Technology

Six blocks in a west London development built by Berkeley Group have been evacuated because “the construction of the buildings may be putting residents at risk”. Around 1,000 people have been told to immediately leave their homes at the Paragon scheme in Brentford for their health and safety. A decision…

Global spending on data centres hit £23.5bn for the first half of 2020, according to a new report from property adviser Knight Frank and sector specialist DC Byte. The report, which predicts demand for the facilities will continue to increase, examined data centre developments across 12 European markets including London…

Sir Robert McAlpine is training project managers and other existing staff in data analysis skills by drawing down cash it has paid towards the apprenticeship levy. The move, which has seen around 15 employees trained this year, is part of the firm’s ambitions to become a leader in the use…

Construction News has been shortlisted for Editorial Brand of the Year at the International Building Press (IBP) national journalism awards. In total, CN has been nominated in five categories, including for best finance journalism, feature writing, construction reporting and new journalist. Reporter Megan Kelly has been shortlisted for New Journalist…

Tool hire company HSS has announced the closure of 134 branches and made 300 staff redundant. In a statement released with financial results for the half-year ended 27 June 2020, the firm said around 30 per cent of its custom is now online, and online operations would receive further investment.…

Experts from Interserve, ISG, Vinci and technology giant Oracle will discuss how construction can close the COVID-19 productivity gap at a free Construction News webinar, which will be broadcast on Thursday 22 October. Most building sites are now fully operational after the pandemic-enforced shutdowns that halted work across the country…

Yorkshire-based start-up Construction Automation has developed a bricklaying robot that has been put to work on its first test project: a three-bedroom house in the village of Everingham. The company said its Automatic Brick Laying Robot (ABLR) has been four years in development. It can lay bricks, blocks, and mortar,…

A new report has claimed the industry could deliver 75,000 homes per year through modular methods of construction with government backing. Cast Consultancy chief executive and government adviser Mark Farmer (pictured) has collaborated with Mike De’Ath, a partner at architect HTA Design, on a new report – Build Homes, Build Jobs,…

HS2 has begun trials of a software system designed to cut both the cost and carbon impact of infrastructure construction. The tool applies artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to estimate the financial and carbon implications of competing designs, direct from design models. HS2 said the approach, which aims to replace manual…

HS2 has launched a search for digital innovations to speed up the delivery of the rail-infrastructure megaproject, and will help to commercialise the most promising ideas from entrepreneurs and smaller providers. The organisation's Innovation Accelerator programme is seeking ways to improve construction efficiency in three key areas: Process automation, reducing…