A ‘bio-based’ bitumen made from algae could be used as a sustainable alternative in UK road construction if scaled up. Tarmac and other industry companies are working with Imperial College London and the University of London on a research project led by carbon removal company CO2CO to develop a new method that uses algae as a biomass source material to produce ‘bio-bitumen’. This transforms algae biomass into a black, viscous water-repellent material that resembles petroleum-derived bitumen, but with significantly less carbon. Professor Mark Sephton of Imperial College London said the b ..read more

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) wants to engage with the newly elected mayors as they develop their strategic plans for their combined authority areas. CIOB said it was vital that metro mayors understand the needs of the construction industry, which is essential to the delivery of devolved programmes for regeneration, housing and improvement of the local economy. Local elections took place across England on 2 May. More than 2,600 councillors and 10 metro mayors were voted in across the country. The elections were a significant victory for the Labour Party, which won nine of t ..read more

CIOB has updated its Code of Practice for Programme Management in the Built Environment. This second edition has been created to reflect developments in the sector, providing alignment with contemporary industry practices, standards and regulations. The first edition was published in 2016 and covered governance, reporting and ethics. The updated edition ties in with emerging themes such as smart technologies, modern methods of construction, building safety, quality, sustainability, costing, procurement and project funding. This latest version covers the latest practices and legislation t ..read more

Sitting in a World Heritage Site in the heart of Edinburgh, adjacent to Princes Street Gardens, the Scottish National Gallery (SNG) is A-listed and one of the most visited tourist destinations in the city. Recently, while up to 4,500 tourists visited the galleries daily, the Tilbury Douglas team was tunnelling, contiguous piling, hydraulic jacking, mini piling, deconstructing and soil nailing, making the safety of the building and the public a primary concern. And, in what has been described as one of the most complex engineering projects undertaken in a heritage building in Scotland, being ..read more

CIOB company member Buildfifty5 Living scooped a Federation of Small Business (FSB) Award for Innovation 2024, for the West Midlands. The firm won the award for its innovative approach to procurement, sustainable building practices and customer service. Established five years ago, Buildfifty5 Living is based at the e-Innovation Centre on the Wolverhampton University campus in Telford. The Innovation Award is presented to businesses where bold, new business models and innovative products are delivering dramatic results.  “We are thrilled and honoured to receive the FSB for Innovatio ..read more

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) wants to engage with the newly elected mayors as they develop their strategic plans for their combined authority areas. CIOB said it was vital that metro mayors understand the needs of the construction industry, which is essential to the delivery of devolved programmes for regeneration, housing and improvement of the local economy. Local elections took place across England on 2 May. More than 2,600 councillors and 10 metro mayors were voted in across the country. The elections were a significant victory for the Labour Party, which won nine of t ..read more

CIOB chief executive Caroline Gumble joined Chelmsford and Ipswich hubs on a multi-day tour of various site visits throughout Essex. The first day saw a visit to a distinctive housing development from Rooff in Felsted, a trip to Colchester Institute to learn about its offer to built environment students and how it is responding to feedback from regional employers to ensure the curriculum is meeting needs, and a site visit with Rose Builders to a project delivering 440 homes working with the Building Heroes programme. The second day of visit started at British Offsite, learning a ..read more

The quantity surveyor, at Kier Construction Southern explains why she chose construction, ambitions and involvement in Tonorrow’s Leaders. What made you choose construction as a career choice? What else might you have done? I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left school, so I travelled and worked in various roles, eventually falling into an admin role at a main contractor. After working with a team of quantity surveyors, I knew this was something I was interested in and I was eventually supported through the degree programme. I moved to Kier Construction and have since completed my ..read more

Construction professionals in the West Midlands learned at an event in March how the industry is exploiting machine learning and AI solutions. Collaborative Conversations West Midlands – Exploring AI Solutions, a cross-institute event with a diverse panel, was chaired by Gbenga Oludotun, MMC lead at Systra UK & Ireland. The panel included Harrison O’Hara, BAM UK & Ireland head of advancing technology and innovation, who shared the company’s strategies for leveraging AI technology. Aleksander Gil, founding director at Parametrix, talked through the cutting-edge concepts around teac ..read more

Maidstone Hub chair Oma Megbele MCIOB welcomed guests including CIOB vice-president Paul Gandy FCIOB to this year’s CIOB Maidstone Construction Professionals’ Dinner. The Marriott Tudor Park Country Club, just outside Maidstone, was the setting for this year’s event. The dinner, held in March, was attended by companies and construction professionals from across a range of disciplines throughout Kent and the south-east. Magicians Rob Neal and Neil Granger provided entertainment and the after-dinner speaker was former England cricketer David Gower OBE. The event was sponsored by BAM Con ..read more