News Roundup

Bentley Systems issues call for nominations for the 2023 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure

Bentley Systems, the infrastructure engineering software company, has announced its call for nominations for the 2023 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure. The awards, which are judged by independent juries of industry experts, recognise infrastructure projects for going digital advancements in infrastructure.

Users of Bentley software are invited to enter their projects no matter which phase the project is in – preconstruction/conceptual, design, construction, or operations. Categories include, construction, and surveying and monitoring.

The three finalists chosen for each awards category will be invited to attend the Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards event in Singapore in October, where they will present their projects before the judges, industry thought leaders, and more than 100 media members.

Bentley’s Founders will also honour select projects which contribute to infrastructure advancement and/or environmental and social development goals. For more information and to enter, visit www.bentley.com/events/going-digital-awards/awards/.

The deadline for nominations is 8 May 2023. 

Geo-data to support development of UK’s first flexible power station with carbon capture technology

Fugro has been awarded a ground investigation contract for SSE Thermal and Equinor’s planned Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station in North Lincolnshire. When complete, Keadby 3 could become the UK’s first flexible power station equipped with carbon capture technology, capable of capturing up to 1.5m tonnes of annual carbon. The acquired geo-data will enable stakeholders to understand ground conditions and make informed decisions during the engineering, design and construction phases of this project.

With a generating capacity of up to 910 MW, Keadby 3 will use natural gas as its fuel and will be fitted with a carbon capture plant to remove the CO2 from its emissions. In December 2022, it became the first power carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the UK to receive planning permission. 

New research hub to help tackle decarbonisation and improve transport resilience

Applications are now open now for organisations to host a new ‘Net Zero Transport for a Resilient Future’ research hub to boost innovative measures to decarbonise and improve transport as the country works towards its net zero goals. The government has pledged £10m in funding for the centre, which will drive decarbonisation solutions helping to ensure the sector can build UK skills, jobs and innovation.

The hub will be funded through UKRI’s Building a Green Future strategic theme to accelerate the UK’s transition to a secure and prosperous green economy by 2050.

To apply, visit www.ukri.org/opportunity/net-zero-transport-for-a-resilient-future-research-hub. 

New bridge in place over A30 as part of Cornwall dualling scheme

A new bridge has been installed over the A30 as part of National Highways’ Chiverton to Carland Cross road dualling scheme in Cornwall.

The Tolgroggan access bridge has spanned the A30 near Zelah for 32 years and needed to be replaced to accommodate the new dual carriageway and the existing road between the Chiverton and Carland roundabouts.

The new bridge weighs 275 tonnes and will eventually span the existing A30 road and four lanes of the new carriageway. 

Osmaniye City, Turkey, captured by Pleiades Neo. Image courtesy of the European Space Agency.

Satellites support impact assessment after Turkey–Syria earthquakes

Turkey and Syria are reeling from one of the worst earthquakes to strike the region in almost a century.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed with many more injured. Satellite data is being used to help emergency aid organisations, while scientists have begun to analyse ground movement to aid risk assessments that authorities will use as they plan recovery and reconstruction, as well as long-term research to better model such events.

The initial 7.8-magnitude tremor in southeast Turkey and northern Syria was followed by another of 7.5 magnitude – causing widespread destruction in both countries. The death toll from the earthquakes has risen to more than 44,000, with tens of thousands more left homeless. 

 

HS2 milestones reached

HS2 has completed its foundation work for the UK’s longest railway bridge, the Colne Valley Viaduct at 2.1 miles, and has celebrated reaching the halfway point of its 10-mile-long Chiltern tunnels. The first is a very significant achievement for HS2 Ltd’s main works contractor Align JV – a team made up of VolkerFitzpatrick, Bouygues Travaux Publics and Sir Robert McAlpine, and their supply chain partners, KVJV (Keller Group and VSL International), who spent almost two years to complete the piling.

Once complete, the bridge will carry the new high-speed rail line across a series of lakes and waterways near Hillingdon on the north-west outskirts of London.

The second milestone, saw the enormous 2,000-tonne ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ tunnelling machines spend the last 18 months excavating the twin tunnels between the M25 and South Heath in Buckinghamshire. Five shafts have also been excavated to provide ventilation and emergency access near Chalfont St Peter, Chalfont St Giles, Amersham, Little Missenden and Chesham Road. 

World’s first magnetised fusion power plant granted UK construction approval

South Oxfordshire District Council Planning Committee has approved the world’s first fusion energy project. The demonstration plant, designed by architects AL_A, is the result of a collaboration between Canadian energy company General Fusion and the UK Atomic Energy Agency and involves injecting hydrogen plasma into a liquid metal sphere, where it is compressed and heated so that fusion occurs.

Construction is due to start this year at United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority’s Culham Campus, with an opening date of 2026 when it will conduct experiments and serve as a prototype for future fusion plants. 

Entries into the London Construction Awards 2023 are now open

The London Construction Awards 2023 are now accepting submissions to its awards which celebrates achievements, developments and innovation across the UK’s booming construction industry. There are 23 categories for suppliers, contractors, architects, civil engineers, developers, housebuilders, local authorities and many more construction professionals from across the UK to enter.

The deadline date for submissions is 2 June at 5pm. To check out the categories, criteria and the full submission guide, visit www.londonconstructionawards.com. 

National tree map helps Dudley Council keep Black Country green

A unique map database from Bluesky International is helping Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council to understand the potentially devastating effects of Ash dieback and measure the impacts on tree stocks of the expansion of the West Midlands Metro Extension. The map, which provides height, location and canopy coverage data for trees, has been used since 2016, but is now informing more research and development projects. 

Ukrainians are protecting their cultural landmarks with their phones

Almost a year on, the war in Ukraine continues. Around 40,000 civilians have died, as well as 200,000 military personnel on both sides killed or injured, according to US military estimates. Plus, eight million refugees have sought safety across Europe and with more than six million more internally displaced in the country, the UN reports. Alongside the human tragedies, Ukraine’s cultural heritage is also at risk of being destroyed by the war.

As of 24 February 2022, UNESCO has verified damage to 241 sites – 106 religious sites, 18 museums, 86 buildings of historical and/or artistic interest, 19 monuments, and 12 libraries. Now, an initiative called Backup Ukraine, is allowing anyone to become an archivist to safeguard Ukraine’s cultural heritage using the Polycam app. The app allows citizens to make 3D models of buildings and monuments in case they are damaged or destroyed. The scans can then be uploaded and preserved online in a digital archive.

The Backup Ukraine project has also enlisted Skeiron, a team of 3D scanning experts, who say its 3D modelling archive already includes more than 100 important heritage sites as part of its #SaveUkrainianHeritage campaign. 

Machine control technology plays a pivotal role in Griffiths journey to net zero

Topcon’s machine control and cloud technologies have enabled Griffiths to become one of the first contractors in the UK to run multiple sites remotely using remote support, file transfer, autogenerated reports and weight reporting on haul trucks. By updating its machine control fleet, the company has reduced callouts by 80% and sites are now able to work more safely, accurately, efficiently, and sustainably.

Adrian Davies, Plant and Transport Director at Griffiths, said: “We understand that we have a vital part to play in addressing the climate emergency and we’ve been working hard to find ways to work smarter, safer, and in a more environmentally friendly manner.” 

 Image credit: Sellar/Herzog & De Meuron.

Liverpool Street Station’s latest designs unveiled

The latest designs for the £1.5bn redevelopment of Liverpool Street station give the public a detailed look at the architecture for the neo-Gothic Victorian train hub for the first time.

The project, which is led by the Sellar Property Group, the UK developer of the Shard, is in conjunction with rail development company MTR and Network Rail. Designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog and de Meuron, the project would add 840,000sq.ft of office space in two towers either side of the station, with the aim of these paying for the improvements. Parts of the existing station and its surroundings would make room for this.

Its upgrade has been met with objections from historic preservationists, led by the English national heritage body Historic England. The plans are set to go to city planners by April. 

In brief:

• Turner & Townsend has acquired London cost consultant Alinea and will operate from today under the name Turner & Townsend Alinea.
• Civil engineering, building and steelwork solutions contractor, Britcon (UK) Limited, has announced that the business has achieved Planet Mark carbon neutral certification.
• Watson Farley & Williams has signed the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations’ Green Pledge, which aims to minimise the impact of arbitration practices on the environment.
• An ambitious new development phase of the European Space Agency’s 5G/6G hub has begun as part of its drive to accelerate the 5G digital transformation of the European economy. Information technology firm CGI will lead the expansion project, backed by the UK Space Agency, with the project consortium including satellite operators Eutelsat and OneWeb as well as mobile network operator Vodafone.
• The Construction Industry Training Board has said an extra 225,000 construction workers will be needed by 2027 to cope with growing demand in private housing, infrastructure and repair and maintenance.
• Fugro and IOC/UNESCO have launched a working group ‘The Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group’ to unlock private-sector ocean data. Organised in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the working group is focused on creating frameworks and mechanisms to make privately owned ocean science data publicly available for the benefit of humanity.