NEWS UKS LARGEST ENGINEERING CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED Construction of the base build phase of the Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) has been completed. Arup was the building services and MECD is part of a world-class research and innovation hub Manchester education team provided detailed design during technical and construction project in which the University of Manchester appointed a dedicated environmental sustainability adviser to develop sustainability targets. IN BRIEF Construction recovery gathers pace The recovery in construction activity is gaining momentum, according to market analysts Glenigan who reported an 18% increase in project-starts during the three months to April and 39% rise in the value of main contract awards. It said project starts remained below pre-pandemic levels, but the signs for the rest of the year were encouraging and the development pipeline was ahead of 2019 levels. Glenigan said the value of projects starting on site averaged 5,212m per month during the three months to April; an 18% increase against the preceding three months and 37% higher than a year ago. The rise was due to increases in both the value of major projects starting on site and in underlying market activity (under 100m). IEA report calls for gas boiler ban by 2025 No new fossil-fuel boilers should be sold, except those compatible with hydrogen There should be no new gas boilers sold from 2025, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The recommendation is one of 400 proposals included in a new report designed to help the world achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of this century. As well as an end to the use of fossilfuel heating, the report designed to help preparations for the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this November proposes a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035 and an immediate end to new coal, oil and gas exploration. By 2050, the IEA envisions a global economy that is twice as big as today, with two billion extra people but with the demand for energy dropping by 8%. Its path to net-zero says that in just four years time, there should be no new fossil fuel boilers sold, except where they are compatible with hydrogen. It also says that, as well as greening the energy system, it will need to be expanded to provide electricity to the 785 million people in the world who currently have no access. To meet this challenge, the world will need to install four times the amount of wind and solar energy than it did in 2020. Fatih Birol, the IEA executive director said: Moving the world on to that pathway requires strong and credible policy actions from governments, underpinned by much greater international co-operation. Read the report at bit.ly/CJJun21IEA Mead appointed MMC champion The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has appointed former CIBSE President Nick Mead as its champion for Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Mead is technical director at Laing ORourke and has been on the CIC Board as a member-appointed director for the past five years. Mead described MMC as a key initiative for construction and pledged to ensure his work added value to the CIC and its members. The IEA says fossil fuel boilers must be compatible with hydrogen 6 June 2021 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE June 21 pp06-07 News.indd 6 21/05/2021 12:16