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Articles by Jack Copeland
Alan Turing’s Secret “Delilah” Project
It was 8 May 1945, Victory in Europe Day. With the German military’s unconditional surrender, the European part of World War II came to an end. Alan Turing and his assistant Donald Bayley celebrated victory in their quiet English way, by taking a long walk together. They had been working side by side for more than a year in a secret electronics laboratory, deep in the English countryside.
Coffee with Friends – The Big Bend Sentinel
This week, columnist Anett Gabriel virtually sat down with Remijo “Primo” Carrasco and David Beebe to discuss “Primo y Beebe,” the duo’s first record, which comes out on December 8 with a live release party at The Sentinel. More details will be announced, but the event will likely have a virtual attendance component due to coronavirus. Ahead of the release, Gabriel spoke with the two local musicians about recording the album, finding inspiration and their journey into music.
The Best Books on The Origins of Computing
Your new book, Turing’s Cathedral, reveals “the origins of the digital universe”. Can we trace the birth moment of modern computing back to the early 20th century British logician Alan Turing? Well, there was no birth moment. My book is not about the “first computer” – there was no such identifiable thing. The reason the book is titled after Alan Turing is because we owe the concept of the modern computer to Turing’s paper of 1936 [“On Computable Numbers”].
Construction and Brexit: what are the immediate issues?
8 Apr 20 Over the past few years, preparing for Brexit has been top of the agenda for most UK construction companies. The industry is set to be one of the most heavily affected, as every element of modern construction depends on worldwide connectivity and trade. As we approach the 31st January exit date, Nathan Priestley, CEO of Priestley Construction, explores what businesses can expect in the next couple of months.
An interview with a PropTech Director
6 Apr 20 One week ago, UK Construction Online published an article exploring the exciting new world of PropTech and how it can be utilised by the construction industry to increase digitisation and also solve the housing crisis. In the words that follow, UK Construction Online interviews an expert in the field of PropTech in the form of Adam Blaxter Paliwala, the Director of the PropTech company Technology Blueprint, gaining the expertise and opinions of a leading industry figure.
Are MMCs the only possible solution to the housing crisis?
3 Apr 20 The housing crisis has been, and remains to be, a hot topic among the construction industry on account of the government’s targets of 300,000 homes per year by the mid-2020s being some distance away from reality, despite it now being 2020.
'Temporary buildings' could offer a solution to the UK housing crisis
25 Mar 20 Recent years have seen an increase in the use of modular buildings. Often referred to as ‘temporary buildings’, these structures are prefabricated offsite to a set of measurements and can be disassembled and reused or recycled afterwards. They are widely used at sporting events, in industry and anywhere else where buildings need to be erected quickly and for limited amounts of time. Modular buildings are now so advanced that they often do not even look like temporary structures.
Highgate inpatient facility to be built by BAM Construction Ltd
25 Mar 20 The London boroughs of Camden and Islington are set to benefit from the recent appointment of the contractor company BAM Construction Ltd to a project that will deliver a new mental health inpatient facility to the area of Highgate. Going into more detail, the construction of the Highgate inpatient facility has been commissioned by the Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and is set to commence later this year following the granting of planning approval by the local authorities.
BAM appointed to Globe Point development in Leeds
24 Mar 20 The property development company CEG has recently appointed the contractor company BAM Construction to their Globe Point development in Leeds City Centre as part of a £350M contract.
Whitby Hospital receives upgrade
23 Mar 20 Whitby Hospital in North Yorkshire is set to undergo an upgrading process as part of a £13M scheme this month, entailing the modernisation and remodelling of the ‘tower block’ structure on the Springhill hospital site.
Upgrades planned for the A19 Norton to Wynyard in the North East
20 Mar 20 The contractor company Balfour Beatty has recently announced that Highways England have appointed them to a £63M contract to deliver improvements to a section of the A19 dual carriageway between Norton and Wynyard in the North East of England.
Paddington Square development well underway in London
20 Mar 20 Construction of the second phase of the Paddington Square development in London has recently been completed by a partnerships of the property development company Sellar and the contractor company Mace Construction Ltd, with the two companies themselves operating on behalf of Great Western Developments Ltd.
SEGRO Park Freight Terminal officially opens in East Midlands
20 Mar 20 An official opening ceremony recently took place to mark the completion of the SEGRO Park Freight Terminal in the East Midlands, with notable attendees including the likes of the Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris and high-ranking personnel from the SEGRO Group and the contractor company Winvic Construction Ltd.
Wales implements the EESW to increase STEM skills
19 Mar 20 The Education Engineering Scheme Wales (EESW) is currently being implemented across schools in the Eastern Welsh region as a way of boosting the number of young people taking an interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
Sky innovation campus will focus upon sustainability
19 Mar 20 The contractor company ISG has recently been appointed to a project on behalf of the TV production giant Sky, for the construction of a new innovation campus in Osterley, West London. Going into more detail, the new Sky innovation campus will be a three-storey development, covering an expanse of 77,000sq ft, and will also consist of a hybrid steel and cross laminated timber (CLT) frame structure, featuring a full-height atrium and a glass ziggurat façade.
New neighbourhood planned on the site of the disused Ford Airbase
News - Construction News 18 Mar 20 The former site if the Ford Airbase in West Sussex is set to undergo a dramatic change following the formulation of a new neighbourhood plan that will provide 1,500 new homes in a highly sustainable location.
Gigabit broadband to become mandatory in new build UK homes
News - Construction News 18 Mar 20 Following the release of figures by a government report into the stated of modern housing, it has been revealed that approximately one in five newly built homes are not fitted with gigabit broadband.
Smart motorways receive safety upgrades
17 Mar 20 The recent construction of several smart motorways across Britain has drawn attention to the frequency of traffic collisions that take place on these new forms of infrastructure, leading the Secretary of State for Transport to implement an action plan that will increase safety.
Planning system for housing construction in Britain upgraded
17 Mar 20 The provision of urban housing in Britain is being revolutionised by the imposition of a new planning system which will encourage developers to build in the vicinity of train stations and on brownfield sites while also empowering them to be able to demolish disused structures to make way for housing.
Construction output stumbles in January despite ‘Boris bounce’
13 Mar 20 According to the most recent Construction industry output report from the Office for National Statistics, the month of January 2020 experienced a mild decline in output, by a proportion of 0.8 per cent, contrasting with the wider duration of the three months building up to January which saw an uplift of 1.4 per cent.
The Future of the North: The Regeneration of Ancoats and New Islington
13 Mar 20 For some time now questions have been raised in relation to disparities between different regions of the United Kingdom and how each of said regions is allocated funding and approval for construction projects. Perhaps the region which is expected to see the greatest turnaround in the not-too-distant future is the North of England, courtesy of the Northern Powerhouse agenda which the Coalition Government outlined in their 2014 Autumn Statement.
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Building completed in Nottingham
12 Mar 20 Commercial research and development is set to grow in Nottingham following the completion of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Building at Nottingham Science Park by the contractor company Willmott Dixon. Going into further detail, the construction of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Building has been funded by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), with Willmott Dixon having been appointed to the scheme through the Scape National Construction Framework.
Napier and New Plymouth Houses demolished in Havering
12 Mar 20 The demolition of Napier and New Plymouth Houses in Rainham, Havering, has reached its conclusion as part of the Havering Council and Wates Residential’s most recent project to deliver the 12 Estates Regeneration Programme.
Castle Donnington Relief Road completed in Leicestershire
12 Mar 20 The East Midlands can now benefit from streamlined roads and less congestion after the contractor company Pick Everard completed the construction of the Castle Donnington Relief Road in Leicestershire, located near the East Midlands Airport.
New modular wing completed at Northumbria Hospital
12 Mar 20 The modular construction company McAvoy has recently completed the offsite construction of a new ambulatory care wing for the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital as part of a £15M contract. Going into more detail, the project was commissioned by the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which the property development partner being Capital Projects and the building itself being designed by P+HS Architects.
M60 motorway bridge in Didsbury gets urgent repairs
12 Mar 20 The M60 motorway in Didsbury, Manchester, is set to be elevated by a height of five millimetres in order to allow the specialist bridge contractor Mabey Hire to carry out urgent repairs to 15 concrete columns which hold the bridge over the River Mersey and Palatine Road.
Cycling to work encouraged by Highways England
11 Mar 20 It has been a well-known fact that, for some time now, the central Government and local authorities in Britain have been working hard to promote alternative modes of transport, primarily those with a smaller carbon-footprint such as cycling.
HS2 Birmingham Interchange nearly underway
11 Mar 20 Preparatory works at the site of the HS2 Birmingham Interchange, near the city airport and National Exhibition Centre, are approaching their conclusion, marking the official beginning of construction on the site. Going into more detail, the site on which the HS2 Birmingham Interchange will be situated sits within a triangular patch of land between the M42, A45, and A452.
GF Tomlinson appointed to higher education framework
11 Mar 20 The Midlands-based contractor company GF Tomlinson, has been appointed to a framework in the West Midlands named the University of Birmingham Build Higher Framework that will last for a period of ten years and is valued at approximately £500M.
Distribution centre underway in Southampton
11 Mar 20 Image provided by Import Services. The industrial sector in Southampton is set to benefit from the construction of a new distribution centre by the companies ABP and Import Services, which is actually a subsidiary of the company Xpediator, doubling the operational capacity of the current distribution hub.
Distribution centre underway at Symmetry Park in Biggleswade
11 Mar 20 Work has officially commenced on the construction of a new distribution centre for the Co-op, in partnership with a subsidiary of Tritax Big Box REIT PLC, by the contractor company Winvic Construction Ltd at the Symmetry Park in Biggleswade.
Flood defences underway in Ponteland
News - Construction News 10 Mar 20 The Environment Agency is currently undertaking the construction of new flood defences along the River Pont between Callerton Lane and the Memorial Hall footbridge in Ponteland in the North East. To go into further detail, these flood defences form part of the Ponteland Flood Alleviation Scheme and will protect 250 properties in the local area from dangers of flooding.
Hilti relocates to the new Circle Square Development in Manchester
10 Mar 20 A company named Hilti, which specialises in construction equipment and software, has made the decision to relocate to Oxford Road in central Manchester, occupying the second, third, and fourth floors of the Number One Circle Square Development which will be completed in July 2020. Going into more detail, Hilti will officially be making the move to Manchester in December 2020 and will occupy a total floor space of 42,000sq ft.
Queen Margaret Academy completed in South Ayrshire
10 Mar 20 The contractor company Kier have recently completed the construction of the Queen Margaret Academy in South Ayrshire, Scotland, as part of a £25M contract organised by the South Ayrshire Council and the development partner hub South West Scotland.
St Loyes Extra Care Home topped-out in Exeter
10 Mar 20 A topping-out ceremony has recently taken place at the site of a new Passivhaus standard care home in Exeter named the St Loyes Extra Care Home, with notable attendees including the likes of Kier project managers and local city councillors. To provide more detail on the St Loyes Extra Care Home, which will be situated on Topsham Road, the appointed contractor on the project is, as has already been mentioned, Kier Construction, who were procured as part of a £9.8M contract.
The Isles of Mull and Iona gaining funding for social homes
9 Mar 20 Local authorities on the Scottish Isles of Mull and Iona are set to benefit from the provision of £770,000 towards the construction of social housing in Ulva Ferry. To be more specific, the Mull and Iona Community Trust were awarded the £770,000 by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Islands Housing Fund which, unsurprisingly, allocates sums of a £30M overall fund for the provision of social housing across rural and island areas.
New aerospace manufacturing facility at Ansty Park in Coventry
9 Mar 20 The manufacturing sector in the town of Coventry is set to experience a significant uplift following the completion of a new aerospace manufacturing facility at the Ansty Park industrial site by the contractor company, Winvic Construction Ltd.
Looking ahead in social infrastructure
9 Mar 20 Ahead of this year’s UK Infrastructure Show (UKIS), which will be taking place on the 22nd April at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, it would be worthwhile to look back on the infrastructure projects which have defined the past year in the construction industry.
Self Build Wales to boost construction industry and housing
9 Mar 20 Housing in Wales is set to gain a much welcome boost from the implementation of a new self-build scheme, named Self Build Wales, which provides loans to individuals who can only manage 75 per cent of the costs of construction.
Coronavirus fails to stop manufacturing output jumping over the baseline
Coronavirus fails to stop manufacturing output jumping over the baseline Coronavirus issues had begun to hinder supply chains in the manufacturing sector in February, however this did not prevent manufacturing output from jumping over the baseline figure of 50.0 to 51.7, signify sector growth for the first time in nine months. If you would like to read more articles like this then please click here.
One Causeway Park underway in Egham
6 Mar 20 The contractor company BAM Construction, has recently been appointed to a project to deliver a new office development in Egham, Staines, named One Causeway Park on behalf of the Canadian fund management company AimCo. Going into more detail, the One Causeway Park project, which is now underway, has cost a total sum of £40M and is being managed by the property development company XLB Property, with the appointed design partner having been identified as the architecture company ARUP.
New station in Ceredigion set to assist rail links into Aberystwyth
6 Mar 20 As part of the government’s ongoing efforts to reverse the ‘Beeching Cuts’ from back in the 1960s, a £20M fund has been organised to facilitate the construction of new train stations, with two new stations in Pye Corner, Newport, and Bow Street, Ceredigion, already confirmed under the new fund.
Construction output jumps over baseline in February
The latest IHS Markit/ CIPS Construction PMI Report has shown that, in spite of a month of poor weather conditions, construction output has jumped over the baseline figure of 50.0 to 52.6 for the first time in six months. If you would like to read more articles like this then please click here.
Residential and transport hub planned in Stockport
6 Mar 20 Plans for the construction of a residential and transport hub in Stockport have taken a step closer to becoming a reality following the appointment of a main contractor in the form of Willmott Dixon. Going into further detail, the residential side of the Stockport development will provide approximately 200 new apartments in addition to a rooftop park and a bridge, traversable by both pedestrians and cyclists, which links to the transport side of the development.
A backward glance on transport and logistics infrastructure
6 Mar 20 Ahead of this year’s UK Infrastructure Show (UKIS), which will be taking place on the 22nd April at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, it would be worthwhile to look back on the infrastructure projects which have defined the past year in the construction industry.
Central School of Ballet to receive new studio building in Southwark
5 Mar 20 The Central School of Ballet in Southwark, London, is set to benefit from the impending completion of a new studio building named ‘The Countess of Wessex Studios’ ahead of the 2020/21 academic year which commences in September.
Four train stations in Wales guaranteed accessibility funding
5 Mar 20 Following an announcement stating that the government will provide a sum of £20M towards the improvement of accessibility at train stations, four stations in Wales have been confirmed as recipients of this funding in Grangetown, Pontypool and New Inn, Llantwit Major, and Neath.
Ground broken on Mayfield School in Portsmouth
5 Mar 20 A ground-breaking ceremony has taken place at Mayfield School in Portsmouth, Hampshire, to celebrate the beginning of the construction on a three-storey STEAM building, with attendees including members of the Department for Education, Portsmouth City Council, and the contractor company Kier.
GridKey system trialled on Midland motorways
5 Mar 20 Highways England are trialling a brand new motorway lighting monitoring system called the GridKey system, which should detect faults in cabling networks for motorway lights and then also dramatically reduce the amount of time and energy wasted on inspections.
Aubrey Place planned for construction in Milton Keynes
4 Mar 20 Students in Milton Keynes are set to benefit from the construction of a new 294 apartment complex in the city centre named Aubrey Place, which has been commissioned by the company Invesco and organised by the build-to-rent developer and operator Packaged Living.
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