THE WORKING MUMS OF CONSTRUCTION · 1. This offer is available to UK residents aged 18+ who purchase a new Bupa Select company health insurance policy directly through Bupa for their

constructionmanagermagazine.com

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SEPTEMBER 2018For members of the CIOB

THE WORKING MUMS OF CONSTRUCTION

BALANCING DEMANDS OF SITE AND FAMILY

01.CMSept18.Cover.indd 1 14/08/2018 15:42

The biggest health concern in the construction industry is also one of the least visible: depression.

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*Terms and conditions1. This offer is available to UK residents aged 18+ who purchase a new Bupa Select company health insurance policy directly through Bupa for their small or medium sized business (“SME”). The offer only applies to new SME customers, including those switching from an alternative company health insurance provider, and is not available for existing Bupa SME customers or available on any other Bupa products or services. 2. The offer is not available to customers purchasing a Bupa Select policy via an intermediary and is not available to customers purchasing a company health insurance policy to cover 250 employees or more. 3. This offer is only available for new or switching customers for whom a quote is provided between 13 August 2018 and 30 September 2018 inclusive (the “Quote”). Quotes are valid and able to be accepted for 28 days but the policy start date on your quote must be between 13 August 2018 and 30 September 2018 inclusive. In addition to the terms set out herein, Bupa’s standard Bupa Select policy terms and conditions will apply in full. 4. The discount amount is based on 20% of the total annual subscription amount that would otherwise be payable by you for your SME Bupa Select policy. Your discounted subscription amount will be stated in your quote and shall be your base price going forward for your SME Bupa Select policy. At renewal of your policy, this base price will be used when calculating your renewal premiums. We also consider additional factors such as claims history, age of members, the rising cost of healthcare and Insurance Premium Tax and these will be factored into each year’s renewal subscription. 5. Bupa reserves the right to decline to offer a company health insurance policy in its absolute discretion, and Bupa’s decision regarding any aspect of this promotion is final. 6. Bupa reserves the right to cancel, suspend, amend or withdraw the promotion at any time. 7. The offer is non-exchangeable, non-transferable, has no cash value/alternative and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers or discounts. 8. Bupa will use your personal information in accordance with its privacy notice which can be found at bupa.co.uk/privacy 9. The promotion and these terms and conditions are governed by English law and the parties submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

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† Source: Based on responses from 1,139 people across the construction industry. Mind Matters Survey, Construction News, April 2017. www.constructionnews.co.uk/best-practice/mind-matters/mind-matters-survey-results-in-full/10019434.article^Existing in-patient, out-patient and day case benefit limits and exclusions for pre-existing conditions still apply to our cover for mental health conditions.

2452_15963_SME Q3 ConstructionManager_255X208_BHF 12034.indd 1 03/08/2018 09:04

09/18

In this issue

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | SEPTEMBER 2018 CONTENTS

Prelims04 Facade fire testing06 Willmott Dixon on payment10 Ann Bentley on procurement 12 Chris Blythe14 Feedback: Readers’ views16 Working mums

Insight • Onsite20 Offsite: Delivering quality?26 Offsite: Mace’s brick facade 30 Offsite: Design issues32 Offsite: Bryden Wood34 Productivity survey36 UK Construction Week38 Round table: Digital disruption

Experts44 Preparing for mediation45 Learning from space46 NEC4 Alliance contract58 Training and recruitment

Community48 Global Student Challenge50 East Midlands Gateway visit52 Dismantling a gasholder

Switchboard+44 (0)20 7490 5595EditorWill Mann020 3865 [email protected] editorNeil Gerrard020 3865 [email protected] editorSarah CutforthArt editorHeather RugeleyCommunity editorNicky RogerRedesign art directorMark BerginAdvertising managerDave Smith0203 865 1029Key account managerTom Peardon0203 865 1030Credit controlEva RugeleyManaging directorStephen Quirke

Circulation Net average 30,699Audit period: July 2016 to June 2017SubscriptionsTo subscribe or forenquiries, please contact:Subscription teamTel: 020 7199 0069Or go online at:https://constructionmanager.isubscribe.co.ukOr write to us at the address below:Construction ManagerPublished for the CharteredInstitute of Building byAtom Publishing, 3 Waterhouse Square, 138 Holborn, London EC1N 2SWTel: +44 (0)20 7490 5595

[email protected]

Editorial advisory boardMark 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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THE LATEST NEWS, PEOPLE AND COMMENT

04-18

Prelims 06 WILLMOTT DIXON ON PAYMENT 10 ANN BENTLEY ON PROCUREMENT 12 CHRIS BLYTHE 14 FEEDBACK: READERS’ VIEWS 16 WORKING MUMS

PRELIMS SEPTEMBER 2018 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Fire tests: challenging a burnt-out system?COULD A NEW FACADE FIRE-TESTING ALLIANCE PROVIDE THE MARKET WITH A MUCH-NEEDED SHAKE-UP? NEIL GERRARD REPORTS

4

After the Grenfell Tower disaster, the way cladding products are tested for fire resistance is under scrutiny like never before.

Since summer 2017, a government programme has identified 474 high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding unlikely to meet Building Regulations. More are likely to follow.

Meanwhile, the Hackitt review has criticised the scope and effectiveness of fire safety tests, and the limited number of testing centres.

Analysis

Fire testing by safety consultant UL

04_05.CMSept18_prelims_sc.indd 4 13/08/2018 17:08

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | SEPTEMBER 2018 PRELIMS

5

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

The main test standard, BS 8414, has also come in for criticism.

Against this backdrop, a new facade fire-testing alliance has been set up by safety consultant UL and the UK Fire Protection Association (FPA).

Jonathan O’Neill, FPA managing director, says: “The Hackitt Review confirmed problems in the UK fire-testing market. This new venture aims to deliver the level of quality, expertise and experience required.”

So where are the failings in the current fire testing regime and what is likely to change?

For large-scale testing of cladding systems, the two-part BS 8414 standard (see box) is the most common test. Insurers, for one, are not happy with the state of play. In April, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) released details of research it commissioned the FPA to carry out, which it said exposed the “utter inadequacy” of the laboratory tests currently used to check the fire safety of building materials.

Call for real-world test conditionsIn the case of tests on cladding, it warned that materials were sometimes tested as a sealed unit, whereas on a building they were likely to include gaps and cover a far more extensive area.

In its Hackitt submission, the ABI called for a reformed testing regime that replicates real-world conditions, and a ban on combustible materials. Hackitt stopped short of this, but the government quickly launched its own consultation on banning combustible cladding for high-rise residential buildings, with the

findings expected to be announced in October. An outright ban (on all buildings) is unlikely,

according to Tom Roche, senior consultant with insurer FM Global. “Practically, I don’t think that is going to happen, but testing standards may become much tougher,” he says.

A concern for Roche is if cladding is combined with other products: “If you combine ACM and insulation, and add a weather-resistant barrier or vapour barrier, then there are enough combustibles in there to be concerned about.”

Abroad, FM Global performs its own test on cladding, a “parallel panel” test it claims is more stringent than those used in the UK.

Roche doesn’t see any major issues with the BS 8414 test. “Actually, BS 8414 is probably towards the top end of the international tests that are available,” he says. But he worries that few products undergo practical tests to BS 8414 and too many have been approved on the strength of desktop studies (which the government has already committed to ban).

“There is no real governance of desktop studies,” warns Chris Miles of UL. “People will test a relatively safe option, get a result, and then extrapolate from that. So a manufacturer could do a test and then an assessor could allow all sorts of changes from it.

“Normally tests are done by people who know what they are doing, with an understanding of fire testing and a good engineering background, but there are no real rules to make that happen.

“I’m not sure enforcement of our own regulations has been strong enough.”

“I’m not sure enforcement of our own regulations has been

strong enough”Chris Miles,

fire safety consultant, UL

BS 8414 fire test

Through its new alliance, UL will invest in the FPA’s existing facilities, with the aim of increasing the capacity and quality of large-scale fire testing of cladding and building systems to BS 8414. At the moment, UL is holding back while it awaits the results of the government’s consultation on banning combustible cladding.

“If the government decides on a complete ban there is no point doing any sort of large-scale testing,” says Miles.

There are also changes expected to BS 8414.When asked by CM, BRE said it couldn’t give a

clear-cut answer on whether BS 8414 would still be relevant after the government’s consultation because it is a “fluid and complex area”.

It said: “We are pleased that the FPA and UL have decided to contribute to the future development of BS 8414 within the BSI standards process. They have put forward their views in the published ABI report and we are aware that there are wide ranging and often contradictory technical opinions to those expressed in that report, some of which are also in the public domain.

“We welcome this potential extra resource. Along with the new rig in Northern Ireland, this will help deal with the unprecedented demand for the test since Grenfell. Having new facilities that can test to the existing BS 8414 standard, which BRE will continue to do, will strengthen the fire safety sector as long as those facilities are UKAS accredited and operate within its tough quality framework.”

BRE pledged to work with all stakeholders to deliver the next version of BS 8414. What is still not clear though, is what that version will be, or how it will be enforced. ●

The two-part BS 8414 test dates back to 2002 and was revised in 2015. Also known as the “garage test”, because it is supposed to simulate a fire coming out of a garage and up the side of the building, it essentially measures fire spread up and slightly across a facade.

Alternatives to BS 8414

include a Swedish standard that is reasonably similar and a US one which is somewhat different. But for the most part, BS 8414 dominates in the UK.

The options on where to have products tested to BS 8414 are currently limited. BRE conducts the lion’s share of the testing, while there is also

a new rig operated by Efectis in Northern Ireland, and another that tests to BS 8414 in Dubai.

BS 8414 fire test centres● BRE, Garston, Hertfordshire● Efectis, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland● Thomas Bell-Wright Consultants, Dubai

04_05.CMSept18_prelims_sc.indd 5 13/08/2018 17:08

WILLMOTT DIXON PAYS SUPPLIERS QUICKER THAN ANY OTHER MAJOR CONTRACTOR. STEVE WATSON, ITS NATIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN DIRECTOR, TELLS CM WHY COLLABORATION WITH SUBCONTRACTORS IS SO IMPORTANT IN THE WAKE OF CARILLION’S DEMISE, AND HOW ITS NEW ‘SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNER FRAMEWORK’ WILL OPERATE

‘We must find a silver lining post Carillion’

Willmott Dixon pays more quickly, on average, than any other member of Build UK (33 days). How have you achieved this? Supply chain partners constantly say being able to rely on us paying them on time is what they value most about working for us, so this is important.

We hope our performance underlines to them that actions are important to back up the values, behaviours and culture we talk about.

We have robust systems in place, backed up by KPIs to ensure we pay our supplier within agreed terms; it’s a strategic priority for us.

You pay 92% of invoices within agreed terms. Briefly, what are those terms? Payment terms are agreed with supply chain partners and quoted on each purchase order but are typically:l 19 days from certification date on certain public sector frameworks.l 30 days from valuation on a number of other major frameworks.l 42 days from valuation date for supply of other works partner services (subcontractors).l 30 days from the end of the month for the supply of other goods and services (other suppliers).

Willmott Dixon has just launched its new Supply Chain Partner Framework. What are its main goals? As a privately owned company, respect, fairness and collaboration are key values. That applies equally to our supply chain partners and our people and customers.

Our new framework focuses on a core team of supply chain members, working with these firms collaboratively to help them get better, so that they help us achieve our aims.

We expect a defined level of service quality from members of the framework, while they benefit from better visibility of workload, regular access to our senior team, monthly feedback on performance, plus access to training through our “better together” academies.


6

You are launching a supply chain app in September. Briefly, how does it work and why are you introducing it?This is a key feature of the new framework. It keeps category A partners (who represent 75% of our subcontract spend and work closely with our business) up to date with work in the pipeline. They can use it to read new policies and regulations, and it allows us to see whether companies have read them before starting work on our sites. It will also allow businesses to see when they will be paid, which is great for transparency.

Why are you reducing the number of suppliers you use?We’re reducing our supply chain numbers by 10% year on year to focus on a core of around 500 companies. This means we can give them the attention they deserve.

We spend around £900m each year with suppliers and we need to make sure that is a relationship based on continuous improvement not short-termism.

It’s vital our partners make good margins; a strong base of SMEs is the lifeblood of construction. To help achieve this, we’re introducing a new supply chain class known as category A plus, which demonstrates suppliers’ commitment to continuously improve and align themselves with our customers’ requirements.

Do you think it’s important that other major contractors collaborate more with the supply chain?As an industry, we must find a silver lining to the post-Carillion era. To do so we need to be reminded of what needs to change, and the recent payment practice statistics should be one of those change point moments.

Cash flow is the lifeblood of all business; each party within a capital project construction contract has a responsibility for ensuring that all tiers within the supply chain are paid promptly, so they too can invest in people, growth and skills. l

“Our new framework focuses on a core team of supply chain members,

working with these firms to help them get better, so that they help us

to achieve our aims”Steve Watson, Willmott Dixon

Interview

l 2002-06: H Turnbull, buyer l 2007-11: Willmott Dixon Construction, senior buyer and supply

chain coordinatorl 2012-13: Longcross Construction, national supply chain managerl 2013-15: Willmott

Dixon Construction, regional supply chain manager l 2015-18: Willmott Dixon Construction,

national supply chain manager l 2018: Willmott Dixon Construction, national supply chain director

Steve Watson CV

new

06.CM Sept18.interview_sc.indd 6 14/08/2018 16:28

When he’s on the riverbank, Lee relies on expertise, patience and experience for reeling in the big catch. It’s no different in his work for NHBC, where the same tenacity helps to maintain our high standards.

Find out more about what our people can do for you, visit www.nhbc.co.uk or call

0344 633 1000

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.

“ When it comes to building inspection, I’m hooked.

On my days off, I reel them in.”

Lee Fairall Quality Team Building Inspector & Fisherman

M456 08/18

M456_Construction Manager_People Power_Lee_RHP_FINAL.indd 1 14/08/2018 16:01

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08_09.CMSept18.ad.indd 9 14/08/2018 12:21

AS WELL AS LOOKING GOOD AND BEING WELL CONSTRUCTED, A PROJECT TEAM SHOULD ENSURE THE BUILT ASSET DOES WHAT THE CLIENT AND END-USERS WANT. ANN BENTLEY, AUTHOR OF PROCURING FOR VALUE, EXPLAINS

Measure construction’s real valuefive years after handover

I have been banging the drum about procurement for a while now. The demise of a construction giant such as Carillion came as a shock to the nation, but as little surprise to many of us in the industry.

The Procuring for Value report, produced by the CLC’s Supply Chain and Business Models Workstream that I lead, and released in July, felt cathartic in its ability to talk openly about some of the issues that we know are rife in the industry. It also came at a time when change is in the air and felt like the beginning of a dialogue with the supply chain – up and down – to make the procurement process more relevant to what clients and end-users want to achieve.

Procuring for Value states loud and clear that “construction matters”. Not just to those who work within it but far wider and broader. Over 10% of the UK workforce is employed within construction and allied supply and maintenance industries and its value to the economy is estimated at almost £600bn a year.

Productivity, risk and accountabilityHow do we change our industry to ensure that it, firstly, maximises its productivity, secondly, deals with risk and, thirdly, holds people accountable? This is key to how we move forward. Focusing on the first of the “three prongs” of Procuring for Value, we need to look at whole-life value and performance rather than our own individual piece of the complex system.

At present, procurement represents a fixed moment in time. With designers and constructors passing over the responsibility for maintaining the asset to another contractor, their focus is on completion rather than use of the built asset. Working piecemeal without looking at whole life and performance is short-sighted and increases the likelihood that a built asset won’t meet the client’s long-term expectations or deliver the functionality it was originally commissioned for.

Clients, consultants, designers and all of us involved from planning to fulfilment must look


10

ahead at how the built asset will be used – say, over the first five years – and feed that back to the start of the procurement process. There has to be an honest discussion where, instead of protecting the boundaries of tasks and fees, the team plan collectively with the common aim of ensuring the project is agile enough to evolve into an asset still relevant, robust and reliable on completion and beyond.

Instead of the contractor’s and designer’s financial reward being dependent on a task fulfilled – handing over the design or building – we need to give more thought to how the built asset performs in operation. So, as well as looking good and being well built, let’s ensure it does what the client and end-users want it to do. RLB has worked on some great projects where this has happened – some of the much-maligned PFI programmes, including Building Schools for the Future, produced very good, effective buildings. The MOD Prime programme, including Andover North Site and Project SLAM, were hugely successful. The approach that large retailers take to their property portfolios very much has their customer satisfaction in mind.

With the government’s Construction Sector Deal wanting better-performing buildings that are built more quickly at a lower cost, working as an aligned team must surely help bring us one step forward to this ambition?

Responsibility for whole-life value and performance lies not only with the government but with all of us – clients, consultants and contractors – who work in the industry. Construction plays a major role within the economy and the workforce but we must take responsibility not just for the quality of our work, but for the quality of the outcome it delivers. We should look at the long game when it comes to procurement. This way we will be setting the scene for a more robust and reliable construction sector going forward. ●Ann Bentley is a global director of Rider Levett Bucknall and a member of the Construction Leadership Council.

“We must take responsibility not just for the quality of our work, but for the quality of the outcome

it delivers. We should look at the long game”

Comment

The Andover North Site project for the MOD Prime programme is an example of a built asset performing well in operation

Ann Bentley Rider Levett Bucknall

10.CM Aug18.prelimopinion_sc.indd 10 13/08/2018 17:22

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Chris BlytheChief executive CIOB

RATHER THAN LAMENTING A LACK OF EU WORKERS AFTER BREXIT, CONSTRUCTION FIRMS NEED TO START INNOVATING, ARGUES CHRIS BLYTHE

Blaming Brexit for labour shortages is a Robocop-out

Comment

The news that Balfour Beatty has agreed to permanently employ any agency worker who has been on its north west highways contract for more than three months is a significant step forward in creating a fairer working environment.

The threats of labour shortages posed by Brexit are seeing firms beginning to wake up to the need to get people on board, although it seems a bit rich for a chief executive at a UK housebuilding firm to complain that the government has not given guidance about what to do if EU workers leave.

The problem has been too much reliance on EU workers over the years. As another senior executive said: “We won’t get the replacement people from the EU that the construction sector has traditionally relied upon… and with Brexit, we need young UK employees to come into the sector.”

That is without doubt true. A large proportion of the UK skilled construction workforce is close to having a seniors’ bus pass. In the absence of a flood of young people joining our sector the burden is going to fall on the current workforce extending their working life.

That’s easier in an office-based job than a site-based role. So, if the industry wants to extend the working lives of its skilled people to cover for the time it will take to bring younger people up to speed, it needs to come up with ways of making that possible.

Offsite manufacturing is of course the standard response but it’s not enough. I was taken by a recent news article describing the mechanical “exosuits” being used by workers in some of the Ford Motor Company factories.

The “suit” works by wrapping around the upper body and assists when reaching or lifting overhead. It uses passive mechanical assistance, as opposed to a computer-controlled Robocop-type suit. The benefits, including reduced worker injuries and increased satisfaction, are easy to measure.

It’s this sort of innovation that needs to find its way into the construction industry sooner rather than later, and is one way to tackle the Brexit challenges.

This needs a long-term view of course, and in an industry which is notoriously fickle and prone to short termism – hence the special pleading to retain access to cheap skilled EU workers.

When the Society of Builders (the CIOB’s founding name) was formed back in 1834 one of its earliest priorities was to bring in a system of fair pay and conditions for construction workers. The news that Balfour Beatty is ready to permanently employ longstanding agency workers is a step towards fairer working.

Sometimes the past holds clues to the future. Unlike the “exosuit”, not all innovations have to be new. ●

MPs join CIOB conference eventsCIOB is hosting four high-profile events during the political party conference season

During the Labour conference, Helen Hayes (far left), member of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, will appear alongside fellow Labour MP Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods on 23 September to

discuss skills, diversity and the built environment.

On 25 September, at an event in conjunction with New Statesman, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Peter Dowd will join a round table on best value from construction investment.

On 30 September, at the Conservative conference in

Birmingham, there will be a private round table in the ConservativeHome marquee, and on 2 October, CIOB and New Statesman will look at how to obtain best value from construction with Richard Harrington (left), parliamentary under-secretary at BEIS, alongside clients and contractors.

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Feedback

A selection of readers’ comments about news and issues in the industry from www.constructionmanagermagazine.com

CM 02/08Heatwave working

Provide your own feedback on latest industry issues by posting comments online at www.constructionmanagermagazine.com or emailing the editor at [email protected]

Jaimie Johnston on Bryden Wood’s offsite ‘platform’, p32

CM 26/07 CDM prosecution

CM 01/08Fire doors fail test

CM 31/07Pay performance

Construction companies address the issues of work at high temperatures

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Race off with GP tickets in F1-themed competitionContractors could win tickets to the British Grand Prix or £2,000 as part of a Formula 1-themed competition that will test their communication, planning and problem-solving ability.

The Race Team Manager competition, run by ACO Technologies, offers top-scoring teams the chance to attend the Grand Final at Silverstone to race it out on the ACO Carrera Slot Car circuit in a bid to win the top prize.

The competition begins on 2 September with the Italian Grand Prix. Teams of between two and five people can enter by visiting: www.raceteammanager.com

Sean I know from experience what it is to work in high temperatures. However, we just get on with it. That’s the nature of the industry. I suppose the saying “the show must go on” applies.

Neil BradshawYet more UK mollycoddling of workers. What do you think happens in countries where +30 degrees C is the norm? People simply need to use common sense. Don’t make it the employer’s responsibility.

Afolabi AdesanyaDepending on the work activities and the protective clothing anticipated, the heat stress potential must be considered at ambient temperatures at or above 70 degrees F. When impermeable PPE is worn, physiological monitoring is the recommended method to track heat stress susceptibility in workers.

PhilipWhy not check what members in other countries do? In Victoria, Australia, we have the rhyme “35 stay alive” – which means: over 35 degrees, stop work.

Graham SkeerTry explaining CDM to most SMEs and they look at you like you are from another planet. HSE should take some of the blame due to the fact they do not highlight it to the general public and builders.

Alan NeedleI agree, in part, with Graham. Free training should be provided for all SMEs in a local area, not London or Birmingham.

Perhaps local safety groups could provide a day’s training and advertise an article in the local press/radio, maybe even TV.

After receiving 16 enforcement notices and nine HSE inspections, you would think this company could have made some improvements to mitigate the outcome. Or maybe like a lot of SMEs they do not realise the severity of ignoring good health and safety advice!

Jonathan PowellWell said, Graham. We all need to own health and safety responsibilities on the sites we work on.

Stephen CrowThe construction industry is being run by accountants who know absolutely nothing about construction. That’s why there are the problems that we have in the industry.

Ed MartinClearly the likes of Murphy and Kier are taking to heart the statistics showing the low savings rate that prevails in the country – and doing something about it. One must be positive about these things.

Neil BradshawWhen will main contractors realise that cash flow is key - not just theirs, but for their subcontractors as well? Subcontractors will load their quotes when tendering to poor-paying main contractors, plus poor project cash flow leads to more expensive construction. Publishing payment performance is a great move.

Steve MooreI have been trying for over five years to insist that doors are not just assessed but fully tested –no desktop certification.

Ant WingateWhat a great report. As a site manager, we have to make sure all the fire regulations are met at construction stage but reading this is very disappointing because I don’t get to set a door on fire to make sure it is actually a 30-minute or 60-minute door.

John AnthonyWe all thought that fire doors were properly tested before coming on the market. The whole construction industry gets tarred with failures from organisations who do not meet the required standards.

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The construction industry doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to employing women. Gender pay gap data published earlier this year was worse than in any other industry, while working hours that are often not compatible with childcare, combined with a culture of presenteeism, can make the industry seem inhospitable for female employees.

But some firms are trying to change that. Several big contractors are now promoting flexible working to encourage working mums

Meet the working mums of constructionFLEXIBLE WORKING HAS NOT BEEN READILY ACCOMMODATED BY CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES IN THE PAST. THAT’S CHANGING, WITH MORE WORKING MOTHERS NOW ABLE TO BALANCE THE DEMANDS OF SITE AND FAMILY. NEIL GERRARD EXPLAINS

Analysis

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Who will take up more of my time today,

the architect or my kids?

Or their teachers at the parents’ evening?

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | SEPTEMBER 2018 PRELIMS

Katie Dunn, who has worked for Willmott Dixon for around five years, has just come back from maternity leave to her role as a design coordinator.

She returned to work on three

days a week for 16 weeks, using up her annual leave to phase herself back in. After that she will work longer hours for four days and then half a day from home one day a week. She currently works in Willmott Dixon’s Farringdon office, but has been site-based in the past and will be again in the future.

Dunn explains that Willmott Dixon Interiors is moving towards agile working. “It’s aimed at everyone,” she says. “There is no need for individual formal agreements and it recognises that people do not have to be tied to a particular desk to be productive, that it is about getting your work done.”

There is still a huge misconception in construction generally – particularly for those based on site – that you have to be physically present to show commitment, yet the construction industry is less productive than others.”

However, she says there are particular pressures in construction because everyone is working to strict deadlines. This can colour attitudes towards those who are not working full time, who, she says, may be seen as less committed. “That is not the case. We just have a second job. We don’t take the first one any less seriously, but we cannot stay late anymore,” says Dunn.

She would like to see more men working flexibly so that they don’t miss out on family time, a reduction in working hours generally, which she thinks would make workers more efficient, and an end to assumptions that women will be the primary carer.

Dunn would also like to see more part-time professional roles in construction advertised. Not advertising such roles suggests that companies are not really interested in part-time workers, she says.

“I don’t take the job any less seriously”Katie Dunn Design co-ordinator, Willmott Dixon

to stay in – or return to – the industry and boost the diversity of their workforces.

Dawn Moore is HR director of contractor Morgan Sindall and winner of the Working Mums Cham pion Award at the 2017 Workingmums.co.uk’s Top Employer Awards.

“If we get the right mix of people with a traditional construction background, who at the moment are often men, and combine them with a more diverse group of people, including more females and working parents, I think we will have something more innovative than our competitors and see greater business success,” she says.

In its staff surveys, Moore claims, salary now comes third to flexible working and personal development, regardless of age or gender. That has led to the business being more willing to accommodate flexible working, she adds.

Meanwhile, Lucy Homer, head of design at Lendlease Construction, explains that all employees have the opportunity to work

“If we get the right mix of people with a traditional construction

background and combine them with a more diverse group of people,

I think we will have something more innovative than our competitors”

Dawn Moore, Morgan Sindall

“The company is very supportive in my career development”Vasoula Nicolaidou Quality engineer, Morgan Sindall

Vasoula Nicolaidou has worked at Morgan Sindall since July 2013 when she joined the business as a technical coordinator at one of its London sites.

After a year, she was promoted to senior technical coordinator

and subsequently shortlisted in the category of Best Woman Contractor in the 2015 European

flexibly, whether compressed hours, part-time, or simply arranging their time so that it fits in with the school holidays.

“We want people to be able to manage the demands of family life with their careers – there’s no reason why you can’t be a mother (or a father) and a successful PM, engineer or any of the other careers you’ll find in construction,” she says. “Ultimately, if people are able to fulfil their responsibilities then we’re happy for them to work flexibly.”

Women in Construction and Engineering Awards, before going on maternity leave with her first child in February 2016.

Returning to work in March 2017, Nicolaidou resumed her previous role but with a part-time flexible working arrangement of 9am to 1.30pm every day.

She describes her colleagues as very understanding – even when an unforeseen issue with childcare arrangements arose.

“The company’s flexible stance meant that a stressful situation was diffused and I was able to work from home until the problem was resolved,” she adds.

Later, Nicolaidou secured a new role as a quality engineer based at Morgan Sindall’s Euston office and working at various construction sites around the capital.

This change in job role has been a learning curve for Nicolaidou, but again she says the company continues to be “very supportive in my ongoing career development”. She has also signed up to be a mentor in the company’s new “buddy scheme” which sees new parents teamed up with existing parents in the company as part of an extended support network.


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While Homer concedes that working on site carries “additional complications”, they are not insurmountable, she argues. “It’s all a question of organisation and education. Organisation in terms of scheduling your work and how that impacts others and the project, and education in terms of communicating to colleagues and suppliers that you work to a particular set of hours,” she says.

All managers and new workers are trained in how to handle and encourage conversations around flexible working, parental leave and returning to work. Unconscious bias training is mandatory for staff and is discussed with new starters at induction.

The company is currently running pilot schemes on sites in Stratford, east London, and Manchester to get a fuller picture of how it can encourage and enable more people to work flexibly.

Meanwhile at Willmott Dixon, there is a distinction between flexible working and agile working, as chief HR officer Rick Lee explains.

“Agile working is an informal ad hoc arrangement which allows people to be flexible around working hours and the location they work from, whereas flexible working covers a range of formal permanent arrangements, such as part-time working, which are set out in an individual’s terms and conditions of employment,” he says.

“Through our annual people survey we know that the ability to work in an agile way is important to our people.” ●

“People accept my flexitime as they see me getting the job done”Jenny Sawyer Development manager, Lendlease

Sawyer has worked at Lendlease for 23 years since she joined its undergraduate scheme as a quantity surveyor.

Over the years she has worked in risk, project management, commercial

management, client relationship management and run a non-profit body linked to the firm. When she had her first child just over five years ago she returned on the pattern she works now – full time with flexible hours.

However, eight months later the family moved to Singapore so Sawyer could work on an office tower project. They moved back when she was 36 weeks pregnant with her second child.

Sawyer says flexible working has become more established. With her first child, she felt guilty about her work pattern and had to keep it secret and arrange childcare if a meeting was booked in the late afternoon. Now she is able to be much more open.

“Being open about it makes it easier for other people to get on board with it. Everyone knows I won’t be in the office after 4pm, but that I will be there at 7.30am. People are more accepting of my flexitime as they see me getting the job done,” she says.

She expects industry changes to deliver the biggest wins for gender diversity. “Pre-fabrication will open up more opportunities to women, as employees can mostly travel to the same place every day and work in a nicer physical environment,” she says.

For now, she feels there is a need for more flexible working and also to change the image of construction among children.

Flexible working and the law

To be eligible to apply to work flexibly, an applicant must: ● Be an employee with 26 weeks’ continuous service on the date the application is made;● Not have made another application to work flexibly under this right during the past 12 months;● The application must be made in writing, by email or letter.

The application must include:● Details of how the employee

wants to work flexibly and when they want to start;● An explanation of how they think flexible working might affect the business and how this could be dealt with – for instance, if they’re not at work on certain days.

The employer has three months to consider the request and make a decision, or longer if agreed with the employee. If the employer agrees to the request,

they must change the terms and conditions in the employee’s contract no less than 28 days after the request was approved.

If the employer disagrees, they must write to the employee giving the business reasons for the refusal. An employee may be able to complain to an employment tribunal.

More on flexible working for mothers: Workingmums.co.uk.

EMPLOYEES HAVE TO MEET SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY TO WORK FLEXIBLY

“It’s all a question of organisation and education. Organisation in term of scheduling your work,

and education in terms of communicating to colleagues”

Lucy Homer, Lendlease

Architect happy, client happy, kids happy,

teachers happy…a good day



TAKING AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT CURRENT ISSUES AND PROJECTS

20-42

Insight•onsite 26 OFFSITE: MACE AT UCLH 30 OFFSITE: DESIGN ISSUES 32 OFFSITE: BRYDEN WOOD 34 PRODUCTIVITY SURVEY 36 UK CONSTRUCTION WEEK 38 ROUND TABLE: DIGITAL DISRUPTION

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OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION METHODS ARE SUPPOSED TO OFFER SIGNIFICANT GAINS ON BUILD QUALITY – BUT IS THERE EVIDENCE TO PROVE IT? NEIL GERRARD INVESTIGATES

DOES OFFSITE DELIVER ON ITS QUALITY PROMISES?

INSIGHT•ONSITE | OFFSITE SEPTEMBER 2018 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Offsite construction has long claimed an array of advantages over traditional build methods – speed of installation, fewer site workers and, perhaps most importantly of all, a higher quality finished product.

But not many clients see it this way. This was a problem raised by Laing O’Rourke’s technical director, Dr Sarah Williamson, when she gave evidence to the House of Lords Science and

Technology Committee as it prepared its now-published report (see box, p22) into offsite construction.

While Williamson praised an “enlightened” few private clients who were starting to see the benefits of offsite construction methods, she warned that gaining traction in other areas was proving difficult.

“The barriers [to offsite uptake] are to do with a perception issue,” she told

peers. “Rather than seeing the benefits in terms of consistency of product, reli-ability of programme, reduced reliance on the traditional construction skills, what comes across is an increased upfront cost and perhaps in many areas a quality perception.

“People have in their minds the 1960s and 1970s builds post the Second World War which are not at all like the componentised offering of offsite construction that we see today.”

Proving that the quality of offsite construction is better than the results achieved through traditional methods is going to be crucial. So where is the evidence to prove it?

“There are quite a lot of published figures on poor quality when it comes to normal construction,” says Tim Carey, national product director at Willmott Dixon. “What doesn’t exist to the best of my knowledge, is anything linking that

20_22.CM.Sept18.quality_sc.indd 20 14/08/2018 11:54

Tony Mobbs, managing director of clerk of works consultancy Hickton, has seen the offsite industry evolve over 25 years of keeping tabs on standards in the sector.

While it is much better than it once was, continued inspection is vital, he argues.

“In the early days, there were as many defects in offsite construction as there were on traditional building sites,” he says. “Initially, going to a factory was like being on a construction site but it had a roof over it.

“We are now getting to a stage where the offsite manufacturers are better organised and more repetition is possible and this should lead to a better product. But I believe you have to have an inspection regime in place.

“On one visit to a particular factory, I found out

that the intumescent seal to the junction of the walls and ceiling was not in place, therefore fire could get through at that point. The reason I was given was ‘oh, we had run out and the boss said we had to carry on’.”

Mobbs points out that car manufacturers’ plants he has visited, such as Toyota and Volvo, are fully automated and yet still have inspectors.

Nonetheless, he believes offsite construction can offer quality benefits if it is done correctly. “There are some good builders out there who can produce good quality buildings. But can onsite replicate that each time in the way that offsite is capable of doing? Offsite needs to be able to match the higher echelons of traditional construction and if it can, then are definitely gains to be made.”

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | SEPTEMBER 2018 INSIGHT•ONSITE | OFFSITE

up with offsite. Gut feeling tells us that if you build stuff in controlled condi-tions with specially trained people then you are going to get better outcomes, but there is no measurable data I can find that proves that.”

Willmott Dixon, along with several other contractors plus construction research body CIRIA, is on a mission to prove offsite’s quality credentials in a new research study.

A spokesperson for CIRIA declined to reveal which other contractors are involved in the project but confirmed that its work will examine common project drivers in more detail, as well as identifying the benefits of offsite techniques against more traditional approaches by collecting data in a format that will enable comparison.

The outcomes of the research are expected to be published in 2019.

At the same time, industry body Buildoffsite is working with BSI to examine gaps in coverage for offsite build methods and whether there is the need for additional standards. The organisation hopes that in doing so, it can drive market demand. Any stand-ards that are created are expected to be performance driven.

Anecdotally, construction profes-sionals who have worked on offsite projects praise its quality performance.

“The theory of building inside a factory environment, which is warm, dry,

Digital disruptors: the construction companies leading the charge, p38

A quality inspector’s view of offsite construction

“In the early days there were as many defects in offsite construction as there were on traditional building sites”

windless, safe and under close supervi-sion leads to the typical conclusion that we would end up with a better-quality outcome,” says Peter Flint, chief execu-tive buildings + places EMIA at Aecom, which is planning a factory for 3,000 modular homes at Silvertown Quays in east London, though the scheme has stalled recently.

“The defect issue is massively reduced,” continues Flint. “I haven’t got any numbers to confirm that, but a very strong conviction and it is one of the biggest excitements for us.”

Cutting down on defectsFlint says the emergence of digital design tools have led to more “love” for offsite methods. “We design to 1:1 detail in the 3D environment and then we order from the supply chain from that 3D model so everything coming out of our workshops is built to the right tolerances and dimensions,” he explains.

That level of precision allows Aecom to cut down massively on defects as compared to traditional building, Flint asserts. “From a traditional project perspective, where hitting practical completion and getting defect free can be somewhat of a challenge, we are achieving most of that before it even leaves the factory,” he says.

Keith Blanshard, the former Yorkon boss who has worked in the offsite sector for 40 years and is now Buildoffsite’s

“The defect issue is massively reduced. I haven’t got any numbers to confirm that, but it is one of the

biggest excitements for us”Peter Flint, Aecom


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executive director, is in no doubt that the quality of offsite work is superior.

“To watch a man on the line install insulation or tile a wall, it is just signif-icantly better,” he says. “Putting aside for the moment the productivity gain, he is in a dry, clean environment and it generates a better quality finish. I come from a site background and you just know that on site you lose control of what is being covered up.”

But new skills will have to be learned, he points out. “I think there is a chal-lenge for site management and project management on sites where they need to learn how to assemble a building,” he says. “How do you lift a 12-tonne module? You have got 15m of cable tray and pipes all tested, insulated and labelled up – that needs to go to the third floor, so how do you do that? Site managers need to pick these skills up, but they aren’t difficult to learn.” ●

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, in a report published this summer, argued that offsite manufacturing could help increase construction’s productivity, the quality and efficiency of buildings, while reducing labour demands and environmental impacts.

However, it warned that take-up has been varied and limited because the industry is working with outdated and unsustainable

business models that are not conducive to offsite manufacture.

Offsite Manufacture for Construction: Building for Change sets out actions the committee thinks government should take, including “presumption in favour” of off-site manufacture and a greater move to procuring for whole-life value rather than lowest cost.

Willmott Dixon’s Tim Carey, who gave evidence to the committee,

welcomes the report. But he warns that the mark of its success will be how the government and industry respond.

“A mere ‘presumption in favour’ is insufficient,” he adds. “We need government to define the parameters around the definition of presumption so that it very much is forced to become an opt-out that requires formal justification, as opposed to a soft opt-in.”

Not everyone is convinced about the quality claims for offsite construction. Insurer Zurich, for one, has reservations.

Allison Whittington, head of housing at Zurich Municipal, says: “While we support the housebuilding sector’s ambition to embrace new and innovative methods of construction, we still harbour significant concerns around the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), including offsite construction, where inappropriately used or not fully understood or supervised.

“Our concerns relate to the resilience of a finished development, including potential increased risk of larger-scale damage from flood, water damage and fire, as well as an increased risk to the wellbeing and possible displacement of the occupants. Likewise, combustible and lightweight materials such as wood, polystyrene and recycled materials have the potential to sustain a greater degree of damage than traditional materials, leading directly to an increase in repair costs and timescales.

“New standards and regulation are required to keep up with the fast-changing landscape of construction in the UK, but

it is not good enough to simply suggest that regulation and design considerations should be able to mitigate these risks.”

However there is insurance backing for offsite technology. In a joint initiative, insurance firm BLP, Buildoffsite, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and Lloyd’s Register have devised the Buildoffsite Property Assurance Scheme (BOPAS).

BOPAS provides assurance to the lending community that innovatively constructed properties will be durable enough to be saleable for a minimum of 60 years. The scheme involves a durability and maintenance assessment by BLP, as well as a process accreditation, and a web-enabled database comprising details of assessed building systems, registered sites and registered/warranted properties.

Earlier this year, BOPAS recorded a sharp spike in registrations of offsite manufactured construction products. Last year, the number of products accredited by the insurance body doubled to 20, with another 12 registered as of the end of May this year and a further 50 “in discussion”.

The insurance sector’s view of offsite construction

“Our concerns relate to the resilience of a finished development”

The Lords Science and Technology Committee report on offsite construction

“Gut feeling tells us that if you build stuff in controlled conditions with specially trained people you are

going to get better outcomes”Tim Carey, Willmott Dixon

50 BOPAS currently has 50 offsite construction products in discussion over approval



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AN INNOVATIVE UNITISED FACADE, COMBINING HANDMADE BRICKS, ALUMINIUM, TRIPLE GLAZING AND PRECAST CONCRETE, WAS DEVELOPED TO BLEND MACE’S NEW UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON HOSPITALS CENTRE INTO ITS SENSITIVE HISTORIC CONTEXT AND DELIVER IT IN RECORD TIME. STEPHEN COUSINS REPORTS

MACE USES CLINICAL PRECISION ON OFFSITE FACADE PROJECT


It’s a hot summer afternoon in central London and a crowd of pedestrians has gathered to witness an unusual sight – a giant section of brick wall incorporating a large bay window is dangling in mid-air from the jib of a tower crane.

As the 5.5m-wide prefabricated concrete panel is deftly spun around by the crane, and stabilised by an operative pulling ropes on the ground, there is a sudden gasp from onlookers as a gust of wind swings it sideways. But the unit is kept under control, drawn flush with the facade and fixed into position, all in a matter of minutes.

The unitised facade is part of an ingen-ious offsite solution for the University College London Hospitals’ new centre for ear, nose, throat and dental services on Huntley Street near Euston.

Created by a team led by main contractor Mace and architect Pilbrow & Partners, the facade’s design aims to reduce onsite health and safety risks, improve quality and slash months off the programme – up to five of these panels will be installed today, and the entire envelope should be complete and watertight in just 13 weeks.

This has required considerable planning. Most of the 248 panels are hybrids that combine traditional hand-made bricks, chosen to blend with the historic context, with precast concrete, aluminium and glass. The heaviest

Above: Model image showing the makeup of the facade panels

Left: The panels are hybrids of brick, concrete, glass and aluminium

26_28.CM.Sept18.mace_sc.indd 26 14/08/2018 12:07

27


weigh 11 tonnes. Some of the perfo-rated brick panels are entirely new to the UK and had to go through stringent testing to gain certification. Meanwhile, a bespoke lifting system was required to prevent the loaded bay window panels from flipping over when lifted by crane.

Nicola Scammell, senior project manager at Mace, says: “Prefab is often considered uncreative and repetitive but with the hospital being in a largely brick-built conservation area, a lot of work has gone into the fine detailing to ensure it is respectful to the architec-tural surroundings, but delivered in a modern and efficient way.”

The five-storey centre stands opposite a Grade II-listed Georgian terrace and next to Gordon Mansions, regarded as one of Bloomsbury’s finest Edwardian mansion blocks.

An earlier design proposal was thrown out by Camden Council, so the client, UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, appointed Pilbrow & Partners to carry out a conceptual redesign to secure planning permission. The firm is now acting on behalf of the client, providing the detailed technical design and over-seeing construction of the facade. Scott Tallon Walker is executive supervising architect responsible for the clinical spaces inside the building.

The healthcare plan was inverted to move the clinical space to the

centre and push the waiting areas to the perimeter to take advantage of natural light. “We put together detailed technical information to ensure what we were proposing could be achieved in construction,” says Simon Smith, senior associate partner at Pilbrow.

The facade design takes visual and material cues from the local historic context which feed into the modular sections. The rows of wide bay windows on the front Huntley Street elevation mimic the scale and layout of those on Gordon Mansions, and the extensive use of red brick aims to evoke the largely brick-built Bloomsbury Conservation Area and industrial heritage.

The idea of modularising the facade was first mooted by Mace at bid stage and subsequently taken forward when it won the design and build contract and started on site in summer 2016.

Just-in-time panel deliveriesScammel says the biggest benefit of the modular approach is in programme. “Building the facade traditionally, by hand-laying bricks, would have taken 40 weeks; by unitising the panels we managed to reduce that to 13 weeks,” she says. “It takes various activities off the critical path, we simply get panels delivered ‘just-in-time’ to go straight onto the building.”

The flipside of that was an extended upfront design period as Mace and its team, including inhouse architect BMJ and structural engineer Clarke Nicholls Marcel, worked through the design and produced early prototypes. Most of this early work was carried out in parallel with excavation of the building’s four storey basement and construction of its piled foundations and reinforced concrete frame.

David Thomas, senior design manager at Mace, says: “Pilbrow & Partners incorporated quality brickwork and details and features that needed a great deal of thinking through. Going offsite meant these things could be tried out, tested, sampled and approved prior to being incorporated into the building.”

The unitised facade is a hybrid made up of separate elements manufactured by Swift Brickwork, curtain walling specialist Fleetwood Aluminium and precast cladding manufacturer Techrete. Under the Level 2 BIM strategy for the project, Pilbrow modelled each of the 160,000 handmade bricks prior to the manufacturing process. The completed panels are being assembled in Techrete’s yard in Brigg outside Doncaster.

The large bays on Huntley Street are the most complex and include a perforated brick element, orientated south west to increase solar shading,

Client UCLH NHS Foundation TrustMain contractor MaceArchitect (envelope) Pilbrow & Partners

Architect (clinical spaces) Scott Tallon Walker Structural engineer Clarke Nicholls Marcel

Curtain walling Fleetwood AluminiumPrecast cladding TechreteBrick contractor Swift Brickwork

Brick manufacturer Charnwood Value £67m Programme 142 weeks

“A lot of work has gone into the fine detailing to

ensure it is respectful to the architectural surroundings, but delivered in a modern

and efficient way”Nicola Scammell, Mace

Above: Torpedo fittings screw into halfen channels cast into the concrete

Below right: The facade has been designed to blend in with the Edwardian and Georgian surrounds


Some 160,000 bricks were used to create the unitised facade panels, all hand made by UK supplier Charnwood to traditional techniques.

Achieving consistency of material and colour was a challenge, given the number of different brick types. Bake a regular-shaped brick, a half brick and a brick with a key in the back (to bond with precast concrete) for the same time and, like loaves in the oven, you end up with different colours on the surface.

Pilbrow’s Simon Smith says: “The first batches were very slightly wrong tonally, but Charnwood was able to adjust the process to get what we needed.”

Every individual throws the clay into a mould in a slightly different way, so Charnwood hand-picked a team able to produce similar results.

Mace’s Nicola Scammell says: “The bricks used to make the perforated panels are thrown into moulds and the tops have to be scraped off to remove a slump in the brick before baking. The bricks incorporated into the prefabricated elements have a key in back needed to bond into the concrete, which means tapping the back of the brick after the clay is thrown to remove the slump.”

Two test panels were assembled by Techcrete for approval by stakeholders, including hospital staff.

“It’s difficult to see how you would achieve similar level quality with bricklayers splitting bricks out of palettes, carrying them up five floors and laying them one by one, especially four floors up in the wind and rain,” Smith concludes.

Testing the bricks

Achieving consistency of tone and colour was challenging, given the number of different brick types used in the panels

28


a triple-glazed window element, and a precast concrete element. Each panel on levels one and two is around 5.5m wide by 4m tall, while slightly taller panels feature on the upper levels.

Spaces in the perforated elements reduced the contact area between the bricks, which increases the propensity for traditional mortar to crack when put under strain. An alternative solution was devised using ceramic spacers and a special adhesive to increase strength and flexibility. The method had never been tried before so panels had to go through rigorous testing to achieve the necessary certification and warranties.

The perforated brick panels on the Shropshire Place elevation raised one of the biggest challenges. Standard soft body impact tests (defined by the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology’s technical notes TN75 and TN76) involved a 50kg bag being swung at the mock-up, which caused it to wobble significantly. Steel fixings had to be introduced into the backs of the bricks to increase rigidity.

Thomas says: “You see similar brick details on farm buildings in Switzerland, but it is an aesthetic that’s never really been tested.”

The panels for the bays are fixed back to the RC frame using two fixings, billets that sit in pockets cut out of the edge of the concrete slab, and torpedo fixings that screw into halfen channels cast into the

concrete, to allow final millimetre adjust-ments to get the panels plumb vertical.

Other unitised panels on the facade include corner balcony units, at the intersection of Huntley Street and Capper Street, that were cast into the frame as the concrete was poured.

The largest elements are 9m-high curved chimney sections at the base of the rear elevation, made of precast concrete inlaid with brick. The size was driven by the desire to avoid unsightly silicon movement joints in the brickwork, but pulses are sure to race as the first panel is dropped in later on in the build.

“We didn’t want the building to look like a patchwork quilt,” says Scammell. “We spent a great deal of time designing details to conceal precast concrete posts and remove the need for visible mastic joints between adjacent panels.”

Bespoke yellow frameInstallation of the eccentrically loaded bays raised different concerns. A proto-type had regular lifting eyes fitted on top, but when lifted the panel started to twist and tilt in the air, increasing the risk of torsion that could shatter the glass.

The unwanted movement was caused by additional weight on the front of the bay and the fact there was more precast concrete on one side. To counter the effect, Techrete designed a bespoke yellow steel frame that fits to the top and down one side of each panel to help keep it level and rigid when lifted.

Beyond the facade, Mace has tried to work prefabrication into the project wherever possible. Precast risers will be craned in, and horizontal distribution services. A mountain of kit, including giant ductwork, aircon units and a 13-tonne MRI machine, is required to run one of the most sophisticated hospital buildings of the current generation.

“There is a huge drive within the business to deliver offsite projects,” says Scammell. “Our ‘jump factory’ at East Village pushed the boundaries by creating a factory direct on the building site and prefab is now a major part of the highrise element of the business.”

The new centre, which brings together services from the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital and Eastman Dental Hospital, is due to open in 2019. ●

“You see similar brick details on farm buildings

in Switzerland, but it’s an aesthetic that’s never

been tested”David Thomas, Mace

Pilbrow modelled each of the 160,000 handmade bricks prior to the manufacturing process160,000


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THE RESURGENCE IN OFFSITE MANUFACTURING IS CHANGING THE NORMS FOR ARCHITECTS AS WELL AS CONTRACTORS. BUT ARE DESIGNERS WARMING TO WORKING WITH FACTORIES? WILL MANN FINDS OUT

DESIGNING FOR MANUFACTURE: DO ARCHITECTS LIKE OFFSITE?


There is a perception that architects are not big fans of offsite manufacturing. One criticism is that architects resist use of factory-made components, believing they restrict creative scope, lead to homogenous buildings and prevent “good architecture”. Another is that architects will default to designing for an in-situ build at planning stage, and the project then has to be redesigned so that offsite components can be used.

CM put these criticisms to several architects who work in the offsite space. First up, Jaimie Johnston, director at Bryden Wood, which has produced several influential reports on use of offsite manufactured components (see p32).

“It’s nonsense to say that manu-facturing processes make it harder to create ‘good architecture’,” says Johnston. “Designers of cars or mobile phones don’t think that way. Through the history of architecture, no one material

automatically lends itself to good architec-ture. There is nothing that says an archi-tectural masterpiece will automatically follow if a building is traditionally built.”

Brendan Geraghty is director of the Geraghty Taylor practice, which has used offsite technology widely and particu-larly in the private rental sector (PRS), and he concedes that “some architects have a point about offsite’s constraints”.

But he adds: “The attitude can be: ‘I don’t like the rules of the game so I’m not going to play.’ But architects need to get in there and use their aesthetic judgement and technical knowledge. The rules are different with offsite, undoubtedly. But that’s the case with other materials. However, creative types will invariably come up with imaginative ideas when faced with constraints.”

Lucy Homer, head of design at Lendlease and former associate partner at Sheppard Robson, notes that many

Offsite manufacturing and landmark architecture through the ages: The Crystal Palace in London (left), erected in 1851 using the modular design of Sir Joseph Paxton, which was based on the dimensions of the plate glass supplied by manufacturer Chance Brothers; Preston

Bus Station (centre left), designed by BDP and engineered by Ove Arup, constructed in 1969 using GRP precast mouldings to achieve the signature “scallop facade”; CitizenM hotel in the City of London (bottom left), designed by Sheppard Robson and completed by Balfour Beatty

architectural icons have been created from manufacturing processes. “The Crystal Palace was one of the first,” she says. “Preston Bus Station is another, with its precast facade. The CitizenM hotel by the Tower of London uses prefabricated pods stacked one on top of the other.”

“A key point here,” Homer continues, “is that you need to design for offsite from concept. It gets very frustrating having the architect designing a building one way, then the main contractor comes on board and we design it all over again with our own supply chain. Buildings should be designed once. It’s another reason why we need a more joined-up industry.”

Johnston adds: “Generally there is a short-term view across the industry. Architects will do their bit, then contractors, then specialists. It is a massive obstacle to offsite take-up.”

Geraghty points out that the plan-ning process is “very demanding” so

“It’s nonsense to say that

manufacturing processes

make it harder to

create good architecture”Jaimie Johnston,

Bryden Wood

30_31.CM.Sept18.architects_sc.indd 30 14/08/2018 12:50

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clients will defer putting much thought into the build until after approval.

“However, we believe that early product definition is important,” he continues. “On a traditional project, you’d go to planning with the design and construction information about 35% complete. But on a project with significant offsite elements, it needs to be around 60% complete. And the offsite elements would be developed as far as RIBA stage 4A or even 4B. Architects have tended to take the view that they’ll deal with those details later. But offsite elements of a project have to be digitally complete much earlier.”

Client business objectivesIn any case, he continues, the decision to use offsite should be determined by the wider objectives of the client. “In PRS, the drivers are getting the building completed and let, and the asset being of a high enough quality that you can sell it on to an institutional investor once a stabilised rental point is reached (typically two to three years),” Geraghty says. “So modular construction suits those business objectives. It’s different in private house-building where sales receipts, rather than rental income, are the drivers.”

The business objectives also affect choice of offsite technology. “Some work and some are rubbish in different contexts,” says Geraghty. “Volumetric does suit PRS. But it needs to be at least a 200-unit model. Also, these clients are looking to build a portfolio so want stand-ardisation across the piste. That doesn’t necessarily mean the same-looking building every time, but things like H&V and bathrooms can be consistent. ”

He continues: “Above five or six storeys, we would also look at SIPS, and we have also used CLT, including a nine-storey mixed-use building at Wembley

“The desire for developers to use offsite has increased,” he continues. “For instance, we have been working on the McArthurGlen retail development in London and the client sees obvious benefits in minimising disruption to their retail operations through the fast build that offsite methods allow.”

However, cost can be prohibitive, admits Morgan. “Contractors see offsite components as a risk so price for it. And that has put off developers from using it.” But as contractors establish the benefits from using offsite manufac-tured components, they are becoming more comfortable using them, he says.

Morgan points to the HSBC office scheme in Sheffield where Leonard is working with Bam Construct. “We are using three precast lift cores. It was more challenging to use precast than in situ but Bam is a forward-thinking contractor and recognised the benefits – chiefly speed of construction.”

One of the tallest UK modular projects, the Mapleton Crescent Pocket Living scheme in south London, designed by Metropolitan Workshop and built by Tide Construction, won rare praise from The Observer’s architectural critic Rowan Moore, who said it has “architectural qual-ities that are nothing in particular to do with the innovation in its construction”.

Geraghty says: “The point about architecture quality is that – whether built traditionally or with volumetric or light gauge steel or another offsite system – the public will see the same thing. It’s just different under the skin.

“Offsite is not a panacea. There will always be traditional construction and there will always be offsite in its various forms. But we need more understanding from all designers – engineers and archi-tects – about the collaboration required for offsite projects.” ●

for Network Housing. But CLT must be committed to from the get-go. Otherwise it has to be shoehorned in.”

Leonard Design is another architect increasing its offsite workload, after bringing experience across from a Danish prefabricated housing project, where modules were fitted on top of the Kronen shopping centre in Copenhagen.

“What we learned from Copenhagen was about designing with the build in mind,” says director John Morgan. “Offsite projects work well with BIM because you can ‘design with hindsight’ and spot where clashes are going to come, where the M&E installations fit with the structure and the architectural detailing.”

So does Leonard design for offsite components from a project’s outset? “Not necessarily,” answers Morgan. “But there are benefits which outweigh the disadvantages of not doing so.

“Early product definition is

important on an offsite project – it needs to

be around 60% complete

before the planning

application”Brendan Geraghty,

Geraghty Taylor

in 2016, using six levels of stacked structural modules; Mapleton Crescent (right), one of the UK’s tallest modular schemes at 27 storeys, a Pocket Living development in south London, designed by Metropolitan Workshop and built by Tide Construction.

30_31.CM.Sept18.architects_sc.indd 31 14/08/2018 12:50

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What is the vision of Platforms? The “platform” term is used in software and manufacturing where sets of compo-nents interact in defined ways to allow products and services to be produced. So, in construction, the vision for “Platforms” is a broad supply chain, creating stand-ardised bits of kit which all fit within a framework, and using their enterprise to shave cost off each of these components.

A simple comparison is smartphone apps. Anyone can create an iPhone app as long as it runs on IOS. Steve Jobs didn’t realise its potential until the app store was opened up to third-party developers and then sales exploded.

Platforms has the same principle. We are making all our intellectual property open source to the government, and to anyone who works on government projects. Suppliers can say, yes, we can create something using that framework. But they have to use the platform unless they can prove something else has

value. BIM will underpin the platform: all the standardised components will sit in the BIM library and designers will be able to pull them into a project model.

Why do you think cost savings are possible?After analysing building types, we found they cluster into groups – there are only so many ways you can lay out a two-bed flat, offices are fairly similar – so you end up with very similar product types. This should lead to economies of scale.

Manufacturing is about big numbers, which allows big efficiency savings. Construction hasn’t really understood that yet. Raw steel is £700 a tonne, but when it gets to site, it is £2,500 a tonne because you’ve paid for it to be handled by the fabricator and supply chain. If the raw steel only needed to be punched once then installed, cost could be cut dramatically.

On our work for the Ministry of Justice, where we’ve got 10,000 prison spaces to deliver, you can see how every £1 you save per unit has a massive multiplier effect.

Modular or hybrid offsite systems – what do you favour?Modular will be part of the solution, but is it what people really want? Our mantra is never compromise on what the end-user wants from the asset. Modular systems have to fit onto the back of a truck so have space constraints. They are logistically inefficient because you are shipping a big box of air whereas in one shipping container you can fit the components to make 5,000 cu m of building. It can also be over-engineered – it has to be very rigid for transportation and it doesn’t need that rigidity once assembled on site. Also there is huge capital investment in the factory.

Construction has long talked about copying factory processes from the car industry – but we see the site being the

factory with sophisticated logistics and just-in-time delivery bringing in compo-nents built elsewhere. Mace’s “Jump factory” in Docklands is an example.

Is construction ready for Platforms and offsite generally?There are gaps to address in terms of quality and training. With Platforms, it’s as if we’re building a car. The CITB needs to teach the industry how to drive.

In this brave new offsite world, two things are likely to happen: main contrac-tors will become manufacturers, or manu-facturers start to become contractors. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the likes of Nissan step into that space. M&E, for instance, is about putting together pipes and wires and people in the Midlands manufacturing supply chain know all about that, but in a different industry – could they step into construction?

Will architects like Platforms?“Starchitects” will hate this! But you wouldn’t use Platforms to create a banana-shaped building. And there will always be a market for the Hadids and Fosters – clients who want an unusual design.

What are your next steps?We’ve now published three books – the others are Data Driven Infrastructure and Delivery Platforms for Government Assets – all based on work done for the Education and Schools Funding Agency, Ministry of Justice, Highways England, Crossrail and other clients.

They were all published with the Cambridge Centre for Digital Built Britain, a government grant-funded body. So this gives them kudos. We have made submissions to the House of Lords offsite inquiry and I am also working with Mark Farmer on the proposed Greater London Assembly kitemark scheme. ●

‘PLATFORMS: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN CONSTRUCTION + MANUFACTURING’ IS A NEW REPORT FROM ARCHITECT BRYDEN WOOD. WITH THE GOVERNMENT KEEN TO DRIVE OFFSITE UPTAKE, IT SETS OUT A FRAMEWORK FOR USING FACTORY COMPONENTS TO DELIVER CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, DIRECTOR AND OFFSITE GURU JAIMIE JOHNSTON EXPLAINS TO WILL MANN

A NEW PLATFORM FOR OFFSITE?

“We are making all our intellectual property open source to the government and to anyone working on

government projects”Jaimie Johnston, Bryden Wood

Bryden Wood director Jaimie Johnston

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CUTTING DEFECTS AND ADOPTING PAPERLESS TECHNOLOGY ARE AMONG THE ACTION POINTS FOR CONSTRUCTION IF THE INDUSTRY IS TO IMPROVE ITS PRODUCTIVITY, ACCORDING TO RESEARCH BY CM AND SOFTWARE FIRM PLANGRID. ROB ELVIDGE, DIRECTOR AT PLANGRID EMEA, EXPLAINS

HOW CAN CONSTRUCTION IMPROVE ITS PRODUCTIVITY?

INSIGHT•ONSITE SEPTEMBER 2018 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

The construction industry provides vital ingredients that enhance a nation’s productivity, creating the infrastructure that allows resources to be moved around successfully. The performance of the sector impacts the economy as a whole and plays a critical role in helping to solve the UK productivity puzzle.

However, productivity in the construction industry has declined over the past 50 years, on a global scale. In that period other industries, such as manufacturing, have seen productivity double. Complicated contracts, regulatory compliance and the need for specialisation have made project execution more challenging than ever before. It requires deep coordination between teams, and easy and quick access to all project information to help them deliver more efficiently.

Solutions will almost certainly include new technology, such as onsite productivity software, project management software and building information modelling software, which can help eliminate wait times and reduce costly rework.

It is against this backdrop that Construction Manager and PlanGrid have carried out research among almost 250 industry professionals to look at the causes of the productivity problem – and possible solutions.

Asked what were the biggest factors affecting productivity in their business, 46% blamed resources – but, interestingly, 42% said they lacked the required information to make confident decisions and 37% said they had to spend too long on administrative tasks.

S i g n i f i c a n t l y, d e a l i n g w i t h mistakes and rework take up the most unnecessary time on projects,

What do you believe are the biggest factors affecting productivity in your business (select up to three)?

What technology has your company implemented to improve digital efficiency with teams across projects?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Lack of resources (eg equipment,

labour, materials)

Lack of required data/ information to make confident decisions

Too much focus on administrative tasks

Competing objectives among project

stakeholders

Coordination/ scheduling errors

Unforeseen events (eg weather)

Version control

Using file-sharing tool (eg Dropbox) to share and access

BIM technology for 3D modelling

We have minimalistic technology in our projects

Web conferencing for meetings

Estimation software

Scheduling software

Drone technology

Collision detection

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

34_35.CMSept18.productivity_sc.indd 34 14/08/2018 14:09

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | SEPTEMBER 2018 INSIGHT•ONSITE

cited by over two-thirds of survey respondents. This correlates with other industry research on build quality, notably the CIOB study that found that three-quarters of construction professionals had lost faith in the quality management system (CM March 2018).

Further challenges on respondents’ time included dealing with conflict resolution (50%) and scheduling communication and meetings with project stakeholders (41%). The ability to efficiently share information across all relevant parties would help to resolve these issues, and ultimately save time and reduce budget overrun.

Construction is still heavily reliant on paper-based processes. Asked what percentage of their firms’ projects are run with paperless technology, more than a fifth of respondents said they rely entirely on paper plans, while a third indicated less than 25% of their plans are managed paper-free. Barely one in 10 claims to use paperless technology on 75% of projects.

In light of this, it is perhaps surprising that 48% of respondents didn’t know how they tracked paper spend on a project. With research showing this can be in the 0.5% to 1% range – even more on complex projects – this means a £10m project may

spend £100,000 on paper through the life of the project.

With paperless technology, an entire project team’s sheets can be updated and shared in real time without having to wait for a new set to be printed and distributed. This helps to save time, reduce rework and lower costs. Furthermore plans, drawings and contracts are protected from damage throughout, and handover is smoother.

While construction has been slow to adopt new technology to help boost productivity, the survey nonetheless suggests some appetite for change.

Over half of respondents have experience of using online file-sharing tools to access and share drawings on a project and just over 10% indicate experience using BIM technology for 3D modelling. Web conferencing, estimation and scheduling software all feature in the responses. However, with 10% of respondents admitting to using minimal or no technology in their projects – and only 13% saying they used BIM – there is scope to explore proven solutions that can boost team productivity.

Looking ahead at challenges for the UK construction market over the next 12 months, squeezed access to labour was the one most commonly identified – perhaps not surprising in light of the Brexit uncertainty – by 38%

48% The CM/PlanGrid survey revealed that 48% of respondents didn’t know how they tracked paper spend In association with

of respondents. Reduced government spending (21%) and increasing wage demand (18%) were also seen as pressing.

It’s time for construction firms to use digital tools to improve performance and make the industry future-ready – to the benefit of both the sector and the UK economy as a whole. Our research shows indicators for change in the industry – we need to build on these early foundations. ●

What technology has your company implemented to improve digital efficiency with teams across projects?

n 0 - All our projects are entirely based on paper

n <25%n 25-50%n 50-75%n >75%

Which of the following take up the most unnecessary time with building projects (name up to three)?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Dealing with mistakes

Conflict resolution

Scheduling communication/

meetings with other project stakeholders

Jobsite logistics/coordination

Project management

What challenges do you see for the UK construction industry in the next 12 months?

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Squeezed access to labour

Reduced government

spending on projects

Increasing wage demands

Pressure from overseas

competition

Impact of health and safety requirements

34_35.CMSept18.productivity_sc.indd 35 14/08/2018 14:09

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THE UK’S LARGEST EVENT FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT RETURNS NEXT MONTH AT THE NEC BIRMINGHAM. CM LOOKS AT THE KEY ATTRACTIONS AT THIS YEAR’S UK CONSTRUCTION WEEK

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WITH UK CONSTRUCTION WEEK


This year’s UK Construction Week, which returns to Birmingham’s NEC between 9-11 October, has the theme the “Future of Construction”, with numerous opportunities to see, touch and hear all about what’s driving the industry forward.

More than 650 exhibitors will provide seminars, CPD sessions and networking opportunities across nine

shows spanning the whole built envi-ronment: Build Show; Energy 2018; Timber Expo; Surface and Materials Show; Building Tech Live; HVAC 2018; Civils Expo; Plant and Machinery Live and Grand Designs Live.

The Future of Construction Hub provides an immersive opportunity to discover how digital construction, 3D printing, robotics, AI and AR and

modern methods of construction can deliver the new construction sector deal. Coventry University is bringing its virtual reality simulator used as part of its training for construction students.

An Innovation Trail will take visitors through the latest innovative ideas, products and systems from compa-nies including: 3THERMO, Bruag, Canon, Ecovolt, Kore Wireless, Marsh Industries, Quinn Building Products, Rockwool and Soudal.

Gooee will host the Internet of Things (IoT) Arena at Building Tech Live. The arena will showcase Gooee’s award-winning IoT ecosystem with its partnered companies, including Aurora Lighting.

Beyond the UKCW stage, each of the shows will host at least one seminar programme discussing sector- specific issues with a wealth of industry experts:

Regeneration Hub, sponsored by Easy-Trim, will explore planning for growth with Victoria Hills, chief executive at the Royal Town Planning Institute, and Passivhaus develop-ment, with several sessions chaired by Kunle Barker, property expert and TV presenter.

Digital Construction Hub will delve into BIM maturity for all the supply chain. Speakers include Alex Giles from Action Sustainability and Ivan Gasparetto from BIM Direct.

Offsite Theatre, which is supported by the MPBA, will discuss hybrid concrete solutions and factory-built bathrooms with speakers including Elaine Toogood from the Concrete Centre and Stephen Wade-Palmer from Offsite Solutions.

Building Tech Live Theatre, deliv-ered by Voltimum and ECA, will bring

After last year’s successful UKCW, over 650 exhibitors will return to the NEC Birmingham next month

The BBC’s Steph McGovern, a host

at last year’s UKCW, will be back for this

year’s event

36_37.CMSept18.UKCW_sc.indd 36 14/08/2018 14:27

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Speakers include: Barbara Res, the project manager behind Trump Tower, will share insights into her experiences as a female in construction and working with Donald Trump;Lord David Blunkett will discuss how technology and diversity can turn the skills gap into a thriving industry that delivers projects on time and to budget;Phil Wilbraham, expansion programme director at Heathrow, and Bridget Rosewell OBE, commissioner at the National Infrastructure Commission, will join Lord Blunkett to debate what the future holds for UK infrastructure post-Brexit, chaired by George Clarke, architect and TV presenter;Paul Nash, past president of the CIOB and chair of CIOB Construction Quality Commission, will discuss build quality at the RIBA session with Ben Derbyshire, chair of HTA Design and RIBA president.

Debating the big issues

The UKCW Stage will provide high-level discussion around important industry issues with a heavy focus on the lessons learned in the past year, such as fire safety

“The Future of Construction Hub provides an immersive

opportunity to discover how digital construction, 3D printing, robotics, AI

and AR can deliver the new construction sector deal”

topics such as cybersecurity for smart buildings and market networks, from speakers including Professor Prashant Pillai at the University of Wolverhampton and Steve Martin at ECA.

Sustainability Hub will cover air quality and the benefits of centralised LPG connections for residential devel-opments from speakers including Andie Chessun at HygroMatik and David Taylor at Flogas.

Timber Focus Theatre, delivered by TRADA, will cover topics such as “How tall can we build in wood?” plus how specifiers research and source timber products. Speakers include Anthony Thistleton from Waugh Thistleton Architects and Daniel Kreissig of ZÜBLIN Timber.

Surface and Materials Hub will include discussions on trend and colour forecasts and bionic buildings from speakers such as Nina Bailey from Formica and Graham Brown from Envelope Architects.

Infrastructure Hub will discuss major UK infrastructure projects and industry issues, including Crossrail, and advice on how to win that construc-tion bid from Harbinder Singh Birdi at Hawkins\Brown and Denise O’Leary at Purpol Marketing.

REA Theatre will cover topics including “Power for a cleaner,

Following the huge success of the fully booked CPD sessions last year, there will be three hubs based at the Build Show, HVAC 2018 and Surfaces and Materials plus an additional hub supported by the Access Industry Forum dedicated to Working at Height.

Topics will include:l Building Regulations – update post-Grenfell with Dr Graham Smith MCIAT at the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists;

l High rise and high-risk buildings, with Tim Vincent, head of technical at Rockwool;l Are you fire door sure? with Hannah Mansell, head of technical research and insight at the British Woodworking Federation; andl Sound insulation with Ian French, acoustic consultant at H&H Acoustic Technologies.

UKCW H&S sponsor OM Group will be hosting CPD sessions from its stand.

Forums for changeUKCW will play host to a number of conferences including the BRE Conference, Midlands Construction Summit, IEMA Conference and the first BMF Young Merchants Conference as the BMF focuses on youth recruitment and succession planning.

UKCW will also be championing future leaders following the launch of the UKCW Role Models initiative, with help from the Construction Youth Trust, to inspire others and raise

awareness of the breadth of roles available in the construction industry. The winner will be announced on 10 October on the UKCW Stage from a shortlist of 36 people from more than 130 high-quality entries.

UKCW will hold the launch of the Passivhaus Student Competition for 2019 – a nationwide competition that aims to arm the next generation of architects and designers with the tools and design skills needed to deliver sustainable buildings.

Building up knowledge with CPD

quieter world” and “Green strategy – energy policy post Brexit”, featuring s p e a k e r s D e n n i s H a y t e r f r o m Intelligent Energy and former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett.

And the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) Time for Timber workshop will be delivered by the Structural Timber Association, Timber Trade Federation, Trussed Rafter Association, British Woodworking Federation and supported by the timber industry’s campaign Wood for Good.

Registration, which is spon-sored by Total Gas & Power, is live. Get your free visitor tickets from www.ukconstructionweek.com

Keep up to date about exhibitors, product launches and speakers via www.ukconstructionweek.com and Twitter at @UK_CW or using the hashtag #UKCW2018. l

Phil Wilbraham, expansion programme

director at Heathrow (left), and Paul

Nash, chair of CIOB Construction Quality

Commission (right), are among the speakers

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AS THE DIGITAL PHENOMENON CONTINUES ITS MARCH, MORE AND MORE SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY ARE BEING DISRUPTED. A CM ROUNDTABLE, HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH AUTODESK AND THE CIOB, EXPLORED THE SHAPE, NATURE AND TIMING OF TOMORROW’S DISRUPTED INDUSTRY, AND WHAT COMPANIES MUST DO TO PREPARE. DENISE CHEVIN CHAIRED THE DEBATE

MAPPING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION


Denise Chevin: Where are we along the path to digital transformation? Is the pace of adoption accelerating?Malcolm Clarke: We have had a steady increase in digital adoption the past few years but this year we are suddenly seeing a 60% upturn only halfway through the year. We have been developing things and running beta tests on site for the past few years so it’s now come to fruition –

now people see it working, it’s changing their perspectives.Paul Connolly: We’ve seen a similar trend. BIM was a fashionable word but the barrier was that designers hadn’t provided a model so we had to start at stage 3 or 4, which is a cost and a barrier straight away. Now we are seeing a lot more projects coming in 3D format which is a great step change. We are seeing the FM side changing as well,

as people want information on how the building is running.

Our biggest trend is trying to train our staff in use of BIM in the field, so construction managers know how to use the model.Mike Beckett: We have seen the business opportunity. It’s giving us competitive margin – our returns for the past four years are three times the industry average. We are now going

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Andrew Pryke: Buildings are still being delivered 50% late and 50% over budget and there are still defects on site. Productivity has only increased by 1% in the last 20 years, so the industry is ripe for takeover. Michael Marks [founder of Katerra, an offsite construction business in the US] is coming in from Tesla saying the industry is rubbish and they can take it over and change everything. We have to move forward rapidly as otherwise other industries will take over.

DC: It’s easier to come from outside the sector and disrupt. How do traditional businesses change to keep pace?Andrew Gamblen: At the start of BIM there was a lot of resistance, but by focusing on what it is trying to do – the data management – it then acts as an enabler for everything else.

All of a sudden in six to nine months there has been huge uptake from everyone – supply chain and internal people. Early adopters who tried and failed on certain things but succeeded on others are now working with new teams and saying what they’ve done and it starts organic growth. People on site and in our teams are leading it and they want to do it, which has made uptake very fast. Pretty much every project – even estimators are asking for digital. AP: Because construction is such a slow-moving industry there was slow adoption but as people picked it up and gave developers like Autodesk feedback, it means it’s got progressively better and it’s now reached the point where the hardware and software is at a usable state. With that now tying in to other platforms where you have data

In association with

Stefan Mordue Regional consultancy manager at i3 by Aecom and head of CIOB Special Interest Group on Digital Technologies & Asset Management

Dominic Thasarathar Autodesk’s primary thought-leader and evangelist for the Construction, Energy and Natural Resources sectors

Paul Connolly Technical services director, Mace

Kirsty Lever Regional construction manager, Beard

Felipe Manzatucci Digitalisation director, Skanska

THE PANEL

Mike Beckett Managing director, Hill Bespoke

Mark Norton Head of BIM, ISG

Andrew Gamblen Digital manager, Willmott Dixon

Andrew Pryke Managing director, BAM Design

Malcolm Clarke Managing director, Baxall Construction

through a training programme engaging with the supply chain and staff up and down, from architects to consultants to specialists with some great results.

One of our supply chain – a bricklayer – has just been to one of our sessions where we explained what BIM was and the effect it had. The MD of that firm is now sending people in his business to our training sessions. That is the biggest change: if it’s not a tidal wave then it’s certainly a disruptive ripple. Felipe Manzatucci: The field – and knowledge and understanding – of what digital can do is levelling so that competitive advantage might not last long. Before it was a nerdy thing – only some people knew how to use the tools – but now we can explain what it can do for the business. It’s no longer a tool, it’s about the bottom line and collaborative behaviour. Mark Norton: People are looking for more than monetary gains – they are looking at what it can do for sustainability and H&S. We are looking at how we can use data in different ways. Kirsty Lever: We are a very traditional building contractor so our workforce doesn’t want to embrace it and a lot of our clients don’t want to embrace it at all – but that’s more that they don’t want to pay for it. It’s a brick wall for us. MB: But fundamentally the client is missing out as it’s about saving money. Our site managers who have embraced it are now saying it feels like cheating – they are handing over without any fuss, everything is better organised. They are able to use mobile technology to sign stuff off. We handed over a school recently with zero defects. Our site manager was watching cricket with me the next day. He said it was so stress free.

Attitudes are changing. It’s the next generation who will make it happen.

“We are going through

a training programme

engaging with the supply chain with

great results”Mike Beckett,Hill Bespoke


40


analytics, so you have the possibility of a big data warehouse where you can have the data metric and live updates.PC: The need for change is based on productivity and cost. The pull from site is if we carry on the traditional way we will be 20% longer than intended. The pull is the project asking how we get better and the digital transformation is definitely creating the pull from the project.

DC: What’s been the impact of digital technologies on the construction site and are there still barriers?Stefan Mordue: Technology adoption and uptake isn’t the issue. The biggest barrier to adoption is more fundamental than that. It’s a corporate change that’s needed. There are a lot of sites where internet and mobile phones are banned. The more fundamental way we think is the thing that needs to change.PC: We just did our first 360 Field first job. The client was adamant he didn’t want any asset information but at the end we showed him what we had. And he was then willing to pay to have it.FM: I think we need to try to take cost away from the equation. Even if you spend some money, take the blow. MC: The efficiency gains pay for it twofold. Our margins have gone up and our supply chains’ margins have too. The efficiency gains are phenomenal.

MC: We are doing one-to-one sessions with suppliers. One said he didn’t realise it was a BIM project but: “I now know why we used 60% of resources and took us half the time to build it. We got on site and everything was in the right place.” He now has two prices: traditional build and BIM.PC: We have electricians with iPads in the field so they know what they’re doing today, they know what materials are needed, it streamlines them, reduces waste, makes them more efficient.

DC: How do we get everyone to do that?MC: Just get on with it. Whether a client wants it, whether staff or supply chain realise what it is, just do it and eventually everyone follows as they will eventually see it’s a better way. This year our focus is around evidence. AG: The biggest blocker is education and mindset. There is no one talking to customers about what BIM is. Eyes glaze over when you mention BIM. There need to be events and organisations that take this to the customers.MB: Just do it and let them come along for the ride. Then the client sees it’s BIM and employs you for the next job. Don’t sell it to them – just tell them you’re getting it.MC: We are working with schools that didn’t want it, but we carried on and have just shown after two years there is 47% less energy used than the benchmark.

The client is now asking about their other 19 academies across the south east, saying they don’t know what the others are costing against the original design.

DC: So are clients holding us back?MN: It does come down to education. We have done a few teaching sessions. They were disinterested till they saw results. Once they restructured it took two weeks off their programme, so they now want everything 4D sequenced. It’s education and demonstration – if you demonstrate the value people get it quickly.KL: As a smaller contractor, our clients just don’t want it from us. That mindset is difficult. You’d think, being exposed to it, they would want it. The “just do it” approach is then hard for us. FM: We are driven by shareholder value so after every project we look at how it compares to last year’s projects and demonstrate what we have achieved. You can see the efforts and risks taken with bringing in technology have a direct result. We try to make that “business as usual”: the absolute basics that every project should have to be digital.

DC: What are you all doing differently to equip the workforce with skills?Dominic Thasarathar: Many in the industry have said we need more tech-savvy people, which is true, but consider that, as technologies like AI mature, the skillset required will shift from the tech-savvy to those who are skilled in ‘knowing the right question to ask, in the right way’ – they won’t need to get under the hood of technology.PC: We have training programmes based around familiarisation and education, then give them tools to see if they can drive a model, open a model. Then you have teams on site: each project has a digital engineer who trains 20 or 30

“Technology adoption isn’t

the biggest barrier to

adoption. It’s a corporate

change that’s needed”

Stefan Mordue,i3 by Aecom

Baxall Construction is suddenly seeing a 60% upturn in digital adoption only halfway through the year, says Malcolm Clarke60%


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What steps are needed for digital transformation?

Education and demonstrating to people what it can do. Teach them how to fish rather than give them fish.Mark Norton

Technology transfer and joint ventures. Get the millennial to move from Airbus to Mace or Skanska?Andrew Pryke

Realise there are no barriers between BAM and Skanska and Autodesk working together… by collaborating we will all benefit.Felipe Manzatucci

As technology providers we believe deeper collaboration with the industry will have the greatest impact. Maybe that means new business models.Dominic Thasarathar

Start with stuff we can implement today: 10 years isn’t a long time.Stefan Mordue

We have to remove the cataract that is acronyms and standards. Mike Beckett

Do it and provide evidence of the result. Once people see the training plan to run faster over 100m has worked.Malcolm Clarke

People with skills are key and collaboration. And make it relevant and appeal to the masses. Paul Connolly

Collaboration is key but also mindset change from people who are focused on project not their organisation. Andrew Gamblen

Collaboration and mindset change. For us it’s not being client led.Kirsty Lever

The panel draw up a roadmap to the future

people. It has to be habitual, like updating a CSS card. Make it part of the process. AG : Th o s e o n o u r g ra d u a t i o n programme spend three to six months with the digital team. Our ethos is to keep our digital teams small, though, as we want it to be business as usual. AP: We have introduced 10-minute sessions with site managers talking about what they’ve gained – just one thing at a time. Time wastage on meetings logistics is huge: a project in Dundee took our team two days to go to a meeting so I challenged our guys to host a virtual meeting in a virtual building – have a meeting in the building as it will be built.MK: We took on two graduates last year. One from construction and one from criminology. The criminologist brought thought mapping into it and has been successful. He has adapted from one process in one genre to different areas. SM: I’m vice chair of the CIOB’s SIG digital technology. And as a group we

are trying to explain what the digital technology means for construction managers and how it can help them. We looked at ways to get that message across, such as an infographic to get out to members and different industries. MB: We still have an ageing workforce we need to keep with us for 25 years. I am fanatical about the tech but I find it harder and harder to keep up. There is a room for two-way mentorship where young people can show the grey hair brigade and vice versa. MC: As businesses we have a responsi-bility to make sure we keep up. Otherwise the “modernise or die” will happen. DC: Return on investment (ROI) is often the yardstick by which application of new technologies is judged. But how else should we be judging success?DT: Another phrase I increasingly hear is emotional ROI: how do you take people along with you? How do we make them feel they have a future?M C : Fu n d a m e n ta l l y i t ’s a b o u t a business model that provides sustainable profit and enables people to feel rewarded. We added a measure of enjoying being in construction. For too long people were sitting in a horrid place: they dreaded it. SM: That’s why we need to look at a new way to calculate ROI. Are the technologies making people happier at work?AP: Millennials are looking for experi-ence, not a career path, so emotional ROI is interesting.MN: Emotional ROI also goes for motivations and aspirations within the company. We had a guy in R&D and when we put in patent applications he was more chuffed with that than a pay rise. You can do things to engage people: it’s not always finance, it’s interest in their job. ●

Andrew Pryke and Malcolm Clarke

“It’s about a business model that provides

sustainable profit and enables

people to feel rewarded”

MalcolmClarke, BaxallConstruction


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KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW ON LEGAL, TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

44-58

Experts 45 LEARNING FROM SPACE 46 NEC4 ALLIANCE CONTRACT 58 TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

EXPERTS SEPTEMBER 2018 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

44

Legal

Preparing for mediation: six need-to-knowsDESPITE CONSTRUCTION BEING A HIGHLY LITIGIOUS INDUSTRY, MEDIATION IS NOT COMMON. IN THE FIRST OF A THREE-PART SERIES, CHRISTOPHER REEVES EXPLAINS THE PROCESS, THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS – AND HOW CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES SHOULD PREPARE FOR A MEDIATION

Christopher Reeves Mediation for Construction

A recent NBS survey found that 30% of UK construction companies had been involved in a dispute in the previous 12 months. But despite the litigious nature of the industry, construction still struggles to find effective ways of resolving disputes.

Most contracts provide for adjudication. Here, the adjudicator will impose their decision on the parties under a prescribed set of rules – but the price paid for a decision made by an adjudicator or judge can be a heavy one.

An alternative dispute resolution process is mediation, which departs from the traditional, often adversarial process. Settlement rates are high – achieved in 86% of cases in 2016, according to resolution consultancy the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.

However, mediation is not widely used in UK construction. A 2016 report by the International Journal of Law in the Built Environment revealed that only 13% of main contractors had previously used mediation compared to

66% in the USA. Among subcontractors the use of mediation was particularly low at 9%.

One explanation given for mediation not being more common was a lack of detailed knowledge of the procedure. To address this, Constructing Excellence South West has published a Mediation Guide and Protocol that suggests, rather than imposes, a procedure that sets out who is involved at each stage, what information is needed and a suggested timetable. The key points are detailed here:

44_45.CM Sept18.experts opener_sc.indd 44 14/08/2018 15:25

Space construction is light years ahead

What can construction learn from the space industry? More than you’d think, writes Sarah Fox

At the 2018 Construction Opportunities in Mobile IT (CoMIT) conference, Dr Ravi Margasahayam of NASA richly illustrated how space construction is light years ahead of earth construction.

His speech drew parallels between NASA’s work and the work of the less gravitationally challenged construction industry. Construction benefits from the innovation created by the space industry, but few of us would spot the concepts that we should be exploiting.

If a construction company used “Seeing the unseen and daring the impossible” as its tagline we would probably laugh. But most projects are unique, and on completion we are “seeing the unseen” for the first time in actual reality – even if digital modelling means we might have seen it in virtual reality. Some of our projects do “dare the impossible” – they touch the technical edges of what is achievable. We know because often there is a court case to determine responsibility for bridges that wobble, skyscrapers that melt cars, wind turbines that collapse or glass walling that shatters.

One of the more obvious connections between construction in space and on earth is the use of offsite modular processes. Elements are constructed around the world. But instead of having a defects period, the elements for space construction have to match within a hairline tolerance. This is output-based design and construction, which is what we need to adopt here on earth.

Dr Margasahayam’s talk highlighted one significant challenge for global construction – moving to digital. But his siren call for action was not just about digital products or new processes. It was about people.

If we are to meet the demands of this century and the next, we need to collaborate beyond boundaries and learn from other industries. We need to be prepared to take calculated risks and to learn from accidents, rather than finger-point when projects aren’t perfect. That will require a new approach to our current adversarial and fault-based contracting. We need to go beyond “on time and on budget” and set targets that demand a radical new approach.

We will need new contracts, new insurance regimes, new processes, probably new laws. Are you ready to help construction make that giant leap?Sarah Fox is a lawyer and founder of contracts business 500 Words

1. The role of the mediatorMediation is geared to resolving the dispute. One feature is the chance to hold confidential discussions with the mediator. The opportunity to discuss issues with the mediator in private can often be a more appealing way of getting a point of view across rather than being constrained by what has been prepared by legal representatives in case and witness statements.

Once the mediator has a grasp of what is driving the dispute then he or she can get to work. Mediators are independent and neutral. They will use their knowledge and experience of the law and construction to rigorously test what each party is saying and help parties decide on what terms a case might be settled.

Preparation is therefore geared to helping the mediator to help the parties with identifying the point at which one or more of the parties have a reason to settle: the point at which the benefits of reaching a settlement outweigh the alternatives.

2. RepresentationMediation is not adversarial in nature, unlike adjudication or court proceedings. Parties to a dispute can mediate their differences without legal representation. That said, legal representatives can and do serve a useful role in assisting the mediator, identifying the issues and advising their clients on settlement as well as the consequences of the alternatives.

3. Know the caseKnowing the facts, the case and the realistic costs of court proceedings is key. The Constructing Excellence guide encourages the exchange of information between parties before the meetings take place. Where there is deadlock on this, the mediator can help unlock information in the lead-up to the mediation meetings.

Clarification of issues and disclosure of documents before mediation meetings is an important part of the process. Mediation meetings can then be used to test issues once the parties have shared relevant information and settlement options explored.

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | SEPTEMBER 2018 EXPERTS

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4. Be prepared to negotiateA dispute is seldom settled by trying to persuade the mediator that your case – and your bottom line – is the right outcome, but because one or more of the parties does not have a better alternative. This inevitably means you need to identify the point at which you will walk away from the mediation without a settlement. If that is less than the other party’s bottom line – what they are prepared to settle for – then the dispute will obviously be settled.

5. Be prepared to make hard decisionsAn experienced mediator will test you as well as your case. Be prepared to listen to criticism. Consider that the mediator may try to help you rationalise your own case as well as giving a clue about the other side’s bottom line without breaching confidentiality. Parties often push back against hard questions from the mediator. Rather than push back, take the opportunity to reassess your own prospects of success.

6. Aim for settlementAs noted above, settlement rates are high. This reflects the fact that management of risk in dispute resolution is hard to achieve in more adversarial processes. The benefits of mediation are many, and being familiar with how to prepare for mediation might just persuade you to consider mediation not as an alternative but as the norm. ●Christopher Reeves is a construction lawyer and founder of Mediation for Construction.

“Preparation is geared to helping the mediator to help the parties identify the point at which one or more of the

parties have a reason to settle”

44_45.CM Sept18.experts opener_sc.indd 45 14/08/2018 15:25

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EXPERTS SEPTEMBER 2018 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

An ALC creates three distinct roles and func-tions. The client takes a central role and forms an active part of the alliance. It retains certain powers and functions that it performs outside of the alliance, as well as contributing towards the delivery of the work as a member of the alliance.

The alliance board has a representative from each of the partners and the client and overall responsibility for the alliance. The board is responsible for setting strategy, decision-making and resolving disputes. As alliance members share the majority of risk under the contract, the contract requires that no claims can be made against the other members except for limited events such as a deliberate breach of contract.

The board appoints an alliance manager to administer the majority of activities under the contract, including functions normally carried out by the project or service manager under other NEC contracts, and some aspects of the contractor’s role.

What are the challenges?The biggest challenge to implementing an ALC is attitudes within the industry itself – a signif-icant step change in thinking is needed from the sector towards embracing collaboration.

For contractors that may have traditionally focused on their project contributions alone, the concept of shared risk and co-working may be disconcerting at first. A programme of stake-holder engagement workshops should be consid-ered to help foster strong working relationships from the beginning of a project, and help create a culture of collaborative working that can spread organically throughout the industry.

As the complexity of projects increases, the number of alliances created is following suit. The potential that alliance working can bring is huge. However, legal infrastructure needs to be in place to support and act as a cornerstone for encouraging collaboration – that’s what the NEC4 Alliance Contract aims to provide. ●Ian Heaphy is a member of the NEC4 Contract Board and a director of IN Construction Consulting.

Contracts

How the NEC4 Alliance aims to foster collaboration

“Client, contractors, consultants and suppliers are each given an equal voice and a share in the performance of the alliance”

Ian HeaphyNEC4 Contract Board

The scale and complexity of large infrastructure projects has had a dramatic effect on the supply chain. Incorporating new technology demands and consultancy needs can drive up the number of contractors, consultants and suppliers, and engaging so many firms presents a challenge to clients and delivery managers.

Collaboration is, and has always been, essen-tial. Each firm is working towards a shared end goal and ensuring each considers the others’ objectives is key. In theory, this should be self-explanatory. In practice, it is rarely that simple. Many end clients are now establishing alliances to help foster a culture of collabo-ration, for example Anglian Water’s @One Alliance and the Midlands Highways Alliance. However, without the legal framework in place to explicitly outline how these can work, it can be difficult to ensure these partnerships translate to best practice projects.

In June 2018, in response to these chal-lenges, NEC – the formalised contracts system created by the Institution of Civil Engineers – launched its Alliance Contract (ALC), as part

of its NEC4 tranche of agreements. Aligned with the government construction strategy and its commitment to BIM and Soft Landings, all NEC4 contracts were created to inspire and enable better project collaboration.

The ALC aims to provide a solid legal foun-dation for alliances to work from. It works to set guidelines for best practice collaborative working and ensures all delivery partners are committed to the success of a complex project.

How is it different?While all NEC agreements have collaboration at their core, the ALC expands by providing a multi-party contract with an integrated risk and reward model. This approach creates an alliance agreement where the client, key contractors, consultants and suppliers, or “partners”, are engaged under a single contract, with each given an equal voice and a share in the performance of the alliance. This means the success of the project as a whole becomes each contractor’s prerogative, rather than focusing solely on the part they are responsible for.

ANY CHINK IN THE CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY CHAIN CAUSES A RIPPLE EFFECT THAT QUICKLY TURNS INTO A SERIOUS PROBLEM. IAN HEAPHY EXPLAINS HOW THE NEW NEC4 ALLIANCE CONTRACT AIMS TO GET ALL THE PROJECT TEAM WORKING TOWARDS A COMMON GOAL

46.CMSept18.experts_sc.indd 46 14/08/2018 15:27

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This book is the only Code of Practice in construction estimating; it will be an essential reference source for practitioners and students alike.

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47.CM.Sept18.indd 14 14/08/2018 15:58

COMMUNITY SEPTEMBER 2018 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

48

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL BODY

48-55

Community 50 BIM HELP IN NORTH EAST 51 H&S BREACH IN MOCK TRIAL 52 ME AND MY PROJECT 53 MEMBER BENEFITS 54 CMYA SHORTLIST

A team from Toronto has won the fifth annual CIOB Global Student Challenge competition, facing a fiercely competitive international field.

The Stalwart Construction Group, from George Brown College, is the first Canadian team to make the finals. They collected their award from CIOB President Chris Soffe at his inaugural dinner in July, in one of his first official acts as President.

T h e w i n n i n g te a m re c e i v e s £2000 in prize money, along with a c c e s s to a u n i q u e m e n to r i n g programme, with industry leaders o f f e r i n g a d v i c e a n d g u i d a n c e to s u p p o r t t h e i r p ro f e s s i o n a l development.

The final this year saw a number of familiar faces. Breaking the streak of Glasgow Caledonian University, after three victories in a row, the UK contingent still put on a good show. A Cambridge University team, Cambridge University Revolutionary B u i l d i n g, ca m e s e co n d fo r t h e second year in a row. The team from Loughborough University came third, placing strongly in the final for the second year in a row.

The other finalists were Sense4 from Chongqing University (China), Profiteer Projects from Curtin University (Australia) and Trojan Corporation (RMIT University, Australia).

GSC

Home teams scores in Global Student Challenge in TorontoANNUAL CIOB COMPETITION SEES CANDIAN TEAM TAKE THE TOP SPOT

The CIOB’s annual Global Student Challenge, which is open to full time students, is a real test of construction industry know-how, taking place in stages over a number of months. The competition provides a realistic simulation where teams, made up of three or four people, act as a Board of Directors running their own company.

M o r e t h a n 6 0 t e a m s f r o m universities all over the world entered the 2018 competition, with the six teams scoring the most in the early rounds being invited to the finals in Toronto as part of the CIOB’s annual Members' Forum.

Chris Soffe, President of the CIOB, said: “The CIOB’s Global Student Challenge is all about pushing the strategic, financial and management skills of construction students to the limit.This year's finalists more than met the challenges presented to them and impressed me greatly with their talent and commitment, as this is not a process for the faint hearted. It’s an excellent sign that the future of construction industry management is in good hands.” ●

Entry for the 2019 challenge will open later this year. To find out more about Global Student Challenge, visit http://gsc.ciob.org

48_53.CM Sept18 CommunityNR.indd 48 13/08/2018 15:43

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | SEPTEMBER 2018 COMMUNITY

49

Community is edited by Nicky [email protected]

New FellowsMichael Bowe, Steven BrindleJames McGillan

New MembersRui Afonso, Dean ArrowsmithPaul Atkins, Luke Baker, Roman Baran, Ryan Barrett, Michael Beal, Linda Bekkari, Seamus Boyle, Stephen Brown, Michal Buczynski, Patrick Case, Barry Chamberlain, Ian Clark, Peter Cook, Helen Craven, Steve Davies, Ian De’Ath, Harriette Doxey, Scott Edwards, Tim Elliott, Adam Fisher, Kevin Gausden, Jonathan Gawler, Christopher Goldenberg, Amy Griffiths, John Groom, Andrew Haldane, Thompson Hamilton, Paul HaroldPaul Harron, James HaywoodKatie Henton, Bradley HickmanChristopher Hill, Thomas HolmesMark Howson, Scott JeffreyPaul Kelly, Joanna KuzelewskaJason Latif, Noel MaddenGlenn Martyn, Martin McAllisterJamie McCormick, Stacey MeadowsSorin Moisa, George NdulueDavid Nolan, Daniel Orr, Liam Perry, Mark Pitts, Ashley Rogan, Sam Royal, Mark Shannon, Christopher Small, Paul Stephens, Kimberley Tucker, Clive Vardakis, Chris White, Ermioni Zacharioudaki MCIOB

New CBCChristian Miller, Return Property Services

Conferrment ceremony

New FCIOB, MCIOB and CBC

Dr Phebe Mann has been selected as one of the Winners of Top 50 Women in Engineering Award 2018. Mann is an out-standing engineer, an

innovative teacher and a potent role model for women in STEM.

The WE50 campaign aims to raise awareness of the skills shortage facing the industry and the huge discrepancy

CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW FELLOWS, MEMBERS AND CBC CONFERRED AT A CEREMONY IN JUNE

TWO NEW COURSES FROM ACADEMY The CIOB Academy is launching a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on Sustainable Construction and Development on 17 September. The free course has been developed in conjunction with London South Bank University and will offer valuable insight into sustain-able construction and development. The course lasts for five weeks and requires two hours of weekly study.

The Academy will also be delivering a course on qual-ity management planned for Novem-ber. The course will also be linked to CIOB certification.

For more informa-tion and to register for the MOOC go to www.futurelearn.com/courses/ sustainable- construction- development/1

Member success

Top engineer award for inspirational woman

between the number of men vs. women currently in engineering professions, to change perceptions and encourage young women to consider engineering as a viable and rewarding career.

Mann is the first and only woman to hold seven professional qualifications concurrently in the UK (including MCIOB) as well as being a qualified construction and engineering lawyer and holds a string of degrees.

S h e i s a ST E M A m b a s s a d o r, Talent2030 Hero, and Queen’s Young Leader’s mentor; she works tirelessly to encourage girls to pursue engineering careers.

Mann is also the first female chair of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) in Leicester.

She currently works as associate professor in highway and transportation at the University of East London. ●

ANOTHER NOTCH TO MCIOB BELT

Promoting construction

Girls school pupilslearn on site with Morgan Sindall

CONTRACTOR TAKES STUDENTS ON TOUR TO PROMOTE STEM

Pupils at independent school, Sherborne Girls, in Dorset, swapped the classroom for a construction site to see how work is progressing at their new £6 million Arts Centre.

The pupils were invited on site by Morgan Sindall as part of an engagement day to promote the opportunities av a i l a b l e f o r yo u n g p e o p l e i n construction and the wider STEM sector.

Jon Daines ACIOB, area director

at Morgan Sindall in the South, said: “Events such as this provide a fantastic opportunity for our project teams to share their passion for the industry and the wide range of careers available to them within the STEM sector. Morgan Sindall is committed to driving away these misconceptions about gender specific roles.”

The building is expected to complete in Spring 2019. ●



50

CIOB Newcastle Hub and Constructing Excellence NE have teamed up with Darlington-based BIM Strategy, to deliver an event to help enlighten people on BIM. “Despite the mandate officially kicking in two years ago, no region has yet made this approach business as usual. By going back to the fundamentals of BIM theory and combining this with local case studies and experience, we can create a really powerful learning event that picks up the people that BIM has left behind,” says John Adams, director of BIM Strategy.

The event takes place on 11 October and costs £75. To book email [email protected]

Members in the East Midlands recently gained an insight into the work being undertaken on the 700-acre SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway (SLPEMG) development.

Winvic Construction Limited invited members to visit the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) which is half way through the three year programme to create an ‘inland port’ adjacent to Midlands airport.

Site visit

OMG EMG!TRIP TO GIANT LOGISTICS PARK A HIT WITH MEMBERS

Operations manager, Rob Bull and the project construction teams, gave members an overview and tour of the scheme which has planning consent for approximately six million square feet of logistics accommodation and will incorporate a 50-acre Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI), with a rail freight terminal capable of handling up to sixteen 775m freight trains per day. ●

Event

Karting firefighters blaze to glory

A fiercely contested and successful Karting Cup saw a large field of 16 three-strong teams battling out in a 90-minute endurance race which saw Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) take the top spot of CIOB Novus Maidstone Hub Karting Champions 2018. Further prizes included slowest lap (Lyndsey Cann from Kier); fastest lap (Mike Reader from BAM); and worst crash (Quigg Golden's William Brown).

MEMBERS ENJOY ANOHTER KENT KARTING CUP COMPETITION

BIM: FROM CONFUSED TO CLEAR

Podium places went to KFRS (Barry Healey, Iain Butler-Gallie, James Rutherford); Teampol (Tomasz Talaska, Piotr Stoch, Lukasz Pustelny) and Studious Ltd (Marco Coulson, Karl Rideout)

“We have ourselves a quandary; how can we drive BIM adoption when we have

a knowledge gap which is potentially getting wider?”

John Adams, director of BIM Strategy

48_53.CM Sept18 CommunityNRFINAL.indd 50 14/08/2018 12:01


51

In the dock: the mock trial in progress

A practical guide to using mediation to avoid costly and lengthy construction disputes has won the prestigious Innovation Award at the 2018 South West Built Environment Awards.

The free guide was created as a result of bringing together a number of the UK’s leading law firms specialising in construction disputes, including BPL, Trowers & Hamlins, Michelmores and Ashfords.

“This mediation guide is a fantastic piece of innovation and could help save construction clients contractors and their supply chain a significant amount of time and money by avoding litigation and adjudication when it comes to disputes over projects," said Christoper Reeves FCIOB founder of Mediation4Construction and one of the guide’s authors.

The guide is available to view online at: https://constructing excellencesw.org.uk/assets/Downloads/Mediation_Protocol_EMAIL.pdf

Member success

Mediator FCIOB scoops innovation prizeMEDIATION GUIDE PROVES AWARD-WINNING

A mock trial was staged by the CIOB Southampton HUB and legal firm Blake Morgan in July to take members through the implications of a health and safety breach case.

The event was staged in full crown court dress, with the use of photographs of the fictitious site.

The Blake Morgan team comprised Robin Havard as judge, Simon White as clerk, Claire Rawle acted as the prosecution advocate and Tom Walker

Members of the CIOB Dorking HUB took a tour of the New Haven Energy Recovery Facility recently.

The facility provides energy back to the National Grid as a result of the burning of non-recyclable waste.

It was built under a £200m PFI contract between East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and Veolia.

The plant makes a mark with its silver cladding and its 65-metre high

Event

Mock trial results in prosecutionH&S FAILURE LESSONS LEARNT IN COURT CASE

acted for the fictional defendant company with the director played by Tim Williamson.

The fictional scenario was a deficient site which had been visited by the HSE, and subject to enforcement action, which the defendants had ignored. Whilst no injuries had resulted, the enforcement had focused on the risk of harm created by poor site organisation and planning in relation to logistics and deliveries, poor traffic management, and poor fire risk controls. As a result of the failures, the defendants were prosecuted under the CDM Regulations 2015.

“A key message is to appreciate that enforcement is increasingly holistic – examining how health and safety risks can be created at inception as well as during the construction phase itself,” says Tom Walker. ●

“Enforcement is increasingly

holistic...risks can be created at

inception as well as during construction”

Christopher Reeves FCIOB, the founder of Mediation4 Construction Ltd, holds the award, flanked by guide authors Alan Tate partner at Michelmores and Stephen Homer partner at Ashfords

Site visit

Members energised by visit to waste conversion site

ENERGY RECOVERY FACILITY NESTLTED IN THE SOUTH DOWNS HOSTS CIOB VISIT.

twin flues yet from the top of the downs, it seems to nestle into the landscape. Much of its mass is below ground, the building was constructed on a floating caisson moved into p l a c e a n d d ro p p e d o n to p i l e d foundations. This enabled both substructure and superstructure works to be undertaken simultan-eously, saving valuable time against an optimistic programme. ●

Silver lining: the ERF facility

48_53.CM Sept18 CommunityNRFINAL.indd 51 14/08/2018 12:01


52

Project manager Josh Scriven (right)with contracts assistant James Doherty

The gas manCAREFUL PLANNING AND BESPOKE METHODS WERE KEY FOR THE COLEMAN GROUP’S PROJECT MANAGER JOSH SCRIVEN WHEN LEADING A CHALLENGING PROJECT TO DISMANTLE AN ICONIC GASHOLDER, WHICH TOWERED OVER A LONDON COMMUNITY FOR 100 YEARS.

Me and my project

next stage was to release the roof from the gasholder to create our floating working platform and start the disman-tling. The idea of floating over 500 tonne of steelwork and to use it as a working platform was daunting at first, but after installing specialist blower equipment and function testing, it is an efficient and safe process.

Even with the winter demobilisation, however, we had to carefully monitor the weather because we were lifting large panels of steelwork from great heights. Wind speeds had to be meas-ured for every aspect of lifting and clearly displayed, briefed and monitored throughout. We mounted anemometers to the roof, linked to apps on our mobile phones.

Challenge and rewardThere is no doubt this was a chal-lenging project, involving the complex dismantling of an iconic structure under unique and significant site constraints. However, the more challenging the project, the greater the achievement both for The Coleman Group and for me personally.

I am proud to have managed a project of such complexity that will develop me further in my career whilst also delivering a best practice demon-stration for the entire demolition and construction industry. ●

MAN gasholders are notoriously challenging to dismantle. Apart from the sheer size and iconic status of these historic structures, dismantling work is inevitably constrained by the environment in which they are situated. Traditional techniques often can’t be used and specialist experience is critical.

The Southall MAN gasholder was 95 metres high, 60 metres in diameter and 100 years old – a local landmark.

There were a significant number of constraints I had to consider and plan for prior to dismantling, namely the third party, high-risk assets which surrounded the structure. These included Network Rail Infrastructure (London Paddington lines were just 20 metres away), a live gas plant located 10 metres away, high and medium pressure below ground pipework which surrounded three sides of the structure and a Heathrow long stay car park in the immediate vicinity. We were also restricted to no hot works on the site.

It took months of preparation to gain approval for the works including meet-ings with key stakeholders, before we could install the necessary temporary works and control measures.

Start of worksWe knew we would have to use bespoke methods to dismantle the structures, working from the roof structure with mounted cranes. This would allow us to cut the roof structure and float it on a bed of controlled air before disman-tling the main structure, remaining self-contained within the footprint and minimising space required around it.

Careful planning, sequencing and bespoke fabrication was critical to successfully installing all temporary works on programme, making sure our cranes were mounted on the roof before the winter months.

Dismantling the MAN holderDue to weather exposure, we then made a collaborative decision with our client National Grid Property to demobilise over the winter months to prevent risk to our workforce and delays caused by adverse weather.

Once back on site and after a detailed re-inspection of all components, the

The Southall MAN gasholder towered over its environment



53

Membership of the CIOB brings with it many benefits, including exclusive access to discounts and special deals on products and services that could enhance your professional development, help your business or boost your earning power.

Membershipaffiliations

INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVICE FOR CIOB MEMBERS FROM CHASE DE VERE

CIOB Membership Affiliation Partners Chase de Vere are independent financial advisers. Without ties to products or providers we are able to offer unconstrained fully impartial advice.

Our financial and corporate advice services are available to CIOB’s 34,000 UK members. For example, we can help members save for the future, protect what matters most, enjoy their retirement, or pass on their legacy. We are working alongside the CIOB to provide help, guidance and useful information through articles and attending CIOB events.

Our experience lies in assisting professionals to make sound financial decisions. We are delighted to be associated with the CIOB and very excited to be sponsoring the prestigious CMYA Awards 2018.

Request a complimentary first meeting by calling 0203 1422507, by e-mailing [email protected] or by visiting www.chasedevere.co.uk/ciob

Ever use a smartphone or tablet at work? Ever thought about what would happen if you dropped it? Not good eh? It's time for your mobile to go rugged. Get your exclusive CIOB Members trial at www.weareconker.com/ciob-trial now. Official CIOB Partner. As used by Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Keltbray... and thousands more, UK & globally.

Premier BusinessCare specialises in sourcing the correct insurance for construction industry professionals. It can arrange insurance from single professional indemnity policies through to more comprehensive commercial insurance policies that can include liability, contract works, personal accident and much more. Call on 0330 102 6158 or visit www.premierline.co.uk/ciob

Free2Move lease services offers multi-marque solutions, flexible rental periods and mileage up to 150, 000 miles. You can select models combining low CO2 emissions, taxation and innovative equipment; reduce fuel consumption and ease daily life for your drivers. www.peugeotcontracthire. co.uk/index.php/ciob

Recipro can help your organisation save money, reduce waste and help communities. Fourteen per cent of materials ordered each year end up as waste; Recipro finds a home for this material and ensures it gets used for its original purpose, keeping them out of the waste stream, therefore reducing costs.www.recipro-uk.com/ciob

ELECOSOFT DEVELOPS CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE THAT’S RELIED ON BY MANY CIOB MEMBERS. WE CAN HELP IDENTIFY THE BEST SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR PROJECTS.

For example, if you are avoiding project planning software because you think it’s too complex or are using spreadsheets for planning, you may find this recorded webinar of interest [https://tinyurl.com/y75qtrwl]. Our expert presenter shows how you can create an impressive plan for your construction projects quickly and easily and manage project progress to ensure that you keep on track. Key functionality demonstrated includes how to:l Create a project plan in minutes using drag and drop functionalityl Identify the indicators that that a project is going off trackl Enable subcontractors to use planning software to communicate better with contractors

For more information please email [email protected], or call +44 (0) 1884 261700. www.elecosoft.com

MASTER YOUR PROJECTS WITH ONE-STOP CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION

Developed by IHS Markit and NBS, the Construction Information Service (CIS) is an online tool to access current regulations, construction standards, technical advice and industry news on building, engineering, design and construction processes in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Updated weekly, the CIS offers authoritative information with easy-to-use search filters for over 26,000 documents.

Subscribe to the CIS today to:l Complete projects accurately and on timel Keep pace with new technological advancesl Receive automated document change alerts to keep you up to datel Use project folders to help you organise and manage your documentsl Link from CIS to NBS Specification products to ensure your specifications are thoroughl Access UK construction catalogs, equipment information and CAD drawings For a free trial email [email protected] or call 01344 328 300


WHO WILL BE THE UK’S TOP CONSTRUCTIONMANAGER?

BOOK YOUR TABLE NOWwww.cmya.co.uk

THE FINALISTS

After four months of rigorous judging across the country, the 2018 finalists for the 40th celebratory CMYA year have been announced. The judges have decided who will contest the silver and gold medals over the nine categories at the Awards dinner on 24th October. Who, from the nine gold medal winners, will win the 2018 Construction Manager of the Year?

To find out and celebrate with the very best in the industry, reserve your place now! Demand for places at the Awards dinner is always high and space is limited. Visit our website www.cmya.co.uk for more details and to book your space.

Wednesday 24th October 2018The Great Room, Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London WK1 7TN

Margaret Conway, McAleer & Rushe, Construction Manager of the Year 2017

Noel Carson Kier Neville & Sheraton House Ustinov College Durham University

Darren Hancock MCIOB Willmott Dixon Ronald McDonald House, Cardiff

Chris Harrison ACIOB Mace Vauxhall Sky Gardens

Terry Kirby Berkeley Navigation House, Marine Wharf, Deptford

Eamonn Laverty MCIOB McAleer & Rushe Catherine House, Portsmouth

John Laycock Wates Vita Student Accommodation, York

Alan McGinley MCIOB Berkeley Duncombe House, Royal Arsenal Riverside

Graham Marshall McCarthy & Stone Tudor Rose Court & Savoy House, Southsea

Eamon Melia Berkeley Noble and Perkins House, Kidbrooke

RESIDENTIAL

Jason Bamford MCIOB Interserve Printworks Campus, Leeds

Matthew Coleman Geoffrey Osborne Hackney Town Hall

Sean McNicholas MCIOB Willmott Dixon Darlington Hippodrome & Theatre Hullabaloo

Ruth Wells ICIOB Ridge Coombe Cliff Conservatory, Forest Hill

Colin Betts ICIOB Motte & Bailey The Old Dairy, Guildford

Mark Lazenby Laing O’Rourke Meadowhall Remodelling, Sheffield

Eugene McCormick ACIOB Sir Robert McAlpine The Sherwood, London

Mike Perera MCIOB Kier 25 Wilton Road, London

Richard Purcell Willmott Dixon 39 Victoria Street, Westminster

Adrian Roach ICIOB WRW IG Doors Production Facility, Pen-Y-Fan

RESTORATION

REFURBISHMENT/FIT OUT

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Danny Buckley ICIOB Morgan Sindall Oak Lodge School Centenary Building, Barnet

Matt Crookes BAM Construct UK UTC Portsmouth

Declan Doherty MCIOB Farrans East London Arts and Music Academy

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Haydn Boyce MCIOB WRW Penrhyn Church in Wales VC School

John Campbell McLaughlin & Harvey Roslin Primary School, Edinburgh

James Fryer ISG Temple Learning Academy, Halton Moor

Hadley Hands Dawnus Ysgol Gynradd Lon Las

Neil Locke MCIOB Willmott Dixon Heathfield Academy, Croydon

Richard Molyneux Willmott Dixon Wixams Academy and Wixams Tree Primary School

Andy Walsham Morgan Sindall Littleport and East Cambs Academy

David Wright Morrison Whatriggs Primary School, Kilmarnock

Allan Cameron Sir Robert McAlpine Bloomberg London

Jamie Cassidy McAleer & Rushe 35 Chancery Lane

Dominic Hattee MCIOB Wates Tasman House

John Rabey MCIOB BAM Construct UK Tamesis

David Wells Mace One Bedford Avenue

OFFICE

Malcolm Boyd MCIOB BAM Construct UK V & A Dundee

Adrian Coleman MCIOB Willmott Dixon Lincoln Transport Hub

Paul Limb MCIOB Morgan Sindall Civil Nuclear Constabulary Training Facility, Calder Bridge

Neil Lock MCIOB Wates V & A Museum, London

David McMahon CCG Scotland Scottish War Blinded Hawkhead Centre, Paisley

Jon Staley MCIOB Kier Greenwich Peninsula

PUBLIC & INFRASTRUCTURE

create something amazing. today

WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

Phillip Brooks Willmott Dixon Waterside Drive, Walton on Thames

Simon Cook ICIOB Willmott Dixon Romford Leisure Centre

Martin Haigh WRW Zip World Adventure Terminal, Gwynedd

Karl Jordan MCIOB Gilbert Ash Hub by Premier Inn, Westminster

Matthew Kemp MCIOB Willmott Dixon Village Hotel, Portsmouth

Aidan McCarron McAleer & Rushe Hub by Premier Inn by King’s Cross

Brian Oatley Berkeley Royal Arsenal Hotel, Woolwich

Paul Purser Kier Finlake Water Park & Fitness, Chudleigh

David Rowell Willmott Dixon Exhibition Building, Milton Keynes Museum

Jonathan Watkins Henry Boot Rudding Park Spa, Harrogate

LEISURE

Alan Bell BAM Construct UK Coventry University Science and Health Building

Nigel Harris Willmott Dixon Faculty of Engineering, Queens Building New Wing, University of Bristol

Lianne Lawson Interserve Piazza, University of York

Andrew McTavish Kier Ayr Academy

Dave Nott ICIOB Wates Sammy Ofer Centre, London

Jamie O’Shea Bouygues Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Ian Rainbow BAM Construct UK Sarah Swift Building, University of Lincoln

HIGHER EDUCATION

Brian Hanlon MCIOB Willmott Dixon Ysgol Glan Clwyd, St Asaph

Stephen Lee Kier Callywith College Bodmin

Mel McMahon FCIOB Farrans Harris Academy Tottenham

Andrew Ryan ACIOB Shaylor Cobham Hall & Routh Hall, Bromsgrove School Performing Arts Facility

Andy Shepherd MCIOB Kier STEM, Plymouth

54_55.CMSept18.CMYA.indd 54 13/08/2018 15:57

WHO WILL BE THE UK’S TOP CONSTRUCTIONMANAGER?

BOOK YOUR TABLE NOWwww.cmya.co.uk

THE FINALISTS

After four months of rigorous judging across the country, the 2018 finalists for the 40th celebratory CMYA year have been announced. The judges have decided who will contest the silver and gold medals over the nine categories at the Awards dinner on 24th October. Who, from the nine gold medal winners, will win the 2018 Construction Manager of the Year?

To find out and celebrate with the very best in the industry, reserve your place now! Demand for places at the Awards dinner is always high and space is limited. Visit our website www.cmya.co.uk for more details and to book your space.

Wednesday 24th October 2018The Great Room, Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London WK1 7TN

Margaret Conway, McAleer & Rushe, Construction Manager of the Year 2017

Noel Carson Kier Neville & Sheraton House Ustinov College Durham University

Darren Hancock MCIOB Willmott Dixon Ronald McDonald House, Cardiff

Chris Harrison ACIOB Mace Vauxhall Sky Gardens

Terry Kirby Berkeley Navigation House, Marine Wharf, Deptford

Eamonn Laverty MCIOB McAleer & Rushe Catherine House, Portsmouth

John Laycock Wates Vita Student Accommodation, York

Alan McGinley MCIOB Berkeley Duncombe House, Royal Arsenal Riverside

Graham Marshall McCarthy & Stone Tudor Rose Court & Savoy House, Southsea

Eamon Melia Berkeley Noble and Perkins House, Kidbrooke

RESIDENTIAL

Jason Bamford MCIOB Interserve Printworks Campus, Leeds

Matthew Coleman Geoffrey Osborne Hackney Town Hall

Sean McNicholas MCIOB Willmott Dixon Darlington Hippodrome & Theatre Hullabaloo

Ruth Wells ICIOB Ridge Coombe Cliff Conservatory, Forest Hill

Colin Betts ICIOB Motte & Bailey The Old Dairy, Guildford

Mark Lazenby Laing O’Rourke Meadowhall Remodelling, Sheffield

Eugene McCormick ACIOB Sir Robert McAlpine The Sherwood, London

Mike Perera MCIOB Kier 25 Wilton Road, London

Richard Purcell Willmott Dixon 39 Victoria Street, Westminster

Adrian Roach ICIOB WRW IG Doors Production Facility, Pen-Y-Fan

RESTORATION

REFURBISHMENT/FIT OUT

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Danny Buckley ICIOB Morgan Sindall Oak Lodge School Centenary Building, Barnet

Matt Crookes BAM Construct UK UTC Portsmouth

Declan Doherty MCIOB Farrans East London Arts and Music Academy

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Haydn Boyce MCIOB WRW Penrhyn Church in Wales VC School

John Campbell McLaughlin & Harvey Roslin Primary School, Edinburgh

James Fryer ISG Temple Learning Academy, Halton Moor

Hadley Hands Dawnus Ysgol Gynradd Lon Las

Neil Locke MCIOB Willmott Dixon Heathfield Academy, Croydon

Richard Molyneux Willmott Dixon Wixams Academy and Wixams Tree Primary School

Andy Walsham Morgan Sindall Littleport and East Cambs Academy

David Wright Morrison Whatriggs Primary School, Kilmarnock

Allan Cameron Sir Robert McAlpine Bloomberg London

Jamie Cassidy McAleer & Rushe 35 Chancery Lane

Dominic Hattee MCIOB Wates Tasman House

John Rabey MCIOB BAM Construct UK Tamesis

David Wells Mace One Bedford Avenue

OFFICE

Malcolm Boyd MCIOB BAM Construct UK V & A Dundee

Adrian Coleman MCIOB Willmott Dixon Lincoln Transport Hub

Paul Limb MCIOB Morgan Sindall Civil Nuclear Constabulary Training Facility, Calder Bridge

Neil Lock MCIOB Wates V & A Museum, London

David McMahon CCG Scotland Scottish War Blinded Hawkhead Centre, Paisley

Jon Staley MCIOB Kier Greenwich Peninsula

PUBLIC & INFRASTRUCTURE

create something amazing. today

WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

Phillip Brooks Willmott Dixon Waterside Drive, Walton on Thames

Simon Cook ICIOB Willmott Dixon Romford Leisure Centre

Martin Haigh WRW Zip World Adventure Terminal, Gwynedd

Karl Jordan MCIOB Gilbert Ash Hub by Premier Inn, Westminster

Matthew Kemp MCIOB Willmott Dixon Village Hotel, Portsmouth

Aidan McCarron McAleer & Rushe Hub by Premier Inn by King’s Cross

Brian Oatley Berkeley Royal Arsenal Hotel, Woolwich

Paul Purser Kier Finlake Water Park & Fitness, Chudleigh

David Rowell Willmott Dixon Exhibition Building, Milton Keynes Museum

Jonathan Watkins Henry Boot Rudding Park Spa, Harrogate

LEISURE

Alan Bell BAM Construct UK Coventry University Science and Health Building

Nigel Harris Willmott Dixon Faculty of Engineering, Queens Building New Wing, University of Bristol

Lianne Lawson Interserve Piazza, University of York

Andrew McTavish Kier Ayr Academy

Dave Nott ICIOB Wates Sammy Ofer Centre, London

Jamie O’Shea Bouygues Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Ian Rainbow BAM Construct UK Sarah Swift Building, University of Lincoln

HIGHER EDUCATION

Brian Hanlon MCIOB Willmott Dixon Ysgol Glan Clwyd, St Asaph

Stephen Lee Kier Callywith College Bodmin

Mel McMahon FCIOB Farrans Harris Academy Tottenham

Andrew Ryan ACIOB Shaylor Cobham Hall & Routh Hall, Bromsgrove School Performing Arts Facility

Andy Shepherd MCIOB Kier STEM, Plymouth

54_55.CMSept18.CMYA.indd 55 13/08/2018 15:57

TO ADVERTISE YOUR POSITIONS ON THESE PAGES, CONTACT IAN HARTLEY ON T: 020 7183 1815 ianh@[email protected]

Hundreds of the best jobs in construction.

Recruitment news and insight.

Employers seeking CIOB members.

www.constructionmanagerjobs.co.uk

Teamwork and good management are essential to delivering successful F1 teams just as they are to ensuring success for your business.

Communicate and pool your team’s knowledge to have the best chance of answering the week’s questions correctly and end the competition on top of the standings.

If you have proved yourself to be worthy, you and your team will take your place in the live grand final showdown. Here, teams will need to use teamwork, communication and planning skills to develop the best strategy, before racing it out to win the top prize of British GP tickets or £2,000 on a specially-made Carrera Slot Car circuit.

The 2018 event, which is free to enter, will run for a six-race period. Starting before the Italian Grand Prix on the 20th August 2018, it will cover races in Singapore, Russia, Japan, USA and Mexico.

Participants of the weekly Drivers Challenge will also have the opportunity to win £100, Carrera slot car tracks and racing themed merchandise.

ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH?

Are you tough enough to take on the Race Team Manager challenge?

www.raceteammanager.com

56.CM.Sept18.Classified.indd 64 14/08/2018 16:10

JANUARY 2018For members of the CIOB


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WHAT WOMEN WANTLOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY ALUMNI

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HAS OFFSITE’S TIME FINALLY COME?

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CELEBRATING THE INDUSTRY

AT ITS BEST 11-PAGE

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58

MELANIE DAWSON ENJOYS MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF A FAST-EVOLVING ROLE

ALL CHANGE

TRAINING & RECRUITMENT SEPTEMBER 2018 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Job spotlightMelanie DawsonHead of BIM and digital construction, Graham

As an architect consulting to the construction industry on pitching, I know how much is at stake in the biggest pitches.

Pitch teams win huge contracts through a good performance on the day. You get that chance through proper preparation.

Analysis paralysis stops progress. Fear freezes pitch teams and leads to daft discussions about minutiae or obsession with the perfect visual (ditch the slides, all of them).

To overcome paralysis, pick your line: how brave do you need to be? Working with a team which was in last place on cost we agreed to be nine out of 10 on fearlessness, and that’s what won the day. Sort your line early then get everyone behind the strategy.

Concentrate on what you are going to say and how you are going to say it.

Scoring systems do not make the emotional connection.There are five ways to make the emotional connection and none involve worrying about the 20 marks for teamwork. Make the emotional connection by finding your storyline, opening and closing, because this is where you can be remembered.

Scoring systems and technology do not make the emotional connection. Work on your narrative, how you start and finish.

Video will make your day. When the stakes are highest, accept that everyone will be nervous.

Many of the team will not be experienced presenters and may not like video feedback but need to suck it up.

Prepare as a team and practise as a team: practise, practise, practise. There can be no exceptions – get the top talent to turn up along with the truly terrified.

Run-throughs must include the Q&A and cover all the bases. Some will need lots of hand-holding and their confidence upped, others advice on how to make their story soar to the heights needed for a win.

Nobody gets a pass from pitch preparation, no matter how senior or busy they are. You measure the success of pitch preparation by how many you win, but you never win them all. If you prepare better, you pitch better, you win more.

Love the tender

Russell Wardrop, co-founder and chief executive of training specialist Kissing With Confidence, which recently helped Mace to win £175m of contracts, offers top tips on high-stakes pitching

Your role is a relatively new concept in construction. Did you have to undertake any extra training/need a certain set of skills?I earned my degree in architecture and joined Graham in February 2016 as BIM strategy manager. I was promoted to head of BIM the following year and then transitioned to my current role in early 2018. I like to think that my role moves forward as technology does.

With the ongoing advances in technology, I am always learning on the job and finding new tools to improve Graham’s efficiency. We have a growth mindset and are regularly rolling out new digital systems across the business.

I’m a true believer that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, which is why I feel the key attributes for someone in my position are passion and vision. Also, being brave enough to put your neck on the line and support a new initiative. There’s always a risk with new technology that it won’t end up being the “next best thing” and then you must be able to think on your feet and adapt.

“To see an idea materialise into something tangible

is the best feeling”Melanie Dawson, Graham

What is a typical day in your job?No day is ever the same. I travel between Graham’s offices so knowing that my time is limited while maintaining a good work/life balance is important to me. I focus on productivity and adding value, and find that communicating my main goals to the wider business helps keep me on track. I also manage an innovative team of likeminded individuals who want to make a difference. Investing in their skills is incredibly important if we want them to drive Graham’s future.

What is the most challenging aspect of this role? And the most rewarding?As with most industries, adversity in the face of change is always a challenge. You can some-times feel like you’re chasing a moving target but the challenge is also the most rewarding aspect of my job. To see an idea materialise into something tangible is the best feeling and means we’re doing it right. I also find commu-nicating with clients very rewarding. You feel very appreciated when contacts you haven’t had very long call you up to ask for your opinion.

The digital world is changing fast – how do you see your job evolving?I often joke that it won’t be long before I’m managing a team of robots, and while I don’t think this is completely accurate, I do think we will see more automation. We’re already taking cues from industries such as car manufac-turing, with advances in modular construction and 3D printing.

For me, in the last 10 years I have always held a role that didn’t exist 10 years previously and I hope that this is still the case in 10 years’ time as I strive to continue evolving, growing and driving impactful transformation. ●

Hundreds of the best jobs in construction.Recruitment news and insight. www.constructionmanagerjobs.co.uk

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THE WORKING MUMS OF CONSTRUCTION · 1. This offer is available to UK residents aged 18+ who purchase a new Bupa Select company health insurance policy directly through Bupa for their