Modern Building Services

MODERN BUILDING SERVICES NOVEMBER 2022 7 INDUSTRY NEWS Project starts fall as construction costs rise sharply Glenigan, released the latest edition of its Construction Review. This Review focuses on the three months to the end of July 2022, covering all major (>£100m) and underlying (<£100m) projects, with all underlying figures seasonally adjusted. It’s a report which provides a detailed and comprehensive analysis of year-on- year construction data, giving built environment professionals unique insight into sector performance over the last 12months. The central finding of the August Review is that project- starts returned to decline as sharp rises in construction costs and a weak economic outlook continue to suppress industry activity. Detailed planning approvals and main contract awards both weakened against the preceding three months, and were far lower compared to the same period in 2021. Rhys Gadsby, Senior Economist at Glenigan, explained, this Review echoes the findings in previous iterations, highlighting that the ripple effect of international conflict is still sending shockwaves across the construction sector in the UK andNorthern Ireland. Ongoing material inflation, high energy tariffs, and a generallyweak economic outlook implywe can expect slowprogress, at least until the end of 2022. However, small spots of hope across some verticals and regions indicate that the green shoots of recovery are there, waiting for the right time to flourish. To learn more visit: www.glenigan.com/market_ analysis www.glenigan.com Aston University turns to Lochinvar for low carbon hot water Lochinvar heat pump technology is playing a key part in reducing the carbon emissions at one of England’s leading universities. It has provided two Amicus high temperature (HT) air source heat pumps connected to three hot water storage vessels as part of a major upgrade of the domestic hot water system serving the main building of Aston University in Birmingham. Founded in 1895, Aston became the UK’s first college of advanced technology in 1956 and has been a leading institution for practical learning ever since. Last year it announced a new strategy to focus more heavily on engineering, business, and health education – and this has been matched by an ambition to make its buildings good examples of low carbon engineering. The university has already secured ISO 14001 and ISO 5001 certifications and was awarded Eco-campus Platinum status for its environmental and energymanagement systems. As part of its ongoing improvement programme, it has put Lochinvar’s heat pumps at the heart of a new low carbon systemwith the university expecting to savemore than 20,000kg of CO 2 annually as a result. The heat pumps are a low carbon solution that allows the main building to operate independently of Aston’s existing district heating system and they produce flow temperatures up to 63degC. www.lochinvar.ltd.uk Development of carbon-neutral buildings accelerated through new ABB and Caverion collaboration ABB and Caverion, a Northern & Central European-based expert for smart and sustainable built environments, today announced an agreement to strengthen their collaboration to advance energy efficiency and sustainability. The shared aimof the collaboration is to address carbon reduction challenges in select markets by providing advanced, joint offerings in line with evolving customer needs that drive down carbon, faster andmore efficiently. ABB provides technology solutions, includingMission to Zero™, a blueprint developed to help customers achieve their carbon-neutral ambitions using energymanagement solutions linked to electrification, distributed energy resources technologies and the integration of renewable energy sources. Combining ABB and Caverion’s sustainable solutions, integration capabilities and expertise, will not only accelerate the development of carbon-neutral buildings and customer ‘Mission to Zero’ projects, but also enhance occupant wellbeing and comfort. The collaboration will focus on projects in Finland, the Baltic countries, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany and Austria – expanding ABB’s and Caverion’s offerings in these countries for both new buildings and retrofits. www.caverion.com https://global.abb/group/en Acquisition will spark further expansion for Powercor Electrical and sustainable energy specialists, Powercor, has announced the acquisition of one of the South East’s leading electrical businesses, Osborne & Collins. The acquisition, which will create a new entity ‘Powercor Maintenance, trading as Osborne Collins’ completed on 14 September and is viewed as another significant step in Powercor’s plan to increase its annual turnover to around £8 million by 2024. The synergies between the two businesses will lead to a rapid and smooth integration with the significant benefits of the deal being quickly realised. Powercor will be able to offer Osborne & Collins clients an extended range of cutting-edge services. Martin Brant has assumed the role of Operations Director, taking on responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the new entity. www.powercor.co.uk