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Tekla Sturctures in Practice - BIM for Concrete Structures

Marshalls Chris Harrop is Green Guru 2009

British Precast calls for halt to multistorey timber frame building in urban areas

Thorp Precast, Cornish Concrete and Techrete star for precast in Concrete Society Awards

Tarmac Homes Project- masonry homes explode timber-frame myth

Public investment in construction produces £2.84 benefit for every £1 spent – new report available

Tarmac take Best Use of Concrete at OSC Awards

Increase your Efficiency with Tekla Structures for Precast Concrete

The Charles Darwin memorial sculpture, Quantum Leap

H+H reaches "very good" under the BRE BES6001 Responsible Sourcing Standard

Jaume Plensa wins 2009 Creativity in Concrete Award for Dream

British Precast meets Construction Minister Ian Lucas MP at Labour Party Conference

UK Government Progress Report on the Strategy for Sustainable Construction

Lafarge Readymix Secures BES6001 for Responsible Sourcing

British Precast Supports the Government Review of Construction

Concrete Creators in Action

British Precast signs affiliation agreement with Mineral Products Association

Evans Concrete turns dream into reality

Rare Victorian concrete house is being restored

Sustainable Construction Forum issues first performance report

Get Britain Building campaign launched at Westminster

British Precast Forecasting Conference

Precast Eurocode: Worked examples launched

British Precast leads the way on responsible sourcing of products

Industry laments sad loss of Mike Downing

Technical presentations offered on precast building systems

Concrete Special Issue

Logless log cabin that's really made of concrete

Cementing a sustainable future

Jørn Utzon dies, age 90

Opus C interviews Martin Clarke

The British Precast Guide to understanding the BRE Green Guide

British Precast signs Sustainable Concrete Declaration

British Precast 50th Anniversary 1918-1968 report online

CE Marking

British Precast launches Sustainability Charter

Creativity in Concrete Award

Tekla Structures in Practice – BIM for Concrete Structures

15th January 2010

Tekla's Canadian reseller Dowco Technology Services recently arranged a conference in Vancouver to introduce a new approach to BIM (Building Information Modelling) for engineers. The conference sought answers to questions such as what is BIM, who is it for, why should companies go for BIM, how is BIM better than CAD, and how to know whether one's BIM tool is the best available.

Wayne Kassian, principal at Kassian Dyck Associates, was the keynote speaker in the event. His topic was 'Precast Concrete, Reinforcing, and Total Concrete Structures – From Virtual Design to Fabrication/Construction Drawings'. His presentation gives an excellent insight into the benefits of Tekla Structures for concrete design and detailing and how Tekla’s 3D BIM software can greatly improve your design and business processes.

To read more and view the presentations click here.

Marshalls' Chris Harrop is Green Guru 2009

Chris Harrop, Group Marketing Director at Marshalls

9th December 2009

Chris Harrop has been voted Green Guru Manufacturer 2009 in the Building Magazine Sustainability Now contest. The shortlist of six included Miles Watkins of Aggregate Industries and Andy Spencer of Cemex.

Chris has been the driving force behind manufacturer Marshalls’ sustainability agenda since 2004. Recognising the growing demand to manage the environmental impact of the business and its products, Harrop set about delivering real sustainable change. At the heart of this is Marshalls’ sustainable business model, which balances the social, environmental and economic elements of business, using a set of key performance indicators to deliver sustainable change. The firm introduced carbon labelling of over 2,000 domestic and commercial paving products with the Carbon Trust’s official scheme, was among the first in the industry to launch a carbon calculator and to belong to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), implementing the ETI Base Code in India and raising awareness of child labour issues in Indian quarries, and has helped raise awareness of greenwash. It has also achieved Wildlife Trust biodiversity benchmarks for two sites and undertaken an environmental profiling project with BRE for commercial products. Harrop speaks on green issues all over Europe and is credited worldwide for his ethical supply chain work.

British Precast calls for halt to multistorey timber frame building in urban areas

26th November 2009

The fire spread quickly to neighbouring flats

British Precast is calling for a halt to multistorey timber frame building in urban areas after today's destructive and dangerous fire in Peckham, South London.

The fire started on a construction site where a 5 storey timber-frame building had been partially construction. The fire was so intense that it soon spread to neighbouring flats, causing over 300 people to be evacuated.

Martin Clarke said "The lessons of the Colindale fire which leapt over to student accommodation and threatened the national police computer at Hendon have clearly not been learned. There have been a succession of arson-attack and accidental fires since then and only a few weeks ago there was a smaller, but similar incident, in High Wycombe. There is clearly a major threat of instant collateral damage and a risk to workers and nearby communities. These types of structure are clearly an unsustainable failed experiment. We call on Government, the GLA, and the HCA to act now."

Further details can be found on the BBC News website, Building Design online or on Inside Housing's website.

Thorp Precast, Cornish Concrete and Techrete star for precast in Concrete Society Awards

16th November 2009

5 Piccadilly Place

At the Concrete Society Awards evening on Friday, Thorp Precast picked up a Certificate of Excellence in the Building category for Five Piccadilly Place in Manchester, known as the Hub. The building is a total precast structure featuring twin-wall and aircrete panels, precast stairs and lift-shafts, hollowcore floors and architectural cladding. Total build-time of the 14 storeys including 3 basement carpark levels was 38 weeks. Thorp impressed the judges with 3,300m2 of architectural cladding in mixed faces of white limestone and black granite. Thorp also won a Commendation for the North Kent Police Station, a BREEAM excellent building, 250 white panels were supplied up to 44 square metres per unit, together with a beam and column frame. This is believed to be the first time that two awards have been made to the same company in one year.

Calthorpe House

Also in the Building category a Commendation went to Techrete for Calthorpe House in Edgbaston, Birmingham. 386 panels were supplied most 35 square metres in size from the Brigg plant. Pre-installed windows were supplied. Three finishes were supplied in red sandstone and a Portland stone-type. The building is also rated BREEAM excellent. David Kennell, recently retired from Techrete, rates it amongst the best projects he has been involved with.

In the Civils category Cornish Concrete Products won a Certificate of Excellence for the lower bridge at Boscastle. This small bridge is an elegant, curved one piece structure replacing a stone arch bridge damaged in the 2004 Boscastle flood. The design minimizes visual impact and fulfils the need to allow floodwater and debris to pass unhindered.

Congratulations to all three of our member companies. The British Precast Project Awards 2010 will be open for entries from December and will be presented at Concrete2010 on May 11th in Leicester.

Tarmac Homes Project- masonry homes explode timber-frame myth

6th November 2009

Tarmac's Masonry Homes Project	Blair Illingworth, Chief Exec, Tarmac Building Products

Tarmac Building Products this week held a very well attended launch of their two masonry homes built on the University of Nottingham campus in conjunction with Lovell Partnerships.
Built to Code for Sustainable Homes levels 4 and 6, with no “eco-bling”, the houses have exploded the now-discredited myth that only timber-frame can meet the higher code levels.
Tarmac also revealed that the level 4 house came with a smaller premium of £6,500 against a benchmark level of £9,000 estimated by Cyril Sweett. The level 6 house in contrast came in with a higher premium. Tarmac Building Products Chief Executive, Blair Illingworth, reminded the audience of housebuilders, housing associations and designers of the extra benefits of masonry including thermal comfort and longevity.

For more see www.tarmachomesproject.co.uk and see the video linked here.

Public investment in construction produces £2.84 benefit for every £1 spent – new report available here

28th October 2009

James Wates chairman of the UKCG who launched today's report

Construction significantly benefits the economy, according to new research from LEK commissioned by the UKCG and published today. Construction is the best sector for stimulating employment. It shows that every £1 spent on construction leads to an increase in GDP of £2.84

Martin Clarke of British Precast and Jerry McLaughlin of MPA attended the launch of this great report this morning along with Mark Oliver of H+H UK who, to their huge credit, part-sponsored it. This report should be shouted about by everyone with an interest in construction - about 4 million of us. We have a few months only to make the case to all parties to preserve the public capital investment programme. Please join in the spreading of this vital message. Read more at Confederation of British Industry and UK Contractors Group websites. Click here for the full report, press release and todays powerpoint slides from consultant LEK.

The report has been welcomed by the Get Britain Building group.If you have not signed up please visit www.getbritainbuilding.co.uk

Tarmac take Best Use of Concrete at OSC Awards

26th October 2009

Tarmac TermoDeck have scooped the top prize at last week's Offsite Construction Magazine Awards for Best Use of Concrete; a category dominated by British Precast Members.

Tarmac won the award for the British Geological Survey (BGS) building in Keyworth, Nottingham; the first in the UK to combine Tarmac TermoDeck, a unique heating and ventilation system which uses the high thermal mass of structural hollowcore concrete, with a timber frame structure. Further details can be found here.

The Shortlist for the award was as follows:

Tarmac Termodeck (BGS Nottingham) *** WINNER

Aggregate Industries (Quantum Leap)
Buchan Concrete Solutions (John Perryn Primary School)
Danilith UK Ltd (Wortegem-Petegem, Belgium)
Structherm Ltd (Briar Croft, Stratford-upon-Avon)

Increase your Efficiency with Tekla Structures for Precast Concrete

15th October 2009

Now more than ever it is critical for precast concrete manufacturers to reduce costs and increase efficiency across all business processes. Tekla Structures is the most efficient way to deliver all types of precast concrete elements at the right time to the right place by integrating design and detailing with manufacturing and project management. Enabling easy and error-free change management, the Tekla model can be used to support the entire precast workflow from sales and bidding, cost estimation and conceptual design, to detailing, integrated manufacturing, erection and project follow-up, as well as for site management.

For further information please find our Press Releases section.

The Charles Darwin memorial sculpture, Quantum Leap

15th October 2009

The Charles Darwin memorial sculpture, Quantum Leap, is the second largest sculpture in the UK. The structure stands at an impressive 12 metres tall and weighs in excess of 100 tonnes.

Aggregate Industries and Charcon Precast Solutions have painstakingly supported the project, developing mouldage solutions and supporting the design process. Not to mention producing very specific concrete mix designs whilst considering a very complex reinforcement criteria. They achieved the objective of hand crafting 31 propeller-shaped blades, weighing three and half tonnes each.

A fuller case study can be downloaded here.

Jaume Plensa wins 2009 Creativity in Concrete Award for Dream

2nd October 2009

Images (l-r) Jaume Plensa receives his award from Martin Clarke and Garry McBride, Dream and Garry McBride talks about turning Dream into reality

Internationally renowned artist Jaume Plensa has been awarded the British Precast ‘Creativity in Concrete Award’ for 2009 for his design of Dream, a 22m high precast concrete sculpture of a girl’s head with her eyes closed in a dream-like state that stands on the site of a former colliery in St.Helens.

Jaume Plensa flew in specially from Canada to receive his award from Martin Clarke at a special event held at Southwark Cathedral. He spoke about the inspiration behind Dream and how he came to be involved in the project. Garry McBride, Chairman of bespoke precast concrete specialists Evans Concrete, also spoke at the event, explaining how his company turned Dream into reality.

Jaume said “By artists and manufacturers working together they open their minds up to new possibilities and that’s when something succeeds – just like Dream. Ideas without materials simply can’t exist.”

“We are thrilled that Jaume chose concrete for Dream, the first time he has featured our material, and we are delighted to make this award,” said Martin Clarke of British Precast. “Dream stands out, quite literally, this year and is a beacon of optimism for the precast industry as well as for the North West region and the local community. Congratulations also to Evans Concrete, one of our most progressive and exciting member companies, for their dedication and skill.”

Garry McBride added “Dream is probably the finest achievement in the company’s history and it also has to be one of the highlights of my own professional career. The skill and attention to detail that were necessary to design and manufacture the individual pieces of concrete which form this sculpture needed to be of the highest quality. I am proud to say that I believe that we have succeeded in creating an iconic sculpture which will remain as a permanent showcase to our skills and traditions. I am therefore particularly delighted that British Precast has chosen Jaume as the recipient of this special award.”

The Creativity in Concrete Award is presented each year to an architect, designer or artist in recognition of a particular achievement for the creative use of concrete. In 2008 this award was presented to esteemed Danish architect, the late Jørn Utzon.

For further information please find our Press Releases section or view a clip of the work behind the project at http://www.britishprecast.org/podcasts/dream.php

Gillian Bond's poem about Dream

British Precast meets Construction Minister Ian Lucas MP at Labour Conference

30th September 2009

Martin Clarke, Mike Leonard, and the Get Britain Building team meet Ian Lucas MP (front right)

Martin Clarke of British Precast joined the other three founders of Get Britain Building to meet Ian Lucas MP today in Brighton.

In a wide-ranging discussion the group reminded the Minister of the dire state of the construction sector and the need to preserve our manufacturing and skills bass. A number of Get Britain Building policy ideas were explored. The Minister was handed a letter from British Precast following on from yesterdays Mind the Gap Report from the TCPA which highlighted the million home gap that is being approached between Government targets and reality. The letter also drew his attention to MPA concerns over the mineral planning system which the Federation shares.

Martin Clarke commented “Ian Lucas is an able and positive Minister with a portfolio that is far too wide. We hope that he will visit one or two members plants soon. A number of positive leads came out of our 45 minute discussion which we will be following up".

UK Government Progress Report on the Strategy for Sustainable Construction

16th September 2009

Martin Clarke attended the launch yesterday of The Progress Report on the Strategy for Sustainable Construction. Members will be separately briefed.

For a link to the pdf version of the Report, please see the Sustainable Construction Strategy web page.

To order a free hard copy of either the Strategy for Sustainable Construction or the Progress Report 2009 please ring 0845 045 0010, contact the BIS publications team at publications@bis.gsi.gov.uk, quoting document reference URN 08/973 for the Strategy for Sustainable Construction, or URN 09/1244 for the Progress Report ‘09. Alternatively, follow this link to the BIS Publications web site for the Strategy for Sustainable Construction.

Associate Member Lafarge Readymix Secures BES6001 for Responsible Sourcing

29th September 2009

Not content with leading the way in innovative concrete mixes and providing the best customer service, Lafarge Readymix, the concrete producer with an enviable reputation for high-quality products and services, has been recognised as a supplier of responsibly sourced materials.

Achieving a 'Very Good' from BRE Global, the company has been awarded a BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing Certificate for all its production sites and products, including industry leading innovative brands such as the self-compacting concrete and screed range Agilia™ and the low-shrink steel alternative Extensia™.

The independent third-party certification scheme assesses responsible sourcing policies and practices throughout the supply chain; measuring the social, economic and environmental impacts of construction products over their whole life, from raw state, through manufacture and processing, through use, reuse and recycling, until its final disposal as waste.

Lafarge Readymix suppliers a number of members plants and last year won a Sustainability Champion Award from British Precast.

British Precast Supports the Government Review of Construction

Keith Clarke, leading the review of construction

21st September 2009

British Precast has welcomed last week’s announcement from Lord Mandelson, the First Secretary of State, that Government will undertake a strategic review of construction, and has offered its wholehearted support to the initiative. Martin Clarke commented “We are pleased that innovation and low carbon are at the heart of this review – precast and masonry have a lot to offer in achieving national goals in both areas.”

To undertake this review, an Innovation Growth Team (IGT), will be established consisting of individuals from across the business spectrum and not just from construction. Once in post, the Chief Construction Adviser (CCA) will lead the review but until such time as the CCA is in place, Lord Mandelson has invited Keith Clarke, Chief Executive of Atkins and Chairman of the Construction Industry Council to chair the review.

In recent years IGTs have been undertaken in several sectors- aerospace, automotive, biotechnology and chemicals.
The draft terms of reference for this work include the following:

• To assess the impact of the New Industry, New Jobs agenda on the performance of the UK construction industry.
• To assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the UK construction industry.
  
• To identify the barriers to improved performance by the UK construction industry, and to make recommendations.
  
• To consider how the UK construction industry can take forward the low carbon agenda and to make recommendations to make the UK a world leader in low carbon construction and the built environment.

Keith Clarke said, "This is both a timely and vital initiative for the entirety of the UK construction industry and its complex interface with both Government as a policy maker and a major client. We are at a crucial point in the beginning of the journey to a low carbon economy and the engineering, design and construction professions have a vital part to play working with Government to effect radical changes in providing a built environment that provides the quality of life the UK requires."

Concrete creators in action

Hands on - Martin Clarke sculptures in concrete.

13th August 2009

Six ambitious people with varying skills assembled in early August 2009 at Carole Vincent's studio to learn how to make a concrete sculpture. On his busman's summer holiday was Martin Clarke, Chief Executive of British Precast. Here is his assessment:

"Maybe a slightly crazy thing to do but I wanted to see if I had the creativity, skills and patience to make something artistic myself out of a material that I have written and talked about for decades. Over the five days I learned much about clay, about plaster, about concrete and about their interactions. It was a timeless period which I will always remember, working alongside very pleasant people with a shared interest and ambition.

"Great credit to Carole for her teaching skills in helping to produce a creditable range of work. Will I do it again, after all I have not made anything artistic in nearly 60 years? The answer is a firm 'yes' - I am already drawing out new designs and planning to reconfigure my garden shed as a mini concrete production line.

"For now it's back to a little more bagging up and sanding before my sculpture is displayed at the British Precast office. Watch this space and, if you can, sign on for the next Carole Vincent course at www.carolevincent.org."

British Precast signs affiliation agreement with Mineral Products Association

4th June 2009

Steve Parker, President of British Precast, and Lynda Chase-Gardener, Chairman of MPA, sign the joint affiliation agreement with Nigel Jackson and Martin Clarke (back, left) looking on

British Precast President Steve Parker signed an affiliation agreement with the Mineral Products Association (MPA) at the organisation's showcase event held in Westminster today. British Precast Chief Executive Martin Clarke was a co-signatory.

The agreement with the recently-formed MPA, which represents the cement, aggregates, lime, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete, slag and mortar industries, incorporates a range of planned collective activities all designed to add greater value for members and to improve business prospects along the supply chain.

The combination of the MPA and British Precast adds up to a powerful lobbying force for both concrete and other heavy-side materials. British Precast has 179 full, associate and affiliate members representing over £2bn turnover, to add to the £5bn turnover and 220 members of the MPA.

Further infomration can be found in our press release

Evans Concrete turns dream into reality

28th April 2009

The final piece of Dream, a 20 metre high sculpture created by Ripley-based bespoke precast concrete specialist Evans Concrete, has been lifted into place, creating a highly prestigious piece of public art for St Helens. 

Designed by world renowned artist Jaume Plensa, Dream is fabricated entirely from precast concrete and takes the form of a head of a girl with her eyes closed, seemingly in a dream-like state. It stands on the former Sutton Manor Colliery in St Helens, overlooking the M62, and is a landmark feature for the north west, symbolising regeneration in the region.

It has been commissioned by St Helens Council as part of The Big Art Project, an ambitious public art initiative from Channel 4 supported by Arts Council England and The Art Fund, the UK’s leading independent art charity.

British Precast Full Member Evans has used Spanish Dolomite mix to give Dream a glowing white finish in contrast to the black coal below. Specialist moulds have been created to give the sculpture a smooth, quality finish.

Dream has been cast at Evans’s facility and has then been transported by road to St Helens where it has been installed on site. The whole process from concept through to manufacture and installation has been captured by Channel 4, who have been filming at Evans’s facility. It will feature in the Big Art series on the channel that starts on 10th May.

Garry McBride, Chairman of Evans Concrete, said: “This is probably the finest achievement in Evans Concrete’s history. To design and manufacture 94 individual pieces of concrete and then to witness the final piece being installed has to be one of the highlights of my professional career. The skill and attention to detail that we have shown on this project has been outstanding and we have created an iconic sculpture which will remain as a permanent showcase to our skills and tradition.” 

British Precast Associate Member J&P Building Services also played a key role in the design and detailing of the structure.

Sustainable Construction Forum issues first performance report

19th March 2009

The Concrete Industry Sustainable Construction Forum today published its first Annual Performance report at a reception at Lancaster House in London.

The reception was addressed by campaigner Jonathan Porritt, founder of the Forum of the Future and Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission. The reply for the concrete industry was given by Martin Clarke of British Precast (pictured left), who stressed the achievements made to date and the key challenges for the next 12 months and beyond.

A copy of his speech and the performance report can be downloaded here.

Get Britain Building campaign launched at Westminster

11th February 2009

Get Britain Building, the biggest coalition in the building industry’s history, was launched yesterday at Westminster to demand that the Government does all it can to prevent 300,000 predicted job losses in the construction sector and to create a framework in which small construction businesses can survive in the recession.

The Get Britain Building coalition, spearheaded by British Precast, the Modern Masonry Alliance, the Builders Merchants Federation and the Federation of Master Builders, is demanding that the Government supports its 10-point manifesto to get Britain building again and save hundreds of thousands of jobs in the construction industry.

For the full story, and details on how you can help the campaign, click here.

  Industry laments sad loss of Mike Downing

8th January 2009

We are saddened to report the passing of Mike Downing (pictured, right) on Boxing Day at the age of just 65. Mike will be remembered by his colleagues and by competitors of Trent Concrete alike for his enthusiasm for architectural cladding, structural precast and good engineering and architecture, and for his willingness to represent the industry externally as a true ambassador.

Mike was a long-standing chairman of the Architectural Cladding Association and the Structural Precast Association and a staunch member of the BPCF Council. Mike’s contribution to the industry lives on within the ethos of Trent Concrete - members of ours since 1939. He was one of very few recipients of the British Precast Lifetime Contribution Award.

Mike will be remembered by all with respect and affection.

British Precast leads the way on responsible sourcing of products

New guidance for concrete industry published

18th December 2008

British Precast has joined with other cement and concrete sector bodies to form the Concrete Industry Sustainable Construction Forum. The forum is today launching a pioneering guidance document to help concrete product and material producers certify to the BRE standard BES6001 – the framework standard for the responsible sourcing of construction products.

Responsible sourcing is important to maximise credits under the Code for Sustainable Homes and is a prerequisite for supply to the London 2012 Olympics. It is also being increasingly required by other private and public sector clients and their specifiers.

Martin Clarke, Chief Executive of British Precast, said: “We are delighted to be the first sector to work with BRE under BES 6001. I must thank Dr Trevor Grounds of Tarmac for his leadership of the task group that has developed the guidance.”

The documents are available to download by clicking on the following links:

• Press release
• Concrete guidance document
• BES 6001

A briefing note for British Precast Full Members can be found on the Members' Area of this website.

The British Precast Guide to understanding the BRE Green Guide

1st October 2008

The BRE Green Guide to Specification provides designers and specifiers with guidance on how to make the best environmental choices when selecting construction materials and components.

The British Precast Guide to the BRE Green Guide to Specification explains how the guide and the ratings work and will help manufacturers:

   • Understand how the BRE Green Guide is compiled and presented
   • Appreciate how ratings are attributed to products/elements
   • Identify how well their products perform in the current ratings
   • Better explain the ratings to their customers
   • Determine if action should be taken to ‘improve’ their ratings

The British Precast guide is only available to Full Members and can be accessed in the Members Area of this website.

British Precast launches Sustainability Charter

	Signatories of the charter - (l - r) Trevor Grounds- Tarmac, Chris Hudson- Aggregate Industries, Norman Richards- Marley Eternit, Ian Holton- British Precast, George Pickard- Litecast, Paul King- UKGBC, David Moses- Cornish Concrete, Robert Donnelly- Hanson, Martin Clarke- British Precast, Stuart Bell- Marshalls and Robert Hall- Trent Concrete

29th November 2007

British Precast has launched a challenging Sustainability Charter, which invites member companies to sign up to a series of commitments to improve their sustainability performance and profile.

At the launch event in November 2007, the initiative was warmly welcomed by Paul King of the UK Green Building Council who said: "The charter will be used as an exemplar by the council.” 

Martin Clarke, British Precast Chief Executive, said: “The charter was the next planned step in our sector sustainability strategy More from Less. We encourage all our members to sign up but at the same time advise that it is a serious decision needing full commitment to achieve the objectives.”

Member companies who signed up at the launch reception were:

• Aggregate Industries UK
• Cornish Concrete
• Hanson
• Litecast
• Marley Eternit
• Marshalls
• Tarmac
• Trent Concrete