NeWS All the latest news from around the building industry M&e market value increased by 7% to 16bn last year, but still below 2008 peak Increase driven by legislation and long-term cost savings The market for mechanical and electrical (M&E) contracting was valued at close to 16bn in 2014, up by 7% on the previous 12 months, according to AMA Research. However, it added that the market was still 13% below its 2008 peak. Installations aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions enjoyed a healthy year, driven by increasingly stringent legislation and regulations, but also given impetus by the long-term cost savings that can be made by installing such systems, researchers said. The forecasters said the market would continue to grow over the next four years, although at a more modest rate of around 3-4%, thanks to opportunities in areas like university expenditure, student accommodation, free and academy schools where private funding is being channelled into public sector projects. Non-domestic construction output is set to increase during 2015 and remain positive through to 2019, although the governments efforts to reduce public sector spending are ongoing, and may lead to reduced opportunities within the public sector for M&E contractors in the next few years, the report said. The market slowed in 2012 but picked up again in 2013, driven by improvements in office and leisure sectors in particular. The report added that this trend continued throughout 2014 and 2015. However, M&E contractors face growing competition and are expected to diversify into wider service areas in order to build revenues; for example, offering design and build capabilities or expanding to total management of hard FM projects, AMA added. Nine consecutive quarters of growth, but building sector is still wary Future growth is not assured because of rising labour costs as a result of skills shortages The construction industry has enjoyed nine consecutive quarters of market growth, with the house-building, office and retail sectors all reporting high levels of activity in the second quarter of 2015, according to the Construction Products Association (CPA). Its latest trade survey did, however, reveal that skills shortages and rising wages are major clouds on the horizon, and that there was a drop in repair and maintenance work as a result of cuts to government energy efficiency schemes. The National Federation of Builders (NFB) also warned that future growth is far from assured. Its economics director, Noble Francis, said: Firms across the construction supply chain, including building contractors, SMEs, specialist contractors, civil engineers and product manufacturers, all reported rises in output during Q2. Growth in output was led by the private housing sector, in which 43% of firms, on balance, reported a rise in output. Francis also noted a rise in output in the private commercial sector, where 18% of firms reported improved volumes in office and retail work, while 57% of firms identified rising labour costs as a result of skills shortages. Suzannah Nichol, Build UK chief executive, said: The outlook remains positive, with building contractors enjoying rising output and almost half of specialist contractors looking at expansion in the next quarter. However, the impact of skills shortages continues to be felt, not least through increased labour costs. She believes the industry needs to improve its image to overcome the difficulties in recruiting key trades, and there should be more focus on apprenticeship reform. NFB chief executive, Richard Beresford, added: The severity of the skills shortage is such that the industry will see unsustainable rising labour costs or an increasing inability to deliver work. Industrys efforts to address skills shortages cannot take effect soon enough. Improved market conditions are feeding through into better profit margins, so firms are starting to experience the benefits of restructuring and streamlining exercises, but the research also pointed out that consolidation activity among suppliers continues to be high and this has led to a number of major players increasing in size. This is partly in response to demand for more integrated services with contractors widening the range of services they offer. Keith Taylor, director of AMA Research, added that both legislation and guidelines around carbon reduction will push energy management even further up the agenda for M&E contractors. imtech to get new owners Imtech UK is to have new owners following the placing of its Dutch holding company Royal Imtech NV in bankruptcy. Trustees have been appointed in Holland and the companys two main operating divisions have been sold, securing the employment of 7,300 staff. Trustees are currently in discussions with potential buyers for Imtech UK/Ireland, a statement said. A spokesperson for the large contractor added: We can reiterate that Imtech UK and Ireland continues to trade and is not subject to this administration or bankruptcy procedure. Discussions with a number of interested parties about long-term options for the business in the UK and Ireland are also very active. Imtech UK and Ireland continues to trade independently, with our management team remaining in control of the business, actively managing available resources to best advantage, they added. iS it a BirD? iS it a PLaNe? No, itS SPeeDo-MaN $1bn of energy storage ordered A breathtaking 25m swimming pool suspended between two residential towers has been proposed for a site opposite the new American Embassy in Nine Elms, London. The Sky Pool is the brainchild of Sean Mulryan, the CEO and chairman of Ballymore, which is developing the 2,000-home Embassy Gardens site in partnership with Eco World. Mulryan says swimming in the transparent pool would be like floating through the air in central London. Designed by Arup Associates, with input from structural glass specialist Eckersley OCallaghan and aquarium designer Reynolds, the pool will allow residents to swim between the two buildings. It will be 5m wide and 3m deep, with water to a depth of 1.2m. After a dip, users can make use of a spa, summer bar and Orangery situated on adjacent roof terraces. The founder of energy storage provider Tesla claims his company has taken 100,000 orders for its battery products, worth an estimated $1bn. Elon Musk said this will kick-start a revolution in the storage of renewable energy and power station demand management, and added that Tesla would sell $50m of storage in the fourth quarter of 2015, and up to $500m in both 2016 and 2017. The companys chief technology officer, Jeffrey Straubel, said around 70% of the orders were for the 1MW Powerpack system, designed for commercial users and large-scale energy generators. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has also released a report predicting an international megashift towards energy storage within the next 10 years as the cost of batteries falls by up to 60%. Graduates aim for orlando 2014 winner Emilia Targoska Young engineers to battle it out for coveted accolade The 2015 Young Engineers Awards shortlist has been unveiled, with 10 graduates and six employers in the running for top honours. With a trip to the ASHRAE Winter Conference, in Orlando, Florida, at stake for the winner of the Graduate of the Year Award, the competition has attracted a record number of entries in its 20th year. Cash bursaries from the Rumford Club are also on offer for two runners-up. The finalists are: Demetrios Constantinou, Foster and Partners/National Technical University of Athens; Ruth Howlett, AECOM /University of Nottingham; Andrew James, Buro Happold/California State University; Peng Jiang, Skelly & Couch/University College London; Alexandra Lindesay Bethune, Arup/ Edinburgh University; Jorge Abarca Montero, Cundall/ Sheffield Hallam University; Abdul Wahab Malik, Meinhardt Pakistan/NED University, Karachi; Charity Nicholls, Atkins/Heriot Watt University; Ryan Rodrigues, HurleyPalmerFlatt/London South Bank University; and William Webb, Buro Happold/University of the West of England. Each finalist will give a short presentation to the judging panel at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) headquarters, in London, on Thursday 8 October. Also facing tough competition are the firms up for the Employer of the Year Award. The finalists for this award are: Large employers Hoare Lea, AECOM; Medium emplyers Ethos Engineering, Troupe Bywaters + Anders; Small employers Service Design Solutions, JDP. Tim Dwyer, chair of the CIBSE ASHRAE Group and the Graduate Award judging panel, said: The quality and volume of entries never ceases to amaze, and was particularly high in this landmark year. The calibre of graduates competing for this high-profile accolade gives us all great hope for the future. CIBSE, ASHRAE, the IMechE and CIBSE Patrons support the awards, sponsored by Andrews Water Heaters, Ruskin Air Management and Schneider Electric. To book a place to the free event, visit www.cibse.org/yea Google goes solar Google has launched a sunlight database that tells users how much solar energy hits their building, and the savings they might make by installing PVs. Project Sunroof, currently available in the US cities of Boston, San Francisco and Fresno, estimates whether your roof receives enough light to justify solar panels. Google Maps has satellite, navigation and sunlight data for every property in the orld, so can be used to inform users about potential energy cost savings and payback. If the pilot is successful, the service will be rolled out across North America and, potentially, the world. LJJ DeSiGNiNG M&e for DeSiGN MuSeuM Building services specialist LJJ has been appointed by Willmott Dixon Interiors to deliver mechanical and electrical design and installation for the new 80m Design Museum in Kensington. The project, designed by John Pawson Architects, will see the museum move from its current premises near Tower Bridge to the Grade II* listed former Commonwealth Institute, a 1960s building originally designed by Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall Architects, and featuring a copper-clad hyperbolic paraboloid roof. AC settings too low and sexist for modern mixed-gender workplaces Experts believe were only cooling for male population Commercial offices are running their air conditioning at temperatures that are too low because settings are based on outdated and even sexist calculations, according to research by Maastricht University. The study revealed that temperatures in UK buildings tend to suit men and not women, and still adhere to guidance produced by ASHRAE in the 1960s. Guide temperatures are based on the resting metabolic rate of a 40-year-old man, which is around 30% faster than a womans. So while men might feel perfectly comfortable in cool office conditions, more women complain about being cold during summer. Dr Boris Kingma, who led the study by the universitys medical centre, in Holland, said they were not recommending a specific range of room temperatures, but simply wanted metabolic rate to be taken into account when defining indoor climate standards. He said the equations used to calculate humidity, air temperature, airflow, radiant temperature and the metabolism of people likely to be in a building were outdated particularly as women now account for at least half of the workforce in modern offices. The Maastrict team calculated that women, who tend to be smaller than men and have more body fat, had an average resting metabolic rate of 48 watts per square metre, significantly lower than the average used to calculate heating and cooling needs in buildings, as the typical 40-year-old man would have a rate of 58 watts. Many men think that women are just nagging, but it is a genuine physiology issue, said Joost van Hoof, a building physicist at Fontys University of Applied Sciences, in the Netherlands. Also, if women have lower need for cooling it means you can save energy, because, right now, were only cooling for the male population. Paternosters get stay of execution German labour minister Andrea Nahles has backed down on plans to ban paternoster lifts under strict new workplace safety regulations. Under the new rules, only people trained in paternoster riding would have been allowed to use the perpetual-motion appliances. An outcry across the country, however particularly among civil servants forced a rethink about the role of a device that was invented in the UK in 1860. Only a handful are still in use here, but they remain popular in Germany, with more than 250 still believed to be in regular service. Nahles has agreed to amend the legislation stating: The paternoster is the VW Beetle among lifts. Not many people ride them any more, but many people love them. This U-turn was welcomed by Cornelius Mager, of Munichs Paternoster Association, which was set up 20 years ago to fight off earlier attempts to ban this type of transportation. He argued that they were not dangerous and said repeated claims that people have died riding paternosters were totally unfounded. He added that crossing the road is probably more dangerous, and taking the stairs can also be a fraught business. Carillion set to boost its apprentice numbers Carillion Construction says it is on track to create 5,000 apprenticeships over the next five years, thanks to the 7m it has received from the Skills Funding Agency. Its Kings Cross training centre currently supports 96 apprentices and the company said this would increase during the September intake. The centre offers training, apprenticeships, employment advice and job opportunities to local people looking to work in construction. The apprenticeships offered are are in general construction, ground works, carpentry and joinery, plastering and dry lining. Richard Harrington MP said: It is crucial that we , continue to support the growth of high quality apprenticeships across the country. ruskin gives its backing to the Sea eagles Ruskin Air Management is sponsoring Tonga in this years Rugby World Cup, which takes place in England and Wales during September and October. The Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles) achieved their greatest win to date in the competition in New Zealand, four years ago, when they beat France 19-14, but after losing to New Zealand and Canada they failed to make it to the quarter-finals. Tonga is in another tough group this time, with the mighty All Blacks of New Zealand again, as well as Argentina, Georgia and Namibia. The Sea Eagles will face the All Blacks at Newcastle Uniteds St James Park stadium on 9 October. Power to the people A four-bed North Yorkshire house that can power itself and two neighbouring properties has been unveiled. Known as Furrows, it has a unique renewable energy system, allowing it to generate more than 13,000kWh of electricity and heat a year. Around 5,000kWh will be used by the homeowners, with the rest exported to the grid enough to run another two houses. Furrows will feature 64 solar PV and solar thermal panels, and spare energy will be diverted to an on-site storage system for use outside sunlight hours. Excess thermal energy will heat domestic hot water, while the storage system means the house will be off-grid 85% of the time.