News Roundup

News Roundup

A new visualiser has been developed to help with the UK’s decarbonisation

The feasibility of creating a digital twin of the UK’s energy system has been devised in a report launched by Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) in collaboration with The Alan Turing Institute and CityScape, sponsored by BEIS. It is hoped the resource will aid the UK in bringing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

The project has developed two proof of concept demonstrators, one focused on visual presentation and one on technical functionality. It provides a version for users with technical knowledge, and a visual demonstrator for non-technical decision makers. The visual demonstrator has been created by The Alan Turing Institute, ESC and CityScape Digital to provide accessible visualisations of outputs from the BEIS national buildings model.

The digital twin could eventually allow policymakers to see the impact of different policies in the energy sector, including both national-level decarbonisation indicators as well as a visualisation of changes at street-level. This could range from installing solar panels on roofs to EV chargers. 

UAV combined with simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) lidar technology is being used at a major French cement plant to improve stockpiling measures. Using Flyability’s Elios 3 drone and GeoSLAM’s lidar software, GeoSLAM Connect, the plant operator was able to create a 3D digital replica of the cement material container offering a unique look into storage management and stockpile measurement systems and providing greater accuracy and safety for those working onsite. Using lidar sensors to collect data during flight allowed the Elios 3 to collect measurements from all areas of the 25m silos. 

Align JV completes first tunnel cross passages

The construction of HS2’s longest tunnels stretching for 10 miles under the Chilterns has begun a new phase as the tunnelling machines approach the four-mile mark. Work has started on 38 cross passages linking the northbound and southbound tunnels.

The Chiltern tunnels will carry high speed trains between London and the north through two parallel tunnels at speeds of up to 200mph (320km/h). Delivered by HS2’s main works contractor, Align – a joint venture formed of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick – the 15-20 m in length cross passages will be for use in emergencies. Technology helps self-driving cars learn from own memories Researchers at Cornell University have developed a way to help autonomous vehicles create ‘memories’ of previous experiences and use them in future navigation, especially during adverse weather conditions when the car cannot safely rely on its sensors. Three concurrent papers have been produced with the goal of overcoming this limitation. One of these can be found in this issue on page 43. 

UK chancellor commits to ‘mini budget’ as he pledges to ‘get Britain building’

New Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng has pledged to “get Britain building". Designed to boost the flagging construction industry he has set out with an aim to streamline planning for roads, nuclear, renewables, hydrogen, CCUS, and oil and gas, and confirms modest boost for energy efficiency funding. In addition, the stamp duty threshold will be doubled.

There was widespread criticism of the ‘mini budget’ with fears inflation and interest rates could rise faster than predicted resulting in the pound’s slump in value when it was announced, however, the chancellor says the government will stick to its plan to try to boost the UK economy, with Prime Minister Liz Truss defending the mini budget.

The Office for Budget Responsibility said that it will lay out a timetable for the forecast. Its publication is due 23 November. 

Eco-friendly infrastructure plans released on tram in Saudi Arabia spanning AlUla’s landmarks and signs

The Royal Commission of AlUla has selected the SYSTRA Group to carry out the preliminary design studies for the AlUla tramway 2023 project. Part of a masterplan to enhance the cultural, agricultural and residential area using its architecture and history, as well as ‘environmental treasures’,the AlUla TramTrain project covers approximately 21km from AlUla Central Hijaz station to the ancient city of Hegra site in the north. It will comprise 15 stations, a depot and will serve archaeological sites in the area and future tourist destinations undergoing restructuring or development. 

Britain’s new nuclear power station in more than 20 years has its final head structure lowered into position

Balfour Beatty, alongside EDF Energy, has marked a first of its kind milestone at Britain’s landmark nuclear power station, Hinkley Point C, as it lowered the last of six head structures 25-metres to the bottom of the Bristol Channel. The engineering feat saw the final 5,000 tonne concrete structure towed out 30 nautical miles into the channel to meet two floating heavy lift cranes ‘Gulliver’ and ‘Rambiz’ – each the size of a football pitch with combined lifting capacity of 7,300 tonnes – to place the cooling-water head structure onto the seabed.

The six head structures, which will cap the tunnels supplying Hinkley Point C’s two nuclear reactors with cooling water, were manufactured by Balfour Beatty. Now in position, the six head structures will be connected to the five miles of underground tunnels, allowing 120,000 litres of sea water to circulate every second. Hinkley Point C is set to provide low carbon electricity to six million homes – twice as many as the whole of London, for around 60 years. 

Bentley Systems annual awards programme, which honours the work of Bentley software users advancing infrastructure design, construction, and operations throughout the world, will see winners from 12 categories, including bridges and tunnels; construction; enterprise engineering; facilities, campuses and cities; geoprofessional; grid; process and power generation; rail and transit; roads and highways; structural engineering; surveying and monitoring; and water and wastewater. Eleven independent jury panels selected the 36 finalists from over 300 nominations submitted by more than 180 organisations from 47 countries for the 12 categories. The winners will be revealed on 15 November during the 2022 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure celebrations in London at the Intercontinental Park Lane in front of invited press members and industry executives. Finalists’ presentations will be available for viewing using this link on 7 November. Check out all the finalists via https://bit.ly/3SIvhGn. 

Bluesky has taken to the skies to capture more oblique views of UK cities

Aerial mapping company Bluesky International, has been expanding its library of high-definition oblique photographs of UK cities to reveal more detail than ever before of building facades and street-level furniture, providing a 360-degree view of buildings, structures, or sites.

Captured using a Leica CityMapper camera, 20 cities have already been acquired, with plans to expand this further in the second half of 2022, including Irish cities like Dublin and Belfast and the UK cities of Leeds and Sheffield. 

KOREC Construction is now BuildingPoint UK & Ireland

KOREC Group has announced the establishment of BuildingPoint UK and Ireland as it becomes the newest partner to join Trimble’s BuildingPoint distribution network, along with KOREC Group who have an existing, established distribution geospatial partner relationship with Trimble. The team will be looked after by Sam Hough (UK) and Kevin Colwell (Ireland) whilst a new BuildingPoint construction focused website for the UK and Ireland has been launched at www.buildingpointukandireland.com. 

Demolition firms think material reuse is harder with MMC

Modern materials are ‘nowhere near as recoverable’ as those used in traditional construction, the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) chief executive Howard Button has told Building Magazine. He said the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) is making it much harder to reuse materials when a building is demolished. A number of industry groups have campaigned for the reuse of materials such as steel and timber to reduce embodied carbon during the construction process. 

In brief:

• Berlin’s disused Tegel airport is set to become an environmentally friendly residential community and research hub. The State of Berlin has commissioned the five-million square metre Grün Berlin- developed ‘Tegel Projekt’ renovation to include a 10,000-person, 5,000-apartment community with shops, restaurants, schools, parks, industrial park and research area called The Urban Tech Republic. Construction will start in 2023, with the initial parts of both projects due for completion by 2027.
• FARO Technologies, Inc. has acquired UK-based GeoSLAM. Under terms of the agreement, GeoSLAM shareholders received a cash payment of £22m and 495,562 shares of Faro stock. 
• The Alan Turing Institute is to fund seven innovative public engagement projects across the UK to boost understanding of AI and data science. The selected projects look at engaging with people from different backgrounds and with different levels of knowledge, including the exploration of the ethics of digital immortality through a theatrical performance.
• Balfour Beatty has been appointed as sole contractor to Scape Civil Engineering frameworks covering England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland worth up to £4bn. The frameworks enable local authorities and other public sector bodies to commission works through a procurement process providing a quick route to market.
• Gabriel Hradilek has been appointed by KOREC Group to the role of chief operating officer of K-MATIC, the group’s in-house software development division. 
• The latest Office for National Statistics reveals a fall in construction output in July (down 0.8%) for the second consecutive month (down 1.4% in June) as both the cost of living crisis and extreme heat forced workers off-site for days at a time took its toll. 
• Interconnect Malta Ltd, a government company operating under Malta’s Ministry of Environment, Energy and Enterprise, has awarded Fugro a contract to deliver a preliminary marine route survey and post-survey assessments to identify the final route for the Second Cable Interconnection Project between Malta and Sicily contributing to Malta’s climate and energy targets. 
• The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat annual CTBUH global walking tour will take place in the week of 14 October. Confirmed cities taking part include London, Manchester, Cape Town, Auckland, New York, Ottawa and Tai Pei, with the theme ‘Height and Heritage’.
• To prepare Europe for future decision making on space-based solar power, the European Space Agency has proposed a preparatory programme for Europe, initially named SOLARIS, for the upcoming ESA Council at Ministerial Level in November 2022.