Weekly News Bulletin – 31st August 2018

Over the last week, we have seen several updates in regards to developments within the Midlands. The Construction Index reported that PRS developer, High Street Residential, has acquired sites worth £139m to build rental flats in the centre of Birmingham. The purchased land at Holloway Head, formerly Kent Street Baths site, will provide around 600 new apartments in the area. This investment comes in light of the figure for people renting privately expected to grow significantly over the next five years.

The Greater Birmingham Chambers shared an interesting piece focusing on local developments. Solihull Council has secured £10.2 million from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to support a number of schemes, including key route improvements, investments in sustainable travel and new technologies. This investment, ahead of the arrival of HS2, will underpin the growth potential of the Solihull area.

Construction Enquirer looked at Balfour Beatty’s commitment to cut work undertaken on site by 25% by 2025. The plan is aligned with the Government’s aim to lower costs, emissions and provide faster delivery. Leo Quinn, chief executive of Balfour Beatty, commented that industrialised construction is the best way to provide a solution that could improve safety, productivity and quality significantly by 2025.

PBC Today reported on the UK’s first ever energy-positive office, aptly named the first Active Office, which has opened in Swansea. As buildings currently account for around 40% of UK energy consumption, developing low-carbon, affordable buildings could help to reduce this figure significantly. Creating ‘energy-positive’ buildings that generate their own energy is a challenge. Active Offices could be an indication of the future. What are your opinions? Would you want to work in an Active Office?

Finally, another piece by PBC Today brought us back to the topic of GDPR in relation to the growing use of BIM, site security and supply chains. The construction sector is holding more information and there is still a lot to be done to improve the performance on data privacy. The focus falls on how important it is for companies within the construction industry to monitor their current performance on data protection and identify if they are still exposed. We recommend reading this informative piece to learn more about how GDPR can affect BIM.

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Sites acquired for £139m PRS schemes in Birmingham
Private rented sector (PRS) developer High Street Residential has acquired sites for £139m-worth of build-to-rent flats in the centre of Birmingham.
https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/sites-acquired-for-139m-prs-schemes-in-birmingham

Solihull secures £10.2m for transport growth and investment
Solihull Council has secured £10.2 million from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to deliver significant transport and infrastructure investment in the borough ahead of the arrival of HS2.
https://www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/latest-news/news/2018/8/30/solihull-secures-102m-for-transport-growth-and-investment/

Balfour aims to off-site 25% of project work by 2025
Balfour Beatty has committed itself to cut work undertaken on site by 25% by 2025.

Balfour aims to off-site 25% of project work by 2025

Turning buildings into power stations: The UK’s first energy-positive office
Developing low carbon, affordable buildings is a key challenge for the construction industry. What if technology could be harnessed to create power-generating, “energy-positive” structures?
https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/energy-news/first-energy-positive-office/45954/

GDPR: There is still work to be done
From site security and supply chains to the growing use of BIM, construction companies are holding – and sharing – more information.
https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/bim-news/gdpr-brabners/46013/