1. Amphibious ‘Grand Design’ ready to take to the water
The UK’s first “amphibious” house, on the banks of the Thames in Marlow was featured on Grand Designs last month and was expected to be habitable for its owners this month. Read more…
2. Outrage over ‘insulting’ construction hoardings showing scantily-clad women
The Malmaison’s use of scantily-clad female construction workers and bare-chested male models on site hoardings on its project in Manchester raised hackles. Read more…
3. Skanska’s New York modular high rise has technical issues and ‘might leak’
The problems that led to an ongoing legal duel between Skanska USA and former partner Forest City Ratner were laid bare in a 146-page letter from Skanska’s co-chief operating officer Richard Kennedy. Read more…
4. How much will Hinkley Point C cost? EC Harris looks at the numbers
The EC’s decision to approve the UK government’s subsidy for Hinkley Point C “pulls the lever” that will allow the estimated £24.5bn project to move forward next year, EC Harris predicts, but challenges still lie ahead. Read more…
5. Balfour blames ‘Welsh weather’ for delays on Aberystwyth PFI student halls
Balfour Beatty failed to hit deadline on a £45m PFI project to deliver 600 student rooms for Aberystwyth University for the start of the academic year – blaming “severe weather” and a squeeze on subcontractor. Read more…
6. BIM at heart of HS2 delivery as £250m of savings identified
HS2 Ltd revealed it had identified £250m of savings through use of BIM on the project, as it begins a big push to ensure its supply chain is ready to use the technology. Read more…
7. Bob the Builder backlash as TV character goes digital
The UK public took to Twitter to voice its outrage at the decision by US toy maker Mattel to “reboot” the nation’s favourite cartoon construction worker, Bob The Builder. Read more…
8. Quinn pledges to restore Balfour to ‘rightful place’, but ‘nothing is sacrosanct’
The incoming chief of Balfour Beatty, Leo Quinn, told the Wall Street Journal that no options will be off-limits when he joins the 106-year-old, £10bn turnover construction company on 1 January. Read more…
9. Rogers faces £5m writ over troubled Oxley Woods
Taylor Wimpey lodged a £5m legal claim against architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and offsite fabrication compay Coxbench, over technical problems with the Oxley Woods housing scheme in Milton Keynes. Read more…
10. LEDs could damage eco-systems, study warns
The inventors of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) might have won a Nobel Prize in Physics last month – but their discovery could now be disrupting the behaviour of insects and therefore the food-chain, a study revealed. Read more…
Top in Agenda
When BIM stands for Building Infiltration Models
Building management systems and cloud-based BIM are making the industry increasingly reliant on the internet – and vulnerable to cyber threats. Are you safe? Read more…
Top in Management
Self-employment test will hit construction hard
Self-employment in certain circumstances will be determined by a stricter statutory test. Lawyer Matt Boddington on a rushed-in measure that creates new risks for contractors. Read more…
Top in Comment
Vox pop: What is your response to the fact there were no women in this year’s CMYA final?
One of the big topics of conversations surrounding this year’s Construction Manager of the Year Awards was the absence of women finalists. Read more…
Top in International
Denmark’s huge power plant & ski slope
Five municipalities near Copenhagen are replacing an old waste incinerator with a gigantic new one that will burn a greater quantity of trash, heat homes, generate electricity, and provide a new facility for skiers. Read more…
