Incorporating some of the most advanced technical features in safety shoe design for tradesmen and women.
Sporty looks, best-in-class materials technology and superior comfort are hallmarks of Solid Gear safety footwear.
2021 sees the launch of the Marshal GTX boot and the Enforcer GTX shoe that both integrate best-in-class materials for water protection and durability.
The waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX® linings keep your feet dry and comfy, while the Vibram® outsole and CORDURA® ripstop fabric offer great protection and rugged utility.
The unique BOA® Fit System also distributes lacing pressure evenly across your feet for a glove-like fit.
The Solid Gear footwear range is packed with market-leading features and hi-tech designs that combine top-quality materials for ultimate comfort, maximum safety and wellbeing at work.
Like the lightweight fibre-glass toecaps and technical composite plates that are lighter and thinner but still stronger than their predecessors for S3-class protection all day long.
The construction industry is accountable for more than one-third of the world’s energy consumption.
As a result, it also contributes around 40 percent of global CO2 emissions. This sector also produces hazardous waste that affects both the environment and people’s health.
While there is a demand for greener buildings, there is some hesitancy to adopt more sustainable practices.
The main reason for this is cost. Many firms believe that constructing green buildings will require higher expenditure.
However, for those construction companies that are willing to adopt sustainable methods, there are some considerable benefits, such as:
Perceived value – Owners and buyers often consider green buildings to be better and more valuable than traditional structures. If buildings are energy efficient, the operating costs will be considerably lower.
Lower waste fees – If the construction industry starts producing less waste, the fees charged by waste management companies will also come down.
Lower energy costs – Adopting fuel-efficient vehicles and discouraging unnecessary electricity usage can generate substantial fuel and energy savings.
The importance of BREEAM in the construction industry
BREEAM (an acronym for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is the world’s longest established method for rating the environmental impact and sustainability of a building.
The assessment covers every aspect of the process, from design right up to the operational phase.
Construction and development companies need a good BREEAM rating to assure local authorities that their buildings have the required sustainability credentials.
Usually, in order to obtain your planning permissions quickly, you will need to hire a professional assessor.
However, this site talks about how a BREEAM pre-assessment can also provide valuable insight to the building developer’s design team.
While this is a non-formal assessment, it can guide designers on the adoption of a suitable strategy to achieve the desired rating.
Modern Sustainable Construction
Illustration: BREEAM and building insulation
One area where a BREEAM pre-assessment is helpful is the building’s insulation. Traditionally, insulation has been considered to be the best way of ensuring a building is energy efficient.
Insulation works by preventing or slowing down any heat loss. However, insulating a building only controls the indoor temperature during cold spells and the winter season.
During the summer, the high demand on energy consumption due to artificial lighting and air conditioning can easily outweigh any savings made from the building’s insulation.
As buildings are designed to trap heat inside, people are very likely to turn on the air conditioning, which can in turn cause overheating.
Nowadays, building designers have to account for the various and sometimes contrasting energy needs, such as heating, cooling and lighting.
They also need to consider incorporating sustainable energy generating systems, such as solar panels. This will enhance the energy efficiency of their buildings.
Nevertheless, keeping a building thermally insulated and airtight will not suffice. It is also prudent to consider the ventilation, airflow rate and indoor air quality.
Accordingly, it is important to seek expert advice from a specialist in the field to ensure that the construction project is successful in making the building energy efficient.
Conclusion
Adopting sustainable construction processes and methods is a commendable objective. With this in mind, building designers should focus on making their buildings energy-efficient.
While constructing green buildings may be more expensive, the benefits will be significant. One way of keeping costs down, especially in relation to BREEAM, is to obtain a pre-assessment report first.
What is BREEAM?
BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings.
It recognises and reflects the value in higher performing assets across the built environment lifecycle, from new construction to in-use and refurbishment.
BREEAM does this through third-party certification of the assessment of an asset’s environmental, social and economic sustainability performance, using standards developed by BRE.
This means BREEAM rated developments are more sustainable environments that enhance the well-being of the people who live and work in them, help protect natural resources and make for more attractive property investments.
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An Independent committee of experts should scrutinise the economic and technical feasibility of zero-carbon pledges by the CCC, says the Gas Users Organisation, that speaks for the 24 million households that use gas heating.
It would be hugely foolish to consider phasing out natural gas in people’s homes, which is clean, convenient and the cheapest option, in favour of a jam-tomorrow pipe dream which assumes a massive increase in supply of zero-carbon electricity.
Climate Change Committee
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has announced the target, in its new Carbon Budget Document released on 9th December, that “By the early 2030s … … all boiler replacements in homes in homes and other buildings are low-carbon – largely electric”
To achieve this, the CCC are proposing that the UK could have a zero-carbon electricity supply industry by 2035, including a huge increase in capacity
The Gas Users Organisation doubts whether these targets are achievable, and calls for caution over changes that would disadvantage households who currently use gas for heating.
Gas Users Organisation Technical Director, Andrew Newman, explains:
“These issues are both too important and too complex to be dealt with by the CCC, without a rigorous process of their decisions being challenged. The Gas Users Organisation calls for a separate “red team” committee of independent engineers, industry experts, trades union and economic experts to assess the feasibility and costs of achieving these very challenging objectives. In particular this committee should look at the investment needed to develop a local content supply chain after the BiFab collapse
“The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) are posing very ambitious targets, and we are not confident that they can be achieved, either economically, or in terms of engineering feasibility”.
“There is a huge risk that large scale commitments could be made for decarbonising the heating systems in our homes based upon unrealistic targets for future zero-carbon electricity that are unlikely to be met.
This would involve higher prices, additional costs and inconvenience for households; it would jeopardise jobs in UK supply chains; and destroy the jobs of the gas service engineers right across the country”.
“The CCC is saying that “electricity generation should be fully decarbonised by 2035. That will need to happen while meeting a 50% increase in demand“, and “doubling or even trebling by demand by 2050“. They are proposing that this increase in capacity would allow most homes to be heated by electricity.
“There are a number of problems with this. Firstly, just two years ago, the CCC itself concluded that for fully electrified heating, up to 4 or 5 times as much electricity capacity would be needed compared to today, a much larger increase than they are now estimating.
“Furthermore, the CCC calls for “additional ‘back up’ electricity generation capacity in excess of 100 GW – roughly equivalent to the size of today’s electricity system – could be required to meet electrified heat demand during peak periods.” Peak demand is easily met today by simply drawing more gas from storage.
Offshore Wind Farms
So, the CCC’s plan even in its own terms is not promising enough capacity to deliver zero-carbon electricity for all our homes. It would be hugely foolish to consider phasing out natural gas in people’s homes, which is clean, convenient and the cheapest option, in favour of a jam-tomorrow pipe dream.
“Secondly, the target of 90 GW of zero-carbon electricity looks very unlikely. To put the size of the change in context, the new Hinckley Point C new nuclear power will have the capacity to supply 3.2 GW zero carbon emissions electricity.
It’s the only new nuclear station commissioned to date. Wind farms have the current capacity for 10.4 GW electricity. Solar energy has a capacity of 2.2 GW of electricity. Good progress is being made in the zero-carbon emissions electricity journey, but the most difficult challenges are still ahead of us”.
“Furthermore, the CCC calls for more use of “storage” for electricity, but no details of how this huge engineering challenge would be met. Energy Storage is far from being “shovel ready”.
Both the costs and feasibility of the technology at the required scale are unproven. To put this level of requirement in perspective, there is currently just 4 GW of storage projects in planning, in addition to the just 1 GW of battery storage already in operation
“We also have very serious concerns about the lack of concern about jobs in the supply chain.
There are no UK based facilities to build the 2,700 giant wind turbines and jackets required to deliver 30GW of electricity by 2035. This is 180 turbines and jackets each year every year for the next 15 years.
The facilities to make just eight jackets at BiFab recently collapsed into administration and both the UK and Scottish governments said that state aid rules prevented them from intervening to save the company”.
“UK manufacturers currently lead the world in gas boilers, and a move to heat pumps would probably lead to them being replaced by imported systems from overseas”.
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James Whitaker, Marketing Director at Dickies Workwear, unveils a brand new range of clothing designed to provide tradeswomen with all-day warmth, comfort and unrestricted growth.
“According to the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), women make up around 14% of construction industry professionals and there has been much talk in the sector about encouraging more women to pursue careers in the trades, hopefully boosting this figure a lot further in years to come.
A big part of feeling supported in any chosen career is to have access to the tools needed to do your job well, including clothing and footwear that’s practical, durable and fits with the image you want to create as a professional.
Dickies Softshell Women’s Workwear
And this is just as important for women who aren’t trades professionals, but who spend a good deal of their spare time working on DIY projects or other practical activities where they need the right clothing to support them.
For many years, men have been able to pick and choose workwear across a range of brands to find the options that work best for them, but there’s no denying that the scope of clothing and footwear specifically designed for tradeswomen has been pretty narrow.
We know that, as a major workwear provider, we need to do more to give women access to clothing and footwear that’s created for them.
Dickies Womens Performance Waterproof Jacket
Simply having to adjust items that are primarily designed for men isn’t good enough, especially for tasks that involve a lot of bending, stretching and movement, where ill-fitting clothing is likely to be uncomfortable and impractical.
We’re keen to do our bit to address this and have just launched a new range of performance clothing that offers women in the trades high quality, durable items that will support them no matter how hard, cold or dirty the work.
Initially launching with eight new products for Winter 2020-21, our collection includes the Dickies Women’s Performance Jacket, a stylish work jacket designed to withstand even the most extreme elements.
Dickies Universal FLEX Trouser
Well insulated, as well as waterproof and breathable, the attached contoured hood adds to the sleek nature of this style.
Also launching this winter is the Dickies Women’s Softshell Jacket, which features a water repellent finish and a drawcord adjustable hood for extra protection in rain or poor weather conditions.
Both jacket styles benefit from practical details such as multiple pockets and reflective detailing to ensure the wearer stands out in low light conditions.
Dickies Womens Performance Zip Through Sweat
New trouser styles include the Dickies Women’s Universal FLEX Trousers – a version of the brand’s popular Universal FLEX Trouser designed specifically for women.
Incorporating Dickies’ FLEX fabric, the trouser also benefits from Cordura reinforcement in high wear areas for added durability.”
Browse the Dickies Performance Womenswear range at: www.dickiesworkwear.com.
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In today’s data-driven, mobile-first world, keeping one’s personal information private and safe is more critical than ever.
This is because your personal data landing in the wrong hands could not only cause you a financial loss but personal damage as well.
With technology, you are not only worried about the government watching you but also Google searches, your cameras, fitness trackers, Alexa voice assistant, your kid’s toys, and so on. Basically, everyone has access to some of your information.
75% of UK residents are still concerned about the privacy of the personal data shared with companies, even after the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) approval.
The high-profile personal data losses, coupled with a perceived lack of consumer control over private data, fuel these feelings of concern. Still, we are generating more data about ourselves and making it more readily available than ever before.
Since most of our daily lives revolve around technology, we need to follow specific steps to ensure the range of information we share with organizations is reduced.
Best Ways to Keep Your Data Private
Keep your Software Up-to-date
Outdated software with familiar security loopholes is among the easiest ways for cybercriminals to enter your system. While many people find them boring and time-consuming, software updates are critical if you want to keep cybercriminals out of your system.
Other than improving your device’s functionality, software updates offer you security patches, bug fixes, and other crucial features. So, make a point of updating your software as soon as the pop-up appears. You can also install them manually by going to system settings.
Use a VPN when Connecting to Public Wi-Fi
While most home Wi-Fi networks are encrypted, the same can’t be said for public Wi-Fi connections. You risk being monitored when you use public Wi-Fi. Also, malware from another person’s device can spread to your device.
Avoid free public Wi-Fi at all costs if you want to keep your data private. But, if you have to use it, ensure you use a VPN for data privacy. A VPN will help to mask your personal data from prying eyes that may be lurking on public Wi-Fi networks.
Use Strong Passwords for All Your Online Accounts
Many internet users make the mistake of creating weak passwords and using the same password for all the accounts requiring logins, including credit card accounts, PayPal, bank accounts, and more.
A password such as “123456” may be easy to remember but it is also effortless to crack. A cybercriminal won’t use much effort or energy to break such a password and gain access to your funds, data, and more.
Creating strong and unique passwords are paramount to keeping your data private and secure. Luckily, there are many software applications and programs that you can use to create strong passwords that are long, difficult to break, and use different characters, including numbers, letters, and other special symbols like # and @.
Disable Bluetooth and Other Apps when Not in Use
It is essential to disable Bluetooth and any other app when not in use as vulnerabilities in such services may be the doorway to your device system, including the data and files on it.
Browse in “Incognito Mode”
When you browse in private or incognito mode, your browsing activity won’t be recorded, and also, you won’t get tracked by your browser cookies.
Therefore, you will manage to keep your online activities private, protect yourself from cyberattacks, and prevent organizations from learning more about you and customizing their ads based on your preferences.
A cybercriminal who gains access to your personal data may cause financial havoc and personal damage as well.
By using the above steps, you’ll be able to keep your data private and secure and avoid many problems in the future.
There are many possibilities to sell (used) machinery online. TradeMachines, a search engine designed especially for used machinery, is a sensible alternative to the major, well-known search engines.
The focus on used machinery guarantees you a higher quality of potential buyers at comparatively cheaper rates plus a lot more!
TradeMachines will, upon your approval, take all (or only some) of your offers from your website and display them as a bundle.
There is no further effort on your part, as the offer is automatically updated every 12 hours, so all your machines will always be directed to the website.
With more than 500,000 interested parties worldwide, they provide you, as an ideal advertising platform, with the right advertising and a high reach for your machinery and your success.
By redirecting the potential buyer directly to your website, you and your offers get a higher national and international visibility, which rapidly increases your brand awareness. And the good thing is that you are only a few clicks away from it.
There is no catch!
There is no risk for you as a seller, just as there is no commission for TradeMachines. There are no liabilities, as you can stop or reconfigure the service at any time.
TradeMachines merely redirects potential buyers to the machinery offer on your website, nothing more. They do not interfere in the purchase process, that is entirely up to you.
The data of your buyers and prospective buyers are therefore available to you only. You also decide how much this is worth to you and how you want to pay. Many things can be agreed upon.
As TradeMachines strives to keep everything transparent, you will receive an individual dashboard and a weekly report so that you always have a complete overview (example dashboard of a customer).
TradeMachines in numbers
More than 500,000 people visit the TradeMachines website every month.
These meet over 450,000 sales offers from 59 countries, which are divided into 9 main industries: construction, metal, agriculture, wood, forklifts, commercial vehicles, process engineering, food and plastic.
TradeMachines links not only machines at fixed prices but also daily changing auctions where used machines of all kinds are sold at particularly favourable conditions. As new used machines are added daily, the TradeMachines team looks forward to a never-ending flood of work. Users can also be happy since they can get a bargain every day.
SME PROPERTY DEVELOPERS HELP TO DELIVER PRIVATE HOME CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS
Following a drop in output during the first lockdown, quarter 3 private housing investment bounced back by 84.4%
In September, private housing was back to pre-lockdown levels at £2.9bn
20% of construction companies are SMEs providing work for self-employed workers
Leading development finance specialist applauds SME owner’s efforts during 2020
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has released its construction output statistics up to September 2020 earlier this month.
Evidence within the report shows the construction industry saw an impressive bounce back in quarter 3. The figures were significantly bolstered by private home construction, which bounced back at an impressive 84.4% compared to quarter 2.
In 2019, figures released by Bizdaq showed there are now over 1 million SME construction firms in the UK, making up 20% of all UK businesses – with nearly a quarter of a million (246,840) in the private housing sector.
The ONS figures show a £2.9bn investment in private homes in September – the same output as February (pre-lockdown). A leading development finance specialist is keen to shine praise on those SME developers who weathered the storm of the pandemic.
“When Boris Johnson signalled ‘build…build…build’ to revitalise the economy after lockdown, many scoffed that it was ‘just words’, and believed that action might take time to ignite and make a difference.
But the sceptics have been proven wrong, as the ONS figures have shown. To bring the quarter 3 figures even close, let alone to match them, in the space of a quarter of a year is impressive.” comments Peter Owen, Head of Property Development at Saffron Building Society.
“Many have praise large construction companies for this; however, over a million private home developers are small businesses who were brave enough to weather the pandemic and keep their small businesses operating.
In a time where self-employed workers have been subject to limited financial support by the government, many of these small developers – creating affordable homes in towns and cities across the country – had continued, and even started, projects and employed skilled tradesmen – as well as young labourers – in very uncertain times.
I think we should be applauding the bravery of these business owners.”
After the announcement of Boris Johnson’s new ten-point plan for the environment, the construction industry’s focus, even with local SME developers, will be greener builds.
New techniques will need to be introduced to reduce the carbon footprint of homes – whether considering how to heat the homes or incorporating new greener technologies into the homes’ construction.
Peter feels this is something SME developers can react to much quicker than their larger counterparts.
“If there is one thing that a smaller developer has over larger construction companies is flexibility. Whilst working on a development project of 2-5 homes, applying greener initiatives is much simpler by scale.
To apply this to construction firms, building thousands of homes per project is costly and a slow, drawn-out process. In my opinion, the green revolution in homes is going to begin with our smaller developers.
So, to all developers planning their next project, now is the time to get educated and think green to lead the way towards our carbon neutral goal.”
If you are a property developer and would like to discuss a new project, you can visit the website www.saffronbs.co.uk, and follow the development finance links.
What Are SME Property Developers?
SME developers are privately-owned small and mid-sized professional property developers and construction companies. Although
Purpose-built Build to Rent housing is only a recent concept, with just over 51,000 dwellings completed across the UK as of Q3 2020. This equates to only around 1% of total Private Residential Sector stock.
Build to Rent Timeline
In Q1 2020, a large number of schemes completed, driving up the volume of operating units by 42% on Q1 2019, equating to an additional 13,000 homes.
In Q2 2020, the impact of the first Covid-19 lockdown was sudden, with only three funding deals, worth £96m and with just 1,800 starts across a dozen sites.
Alex Blagden, Senior Researcher at AMA Research and Editor of the Build to Rent Market Report comments “Since 2016 cumulative BTR completions are forecast to have quadrupled by 2021 to over 60,000.
Quarterly data for Q3 2020 indicates circa 37,000 units are under construction and approximately 84,000 are in planning. However, several additional proposals were announced in October and November which suggest over 90,000 are expected to be in planning by the end of 2020”.
The build to rent sector has seen an influx of institutional investors enter the market in recent years as the focus for investment propositions moves away from the High Street retail and into developments that are likely to provide a higher return.
Build to Rent Need
Population growth, a younger mobile workforce, increasing house prices, tighter mortgage requirements by lenders – and declining levels of social rent housing – have led to a worsening shortage of affordable build-to-sell housing, particularly for first-time buyers in the 25-34 age group.
Several larger housing associations have also diversified into the PRS. Due to budget cuts to housing, they have had to find other income sources e.g. through developing housing for sale and private rent.
A final comment from Senior Researcher Alex Blagden states “A key factor contributing towards forecast growth has been important changes in the planning system.
Now BTR is formerly defined as an asset class in its own right in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and is entitled to specific land allocation rather than having to compete with build-to-sell developers in the open market”.
There’s one thing that Professional Tradesmen and Women can’t do without if they want to get their jobs done properly – Healthy Hands!
So take good care of your most important tools and choose a pair that’s right for your work to ensure the ultimate in dexterity, durability, comfort and protection.
The Newest designs offer high ‘cut protection’ plus wind and waterproof styles.
With advanced designs, features and material combinations, there’s something to suit a wide variety of trades, and workplaces, weather conditions and hazardous environments.
Added to which the advanced ergonomic designs ensure strong, secure grips while sophisticated patterns, vents and ribs combined with durable materials combine comfort and protection, ventilation and waterproofing, insulation and wind protection, even features so you can use your mobile phone.
What’s more, for specialist use where health and safety standards are key requirements, the ProtecWork Gloves are EN certified for performance and protection in hazardous environments.
Getting more information on the Snickers Workwear Gloves Range is easy. You can call the Helpline on 01484 854788; check out www.snickersworkwear.co.uk and download a digital catalogue or email sales@hultaforsgroup.co.uk
The UK rainscreen wall cladding market has been affected by reduced demand from key end-use sectors since 2017, recording only modest growth of 13% in total installed area between 2015 and 2019.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the market with site closures in early spring 2020 leading to project delays and product shortages in some instances as contractors and manufacturers adapted to safer production and working practices.
Looking to a positive, rainscreen cladding has benefitted from increased retrofitting on offices and apartment blocks as the need to protect structures from extreme weather and water ingress has increased.
Jane Tarver, editor of the Wall Cladding Market Report at AMA Research states “Rainscreen cladding systems have been a fast-growing product sector in recent years, estimated to have quadrupled in terms of area installed from 2013 levels.
Proteus – designer and manufacturer of rainscreen cladding systems
The main area of application has been offices, although there has also been strong demand for use on residential towers, demand further boosted by the requirement to replace unsafe ACM cladding on a number of high-rise residential buildings in the wake of the Hackitt Review into the Grenfell Tower disaster.
As a result of the ban on use of ACM cladding with a polyethylene core on high rise residential developments, the market share of these types of products and systems will be impacted while others will gain market share from changes in product specification”.
Grenfell and the Hackitt review continues to influence the market. With a ban on the use of ACM cladding this has led to an increased demand for products with the highest level of fire safety classifications such as stone, glass wool, concrete and fibre cement.
Following decline of around 13% for installed cladding area (million m2) in 2020, the market is forecast to return to growth in 2021 thereafter seeing annual increases of around 4-5% to reach around 48 million m2 by 2024.
Rainscreen Wall Cladding Suppliers
AGS – Design, test and manufacture rainscreen cladding support systems. agssystem.co.uk
Bailey – Leading total building envelope manufacturer since the 1970s. www.bailey-uk.com
Proteus – Designer and manufacturer specialising in optically flat Honeycomb Bonded Rainscreens. proteusfacades.com
Valcan – Manufacturer and distributor of rainscreen cladding systems. valcan.co.uk
Setting falls can be tricky so this short tip will help calculate drainage pipe falls quickly and easily with this 1 in 40 drainage gradient tip from James.
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The World Green Building Council joins nine international organisations to sign a letter to COP26 President, Alok Sharma, requesting a Built Environment Day at the climate summit in November 2021.
The day at COP26 would be dedicated to the action pathways to accelerate the decarbonisation of the built environment, and it will demonstrate how business and governments are catalysing solutions to the climate crisis.
This comes a few days after WorldGBC took part in the UN’s Race To Zero Dialogues, discussing how policy, finance and industry leadership can accelerate decarbonisation and ensure the resilience of built environment assets.
Built Environment Day
Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council:
“It is essential to have a full day to recognise the building and construction industry at COP26. The sector accounts for nearly 40% of global energy and process-related emissions, up to 10% of global employment and around 50% of global wealth. Despite this, our sector often remains a blind spot in global climate negotiations.
WorldGBC has signed a letter to COP26 President, Alok Sharma, together with nine fellow international organisations which are working to decarbonise and make more sustainable the built environment across the world. We look forward to his reply and discussing how we can work together to make COP26 the success it needs to be.”
The letter argues that a Built Environment Day at COP26 would spotlight the sector’s unique capability to deliver powerful zero-carbon solutions and serve as a rallying point for the sector’s diverse stakeholders.
Built Environment Day Support
The day would allow the sector to collaborate with governments and policymakers and catalyse action towards ambitious targets for 2030 and beyond.
List of signatories:
Martina Otto, Head of Secretariat, Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction
Mark Watts, Executive Director, C40 Cities
Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group
Andrew Higham, Chief Executive, MISSION 2020
Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council
Peter Bakker, CEO, World Business Council Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Maria Mendiluce, CEO, We Mean Business
Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute
Julie Hirigoyen, CEO, UK Green Building Council
Marco Caffi, Executive Director, Green Building Council Italia
The letter urges the COP26 organisers to recognise the central role the buildings and construction sector can play in overcoming the key societal challenges we face:
The sector can offer solutions to the climate and economic crisis caused by COVID-19 by driving a green recovery and support a climate-resilient future.
It can deliver short-term jobs and growth by improving and retrofitting existing built assets, as well as ensuring new ones do not contribute high levels of greenhouse gasses.
West Midlands manufacturer see’s 240% increase in sound insulation foam sales
Noisy neighbours, Zoom calls and home office setups said to be the cause
Manchester, Birmingham & London identified as the top cities leading the trend
Manufacturer claims there is ‘no evidence that the trend won’t continue’
West Midlands, UK – Coronavirus has drastically changed the way we conduct our lives, with millions of us now remote-working from home, quarantined between the same four walls day in day out.
The knock-on effect of this has caused a dramatic rise in noise pollution within our communities and an all-time high in the sale of sound-insulating materials.
“Foam manufacturer see’s 240% boom in sound insulating products”
“It won’t come as a shock that the number of people purchasing sound-insulating foam has hit an all-time high, driven mainly by residents installing products to dampen the sound of noisy neighbours.
In fact, so far this year our sales of foam have increased by 240 percent”, explains Charlie Barrett from eFoam.co.uk, a custom foam manufacturer based in the West Midlands.
“Pre-pandemic, our acoustic foam was being purchased mainly by recording studios and musicians such as drummers, who were converting garages or spare rooms into practice studios to help insulate the noise.
But now we are receiving enquiries from people saying they need something to insulate their home from noisy neighbours, as they haven’t slept properly in weeks. There’s no evidence the trend won’t continue as the work from home culture benefits many industries.”
Sound Insulation Foam
Our acoustic foam can greatly assist in reducing reverberation, reflections and flutter echoes in recording studios, home theatres, music rooms, workshops, cinemas, etc.. and now home offices.
We can customise our foam to meet any household requirements. We prepare and cut our foam in the heart of the West Midlands from our own factory.
“We have a lot of clients”, reports Charlie Barrett “who need to set up a dedicated meeting room at home for taking Zoom & Skype calls.
This year, meetings have become one of the standout features of remote working, so it’s unsurprising to see this when our company assists with the problems associated with sound prospering.”
We have found it interesting to see where our customers are based and which cities required the most soundproofing and insulation products.
Trading since 2000, the company’s purpose-built facility in Bilston, West Midlands continues to supply a wide range of foam products made from polyurethane, polyethylene and other foam materials. These are available in both pre-made and bespoke solutions.
eFoam supply a diverse cohort of clients – everyone from soundproofing, master upholsterers, yoga practitioners to furniture manufacturers, business owners for packaging solutions, small-time crafters and everything in between.
CHAS, the supply chain risk management expert, is calling on construction companies to encourage eligible EU workers to apply for ‘settled status’ to ensure they can continue to work legally in the UK once the Brexit transition period is complete.
The British government has indicated that anyone settled in the UK for more than five years as of exit day (31, January, 2020) – will likely to be able to gain ‘settled status’ which will grant them the same rights as British citizens.
Those who do not meet the five-year criteria may still be able to gain pre-settled status which will allow them a grant of limited leave to remain for five years.
EU workers to apply for ‘settled status’
Eligible EU nationals have until 30 June 2021 to submit an application – after which if they haven’t done so and they continue to work in the UK they will be doing so illegally.
However, there are concerns that language barriers and a lack of awareness of the requirement may prevent some workers from completing the application potentially driving them into the illegitimate labour market.
Settled Status Solution
Employers can help by spreading awareness of the need to apply for ‘settled status’ and offering assistance where required – such as access to computers to complete the application.
Employers may also wish to consider whether as an employer they are eligible to become a sponsor which could help them to recruit from the EU in the future.
