1. BIM Certification – a recipe for confusion
With three different BIM certification providers in the market, and the possibility of others in the future, it’s time for a single, national BIM award where everyone knows what’s being assessed, says Terry Gough, managing director at Swiftbuild. Read more…
2. Kevin McCLoud’s HAB Housing in firing line over construction defects
Residents at HAB Housing’s Applewood development in Stroud, Gloucestershire, reported a catalogue of problems including non-compliant gas fittings, damp problems and defective plasterboard at the 78-home scheme. Read more…
3. CIOB to create toolkit to tackle ‘dark side of construction’
Following the launch of the CIOB’s report – Modern Slavery: The dark side of construction – the institution aims to produce a toolkit to help organisations become more socially responsible. Read more…
4. 10 policies affecting construction in the summer budget
From the Housing Growth Partnership to a new apprenticeship levy, changes to corporation tax to a new round of Enterprise Zones CM summed up the 10 policies announced by George Osborne most likely to affect the industry. Read more…
5. Skanska awarded £700,000 to develop construction robots
Skanska UK has been awarded a £709,000 grant by Innovate UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop the use of robots for onsite and offsite construction. Read more…
6. Tech start-up Converge to bring ‘Internet of Things’ to construction
A technology start-up run by two Cambridge physics graduates is working with a major UK-based international contractor to develop a method of testing concrete strength using “Internet of Things” sensors and processing. Read more…
7. Industry angered as representation in government corridors of power shrinks
The industry expressed disappointment and frustration at the announcement from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills that the Construction Leadership Council was to be slimmed down from a 30-strong body to just 12, while the post of the government’s chief construction adviser is to be scrapped. Read more…
8. Industry leaders urge chancellor to reconsider zero carbon homes U-turn
Senior figures from Lend Lease, Sir Robert McAlpine, Bouygues, Buro Happold, the British Property Federation and Willmott Dixon were among more than 200 signatories to an open letter urging George Osborne to reconsider scrapping the zero carbon homes target. Read more…
9. Philp promises ‘value to the people of Scotland’ in new BIM secondment
UK BIM guru David Philp FCIOB has taken up a new role implementing Level 2 BIM across Scotland’s public sector estate to an April 2017 deadline, with a secondment to government agency the Scottish Futures Trust. Read more…
10. How the CIOB’s Global Student Challenge was a ‘golden ticket’
Oscar MacLeod Savage, 25, secured a place on the construction management graduate programme with a major international construction company in London, after winning the 2014 challenge with RMIT University in Melbourne. Read more…
Top in BIM case studies
Hampshire Critical Treatment Hospital – Keeping it in the ‘super-family’
The new concept of the Revit “super-family”, advanced clash detection software, and an early implementation of the NBS Toolkit, helped drive efficiencies on the £160m Hampshire Critical Treatment Hospital. Read more…
Top in Management
Moving community consultation online
Traditionally community relations during construction have been managed through newsletters and viewing windows or platforms, site visits or exhibitions. But the internet and social media are changing the way we communicate in every context, says Penny Norton. Read more…
Comment
New York and London: a tale of two cities in construction hyperdrive
Jon White, UK managing director of Turner & Townsend, looks behind the figures in its recent International Construction Market Survey, and at possible consequences in the London market. Read more…
Top in Agenda
Travellers’ Tales – Construction’s global opportunity
UK contractors and consultants are venturing into new markets created by rapid urbanisation all over the globe. Stephen Cousins speaks to firms that have already packed their suitcases. Read more…
