Renewable energy, tall tower contracting & rise in care home build

Howard Chapman, Buildingtalk Editor, reviews the latest industry surveys.

Construction industry surveys have called for more renewable energy spend during the infrastructure boom. They also explain why contractors are reluctant to bid for new London skyscrapers and highlight the rise in care home construction contracts.

Renewable energy is the top infrastructure priority identified by an independent survey of more than 2,000 members of the public published this week.

• renewable energy 43%
• more house building 39%
• energy from waste plants 32%
• railways 31%
• flood defences 30%
• major roads 30% 
• nuclear power projects 19%
• airports 8%

Will London’s tallest tower get built?

Latest survey says contractors may not bid

Eric Parry Architects design proposal for a 309.6m high, 73-storey office tower at 1 Undershaft in the City has already been dubbed ‘The Trellis’ because of its distinctive visible structural cross bracing that tapers slightly at the top. Its public viewing platform would be higher than The Shard, over river at London Bridge.

But will it really get built? The CIOB’s CM News, reporting on the annual survey by Aecom, measuring contractors’ capacity and workload for prime commercial offices and residential projects in London, highlighted the fact that construction of London office and residential space now topping pre-recession peaks – and contractors are becoming increasingly choosy about which projects they are prepared to bid for.

Aecom’s 2015 London Contractors’ Survey polled contractors including Galliford Try, Laing O’Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine and Willmott Dixon, and found that they are turning down one in every two bidding opportunities.

Growth for Care Home construction market

New research predicts steady growth for Care Home construction market

AMA Research have published the 3^rd edition of the ‘Care Homes Construction Market Report – UK 2015-2019 Analysis’.

This report should be of particular interest to care providers in the private and local authority sectors and construction/service companies involved in the long-term care sector.

Report includes key construction companies and developers in the long-term care sector such as Bouygues, Building Construction Partnership, Castlemead, Castleoak, Galliford Try, Keepmoat, Leadbitter, LNT, Stepnell, Thomas Vale, Wates, Willmott Dixon etc., plus key clients, development programmes and capabilities.