive noise from our neighbours; this can seriously degrade our experience of living in our homes.

What is a typical day in your role?

In our office, this week, we have some acoustic engineers engaged in sound insulation projects for houses and flats. Others are preparing noise assessments for the effects of road traffic and railway noise upon proposed large-scale residential developments and these will be submitted in support of planning applications. Others are working on a project for a housing association where problems have been reported with sound insulation. There is tremendous variety in what we do and this can provide great job satisfaction.

You have a degree in building engineering, a master’s in acoustics and are a chartered builder. Are your qualifications typical?

The training to carry out this work is rigorous and in-depth. Building acoustics specialists must have a knowledge of the acoustic issues involved but also an appreciation of buildability issues: they must provide specifications which are well thought out, cost-effective and capable of being built.

Postgraduate diplomas and master’s degrees in acoustics are common in our industry but experience is also a necessary factor.

We are proud to have been granted the status of Chartered Building Consultancy by the CIOB. This shows that we are able to speak the same language as other specialists but it also indicates that we work to high professional and ethical standards. ●

Hundreds of the best jobs in construction.

Recruitment news and insight. www.constructionmanagerjobs.co.uk

Millennials could plug the skills gap The industry must sell itself better to attract younger recruits, and digital technology is key, says Julie White, managing director of demolition specialist D-Drill and chair of the Build UK training board The Millennials. Sat in front of their phones, more worried about the next Instagram post than embarking on a career. A fair assessment, you might say, or is our stereotyping of a whole generation one of the reasons that all of us are struggling to find the future workforce?

Perhaps, as an industry, we should be the first to look beyond the millennial label.

Surveys have found that millennials are looking for substance and meaning in their work and not just the biggest pay packet.

They care about a company’s brand and reputation and want to feel what they do is contributing to something worthwhile.

Of course, technology plays a big part in their life and it also plays a major part in our business – from the way we process new job requests through to our remote-controlled Brokk machines, which are used in complex demolition programmes and which require highly dextrous digits that could have been honed in front of a PlayStation or Xbox. On top of that, we use 2D/3D scanners to see where we can drill to ensure we don’t go through services or damage the integrity of a building.

If we are to find new blood for our businesses, there is no question that we are going to have to look beyond the stereotyping. We have to sell our industry better and highlight some of those areas that might attract a younger audience, such as in 3D modelling and remote-controlled equipment, and demonstrate the importance of construction to society and the economy.

If a young worker is looking for meaning in what they do, what could offer that in greater abundance than being part of an industry that is creating the future for the generations that are yet to be named and yet to be stereotyped? ●

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JUNE 2017 For members of the CIOB

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3D PRINTING AND THE RISE OF RAPID BUILDING

COUNCILS BEGIN TO BUILD AGAIN

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