Technology

A new tool has been launched that allows cost managers to measure the level of embodied carbon associated with projects. The Embodied Carbon Calculator, developed by global professional services company Turner & Townsend, enables cost managers to evaluate the carbon footprint of projects they are working on, from the design…

Balfour Beatty has rolled out a set of automated cone-laying machines (ACLM), which it says will reduce the dangers faced by construction workers. The vehicles will be able to collect or lay out traffic cones in under ten seconds per cone, replacing the need for workers to handle the cones…

Osborne has returned to profit, after completing a “major step” in its strategic plan by selling off its infrastructure business. The contractor’s offsite business, Innovare, benefitted from the sale in September 2021, as it secured spots on two bumper government frameworks. “[The sale of the infrastructure business] enable[s] us to…

Contractors with weak cyber-security measures could be turned down for insurance unless they implement stronger safeguards, a cyber-security expert has warned. In December 2021, infrastructure management firm Amey was hit by a cyber attack after hackers used ransomware to access documents, including correspondence with government departments, which were leaked online.…

A new tool will help construction firms assess credit risk in their supply chains as financial uncertainty continues to blight the sector. The business health dashboard will provide firms with information about outstanding debts and payment risk along the supply chain. The tool was designed by the construction technology company…

Hinkley Point C developer EDF has announced another cost hike and delay for the nuclear power station. Project costs for the Somerset nuclear plant have spiked by a further £3bn, which pushes it £8bn above 2017 estimates. EDF has also announced a year delay to the project. The latest increase…

Major contractors including Mace, Skanska and Sir Robert McAlpine have released a plan to boost productivity in the construction sector. The framework, published yesterday by not-for-profit group Be the Business, outlines seven steps which contractors, particularly in the private sector, could take to boost their productivity. They include early engagement…

A third of contractors have no plans to buy into augmented reality (AR) technology, according to a survey by data analytics firm GlobalData. While 55 per cent of companies were considering introducing the technology into their business in the next two years, the survey of around 150 construction companies found…

Offsite modular specialist Elements Europe has landed a £100m deal to build a hotel and office scheme in Hackney, London. The development is located on East Road and will feature a 17-storey modular hotel build, constructed in a volumetric fashion, which means that large chunks of factory-produced elements will be…

More than half of the public are unaware of small modular nuclear reactors, data from an online government poll has shown. The department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy conducted an online survey of a random sample of the public to gauge responses to basic questions about renewable energy and…