TECHNOLOGy IN CONSTrUCTION rOUND-Up

Modern methods of construction apprenticeship programme

Technology in facilities management

New research from Watco has revealed that almost half (45%) of facilities managers think that their organisation could become unviable in the next couple of years if it doesn’t improve its digital technologies and skills. The study found that 72% of facilities managers (FMs) admit that their business is slow to embrace digital innovation and 18% said that their biggest priority over the next year will be upskilling and training employees on new technologies.

Leading UK offsite timber frame manufacturer, Donaldson Timber Systems (DTS), has partnered with West Herts College to offer an apprenticeship programme in support of the next generation of talent in the construction industry for timber frame construction. The partnership originated with DTS’ appointment to the Hertfordshire OSM framework, which included the commitment to engage with the local College. The 2.5-year programme was open to students on the College’s Level 2 City and Guilds carpentry course.

The apprenticeship will include four days per week on-site, delivered by one of DTS’ service level agreement partners, Bedfordshire-based S.E. Carpentry. One day per week the apprentices will attend the College to work on in-class modules, including an additional module that will focus on modern methods of construction (MMC) for timber frame that was developed in partnership with DTS. This covers an understanding of construction technology; health and safety; an introduction to MMC; and understanding construction information, materials and the installation process, together with site/project communications.

Simon Horn, Technical Development Manager at DTS, says: “Supporting skills development in the next generation is crucial to the ongoing evolution of the UK construction industry, and is something we’re committed to at DTS, so working with the College to grow and support talent was a great fit. This apprenticeship programme is a pilot project for DTS and is something we would like to roll out in more areas, with more partners, in time.”

Sian Williams, Curriculum Director at West Herts College, comments: “We’re excited to partner with DTS on this programme to give our learners an opportunity to receive hands-on training and develop their understanding of Modern Methods of Construction. It has been fantastic to work closely with DTS to develop MMC modules that incorporate new design and technologies that enable our learners to gain the most current and update knowledge and skills linking into a variety of curriculum courses.”

Spencer Earl, Managing Director of S.E. Carpentry, adds: “We’re proud to partner with DTS and West Herts College to provide two apprentices with the opportunity to learn from our team and develop their skills. It’s also unquestionably a great benefit for our business, as we will have two qualified installers at the end of the programme who are trained to work on DTS’ timber frame build systems.” n More information can be found at www.rdr.link/lak019 n For more information on Digital Transformation in the Workplace, download Watco’s free report here www.rdr.link/lak020

The research also found that some innovations have already risen in popularity. In fact, 33% of FMs say that they are using customer portals, and almost a quarter (21%) said that customer portals will be the digital tool that will have the most significant impact on the sector in the next 12 months. This is because customer portals help to maintain a ‘golden thread’ of maintenance information, which is something that is set to become enshrined into law under the Building Safety Act, which is due to come into force in October this year.

On top of this, 55% of FMs are considering introducing resource and management software in the next two years. This software can help to schedule and plan maintenance activities, allocate resources more efficiently, and monitor equipment and facility performance in real time.

On top of this, 55% of FMs are considering introducing resource and management software in the next two years. The survey of 250 facilities management professionals revealed the five key technologies that FMs think will have the biggest impact on their role are — customer portals to maintain a digital ‘golden thread’ of information; sensor technology (e.g. to understand; temperature & air quality metrics); robotics (e.g. for cleaning tasks); resource and workforce management software and Internet of Things (IoT).

Swansea Council and the Welsh School of Architecture won the Domestic Project of the Year category at this year's CIBSE Building Performance Awards for the energy efficiency retrofit of six bungalows. The project builds on the learning from similar retrofit schemes undertaken by the school, as Juliet Rennie of CIBSE explains.

As residential energy efficiency retrofits go, the results of a collaboration between Swansea Council and Cardiff University's Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) in refurbishing a terrace of six council bungalows are impressive. The home's carbon emissions are down 94%; average annual energy consumption is only 5MWh, significantly lower than the UK average of 15MWh; and the home's Energy Performance Certificate rating has improved from a G (the worst) to an A (the best).

This is a refurbishment that demonstrates what is possible when retrofitting local authority homes for energy efficiency. Particularly when you consider that the retrofits were carried out using offthe-shelf materials and technologies.

What is more, the homes tackled under this scheme were not exceptionally bad; in fact, they are described by the WSA as being "typical of many Welsh homes" in that they are off the gas grid and have been constructed with poorly insulated windows, walls, and roofs, making them expensive to heat and prone to damp and mould.

Unsurprisingly, the refurbishment won Project of the Year – Domestic, at this year's Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Building Performance Awards. The judges were clearly impressed with the approach taken by the WSA saying it "will have far-reaching impacts in Wales and beyond".

Whole house approach

The WSA's approach builds on learning from earlier residential retrofits, including work the school had undertaken in collaboration with Wales and West Housing

(another CIBSE award winning project) where it developed its integrated approach to energy efficiency improvements. This ensures retrofit decisions are based on the most appropriate interventions for each home by considering how a mix of technologies and interventions perform as an entire system.

Professor Joanne Patterson, Professorial Research Fellow at WSA, terms this "a whole house approach". She says its success depends on data-driven decisions.

WSA's starting point for each residential retrofit is its Practical Retrofit Early Stage Survey (PRESS). This is a systematic method of collecting information developed by the school to help it understand how residents use their home and the level of comfort they expect.

Data model

Crucially, PRESS is supported by a detailed study and monitoring of the building fabric. This is used to identify existing performance issues; it includes airtightness testing, fabric U-value measurement, and the use of a thermal imaging camera to identify areas of excessive heat loss that may need additional treatment.

Data obtained from the monitoring is used by the WSA to calibrate a digital model of the home. The model allows the school to virtually test different combinations of fabric improvements and technologies to assess how these perform holistically. The home's energy use, carbon emissions, and cost of energy is calculated for each combination of measures. Outputs from the model enable potential energy savings to be assessed against capital costs.

In determining which interventions are appropriate, the school first focuses on improvements to the building fabric through the addition of internal or external insulation to minimise heat losses before considering the most appropriate heating system. Finally, the impact of adding photovoltaic panels (PVs), a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (MVHR) and the benefit of energy storage batteries are assessed.

Property improvements

In Swansea, fabric energy efficiency improvements to the bungalows included external wall insulation, a reduction in the glazed area, installation of high specification double-glazed windows and the addition of loft insulation. Technological additions included: a ground source heat pump (GSHP), photovoltaic panels on the roof and a large battery capable of storing surplus electricity generated by the PVs. The properties were also fitted with an MVHR system to provide a constant source of energy efficient ventilation.

Retrofitting this quantity of energy efficiency improvements can be very intrusive for residents. So, to help minimise the impact of the works, the teams from Swansea Council and WSA decided to implement the retrofit in two phases: fabric efficiency improvements took place over one winter with the installation of the energy supply and storage technologies the following year.

Post-retrofit monitoring by the WSA ensured the technologies were working as predicted, that they had been commissioned correctly and that their operation had been optimised. In addition, to help residents use the technologies effectively, the WSA produced a simple user guide and Swansea Council's energy manager also spent time explaining the operation of the technologies to residents.

Resident feedback

Following completion of the works, residents were interviewed for their perceptions on the impact of the retrofit. Overall feedback was positive with thermal comfort in both summer and winter scoring top marks; the availability of daylight also received top marks, that despite an increase in the depth of the window reveals because of the addition of external wall insulation. However, the issue of noise from the new GSHP compressor and the new MVHR system were both identified as audible, although neither was considered by residents to be intrusive.

In terms of energy use, post retrofit monitoring over two years by WSA showed that from March to September (out of heating season and when days are longer) 95% of the home's energy was provided by the combination of PVs and battery, which meant that once standing charges had been excluded, resident's energy bills for the supply of electricity and heating hot water were just £3.00 per month. No wonder the CIBSE awards judges were impressed.