construction

Michelmersh has announced its successful bid to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) UK Government, Industrial Fuel Switching competition to conduct a feasibility study to replace natural gas with hydrogen in the brick making process. The programme is part of the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) which aims to provide funding for low-carbon technologies to decreasing the costs of decarbonisation.

The project represents a global flagship physical study to replace natural gas with hydrogen in brick manufacturing. Phase 1 of the project will demonstrate the viability of fuel switching and will see hydrogen used in the clay brick production process at Michelmersh’s Freshfield Lane site. The project aims to inspire radical change across the sector and present opportunities and evidence-based research to support manufacturers on their journey to heavily decarbonise the production processes.

TV presenter and architect, George Clarke looks at the lessons we can all learn from the UK’s intrepid self-builders

I love self-build housing. I love self-build housing for a number of very important, but simple reasons.

If someone has the opportunity to self-build their own home, a place they want to live for many years rather than build-to-sell to make a quick profit, then they put their hearts and souls into it.

They care about it so much that they are willing to build something very, very good.

It may even be of a design that is unique and a welcome reaction to the sterile, repetitive blandness often associated with some of the big house builders.

UK manufacturing is at a seven month high, accounts for around 10% of economic output and employs around 2.6million workers, whilst construction accounts for around 7% of economic output and employs approximately 1.4million workers.

Increased labour rates and shortage of skilled labour is going to be an issue in traditional construction and it will drive prices up and cause project programmes to lengthen.

I hear every day from roofing contractors across the UK and other areas of construction, of how less and less trades people are now available.

Offsite contractor, M-AR has launched a brand-new CPD module focussed exclusively on modern methods of construction (MMC) and exploring how best to maximise the benefits of offsite.
 
Typifying M-AR’s open and collaborative approach to improving standards across the industry, the new CPD is designed to provide architects, specifiers, cost consultants and end clients alike with insight on the offsite manufacture and installation process as an alternative to traditional build.

In the UK water conservation has been on the agenda, and largely dismissed by the public, for years. Our growing population and increased demand through lifestyle choices, will result in critical water situations more regularly, especially in the driest parts of the country.  

Minimising the environmental impact of homes at both the construction and occupation have recently become key issues. Groundbreaker Systems have been working on ‘green’ solutions for over 20 years.

Despite the challenges, the construction sector faces the Crest team have been designing and producing some new brick types which have recently been added to the range. Crest has one of the best collections of bricks available in the UK and is delighted to offer Merchants, distributors and housebuilders 3 new clay facing bricks.

The Oast House Restoration is beautifully crafted, designed by the Crest team this is a quite stunning multi-coloured tumbled brick, perfect for rural, traditional and prestige type properties. These bricks are a mix of reds, browns with white highlights scattered throughout and black highlights featured on selected bricks to add an ‘aged’ appearance. Its rustic brick colours would work well with a selection of our roof tiles including the Wolds Classic Clay Roof Pantile, ‘Classic’ is a mix of different colours & finishes.

Prefabricated Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) products, such as bay window roofs, door canopies and dormers, are enabling the construction industry to work far more efficiently, with offsite and modular construction processes helping to increase productivity.
 
However, increased speed is not the only benefit these products are providing, as Andrew Almond, Marketing Manager at Stormking, a specialist manufacturer of offsite prefabricated GRP component products, explains: