Concrete strengthened with graphene has been used in its first commercial project in a suspended floor slab at Manchester’s Mayfield regeneration scheme.

Concretene uses graphene to significantly improve the mechanical performance of concrete allowing for reductions in the amount of material used and the need for steel reinforcement.

At developer U+I’s Mayfield site it has been used to create a new 54x14metre mezzanine floor which will become a roller disco at the Escape to Freight Island attraction within Depot Mayfield.

The Concretene pour overseen by Nationwide Engineering used the material developed by the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC).

Nationwide Engineering founder Alex McDermott said:Today is a huge milestone for the team, as not only is this our first commercial use of Concretene, but also the first suspended slab as used in high rise developments

“As world leaders in Graphene Enhanced Concrete technology, the interest from the international building industry has been beyond expectations, as looming legislation is forcing significant carbon reductions throughout construction.

“Our partnership with the University has fast-tracked the development of Concretene, going from lab to product in 18 months.”

Concretene can reduce the amount of concrete required in construction projects by as much as 30% and also offers efficiency savings by slashing drying time from 28 days to just 12 hours.

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Construction’s ongoing supply chain issues saw output slip for the fifth-month running in August holding new work levels 3.7% below the pre-pandemic watermark in February 2020.

The small 0.2% fall in August was down to contraction of the refurbishment and maintenance sector with new work remaining flat at the same level as July.

Government economists at the ONS said anecdotal evidence suggested supply chain issues were a key factor behind falling GDP.

Many firms said that order books were healthy but the availability of products was impacting on projects currently underway.

Mark Robinson, group chief executive at SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading public sector procurement authorities, said: “A decline in output highlights a telling loss of momentum across the construction industry, as energy costs, labour shortages and fast-rising material prices continue to paint a concerning picture heading into winter.

“With attention turning to this month’s Budget and Spending Review, the industry will be considering how best to mitigate these challenges when it is handed the baton to deliver more of the community-focused regeneration needed to deliver on the government’s ‘Levelling-Up’ ambitions.”

Mark Markey, Managing Director of civils contractor Akela Group, said: “It is disappointing that the monthly output has fallen, however this is not reflective of what we are experiencing at Akela Group.

“Instead, we are seeing growing levels of demand for a wide range of ground engineering and civil engineering services, and in fact this appetite has been a key driver in our recent expansion into the English market.

“Our new North of England hub in Leeds is well placed to meet this growing demand, especially in the house building sector.”

According to the three-month trend figures infrastructure, industrial and public housing repair and maintenance were the three main sectors to see continied growth.

Latest figures for building materials for all work in August increased by 2.8% compared with July and 23.5% compared with a year ago.

Specific construction materials with the greatest annual price increase in August were imported plywood (78.4%), fabricated structural steel (74.8%), and imported sawn or planed wood (74.0%).

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A Bradford contractor  has been fined for safety breaches after labourers were exposed to asbestos after removing false ceiling tiles during a shop conversion in Hull.

Beverley Magistrates’ Court heard that the company had not commissioned a refurbishment asbestos survey prior to the work commencing.

Employees removed over 1000 m2 of asbestos insulation board ceiling tiles in an uncontrolled manner, exposing them to asbestos.

An investigation by the HSE found that the company’s director, and the casual labourers they employed, spent approximately three to four weeks removing the suspended ceiling, along with the ceiling tiles which contained asbestos, to install new stud walls to divide the shop floor into separate units.

The labourers were unskilled and untrained. They were provided with a claw hammer to knock the tiles down. The asbestos-containing tile debris was then shovelled or collected into approximately 62 one tonne bags.

MS Properties (Northern) Limited of Bradford, pleaded guilty to breaching asbestos regulation and was fined £16,000 ordered to pay £3,011.87 in costs and a victim surcharge of £190.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Trisha Elvy said” If the company had identified any asbestos on the site through a refurbishment asbestos survey, carried out by a competent surveyor, and had it removed by licenced asbestos removal contractors prior to the refurbishment work commencing, then MS Properties (Northern) employees would not have been exposed to asbestos.

“No matter how small or large your company, there is a need to prevent exposing your employees and the public to asbestos by ensuring that it is identified on site prior to any work commencing.”

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Forty of the world’s leading cement and concrete manufacturers today join forces to accelerate the shift to greener concrete by pledging to cut CO2 emissions by a further 25% by 2030.

The world’s most used human-made material accounts for 7% of total global CO2 emissions and is a pivotal material in the response to the climate emergency.

The cement producers target marks the biggest global commitment by an industry to net zero so far – bringing together companies from the Americas, Africa, Asia, including India and China, and Europe.

The firms have affirmed their commitment to net zero concrete by 2050 and agreed to a more ambitious intermediate goal of preventing 5 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030.

This is equivalent to the CO2 emissions of almost 15 billion flights from Paris to New York.

The roadmap to get there is built around a seven-point plan that seeks to cut the amount of CO2intensive clinker in cement, significantly reduce fossil fuel use in manufacturing, and accelerate innovation in products, process efficiency and breakthrough technologies including carbon capture.

Cement industry net-zero plan

The Global Cement and Concrete Association has also called on governments, designers and contractors to play their part by assembling the right public policies and investments to support the global scale transition of the industry.

These include greater development of critical technologies such as carbon capture and storage, and reforms to public works procurement policy to encourage the use of low-carbon cement and concrete products.

Thomas Guillot, GCCA Chief Executive, said: “We now need governments around the world to work with us and use their huge procurement power to advocate for low carbon concrete in their infrastructure and housing needs.

“We require their support to change regulation that limits the use of recycled materials and impedes the transition to a low carbon and circular economy.”

The association counts companies such as CEMEX, CNBM, CRH, HeidelbergCement, Holcim and Votorantim as members.

Click for cement and concrete roadmap to net zero.

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Sellafield’s project delivery team has fired the starting gun on race to find two key delivery partners for a combined concrete structures, groundworks and blockwork package worth £1bn over 18 years.

The tender is the largest to hit the market from a new pioneering procurement model that uses Project 13-style integrated collaborative teams.

The big procurement shake-up is being delivered the Programme and Project Partners (PPP) that are driving forward the clean-up of the Sellafield site in West Cumbria.

This overarching integrated team is made up of a Kellogg Brown and Root (Integration Partner); Jacobs (Design and Engineering Partner); Morgan Sindall Infrastructure (Civils Construction Management Partner) and Doosan Babcock (Process Construction Management Partner), and Sellafield.

Under the new multi project procurement process, key delivery partners will be appointed by the PPP team to carry out the main elements of construction works across the programme.

Contests are already underway for sheet piling partners and building interior fit-out and finishes.

PPP anticipates that two KDPs will be appointed for the concrete structures, groundworks and blockwork package.

Tenderers will be required to set out a predetermined supply chain for the work they will deliver and requiring just over a third to comprise of SMEs.

As part of the process, PPP has enlisted the Swimming with the Big Fish SME Matchmaker Service tobroker and develop relationships between those bidding for KDP packages and high performing SMEs able and willing to invest in West Cumbria.

This introduction service is being delivered by quantity surveying and procurement specialists Solomons Europe.

Successful KDPs will be expected to help PPP meet its five ‘Critical Success Factors’, which include cost savings on project baselines, certainty of delivery and rewarding supply chains that achieve agreed outcomes.

Emphasis is also placed on local employment and upskilling the local workforce, along with financial and social investment in West Cumbria.

A full strategy paper outlining the procurement approach, commercial model, timeline, and other important information will be made available to businesses who register their interest by 12pm on Thursday, October 14 by email.

Galliford Try has acquired all of nmcn’s £100m water business including Nomenca and Lintott for £1m in a deal which will save the jobs of 900 staff.

Bill Hocking, Chief Executive of Galliford Try, said: “I am delighted to welcome the employees, clients and suppliers of nmcn Water to Galliford Try.

“This acquisition is an excellent strategic fit with our existing business and will accelerate the growth of our successful Environment division, providing work with new clients and increasing our capabilities.

“This is a very exciting time as we deliver our Sustainable Growth Strategy and I look forward to a bright future for our collective team.”

The company added: “Galliford Try has a detailed understanding of nmcn Water’s operations and has closely followed the evolution of the Water Business through nmcn’s refinancing process and various trading and financial disclosures through 2021.

“In combination, this knowledge has provided us with a thorough understanding of nmcn Water and its prospects.”

Approximately 900 nmcn employees will join Galliford Try as a result of the transaction, including its senior management team.

The nmcn water division generates annual revenue of around £100m.

In addition to the £1m purchase price Galliford Try will have to fund certain contractual liabilities incurred prior to the completion date of the deal which will be “necessary to provide operational stability to the Water Business.”

Nmcn went into administration earlier this week and four other parts of the business were bought by investor Svella on Thursday morning.

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The pace of construction growth slowed further in September as the industry saw its worst month for order books since January’s lockdown.

Construction buyers reported output volumes rising to the smallest extent for eight months as the industry continued to grapple with transport issues, a severe lack of materials and staff shortages.

The bellwether IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI Total Activity Index posted 52.6 in September, down from 55.2 in August.

A rapid drop in subcontractor availability in September sparked the steepest rise in subcontractor charges since the survey began in April 1997.

Some buyers warned that the unpredictable pricing environment had slowed clients’ decision-making on new orders and led to delays with contract awards.

Tim Moore, Director at IHS Markit, which compiles the survey said: “September data highlighted a severe loss of momentum for the construction sector as labour shortages and the supply chain crisis combined to disrupt activity on site.

“The volatile price and supply environment has started to hinder new business intakes as construction companies revised cost projections and some clients delayed decisions on contract awards.

“As a result, the latest survey data pointed to the worst month for order books since January’s lockdown.

“Shortages of building materials and a lack of transport capacity led to another rapid increase in purchase prices during September.

He added: “There was also a considerable decline in the availability of subcontractors, with survey respondents citing shortages of bricklayers, drivers, groundworkers, joiners, plumbers and many other skilled trades.

“Measured overall, prices charged by subcontractors increased at the fastest rate since the survey began in April 1997.”

Duncan Brock, Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “Construction activity suffered another setback in September, as builders were hammered by staff and material shortages, delivery delays and higher business costs as this phase of the post-pandemic recovery became the shakiest for eight months.

“Housing and civil engineering bore the brunt of the slowdown with residential building the weakest since June 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic.

Over 60% of supply chain managers said their deliveries were taking longer and 78% were paying more for their goods as inflation remained stubbornly high.

He warned: “Unless stronger supply chain performance is nailed down along with headcount, we are heading towards a stagnant autumn because the sector is certainly not on an even footing at the moment.”

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Construction union Unite is raising safety concerns after it claims a spate of serious accidents have hit the HS2 section being delivered by the Skanska/Costain/ Strabag (SCS) joint venture in London.

The union has been involved in a long running dispute with the contractors over worker representation on the job where it said Unite officials are not allowed “to freely speak to workers during their breaks in its welfare facilities.”

Recent alleged accidents include a worker suffering arm injuries after clay fell from height onto them, a lorry overturning into a ditch, a skill saw blade came off its mooring, a hammer breaking a worker’s wrist and a digger bucket hitting a worker’s foot.

Unite national officer for construction Jerry Swain said“Workers operating on the Costain/Skanska/Strabag joint venture, will be rightly worried and concerned for their safety.

“This project is crying out for union safety reps who play a unique role in protecting workers and preventing accidents.”

An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said:“The safety of our workforce and the public is HS2’s number one priority. We have an open and transparent reporting culture, and all health and safety incidents are fully investigated, key learnings and actions for HS2 and our contractors identified, and these are then shared across the project.

“All those who work on HS2 have the right to go home unharmed, and we continue to work with and challenge our contractors to provide the highest levels of health and safety standards.”

An SCS JV spokesperson said: “The health and safety of our teams and the public is always SCS’s first priority and we have offered Unite access to our sites, which exceeds levels usually seen across the industry.

“This enables them to meet our team at inductions, work sites and our welfare area. We first offered this to Unite in 2018 and on numerous occasions since.

“We continue to make contact with them to reiterate this offer as we seek to maintain an open dialogue with Unite and to allow them to carry out their activities.  To date they have not taken up this offer, however it remains open to them.”

Two track workers had a near miss from a passenger train following a mix-up over line possession.

A Rail Accident Investigation Branch report into the incident in July detailed the circumstances behind the near miss at Eccles station.

The workers were on the westbound track in the early hours under the protection of a line blockage organised by the Controller of Site Safety (COSS).

The pair had been standing on the track to paint a white line along the edge of Platform 2 and had just been told to stop work and were preparing to leave the track when an empty passenger train approached on its way to the depot.

The driver spotted their reflective clothing and sounded his horn. They jumped clear with seconds to spare as the train passed at 69 mph.

The incident occurred because the COSS had given up the line blockage before informing the track workers that they had to move clear of the line and making sure that they had done so.

The work on the platform was being undertaken on behalf of Northern Trains Ltd, the operator of Eccles station. It was contracted to TMT Commercial Contractors Ltd, who planned the white-lining task and employed the track workers.

TMT Commercial Contractors Ltd subcontracted the provision of safety-critical staff and the planning of the safe system of work to Trackwork Ltd. The COSS was a contractor who was supplied to Trackwork Ltd by an agency, Spectrum Rail Ltd. He had been certified as competent to undertake the role of COSS for approximately ten years and regularly acted in the role.

The COSS was also the nominated Person In Charge and therefore had overall responsibility for safely delivering the work.

For a full report into the incident click here.

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HS2’s first TBM drive has passed the one-mile mark cutting through a mix of chalk and flint beneath the Chiltern hills just outside London.

Launched in May, TBM Florence is one of two identical machines excavating the twin 10-mile-long tunnels.

During her first mile, Florence and her crew have installed more than 5,500 separate segments, each weighing around 8.5 tonnes.

A second machine, named ‘Cecilia’ is a short way behind, with both TBMs expected to break out in around three years’ time.

Both TBMs are operated by HS2’s main works contractor, Align – a joint venture formed of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick.

Align Project Director Daniel Altier said: “I am delighted with the progress that Florence has made since its launch in May, with Cecilia not far behind.

“All the spoil from the TBMs is converted into slurry before being pumped back to our South Portal site, just inside the M25, where it is processed and used for landscaping on site. This is, and will continue to be, a huge logistical challenge, as Florence and Cecilia continue their journey through the Chilterns.

“Florence reaching the 1 mile point is a great achievement, however we still have a long way to go.”

Each of the separate northbound and southbound tunnels will require 56,000 precision engineered, fibre-reinforced concrete wall segments – which are all being made at the south portal of the tunnel, next to the M25.

Approximately 2.7 million cubic metres of material will be excavated during the construction of the tunnels and used for landscaping around the south portal site.

Once construction is complete, this will help create around 90 hectares of wildlife-rich chalk grassland habitats.