February 4, 2013

Commercial sector bucks downward UK construction trend

by Sara Bean • News, Property, Public Sector

Construction figs Construction business activity fell by the third month running in January, with new orders at slowest pace since October 2012 according to the latest Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). There were some reports that snowfall had contributed to reduced output volumes, but the majority of respondents cited weak underlying client demand and a lack of new projects. However commercial activity was the only sub-sector to buck the wider downward trend in output during January with the latest data indicating unchanged volumes of commercial activity, ending five months of contraction. More →

February 4, 2013

Gulf construction and fit-out continues to boom, claims report

by Mark Eltringham • Architecture, Furniture, Knowledge, News, Property

The total value of building projects in Gulf Cooperation Council states will exceed $80 billion this year according to a new report from dmg::events* in conjunction with consultancy Ventures Middle East. The survey concludes that this year will see a near one fifth increase in the overall value of projects up from nearly $69 billion in 2012 to $81.6 billion in 2013. Meanwhile the interlinked market for interior contracting and fit-out in 2012 was valued by the report at $7.86bn – a 56 per centincrease on 2011. The UAE continues as the the region with the largest interiors spend ($2.83bn), followed by Saudi Arabia ($2.6bn) and Qatar ($1.49bn). More →

January 17, 2013

Changes to Construction and Design Regs delayed

by Sara Bean • HR, News, Property, Workplace design

Proposed changes to the Construction and Design Management Regulations (CDM) 2007 have been delayed. The draft changes will now only be presented to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board for consideration in March 2013 at the very earliest. The CDM regulations, apply to all construction work in the UK, comprising construction, alteration, fitting-out, commissioning, renovation, repair, upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance, decommissioning, demolition or dismantling, underwent a review last year, with industry practice found to have a significant influence on how the regulations are implemented. More →

January 14, 2013

CPA: UK construction activity will fall in 2013

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Property, Public Sector

The UK’s Construction Products Association (CPA) has today reported that it expects overall construction activity in the UK to fall by around 2 per cent this year, with most of the decline attributed to a greater than 5 per cent drop in commercial projects. Particularly concerning is the fact that the Government’s austerity measures with regard to public sector investment have not been offset by an increase in private sector activity. However these figures still represent an improvement on the 9 per cent fall of 2011. More →

January 10, 2013

UK construction set for growth, say surveyors

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

Following the recent news that the UK’s construction sector had suffered a significant fall in the final quarter of 2012, better news emerges from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors with a report indicating that the UK construction market is expected to turn a corner this year as the government’s focus on infrastructure starts to generate returns. Chartered surveyors are predicting that output is set to increase in 2013 according to the latest RICS construction market survey. More →

January 6, 2013

UK construction hits new low as service sector shrinks

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Property

The three little words nobody wanted to hear at the start of 2013 are triple dip recession. Yet even as the US managed to avoid its own fiscal cliff at the turn of the year, two reports raised fresh fears that the UK’s recovery would be postponed for a while yet. According to the Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index, UK construction hit a six-month low as the sector dropped from an index of 49.3 in November to 48.7 in December. This is well below the index of 50 which indicates a contraction in activity. Meanwhile another report from Markit/CIPS reported an unexpected fall in the UK’s service sector. More →

July 17, 2022

Design freely with the Origin 70 Luxury Vinyl Tiles Collection from IVC

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Works Magazine

Origin 70 is the new Luxury Vinyl Tiles flooring collection from IVC Commercial, letting you design freely with the ultimate in performance through quality, loose lay installation and design flexibility. With loose lay installation and plank and tile formats that let you mix and match seamlessly with carpet tiles, IVC Commercial’s Origin 70 Luxury Vinyl Tiles collection brings design freedom to flooring for projects. Designed and made in Belgium to be completely recycled, projects benefit from a more sustainable floor as well. More →

July 14, 2022

Rising office fit-out costs begin to hit occupiers

by Jayne Smith • News, Property

An analysis by Savills of Q2 2022 Prime Office Costs (SPOC) in global markets around the world suggests that inflation and supply chain issues are now feeding into office fit-out costs and keeping occupiers’ net effective costs high in many cities around the world. Over the past year office fit-out costs have risen an average of 6 percent across the SPOC cities that have so far reported rises says Savills, although proportionally they remain a small part of overall costs compared to rents. More →

July 14, 2022

There are now fewer taboo workplace subjects, and we should talk about that

by Peter Nagle • Comment, Wellbeing

Rewind even a few years and issues like mental health were not really talked about in the workplace. Now we’ve seen dramatic improvements around certain topics, we should ask what other areas of employees’ lives could employers help with? There’s been a lot of discussion around what employers can do to support women going through the menopause. Though the construction industry is a traditionally male dominated sector, NHS Employers says that “Menopause is not just a gender or age issue as it can impact on colleagues both directly and indirectly and it should therefore be considered as an organisational. issue.” More →

June 14, 2022

BCO announces overhaul of specification guide

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Workplace design

The British Council for Offices (BCO), has released a position paper proposing updated key design criteria, as part of its most recognised publication, the BCO Guide to Specification. The guide, which is normally published every 4 or 5 years, provides expert best practice advice on how to specify office space, helping industry practitioners provide space that meets the needs of occupiers, helping them to conduct their business in safe, healthy, comfortable, and productive workspaces. More →

June 13, 2022

Is hybrid working the final cure for workplace woes or the beginning of something better?

by Jo Sutherland • Comment, Wellbeing, Workplace design

This year’s World Workplace Europe saw 2022 hailed as the year of the worker. A worthwhile focus considering negative emotions are on the rise, with more depression, anxiety and loneliness plaguing society despite the claimed benefits of hybrid working. The pandemic robbed us of many things. It restricted our freedom for two years and forced us to live, love and work in a way that felt a little less human. But at least there was a sense of unity, working together for the common good, a mask-muffled cry of “all for one and one for all” as people considered how their actions would and could impact others. More →

June 13, 2022

To provide people with better indoor air quality, we need a major upgrade of buildings

by Neil Franklin • Facilities management, News, Wellbeing, Workplace design

Government must seize the post-pandemic opportunity to mandate long-term improvements to infection control in commercial, public and residential buildings to improve indoor air quality, reduce the transmission of future waves of COVID-19, new pandemics, seasonal influenza and other infectious diseases, according to a report published by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC). Infection control must also be coordinated with efforts to improve energy efficiency and fire safety, to support the three goals of safe, healthy and sustainable buildings. More →