Construction & Civil Engineering Issue 164 June 2019

www.ccemagazine.com ISSUE 164 JUNE

From concept

to reality

The National Museum of Qatar is an astonishing piece of architecture, and its creation required a distinctly collaborative approach See page 2

Portuguese luxury

A new development in Lisbon planned by Martinhal Residences

Construction begins

Prime plc commences work on Hereford’s new medical centre

Updated annexe

Bauhu has given the granny flat a modern 21st century makeover

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contents Chairman Andrew Schofield Editor Libbie Hammond

libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Assistant Editor Will Daynes Art Editor Fleur Daniels Staff Writer Vladi Nikolov Advertising Design Fiona Jolliffe Operations Director Philip Monument Operations Manager Natalie Griffiths Editorial Researchers Adam Blanch Mark Cowles Jeff Goldenberg Tarjinder Kaur D’Silva Managing Director Joe Woolsgrove Sales Mark Cawston Theresa McDonald Gary Silk Sam Surrell Web Sales

web@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Exclusive Features Darren Jolliffe

FEATURES 2 Case study The recently opened National Museum of Qatar’s complicated form comprises over 500 intersecting horizontal and vertical disks stitched together

6 PLANNING The construction industry is doing its best to build more homes, but a recent survey reveals the current planning system is hampering progress

8 MASONRY Masonry construction solutions continue to be recognised for their safety, robustness and sustainability. Modern Masonry’s Christopher Stanley discusses the benefits

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12 News Updates and information from the construction and civil engineering market

14 Fire safety While fire prevention can be thought of in terms of entire buildings, at the most basic level, a simple fire extinguisher can make all the difference

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16 Sustainability Contractors are increasingly obliged to take sustainability into account when delivering on projects, driven by Government and the public

company profiles

Independent Sales Dave King

18 BILLY BOWIE

Production/Office Manager Tracy Chynoweth

24 Lafarge Cement

Social Media Jo-Ann Jeffery

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Case study

From concept to reality The National Museum of Qatar – a collaborative approach to deliver pioneering design. By David Gilpin

Aerial view of the National Museum of Qatar designed by Jean Nouvel Š Iwan Baan

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T

he National Museum of Qatar recently opened its doors to the public, celebrating the culture, heritage and future of the Persian Gulf state and its people. For Arup, this is the culmination of an 11-year collaborative project with architect Jean Nouvel and the transformation of a remarkable design from vision to reality.

Inspired by the desert rose sand formations, the complicated form comprises over 500 intersecting horizontal and vertical discs stitched together to create a complete structure. Constructed on either side of the historic Royal Palace, the design is a significant departure from ordinary engineering practice and combines ambitious modern architecture with complex analysis.

Arup provided a range of services for this piece of work, including structural, geotechnical, mechanical, electrical and public health engineering design, vertical transportation, fire strategy, civil engineering, facilities access and management, IT and communications design, security consulting, sustainability, LEED strategy and accreditation processes.

This piece will provide an overview of some of the most notable project elements, and the collaborative approach that enabled this ambitious project to be delivered.

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All images on this page © Iwan Baan

Case study

A unique structure Each of the 539 disks are unique in size, location and inclination and are all formed from the same ‘family’ of shapes, creating the structural roof, walls and floors of the building.

The negative spaces between the intersecting discs also create the dramatic interior galleries and museum spaces. This created one of the biggest design challenges for the team where the architectural form and structural form were one and the same. As the architectural design evolved – walls were moved, rooms were repositioned – the structural modelling had to keep pace, resulting in an iterative cycle that saw the engineering analysis feed into the architectural design iterations.

The geographically dispersed team used parametric tools and a 3D/BIM environment to define the complex building geometry and co-ordinate the structure and building services with the architecture.

With no two discs the same, and no two discs intersecting each other in precisely the same way, the Arup team developed an automated model generation

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process that linked to structural analysis software and defined each disc’s size, location, orientation and curvature whilst adhering to the aesthetic and structural constraints.

This was fed into the shared master BIM model and enhanced the efficiency of the design process and facilitated co-ordination during design, manufacturing and construction. It was, at the time, the biggest BIM project in the world in terms of project scope and degree of detailing.

Gold Star Energy efficiency Not only visually striking, the cantilevered discs also provide shading for the canopies, courtyards and walkways for visitors as well as shading the windows, reducing the heat that enters the building and reducing glare.

The discs house the energy efficient building service systems, which are essential to achieving tightly controlled international environmental standards.

The design includes thermal buffer zones which reduce cooling loads, resilient systems

that mitigate power loss and respond to weather conditions and occupancy to significantly reduce energy use. Gallery areas are zoned allowing each to be independently controlled if required. The displacement strategy works well with the complex geometry of the space and focuses conditioning on the occupied areas where artefacts will be placed.

The energy efficient design and sustainable concept strategy guided the project team to achieve LEED Gold certification and Global Sustainability Assessment System four-star rating.

Open surroundings The structure is surrounded by an exceptional landscape that reflects the local agriculture and heritage, and the engineers worked closely with the landscape architects to deliver several unique features that complement the nearby urban developments.

A large proportion of the landscape was developed using concrete structures to form raised planting beds and sculptural forms. In Qatar, however, the climate is so dry that typical concrete ‘sucks’ salt from ground, impacting its durability. This required extensive work from concrete specialists, to deliver a robust material that would be durable and beautiful.

The result is a unique, resilient aesthetic, and provides an elegant security solution. Physical barriers such as dunes, terraced walls and water ditches were incorporated into the security strategy, in addition to traditional bollards, to restrict vehicular and pedestrian access where necessary and avoid the use of fences.

Water as a precious commodity Water is a precious a commodity in Doha and throughout the building water is used efficiently and recovered where possible.

The cooling systems in particular minimise water use and recycle water where possible.

The central focus of the external space is a 900-metre-long artificial, saline lagoon that fronts the museum creating the illusion of a reflective surface aligned with the ground plane. The lagoon itself uses no unnecessary water; pumps are strategically located to collect and fill the lagoon, holding the tidal water at a static level via an outfall chamber. A saline lagoon of this scale is rarely seen, and it provides a natural microclimate to the building – actively bringing the surrounding temperature down.

It’s also key to the building and site drainage strategy. The lagoon acts as a safe depository for runoff in the event of a rain storm or unusually high tide. Given the complex geometry of the roof, extensive analysis was needed to understand how it would perform. An in-house tool was developed to model and design rainfall collection which runs to the lagoon.

to accommodate the varying disc formations and the often-extreme slopes and large cantilevers. A combination of mobile platforms, cable line restraint systems and rope-access and abseiling were employed, to provide safe access while minimising the training required to operate the solutions.

Final thoughts The Museum’s beautiful architectural concept posed significant challenges for the Jean Nouvel and Arup design team – the scale of the building and the unique interaction between each disc required an iterative and collaborative process.

By creating this technically integrated, sculptural form, whilst also delivering a functional world-class museum, the result is a pioneering project that is exceptional in both design and purpose.

Enabling a maintainable building The access and maintenance strategy was considered early on in the design process, to ensure feasible, sympathetic solutions were provided to enable a maintainable building without the need for intrusive systems.

Again, the complex building geometry provided both challenge and opportunity. The shared 3D BIM model played a key role, used extensively as a design tool to help develop adequate internal and external access routes to all areas of this unusual building form.

For example, with every window different - in position, orientation and size - bespoke instructions for cleaning and replacement of every single glass pane were created.

The regular cleaning of the ‘roof’ discs and surface areas also necessitated a variety of solutions

© Danica O. Kus

David Gilpin is Director, Arup. Established in London in 1946, Arup is an independent firm of engineers, designers, consultants and technical specialists. It operates globally, with more than 14,000 staff, working from 89 offices in 34 countries. For over 50 years, Arup has collaborated with leading architects and played a defining role in the development and design of some of the world’s favourite cultural buildings including the Sydney Opera House and the Centre Pompidou.

For more information, please see:

www.arup.com

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Planning

Radical action How to get the planning system working better. By Zaki Ghiacy

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he planning system is broken. As a recent National Audit Office report outlined, we’re nowhere near building enough homes – and the planning system is the biggest reason why not.

Between 2005-06 and 201718, just 177,000 new homes per year on average were built and the number has never exceeded 224,000 – far short of the Government’s target to build 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s. In fact, 300,000 new builds has never been achieved in the last 40 years.

The construction industry is certainly doing all it can.

According to a recent survey of more than 400 housebuilders

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undertaken by McBains, more than half of respondents (57 per cent) reported that they had increased their rate of housebuilding over the last 12 months. But they are hamstrung by the system. Asked what the biggest issues were affecting the amount of homes they could build, half of respondents cited slow planning permission.

To meet the ambition of 300,000

Zaki Ghiacy

new homes built a year, the Government will need to oversee a huge 69 per cent increase in the average number of new homes built since 2005-06. But that target will remain a pipe dream unless several issues around the planning process are addressed.

Firstly, the standard guidelines that local authorities use to

assess the number of new homes needed in their area is outdated and too rudimentary. Specifically, the guidelines use household projections based on past trends, which calculates that 265,000 new homes per year are required, rather than future estimates. The government collects a wealth of data and indicators which could be used to help determine numbers required in each area, such as population growth and affordable housing need.

Secondly – and this is a problem which has existed for decades – there is a paucity of strategic planning on the part of local authorities. According to the most recent data, less than half (44 per cent) of local authorities had produced a

current local plan outlining their strategy to provide new homes.

Although this requirement is a legal obligation, the Government fails to sufficiently challenge those that do not produce one.

There should be the threat of penalties, such as a reduction in the central government grant for those local authorities that fail to deliver a strategic plan, or central government should draw up a plan itself for those authorities and impose it.

Speeding up planning permission also needs to be tackled. The NAO report says that local authorities may be increasingly processing planning applications within target timescales, but this might reflect a greater use of time extensions rather than increased efficiency.

In particular, planning appeals are desperately slow – the time it took to determine an appeal increased from 30 weeks to 38 weeks between 2013-14 and 2017-18.

One reason for the grindingly slow progress is that spending

by local authorities on planning functions, such as processing planning applications, fell 15 per cent in real terms between 2010-11 and 2017-18. The Planning Inspectorate has struggled to recruit, experiencing a 13 per cent fall in staff between 2010 and 2018.

Furthermore, those planning officers that are in place are increasingly swamped by dealing with minor planning applications, such as permitted developments.

This means that the capacity to focus on larger applications – such as ones to build on brownfield land – is significantly affected. One thing that could help is to outsource parts of the planning process. This wouldn’t be an entirely new concept: for building regulations, the approved inspector role was privatised, so the same could happen for the planning process right up to committee stage.

This would mean the private sector carrying out procedural functions – processing applications, putting noticeboards up around sites, writing notes for the planning committee, and setting out the positions available to applicants – leaving planning officers free to deal with strategy, policy and macro aspects. The elected planning committee would continue to act as gatekeeper by considering applications once brought to committee. In fact, this idea isn’t a great leap from what has been introduced in some local authorities – some years ago, for example, Westminster City Council, for example, used three staff directly paid for by developers to speed up reserved matters applications.

There has also been use of local development orders (LDOs), which pre-grant permission for specific types of development: Aylesbury Vale District Council in Buckinghamshire has pioneered their use for householder developments, meaning the

process takes up to two weeks, compared to eight for usual planning applications.

On occasion, the committee process itself can be an issue, with developments approved by planning officers being overridden for political reasons.

Privatisation of planning will help with the resourcing and recruitment of planners, but the committee stage will continue to be a hurdle without robust local plans. One option could be to privatise the preparation of binding local plans. With clear guidelines, approved by committee, it is unlikely planning applications would be refused for political or trivial reasons.

Finally, more broadly – and admittedly this is a long shot given the political ramifications – greenbelt boundaries need to be reviewed, starting with those areas that do not have adequate land supply to meet housing requirements. Much of the greenbelt is far from the bucolic image conjured up by the name – for example it’s often land lent to intensive farming, is disused gravel pits or golf courses. According to the Institute of Economic Affairs, there is enough greenbelt within the confines of Greater London to build 1.6 million houses and even if only a tenth of this was used it would still deliver 160,000 new homes, a significant response to the housing need.

The planning process should be facilitating development, not hindering it. So, it’s time for radical action, or else in 20 years’ time another report like the NAO study will be coming to the same conclusions.

Zaki Ghiacy is a Director at McBains, a consulting and design agency specialising in property, infrastructure and construction with operations in the UK and Europe.

For more information, please see

https://mcbains.co.uk

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Masonry

Homes

that last

In a period of intensive homebuilding, masonry construction continues to be recognised for its safety, robustness, and sustainability. Christopher Stanley of Modern Masonry discusses the performance benefits of masonry solutions and the organisation’s efforts to drive the industry forward

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Chris Stanley

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ollowing a survey of 2000 homeowners commissioned by Modern Masonry in 2017, the masonry solutions-promoting organisation found out that the vast majority value the benefits provided by masonry construction, including security, fire safety, robustness, resilience, and durability. Naturally, this does not come as a surprise – purchasing a home is a major investment and masonry’s inherent performance guarantees that it will last for many generations. As Christopher Stanley, Housing Manager at Modern Masonry, puts it, “Masonry housing is not limited to the life of a mortgage.”

Modern Masonry’s mission involves ensuring that developers, designers, customers, and occupants alike, all understand the benefits of masonry construction. The body provides guidance on design of masonry and furnishes the Government and influencing organisations with the evidence of how masonry can contribute to a sustainable-built environment.

“In the light of the Government’s target of building 300,000 homes a year, we have stepped up as an advocate of masonry construction, promoting the tried and tested methods of blocks, bricks and mortar. We co-host events, release publications, and meet quarterly to discuss relevant issues and actions, making sure that the messages we send are clear and pertinent to the current state of the market,” comments Chris.

“Today, 85 per cent of new build housing is built using Masonry. Blocks are manufactured locally, within the UK, predominantly utilising local constituents, and have continued to meet demand.

In 2018, the housebuilding industry was 80,000 units short, but block manufacturers are more than capable of fulfilling more than 85 per cent of that shortfall. We are eager to promote the credentials of masonry construction such as long design life, whole-life resilience, fire and flood resistance, and being dimensionally robust and stable, and we are confident that this is the most sustainable choice when we take into account the size of the market and the ambitious task of building 300,000 homes year-on-year,” he makes a case for increasing the use of masonry solutions in present market conditions.

Discussing the benefits of applying blocks, bricks and mortar methods further, this time with regards to on-site construction, Chris points out their flexibility as a particularly efficient feature.

“While plans often look great on paper, this does not necessarily transfer to reality,” he observes.

“With masonry, you can move apertures, have more

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Masonry

tolerance, and rectify common issues like blocked cavity, for example, more easily. Another good point is that all foundations and footings are concrete and masonry-based anyway, so why stop there? A continuation of materials makes the most sense when it comes to skills and procurement. Here, I should also mention that blocks are usually sourced, manufactured, and delivered locally all around the UK, which, combined with masonry’s thermal mass qualities, ensures a low energy demand legacy.”

Indeed, one truly hot topic, which has emerged lately and that has once again brought the benefits of concrete to the fore, is the issue with overheating in new homes.

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Various research has indicated that due to its lightweight construction, modular housing does not have thermal mass, with the latter having been deemed critical for the safety and sustainability of new premises.

“The thermal mass provided by masonry homes can lower the risk of summertime overheating, helping to ensure comfortable conditions for homeowners,” Chris insists. “Masonry is also noncombustible, protecting life and structure. During construction, these properties also protect the developer and the surrounding community from potential spread of flame.

“Yet another advantage of the technology, is the fact that homes built from masonry

suffer much less damage from floods, because they are robust, dimensionally stable, and do not rot. Finally, masonry also exceeds minimum noise performance requirements, which means that you are less likely to be disrupted and disturbed by noise through walls,” he clarifies. “In my view, and judging from my professional experience, sustainability sits very high on public agenda and we are looking to continue spreading the word of the performance benefits delivered by masonry solutions.”

Two of the key considerations for the block-making sector at the moment are associated with the development of more environmentally-friendly processes, as well as the narrowing of the skills shortage gap. Chris updates us on the progress that has been made so far and the future actions Modern Masonry is planning to take. “Block manufacturers are widely installing new and more efficient curing systems and infrastructure to reduce energy waste. What is more, they are also adopting green technologies like wind and solar to offset grid energy usage, also harvesting rain and run-off water as opposed to using mains water.

“We are well on track to achieve the sustainability targets set out for 2020 in our Sustainability Charter Scheme,” he continues.

“This includes targets for the reduction of mains water usage, CO2 emissions, pollution, and resource use for materials, including alternative cement replacement. Importantly, we have already reached the 2020 target of waste-to-landfill, and the overall waste figure is now 23 per cent lower, compared to 2014.”

As an affiliate of British Precast, Modern Masonry maintains good relationships with a number of fellow organisations across the construction industry, including the Aircrete Products Associations, the Concrete Block Association, and the

Mortar Industry Association.

“Furthermore, because addressing the skills gap is high on our agenda, we work closely with the Brick Development Association and we have undertaken an initiative together with the Construction Industry Training Board to provide a number of on-site courses on bricklaying, which, when all completed, will be equivalent to a Level 2 NVQ,” Chris reveals.

He goes on: “It was also encouraging to hear from the Association of Brickwork Contractors that their new on-site training schemes are underway with good progress being made. These modules empower contractors to train unskilled

labour and apprentices alongside upskilling other trades. On a broader note, every house built supports an estimated 3.1 jobs meaning that the industry is now supporting over 700,000 – almost 300,000 more than it was six years ago.”

For years on end, the undeniable superiority of masonry building methods has rendered this construction type the preferred choice for the housing industry. Vitally, the masonry community has moved with the times and sought to incorporate modern technologies to streamline its processes and remain appealing to a wider customer base, the majority of which is now insistent upon the

introduction of more sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices. As a body coordinating the future development of masonry construction in collaboration with several other companies, Modern Masonry has displayed enviable agility in responding to emerging trends and demands. Now, the organisation is fully focused on ensuring that the objective of building 300,000 new homes per year by 2025 is met, contributing to the creation of solid buildings that will stand the test of time and serve multiple generations.

For more information, please see:

https://www.modernmasonry.co.uk

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news

Tracking across Spain

Creating new homes Couch Perry Wilkes (CPW) has been appointed as the main mechanical, electrical and plumbing consultant on a unique new council housing development in Hackney – on Pedro Street - which will see an old boiler house transformed to create sympathetic new housing for the area.

CPW was tasked to create a robust energy strategy for the development, which has already satisfied planning considerations and will meet The London Plan. This included a 35 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions which was achieved through the inclusion of photovoltaic panels to generate electricity onsite, which will save over nine tonnes of CO2 each year and electric vehicle charging points.

As part of the project, CPW undertook enabling works to redesign the existing boiler house, which currently supplies nearby council properties; this involved careful planning to redesign the boiler house, including new boiler flues and a controlled turn down of the existing heating system to ensure that reduced hot water supply to local residents was minimised whist the project timings were also unaffected.

The sympathetic new Pedro Street development has been designed by architects Ash Sakula and includes new green spaces, which will also benefit the surrounding housing stock.

Gorgeous for granny The innovative modular construction firm, Bauhu has given the traditional ‘granny flat’ a modern 21st century makeover with the introduction of a new range of portable, modular homes that offer comfortable living with a range of thoughtful, useful and user-friendly features. The company believes that these prefabricated homes could address the unique accommodation challenges faced across the country as the Baby Boomer generation edges closer to retirement.

Bauhu’s collection of pod-style homes are designed to transform unused garden space or privately owned land into self-contained, environmentally-friendly accommodation. “The problem with the classic granny flat is that homeowners continue to pay for upkeep and maintenance of the building even if it’s not being used,” says Bauhu Founder, Paul Brown. “There is a gap between what’s needed to facilitate safe, comfortable living, and what’s ready and available to use.

“We’ve developed a range of costeffective, portable and 100 per cent recyclable accommodations that offer permanent living solutions in transportable, modular structures. This makes it easier for older generations to maintain their independence and retain close relationships with family.”

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Trackunit and GAM (General de Alquiler de Maquinaria) have announced a partnership agreement to implement the Trackunit fleet management solution, based on the Trackunit RAW hardware, across GAM’s 18,000 Spanish rental equipment fleet. After a successful trial project, GAM is digitising its vehicle fleet, which has grown to become the largest rental fleet in Spain and one of the largest heavyequipment rental companies in Europe.

The deployment of the Trackunit fleet management solution has already started and GAM customers will soon be able to take advantage of the increased level of digitalisation. The Trackunit solution will enable GAM to develop new business models offering better individual service, more accurate documentation of usage, which will help eliminate downtime.

Access to machine-data via the Trackunit Go app and Trackunit Manager software allows service technicians to analyse more machines and assets concurrently and have easy access to schedule services and repairs at a convenient time. GAM has already started training, installation and back-end implementation of the system.

The partnership agreement was signed after GAM did a meticulous screening of possible solutions and then chose Trackunit after a qualification test in Europe and Latin America.

“With the Trackunit fleet management we get direct access to equipment data and increase our fleet efficiency,” adds Ana Jorge, GAM Director for Fleet and Logistics.

Luxury in Lisbon The founders of the awardwining Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts are to launch Martinhal Residences, a brand-new development of stylish city apartments in the Park of Nations district in Lisbon, combining luxury living and a hotel.

The development is the latest in the series of luxury family experiences by Elegant Group, the owners and developers of the luxurious Martinhal brand.

Chitra and Roman Stern have now started works on this new-build luxury hotel and residences, set to launch in 2022.

Portuguese architect Eduardo Capinha Lopes will include natural elements into the façade to make a landmark building at the main roundabout in Park of Nations.

Generous dining spaces and open

access to tree-adorned balconies bring to life a vision for the future of urban family homes.

One hundred and sixty bright, light and stylish apartments with terraces and balconies will enjoy views of the river and neighbouring public-park.

Carefully detailed and designed

to the highest standards, these studios, one, two, three and five-bedroom residences will be best-in-their-class. This luxury development will also include a select number of penthouse apartments and duplexes.

The development will feature, among a host of facilities, heated indoor and outdoor pools, a children’s playground, a gymnasium, a Martinhal Kids Club, a bistro-restaurant, a business centre and gardens.

Specialist foundations for Vienna

Construction begins Construction started on the new Hereford Medical Centre on 16 May 2019, thanks to a £9m deal secured by specialist health and care developer Prime Plc and the NHS Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). To mark the occasion, a turf cutting ceremony was held on the site where the Centre will be built on Station Approach in Hereford.

The Hereford Medical Centre will be built in the heart of the City on behalf of the Hereford Medical Group, a merger of five local GP practices which will be co-located in the modern and accessible purpose-built facility once it completes in 2020. The multimillionpound project is a priority scheme for the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) and represents the biggest ever single investment in primary care for Herefordshire. Its construction is being financed by both Prime Plc and NHS England, which awarded the scheme £2.1m from its Estates, Technology and Transformation Fund (ETTF). The completed building will be occupied by the Hereford Medical Group under a 3PD lease.

The Austrian Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft (BIG) is building a new biology centre on behalf of the University of Vienna on an area of approx. 12,000 m2 in the city’s third district.

After completion and handover in 2021, more than 5000 students and 500 employees will find a new home for their scientific work in the new building.

The BIG contracted BAUER Spezialtiefbau Ges.m.b.H and its JV partner Gebrueder Haider Bauunternehmungen GmbH with executing the earthworks, securing of the deep excavation and creating the deep foundation. Thanks to the early adaptation of the execution planning by Bauer’s internal statics department, the great flexibility of the execution team and the rapid disposition of additional equipment, project delays were avoided and the main services were concluded one and a half months head of the planned completion date.

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Fire safety

Time for change Who’s in charge? What do I do? Reducing the threat of fire to businesses. By Dave Brieth

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fire in the workplace can have devastating consequences for everyone involved; from employees and customers, to the business itself. In fact, research from the ABI (Association of British Insurers) shows that 75 per cent of businesses do not recover from a serious fire.

With the average cost of a fire in a commercial building

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estimated to stand at ÂŁ58,100, the odds are stacked against a business being able to survive the

Dave Brieth

repercussions of a serious blaze.

And with statistics showing that fires in the workplace are more common than most people realise, it is essential that businesses do everything possible to prevent falling victim to them. In Greater London alone, there are between 20,000-22,000 fires a year in nonresidential buildings.

Duty of care As an employer, it is your duty to have stringent policies and procedures in place to handle potential fire hazards.

These policies usually include carrying out regular fire risk assessments, warning employees of any dangers, implementing appropriate fire safety measures, planning for emergencies and ensuring your staff are prepared for such an incident. There is

clearly no room for error in fire safety procedures. Yet, despite best efforts, preventing a fire from sparking is not always achievable - accidents can happen, and unforeseeable incidents do occur.

But, whilst every business has a fire safety procedure in place, how many employees really know what to do if a fire breaks out? Employees might know who the fire marshal is, where the fire exits are and where the designated fire evacuation meeting point can be found.

They might even know where the fire extinguishers are kept.

But, how many of them know how to use a fire extinguisher?

Or, more importantly, which fire extinguisher to use.

Time is of the essence when it comes to fire safety, but currently, the confusion over which fire extinguisher should be used, in which scenario, could be unnecessarily lengthening the time taken to put it out.

Using the wrong fire extinguisher can also have dangerous consequences and may even make the situation worse. For example, if an individual attempted to extinguish an electrical fire with water they could be putting themselves at risk of an electric shock. A CO2 extinguisher handled incorrectly can cause frostbite to the hands of the operator, and water sprayed into a pan fire can ignite a flare up into a fireball.

This uncertainty is often the reason that many employees are unsure if they’ll do more harm than good when faced with the decision of either tackling a small fire, or vacating the building.

Ordering all staff to leave the building on discovering any fire might sound like the simplest and safest plan. However, by doing this, employers are forgetting their legal obligations, as the designated ‘responsible person’, to surrounding life and property, the environment (foam, for example, is toxic) and the safety of the fire crews that may have to risk their lives to tackle a large blaze that’s out of control.

be used on, with a one-size-fits-all solution. One extinguisher, all fires, and no dangerous consequences for holding it the wrong way, or risk of dangerous chemicals harming the environment.

Then we need to equip staff with the skills, training and confidence to pick up a single extinguisher and tackle a blaze when necessary. Yes, there will always be incidents that cannot be tackled with extinguishers, where it’s clearly safer to evacuate, but this cannot be the policy for every single fire.

The 21st century has seen a number of catastrophic fire disasters, with consequences that have cost millions of pounds, resources and, most importantly, lives. Too many of these devastating fires could have been easily stopped in their tracks if caught earlier.

In an era where we are harnessing the power of innovation to improve our lives, from 3D imaging to visualise health and safety hazards and biometric collars to keep us awake at the wheel, knowing which fire extinguisher to use on what fire shouldn’t be a cause of confusion.

The time for change is now, we need to clear up confusion with a single solution for every fire, and empower employees to use it, when safe to do so. Lives and livelihoods might depend on it.

Turning the table With 60 per cent of office fires estimated to occur during working hours, it makes sense that more small fires could be extinguished if staff were better equipped to tackle them before they become unmanageable. It’s time we rethink how fires are dealt with and tackle the problem through both innovation and improved staff training.

We need to replace rows of different fire extinguishers, with confusing warning labels depicting what they can and can’t

Dave Brieth is CEO of Firexo. Firexo is committed to protecting lives by providing a more efficient and safer method to extinguishing any type of fire, anywhere. Its revolutionary liquid puts out all fires within a matter of minutes, with no chance of reignition, even cooling the material to a temperature that can be handled. Firexo provides a rapid, safe and environmentally-friendly solution to all types of fire that offers a viable alternative to traditional extinguishing methods.

For more information, please see

www.firexo.com

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Sustainability

Focus on the

fundamentals Gary Danson discusses the steps that can be taken towards a more sustainable construction industry

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ustainability within the construction industry is becoming ever more pressing.

Contractors are increasingly obliged to take it into account when delivering on projects, something that’s driven

by Government expectations and amplified public scrutiny.

Operators across the full spectrum of business – not just construction – are expected to do what they can to use sustainable, environmentally friendly methods.

Given that construction is one of the largest consumers of raw materials, with estimates suggesting that buildings are

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responsible for around 30 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions – something that highlights the industry’s impact on the wider environment – it’s not all that surprising that there’s a focus within the sector on what can be done to drive sustainability.

Consequently then, there are plenty of conversations around the potential solutions on offer.

Going modular A key topic we’ve seen in recent times, and one that’s likely to become ever more widely embraced, is that of prefabrication. On a global level, China is leading the way here,

using prefabricated materials to create finished structures in record time – having built a 57-storey ‘Mini Sky City’ in an astonishing 19 days in 2015.

However, it’s not just China where this kind of approach is being seen. UK firms have also been looking at innovative ways to improve their construction methods. Mace, for example, has developed a £9m ‘jumping factory’ for creating high rise buildings, which sees a floor a week completed before moving on to the next – a process that facilitates the use of offsite and modular construction.

Modular construction sees

‘modules’ created in a factory setting – where all of the necessary components are constructed and assembled into one entity before being transported to the appropriate site.

Repair, don’t replace A prime example of modular construction in action can be found in London. Apex House, a 29-storey project, was created from 679 factory-built modules, providing 560 student rooms.

With the modules resembling shipping containers, they’re already fully kitted out with a kitchen, bathroom and the necessary electrics and light fittings. With all of this done off site and in the factory, the speed of the construction process is greatly increased, with disruption to nearby businesses and residents minimised.

The process involves transporting the modules to site via lorry and then using a tower crane to lift them into position – something that can take as little as ten minutes per module. In these instances, project timeframes can be as much as half that of a concrete or steel-framed equivalent. The levels of noise and dust for nearby businesses and residents then, is greatly reduced.

But why is this gaining in popularity from a sustainability point of view? Prefabricated materials tend to use a lot less energy in their creation as well as allowing for fewer mistakes when doing so, thanks to the controlled environment in which they’re constructed. Over time, this can have a considerable impact on energy consumption, with construction firms potentially racking up large energy savings.

Another element for the popularity of prefabrication relates to material longevity. Regulations relating to the lifespan of buildings are starting to be enforced, with those surpassing the limit (50

years according to the EU, for example) needing to be removed.

Pre-fabricated materials are easier to retrieve (and re-use) in this instance, so the industry is certainly planning for a more sustainable future in this regard.

But while this innovation and forward thinking is great for the industry and undoubtedly a positive, it’s important that firms don’t lose sight of the basics.

Doing the simple things right can have an immediate impact on their environmental footprint.

For example, we’re firm advocates of repair over replacement. The amount of waste material that heads to landfill following onsite mishaps is eye wateringly high. While we don’t have figures to hand to illustrate that, what we do have is that we, as a business, were able to save 3783 tonnes of waste going to landfill in 2018; the equivalent of 299 double-decker buses. Considering we’re just one repair firm, holding our savings up against the size of the sector within which we work should give you an idea of the vast scale of construction waste that’s generated annually.

in the case of replacement over repair, it’s easier to simply choose to write an item off, rip it out and arrange for a replacement, without thinking about the wider consequences of what that decision entails. Operatives on site may not recognise the long-term benefits of choosing to repair something – not just economically for the developer, but also the longstanding effect on the environment.

By looking to drive a culture of repair within the confines of wider sustainability initiatives, the industry can go some way towards reducing its footprint.

Sustainability vision Innovation is essential in an ever-changing world and it’s imperative that construction firms do what they can to further their capabilities. However, focusing on the fundamentals at hand can facilitate immediate improvement, and it’s something we’d urge all construction firms to consider when looking to address their sustainability credentials.

Some of this can be done at the planning stage – where a project-specific environmental plan can be outlined and adhered too, detailing micro and macro objectives to make it easier to abide by the wider sustainability vision.

Much of it is also dependent on education at site level. Often,

Gary Danson is Operations Director at Plastic Surgeon. Plastic Surgeon is the UK’s largest surface repair and fine finishing specialist, repairing damaged surfaces for all major housebuilders and construction companies.

For over 20 years, it has been using its specialist skills to rectify damage caused during the course of busy construction projects.

For more information, please see

www.plastic-surgeon.co.uk

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profile: Billy Bowie

I

n 1991, Billy Bowie started his company with only one

vehicle – a Ford D-Series tanker. Twenty-eight years and millions of pounds of investment later, Billy Bowie Special Projects is one of

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the biggest and best waste management service providers in the UK. Currently, the company’s fleet is made up of more than 140 commercial vehicles and 80 trailers, including vacuum tankers from 10 m³ to 33 m³, DISAB

vacuum loaders, JHL Flexline jet vac units, Simon Moos dewatering units, walking floor trailers, hook loaders, and chain lift skip vehicles.

Alongside its main depot located in Kilmarnock, Billy Bowie has three more operating facilities

Dedicated to a cleaner environment Billy Bowie works tirelessly to optimise its processes, so that the leading waste management services provider operates in the most environmentally-friendly way possible

– in Widnes (Cheshire), Leeds (North Yorkshire), and Ecclesfield (South Yorkshire), whence it offers its range of waste management services pertaining to domestic septic tank desludging, haulage of non-hazardous liquid waste,

as well as dry and wet waste services. “We also have a transfer station facility at our head office in Kilmarnock and we provide our services to domestic customers, local authorities, major utilities, and multinational blue-chip

companies,� Operations Director, Alisdair Clark points out.

Septic tank desludging is provided for domestic households with private septic tanks throughout the UK. The flexible 24/7/365 service allows

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profile: Billy Bowie

for scheduled, unscheduled and urgent response call-out for septic tank requirements, with desludging usually taking place within 24 hours of request. Billy Bowie also works with major hotel chains in Scotland to assess and service

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their waste management needs.

Following the clean of a septic tank, the waste is transported to a licenced treatment facility for further processing.

As part of its dry waste services, Billy Bowie offers

comprehensive container supply and transportation, using demountables, slave tanks, and commercial skips suitable for sand removal, digesters, grit, and solids up to 225mm in size.

Alisdair makes a note that through its transfer facility, the company can separate all dry waste, thus making the discarding process more environmentally-friendly and allowing for recycling of particular materials to occur. “The transfer station is where we bring all dry materials such as wood, brick, and rubble, and we separate it all through a picking line. The waste is then put onto a moving conveyor belt where dust and soil are separated, before the staff on the picking line pick out wood, brick, metal, glass and other solid items and separate it all into specific containers. Paper

the country’s biggest landfill and recycling operators and we are their sole contractor for removing all of their wet waste,” Alisdair explains.

Investment in different types of vehicle units has also helped Billy

and cardboard are graded and baled ready for safe distribution to mills, while timber is graded and shredded into wood shavings.

These wood shavings have many uses such as feedstock for the onsite in-vessel composting facility or they can be used for chipboard manufacture. Zero waste to landfill is a big topic in Scotland at the moment and we are trying to send as little to landfill as possible.”

Bowie diversify its proposition, allowing it to take on various specialist service projects. “We used to deliver only specialist tanker services at the beginning, but we do so many other things now that we can undertake all sorts of projects. For example,

Assorted vehicle units Billy Bowie also handles wet waste, described by Alisdair as “any non-hazardous liquids, such as wastewater from landfill sites, which is taken away for treatment and disposal.” In fact, one of the company’s major contracts is for its wet waste management services. “We work with FCC Environment, which is one of

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Try our online shop, packed full of quality equipment, from hoses, fittings and accessories, to jets, pipes and drain rods. We stock a range of safety equipment and drainage maintenance equipment.

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profile: Billy Bowie

we can do demolition works or we can offer vacuum excavation where we dig up the ground without using buckets or shovels, so that we can protect any delicate pipework or cables whose position underground is unknown,” Alisdair maintains.

“Utilising machines like the DISAB vacuum loaders and the JHL Flexlines, in particular, have broadened our skills significantly.

We currently have six DISAB units across the country, which enable vacuum tankers to operate using long hoses for difficult to reach areas and remote locations to be accessed and serviced successfully,” he continues. “You can lay out half a mile of hose and they will suck it up. Out in the country, we have some septic tanks that are totally inaccessible.

You may have to lay out up to 300

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metres of hose to get to them.

They are also used on industrial plants where you may not have access inside, so the hose has to go in with the machine sitting outside.”

Fleet renewal All of Billy Bowie’s units make use of Euro 5 & 6 engines and energy-saving technology, highlighting the company’s commitment to improving its environmental credentials, lowering its carbon footprint, and reducing the amount of fuel it uses. “Our comprehensive environmental policy is accredited with ISO 14001:2015 and in 2009, we became the first company in Scotland to win the ‘Environmental Haulier of the Year’ award presented by The Scottish Transport News. We

proudly display it in our head office reception, together with our company slogan ‘Dedicated to a Cleaner Environment’, which also features on every one of our trucks,” Alisdair notes.

“We have introduced a fleet renewal policy, which sees the bulk of our fleet replaced every five to six years, to keep ourselves at the forefront of environmental efficiency. In addition, we instil the ethos of environmental awareness in our staff, too,” he adds. “For instance, eco-driving skills are taught as standard. We educate drivers on fuel-efficient driving techniques and we employed an in-house driver trainer, with a view to reduce fuel usage and our overall carbon footprint.”

Billy Bowie also relies on digital technology to monitor its fuel use and reduce it, where

possible. “Unfortunately, we use a lot of fuel, because many of our vacuum tankers are PTOdriven, so we need to have the engine running in the truck while we are running the units,” Alisdair says. “The ‘artics’ are fitted with a tracking system that tells us if the truck is idling and if it is, it also tells us whether the PTO is engaged or not. In a case when the truck is in an idle state and not having its PTO engaged, we can contact the driver and get it switched off.

Furthermore, our vehicles have modern manufacturer-fitted systems that also monitor idle time and driving efficiency to make further savings. As a result of their operation, we have seen an improvement of about five per cent in fuel efficiency.”

For Billy Bowie, its employees are true ambassadors for the company. In recognition of their hard work and effort, it takes good care of the workforce, running a series of internal training programmes on topics like environmental awareness and health and safety. What is more, the service provider is also

demonstrate clearly that, for Billy Bowie, supporting its clients in their own activities is priority number one.

Billy Bowie https://billybowietankers.co.uk Services: Waste management services

working closely with the Glasgow Training Group to roll out Driver CPC courses throughout the business to ensure that all drivers are kept fully compliant.

Maintaining a partnership approach in its customer relations is a clear characteristic of Billy Bowie. In order to ensure its efficient continuation, the company conducts regular meetings to discuss all areas of the business. For the parties’ mutual benefit, all drivers are now provided with incident forms to report any accidents or near-misses that may occur, and this information is provided to the client in a monthly report.

To complement this, thanks to vehicle tracking, drivers’ location can be identified and shared with customers at any time. These are just two examples, which

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profile: Lafarge Cement

Cementing its sustainable future Having started manufacturing cement itself relatively recently, Lafarge Cement – part of Aggregate Industries – is introducing a range of lower embodied carbon products, highlighting its commitment to reducing its environmental impact

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U

p until 2015, Aggregate Industries was known for importing cement into the UK. It was in that year, though, that the company inherited an expertise in cement manufacturing. Following the merger between Lafarge and Holcim Group (of which Aggregate Industries has been part since 2005), the cement supplier acquired two manufacturing plants – in Cauldon, Staffordshire and Cookstown, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, to add to its network of import terminals. Due to its existing association with the Cauldon and Cookstown sites, Lafarge Cement was selected as the brand name to be used by Aggregate Industries for its cement manufacturing business.

“We have five import terminals across the UK – in Belfast, in Glasgow, at Ellesmere Port, in Plymouth, and in Chatham. Combining these facilities with the new manufacturing sites has enabled us to establish a strong nationwide presence that allows us to fulfil all of our own needs, while serving an external customer base, too,” begins Steve Curley, Commercial Director at Lafarge Cement.

Although stepping into the world of cement manufacturing represented a completely new venture for the company, Lafarge Cement hit the ground running, making the most of its newly-

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profile: Lafarge Cement

acquired plants’ long-standing expertise. “It is important to note that last year the Cookstown facility celebrated its 50th anniversary and in 2017, the Cauldon plant marked 60 years of operation. This goes to show that both have plenty of experience in the cement manufacturing field and the reputation they have built in the market is certainly beyond reproach. On our part, we are extremely respectful of their heritage and we fully recognise how important they have been to their respective local communities as providers of employment,” Steve comments.

Carbon reduction As part of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), Lafarge Cement’s facilities are among the 14,000 installations that must monitor and report their carbon emissions. Launched in 2005

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Projects like HS2, programmes around energy and nuclear new builds, as well as potential airport expansions will create a lot of demand for products like ours, as they are all projects that will require a lot of concrete and, therefore, a lot of cement as a measure against global warming, the EU ETS is the biggest emissions trading scheme in the world, working on a ‘cap and trade’ principle where each installation is allocated only a certain amount of greenhouse gases it can emit. “If you go beyond that limit, you have to purchase carbon credits, in order to make up for the extra CO2 emissions your installation has produced,” explains Steve.

“One of the major challenges

for everyone in our industry is that, in the past two years, the price of carbon emitted has increased almost five-fold,” he continues. “As a result, we are now working tirelessly to reduce our emissions per tonne of final product and there are two ways in which we are working to achieve that.

“Firstly, we are now on a path that will see us develop our product portfolio to include products with lower embodied carbon. All cement plants produce a product called clinker, which is the raw material you use to make cement,” Steve discusses. “The key point is that the amount of carbon you produce is directly linked to the amount of clinker you produce.

Therefore, our idea is to blend the clinker with various other materials, so that we can use less of it per tonne of finished product.”

Innovative products Lafarge Cement’s adjusted approach first featured in its hydraulic road binder TerraCem, which was launched last year.

“With it, we are specifically targeting the soil stabilisation market,” says Steve. “It is a blend of clinker and ground limestone which is ideally suited for this purpose. Traditionally, soil stabilisation has used clinkeronly (CEM I) products, but the blended mix (CEM II) TerraCem can not only match their performance, but also offer lower embodied carbon, which makes it a more environmentally-friendly option.”

Two more products – Landscape and Endure, are set to be launched by the end of 2019.

Steve details their characteristics: “As the name suggests, Landscape aims to make a breakthrough in the landscaping and precast markets. Again, it is a product that mixes clinker with finely ground limestone and, just like TerraCem, it has a reduced amount of embodied carbon.

Among its other benefits is its lighter colour, which means that less pigment is needed to create a coloured product; improved cohesion minimises the bleeding effect of the concrete; and it is able to facilitate an improved surface finish.

“Endure is a blend of clinker and PFA (pulverised fuel ash) and its main property is that it enhances the durability of the concrete dramatically.

In addition, the product has improved resistance to sulphates in the ground, and therefore is suitable for aggressive ground conditions.”

New opportunities Together with introducing new products that have lower embodied carbon, Lafarge Cement has also taken to streamlining the overall operation of its plants as a means to

keep its carbon impact within manageable levels. “Both the Cauldon and Cookstown sites have increased their use of alternative fuels. For instance, they now utilise things like chipped tyres and pelletised sewage that would otherwise go to landfill. Our intention to use alternative fuels is clear, and we continue to invest in ways to support this. This includes the establishment of a company called Geocycle to analyse waste streams and secure sources of alternative fuels,” Steve reveals.

He is also keen to point out Lafarge Cement’s ongoing commitment to health and safety. “We start every year with a Back to Work Day where we stop all operations across the entire company and focus on outlining our health and safety focus areas for the year ahead.

This year, we will lead quarterly campaigns on each of these – in Q1 we have focused on reviewing our isolation procedures, in Q2 we are looking at our approach to risk management, while in Q3 and Q4, we will be analysing our practices regarding workplace transport, and work at height and in confined spaces. In addition, we also run a scheme called ‘Healthy You’ where we strive to offer any kind of support to our employees and, as of late, our efforts have been directed mainly at dealing with mental health-related issues.”

The development of new infrastructure in the UK has evidently taken priority in the considerations of the Government and major businesses alike, which, for Steve, signifies the opening up of a multitude of opportunities for Lafarge Cement. “Projects like HS2, programmes around energy and nuclear new builds, as well as potential airport expansions will create a lot of demand for products like ours, as they are all projects that will require a lot of concrete and, therefore, a lot of cement. This is why we see the next few years as being bright for us and for the industry as a whole, and we are positive about the future in terms of market demand,” he concludes.

Lafarge Cement www.aggregate.com/our-businesses/ lafarge-cement Services: Manufacture and supply of cement, GGBS, fly ash, and specialist cementitious materials 27

profile: Bell Contracting

Embracing change For over five decades, Bell Contracting has shown itself to be undaunted by the changing nature of the construction industry, a trait that has seen it remain at the heart of the massive success achieved by the KW Bell Group

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profile: Bell Contracting

K

W Bell Group, one of the UK’s most successful construction companies of the last 50 years, is no stranger to the pages of Construction & Civil Engineering, having been profiled on several occasions in the past. In each previous instance the focus has been on the collective efforts of its four divisions – Bell Homes, Bell Plant, Bell Partnerships and Bell Contracting – however, when we had the pleasure of speaking with Group Director Peter Bell in May 2019, the spotlight was trained on the latter division, Bell Contracting.

Founded 51 years ago by Peter’s father Keith Bell, the business began life through his work as a solo bricklayer. In the decades that followed, Bell Contracting would diversify its service offering to the point that it would become a leading specialist in groundwork and civil engineering for the house building industry, and one that was this year listed in The Sunday Times Profit Track 2019 league table. “In addition to being the longest-running area of the KW Bell Group, Bell Contracting is also the biggest in terms of size, achieving a turnover of around £50 million per year,” Peter – also Bell Contracting’s Managing Director – explains.

Operating across the South West of England and South Wales, where it works with a large client base which includes five of top ten house builders in the UK, Bell Contracting today boasts a workforce of almost 500 highly

To date, we have purchased 20 cabbed dumpers, which provide a ROPS/FOPS and SIPS structure to protect the operator. These dumpers represent the way we are changing the way we operate these vehicles on sites

Nicola Bird and Peter Bell

skilled operatives. The size of the business means that it is capable of carrying out the best part of 30 contracts at any one time, and at the time of speaking to Peter it was in possession of a full order book of work taking it through to May 2020. Peter expects that by the end of this calendar year that order book will be filled to the point where the company will have a full plate until May 2021.

Total consistency So, what has been the secret to the company’s success? For Peter, it ties into a rather unique compliment he was paid just over a decade ago. “It was back then that a good friend of mine

proclaimed that we were a lot like a tin of Heinz Baked Beans in that we do exactly what it says on the tin,” he cheerfully states. “Now, while it would perhaps be more glamorous to be compared with say a bottle of Dom Pérignon, the message this comment sends it that it has always been about ensuring the consistency of our offering. This relates to the bidding process, the work of our site delivery teams, our customer service and aftercare, and most importantly of all health and safety.”

Of course, one can’t ignore the fact that, these days, price is also a key driver, but alongside that comes the need to build up the right client base, and the ability to constantly reinvent oneself in order to stay fresh and appealing to customers. Peter and the rest of the Bell Contracting family are well aware of this, and with contributing factors such as the regular introduction of new technologies and the skills gap that currently exists within the industry in mind, they are constantly looking for improved ways of delivering the end product.

“Over the last 18 months or so, we have invested the best part of £2 million into a mix of new technologies, methodologies and training, which we are very excited about,” Peter enthuses.

“For starters, we have spent over £800,000 on satellite 3D modeling excavator control systems. These systems allow us to receive designs and AutoCAD drawings from our clients’

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With production facilities across the UK and a network of specialist distributors, Marshalls CPM has built long-term partnerships with both customers and suppliers, including major contractors, highway, rail and water companies, and has a comprehensive catalogue of products including pipes, manholes (both tradition and sealed manholes), box culverts, wastewater, flood and stormwater management products, and sustainable drainage systems.

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profile: Bell Contracting

engineers, which we plug directly into our excavators on site that carry out the groundworks as per an individual project’s specifications. This helps to cut down on labour costs, reduces the need for peg bashing, and creates a better, quicker, safer way of carrying out complex works.”

Investing in equipment The theme of health and safety comes up again when Peter details another important investment. “To date, we have purchased 20 cabbed dumpers, which provide a ROPS/FOPS and SIPS structure to protect the operator,” he says. “These dumpers represent the way we are changing the way we operate these vehicles on sites.

We believe that far too many people in our industry use dumpers as something of a wheelbarrow that can be abused.

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We want to transform this attitude and enhance the levels of professionalism on site by appointing designated operators to these trucks. In doing so, we also want to create a safer environment for managing earth on site, and that is where these new cabbed dumpers come in.

“Equally exciting for us is the recent purchase of two vacuum excavators, at a cost of £320,000. As an industry, we are a big culprit when it comes to cable strikes, which are usually caused by mini-excavators and have the potential to cause series injuries, or even fatalities.

Our vacuum excavators, and the way they operate by sucking up granular materials and surface tarmac, will allow us to visit active sites and carry out work on live service pits in a fast, safe manner, making cable strikes a thing of the past.”

Proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to making the business future ready, Peter’s daughter Nicola Bird – Bell Contracting’s Safety and Business Development Director – has spent the last two years spearheading a bespoke groundworks apprenticeship scheme like no other. “This apprenticeship, which has been developed in conjunction with a sub-contracted training provider, sees us linked with both The Heart of Worchester College and Vale College. Where the scheme differs from most is in the fact that students do not attend the colleges themselves, instead working from our two training hubs – one at our head office in Cinderford and the other in Cardiff – where they consolidate their theoretical and practical learning.

“Building upon Nicola’s efforts, we will soon be putting in a request for planning permission for a new technology-based construction centre and training academy on land that we have acquired opposite our head office. Working with universities and colleges within a 50-mile radius, we want

further increases in turnover and profitability in the coming years, all while taking care of all of our existing clients,” Peter concludes.

“After all, for us it is not about the top line, it is about the bottom line!”

Bell Contracting www.bellcontracting.co.uk Services: Groundwork and civil engineering for the house building industry

this centre to be at the heart of our efforts to take a fresh approach to competency, and to ultimately make a telling contribution to addressing the undersupply of groundwork and civil engineering training in the UK.” Turning back to Bell Contracting itself, Peter’s focus at present is on consolidating the success of the business and ensuring that it continues to deliver the services, customer care and professionalism that its existing clients expect of it. In the meantime, his forwardthinking mindset means that he continues to promote people from within the business with succession planning in mind.

“Through a combination of our people, new technologies and methodologies, and an embracing of cultural changes, we believe it to be possible to achieve

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profile: Forterra

Paving the way forward

F

Offering one of the widest ranges of building products, Forterra has supplied these to numerous residential and commercial developments across the UK

orterra’s position as one of the largest manufacturers of building products in the UK comes with the responsibility to make sure that Britain keeps building. Operating from 18 manufacturing sites, the company creates bricks, blocks, precast concrete, paving, and many other vital products, and it is very likely that at any given moment you are near a building or structure made using Forterra products. The organisation’s broad portfolio includes London Brick, Thermalite, Formpave, Cradley, Red Bank, and Jetfloor. What is more, Forterra added Bison Precast to its list of brands in 2017, effectively doubling its precast concrete production.

What can rightly be seen as the jewel in Forterra’s crown is the legendary London Brick, of which the company is the sole manufacturer. Nearly a quarter of the UK’s housing stock contains London Brick, which has been in production since 1877, but

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whose heyday came in the postwar years when hundreds of thousands of new houses were built. In 1984, Forterra acquired London Brick and, today, the range is produced almost exclusively for the residential renovation, maintenance, and improvement market. It includes 23 bricks and offers a variety of colours and textures – from a classic rustic red through to yellows and buffs.

Another range in Forterra’s catalogue that deserves special mention is Ecostock. Regarded as the most environmentallyfriendly brick range in the UK, it is manufactured at the company’s Measham factory where the latest technology in sustainability and production efficiency is used to make stock bricks with low embodied energy, advanced colour consistency, and dimensional accuracy. Ecostock bricks are available with a pressed or thrown finish and are suitable for all domestic and commercial applications.

The Carillions housing development, situated close to the heart of Wokingham town, provides a good example of the application of the Ecostock range as represented by the Chelsea Smoked Red brick. Designed to fit in with the area’s rural charm and surrounding red-brick structures, aesthetic consideration was a key element in the plans for this site.

Therefore, the Chelsea Smoked Red brick offered the perfect balance in terms of its structural properties and red colouration.

Tarnished with blackened flashes, the brick gives each house an earthly character that naturally correlates with the established woodland neighbouring the site. Used as a facing brick, the Chelsea Smoked Red was combined with another of Forterra’s bricks – Dark Moroccan Smooth, whose role as a feature brick was to add dimension to some of the properties.

Towards the end of 2018, Forterra’s Bison Precast launched its latest cost-effective alternative

to traditional building methods at the Offsite Construction Show in London. The Brick Faced Sandwich Panels are made by factory fitting brick finishes onto precast concrete panels and are ideally suited to multi-storey structures in residential and commercial use developments.

Forterra has one of the largest selections of facing bricks in the UK, which can be seamlessly specified and utilised with the panels, making their manufacture particularly efficient and it is hoped that this system may help address ongoing trade shortages in the on-site labour market.

The panels, which are an extension of Bison Precast’s cross wall frames, are cast with bricks placed within them, can be suitable for direct decoration, and can also be manufactured with other features such as cast-in electricity conduits, plug sockets, and even glazed windows, reducing the need for on-site labour during the build.

greater number of women taking up roles in the construction sector.

Back to Forterra’s internal affairs, exciting news was announced in April, as the company revealed it had been given the green light to commence a £95 million project that will double the production capacity of its Desford plant. The end goal of the programme is to turn the site into the largest and most efficient brick factory in Europe, its output reaching 180 million bricks annually. This will be achieved via the construction of a new, modern facility with stateof-the-art automated processes that will minimise the plant’s environmental impact. The new premises is expected to open in 2022 and will be built alongside the existing factory, ensuring the latter remains operational, in order

to maintain production during the changeover.

This imminent expansion is a cue for Forterra’s ambitious take on the future. Sustainable year-on-year growth has filled the company with the belief that Britain’s construction industry will remain strong, hence the need for an increased production of high-quality bricks. Sporting a track record of market consolidation, which has seen the business acquire multiple other organisations and develop a broad portfolio of products, Forterra continues to build its solid legacy.

Forterra www.forterra.co.uk Services: Building products manufacture

£95 million project Calls for gender equality all over Britain’s business community certainly did not sweep past Forterra. The company grabbed the headlines right at the start of 2019 when it organised Bricklaying Forterra Females (BFF) – the UK’s first all-female bricklaying competition, which was held in March as part of a wider construction skills day at Havering College in Essex. The brand-new national competition aims to find the best female student bricklayers in the country, thus encouraging more girls and women to consider careers in bricklaying or construction.

Four Junior and Senior female bricklaying students currently at colleges in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland entered the competition and there is an uninhibited sense of optimism that initiatives of this kind will gradually lead to a

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