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Pupils Participate in AC Hotel by Marriott Construction through Minecraft Initiative

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Design and Construction Skills in the Spotlight

4th September 2017: Pupils from eight schools in Northern Ireland have recreated the new AC by Marriott Hotel in Belfast, as part of an immersive Minecraft initiative coordinated by leading UK construction, refurbishment and fit out contractor, Gilbert-Ash, in partnership with Belfast Harbour and STEM Aware.

The project was launched to give school pupils an insight into a broad range of careers available to them in construction. The initiative showed them how the technology and skills used in globally popular Minecraft gaming programme can be used in the design and construction of buildings.

During the project, pupils built models of the AC by Marriott Hotel using Minecraft, and were also given the opportunity to visit the construction site itself. The young people, aged between 12 and 18, were challenged to produce a hotel with an environmentally sustainable focus. It encouraged them to add their own creativity and personal input into the development and inspired them to take an interest in the regeneration of their city.

The project also included a focus on the role of digital transformation in the future of construction. It scored full marks for innovation with the Considerate Constructors Scheme and a case study now features on their best practice hub.

The educational scheme is part of Gilbert-Ash and Belfast Harbour’s ongoing drive to educate and motivate the next generation around construction, addressing future skills gaps across the sector. The Minecraft challenge enabled young people to discover their own passion in design and development, and consider how their skills could be advantageous and utilised in a career in construction.

At the beginning of the eight week programme, the young people delved into nine-storey AC by Marriott Hotel, including 190 rooms, restaurants, fitness facilities and meeting rooms. This provided the eager participants with insights on how developments are purposefully designed and constructed from the outset.

In response to the environmental and sustainable theme, students helped shape innovative ideas for the hotel in Belfast Harbour’s City Quays development including the use of kinetic walkways to enable pedestrians to produce electricity and power in the area.

Gilbert-Ash Managing Director, Ray Hutchinson said, “We created this community initiative to help inspire the next generation within the construction industry and to provide young people with important transferable skills. Marriot International, alongside key partners Belfast Harbour and STEM Aware, helped us bring this to life and together we have given young people insight into the whole construction process and the work we do in their local area and beyond.”

“Working with schools and young people is incredibly important to us, particularly at a time when research is highlighting that the construction industry has an ageing workforce. Motivating a young, ambitious workforce will help resolve this problem. We were truly impressed by how engaged the pupils were as well as the ingenuity and creativity shown. We are looking forward to completing the AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast in early 2018. The finished property will be a stunning new addition to the City Quays development in Belfast Harbour.”

Jenni Barkley, Communications and Corporate Responsibility Manager at Belfast Harbour, said:

“This project gives us the opportunity to bring students to the City Quays development at Belfast Harbour, engage with them and encourage them to feel ownership of Belfast’s regeneration. Using a programme such as Minecraft allows them to explore ideas of design, construction, engineering and sustainability and at the same time allowing them to watch the building come to life.”

The AC by Marriott in Belfast will have created 180 construction jobs in total and employment for approximately 115 people when it is completed in the first quarter of 2018. Multi-Michelin-starred award-winning chef Jean-Christophe Novelli will open an exclusive new signature restaurant as part of the new £25 million hotel.

City Quays is Belfast’s newest and most modern mixed-use regeneration project, providing Grade A office space, a hotel, retail, cafés and restaurants, in addition to new residential accommodation on the key city centre waterfront site.

With offices in London and Belfast, Gilbert-Ash offers a range of opportunities for pupils and students to experience the world of construction, from work shadowing programmes to site visits during the lifespan of projects. It also hosts ‘Have a Go’ events enabling individuals to experience taster sessions across various trades, showcasing the range of opportunities within the sector.

For more information on Gilbert-Ash visit www.gilbert-ash.com

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CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FORECASTS GOOD NEWS FOR UK CONTRACTORS AND MANUFACTURERS

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And now for some good news…Construction Industry Forecasts for 2017 to 2019 estimate an overall rise of 7.4% for new-build infrastructure in the UK this year, with a continuation of 6.4% next year. It’s news that bodes equally well for leading suppliers of concrete repair and protection solutions such as Sika, as an increase in new buildings will inevitably lead to defects in newly-poured concrete requiring onsite attention.

So, what is this positive outlook for the country’s new building output based upon? Well, a number of factors across a number of key infrastructural sectors appear to be driving the optimism. Forecasts for the harbours and waterways sector are particularly encouraging, with year-on-year growth predicted thanks to huge waterside projects planned across the country in the coming years.

There’s the Aberdeen Harbour Expansion project for example. Commencing in September this year, the £350 million scheme – due to be completed in 2020 – will see the existing site expanded to include a facility for oil industry decommissioning work. Other upcoming UK harbour projects include a £135 million redevelopment of the port of Dover, and a £10 million project to build a new link-span bridge at the Port of Heysham in Lancashire.

Water spend

Upgrades in water treatment works are also continuing nationwide as part of Asset Management Period 6 which runs from 2015 to 2020. Water firms will have spent more than £44 billion in that time on improvement works agreed by water industry regulator, Ofwat, that include the Severn Trent Water’s Birmingham Resilience project, Wessex Water’s integrated supply grid, and the modernisation of United Utilities’ Davyhulme wastewater treatment plant. Work on London’s £4.2 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel project, which is being financed and delivered by an independent provider, is also boosting construction in this sector.

Spending on road maintenance is also expected to rise. Highways England has a maintenance budget of £1.3 billion over its first fixed five-year investment period, which began in 2015/16. In 2017/18, expenditure on maintenance is set to increase to £258 million, from the £254 million allocated for 2016/17.

Thereafter, it is expected to increase in 2018/19, before slowing in 2019/20. However, 97% of the roads network is governed by local authorities, which are financially-constrained due to cuts in central government funding since 2010. Whatever monetary restrictions councils face there is little doubt the condition of the country’s roads require urgent address, as an Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey (ALARM) report revealed a 13-year backlog of local roads maintenance in England.

Energy drive

Infrastructure repair and maintenance is also expected to increase in order to maintain the country’s energy provision. With a delay in the building of nuclear power stations, National Grid announced it would be retaining the services of existing power plants initially earmarked for closure. Structural maintenance is likely to be required to extend the lifespan of the plants which will be held in reserve to boost electricity supplies if and when required.

Construction Industry Forecasts – headline figures for 2017 to 2019

  • Construction output to grow by 1.6% in 2017 and 0.7% in 2018
  • Private housing starts to rise by 3.0% in 2017 and 2.0% in 2018
  • Infrastructure construction to grow by 7.4% in 2017 and 6.4% in 2018

Construction Industry Forecasts for public housing repair, maintenance and improvement is a little less encouraging, with output in this sector expected to remain flat in 2017 and 2018, whilst commercial offices output is expected to fall by 1% and 12% during the same period. However, prospects for the builders of the nation’s infrastructure, and the contractors and manufacturing firms required to maintain it remain distinctly good. It would seem the UK is building towards a brighter future.

For more information visit: http://www.sika.com/en/group/Aboutus/innovation/products_and_technologies/refurbishment.html

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Global Collet Chuck Market 2017 : SWS Spannwerkzeuge GmbH, Ortlieb Prazisions, MACK Werkzeuge AG, IMS, DT Technologies and FAHRION

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Market Research Store added a depth and professional market study report on Global Collet Chuck Market 2017. This report also provides more details about Market Size, Share, Analysis, import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.
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Fixmart Launches New On-Site Solution

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Fixmart, a leading supplier to the construction, M&E and HVAC sectors, has partnered with CADDY PYRAMID to develop a bespoke solution that promotes efficient navigation over rooftop obstacles, meets health and safety standards and significantly reduces labour time spent on installation. Fixmart will now offer dedicated site visits to potential customers interested in the manufacturer’s Step Ove1 Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Continue Reading

GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION ALONE WON’T SOLVE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY’S PAYMENTS PROBLEMS

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The Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group is calling on the Government to solve the UK construction industry’s long-standing and crippling payments problem, labelling the current cashflow position as “critical”.

In a recent article, the SEC Group – which represents SMEs in the construction engineering sector – warns that its members are increasingly being propped up by their directors’ wallets as an interim cashflow ‘solution’.

They cite Funding Options figures that show directors lent their construction businesses £38 million in 2015/2016, up from £29.7 million in 2013/2014 – a jump of 28 per cent in just two years.

Unsurprisingly, the SEC Group labels this rise as “unsustainable” and has urged the Government to introduce legislation to solve the problem.

We agree wholeheartedly with the SEC Group – the cashflow issue has affected growth of construction businesses of all shapes and sizes for too long and needs to be addressed urgently.

However, we feel that while the Government has a role to play in improving B2B payments in the industry, businesses themselves can do much more to take greater control of their finances.

We’ve partnered with Invapay, an Optal company, to make this easily achievable. Our unique proposition – a combined full-service payment solution – provides construction businesses with a quick and effortless way to manage their payment process and maximise working capital benefits.

With Open ECX and Invapay, businesses are able to make their payment processes simple, streamlined and effortless from the moment a payment application is made right through to the point that it is paid.

Our cloud-based paper-free WebContractor solution manages the first half of the process, giving subcontractors and suppliers the ability to submit invoices quickly and easily through an online portal. The automated service then processes the application, sending verification notices emails to the applicant and the QS, allowing invoicing authorisation to be granted hassle-free.

At this stage Invapay’s payment solution comes into play. With no changes to processes and systems, Invapay’s business-tobusiness payment platform allows businesses to optimise their payments to suppliers and subcontractors.

Through Invapay, businesses can take greater control of their cash flow – across working capital, credit lines and third party funds – ensuring long term cash flow benefits for buyers and subcontractors.

For more information and to download a free payments guide visit: http://openecx.co.uk/maximising-payments-maximising-cash-flow/

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