The world’s tallest wooden building is groundbreaking for more than just its height. When Mjøstårnet was to be built, Moelven employed a completely new and untested assembly technique.

“Outsiders may perhaps think that there is great risk involved in using a new assembly method on such a large and prestigious project. However, following many years of development, we were ready to take a new step,” says Rune Abrahamsen, director at Moelven Limtre.

Lego for grown-ups

Mjøstårnet will be Moelven’s second world record in terms of tall wooden buildings. In 2014 the apartment building Treet was completed in Bergen. The structure, with a height of 51 metres across 14 storeys, was first assembled at the factory in Moelv before being transported to the building site for final assembly. However, with Mjøstårnet the beams are taken directly to the building site, without any form of trial assembly.

To celebrate the recent opening of its 100 metric tonnes a day capacity manufacturing plant, Lime Green Products held its first Open Day attended by customers, architects and restoration contractors, conservation officers and the Lord Mayor of Much Wenlock, who all enjoyed a tour of the new factory which impressed all.

Joe Orsi of Orsi Contini Consultants, a customer and historic buildings specialist said “I like what you have done and I have no doubt that this brave investment will benefit and secure your business well into the future.”

The UK’s leading supplier of rainscreen cladding systems, Vivalda Group plc, has confirmed strong growth for the year ending December 2017, with its turnover increasing by 19% to £31m.

Despite the chronic under performance of the construction sector, the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Brexit and the impact of the Carillion collapse, Vivalda has continued to grow its business via a twin track strategy of unrivalled product quality and service to satisfy the needs of the expanding off-site fabrication market. The business, which now boasts eight locations throughout the UK and Ireland, took the decision last year to stock only fully certified cladding products – providing assurance and building trust among specifiers and contractors. The company has also invested more than £250,000 in new technology, enabling it to supply finished products to the fast-growing off-site building fabrication sector.

Luxury interior designer Vesta Interior Design has seen a trend in homeowners requiring a solution to allow multiple generations to live in harmony under one roof. This has traditionally been popular among Middle Eastern and Asian families, but Vesta notes an increase among British and European buyers as a result of the current property market conditions.

With moving now so expensive, and both upsizing and downsizing coming with their own challenges, many families are opting to consolidate their potential purchasing power and buy together. Indeed, they recently undertook a project for leading developer St James at their Fitzroy Gate development in Isleworth to do just this.  

The ability to refine state of the art technology has enabled Gilberts to play a key role in helping take a Grade II listed building into the 21^st century.

The 98,000 sq ft Arkwright House has undergone a £16m upgrade by Catalyst Capital, to create seven floors and a basement of premium quality open office space.

One of the major issues being faced at the Manchester city centre building of national interest has been how to deliver adequate quantities of fresh air throughout the building without draughts- bearing in mind that the finished soffits are over 3m high.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of people consider a lack of quality of build to be a major disadvantage of buying a new build home over an older property, according to a recent survey by BLP Insurance, a specialist residential warranty and commercial latent defects insurer.

People living in the north of England (29%) were more likely to view a lack of quality of construction as a major disadvantage of new build homes compared to those people living in London and the south east (21%).

Panasonic is delighted to announce that they will be sponsors of the 2018 RAC Cooling Awards.

This will be the second year running that Panasonic has sponsored these prestigious industry awards. The sponsorship is part of a series of activities throughout 2018 where Panasonic has been celebrating its 100^th year of trading and 60 years of Heating and Cooling.

Tony Nielsen, Marketing Manager of Panasonic commented “We are delighted to be sponsoring the awards for the second year running, especially in 2018 during our 100^th year celebrations. The RAC Cooling Awards have become an important part of the industry calendar and a superb tool for companies to demonstrate excellence and innovation across the industry.”

A market-leading payload potential meant that when Durham Render Centre decided to stand down the 7.5-tonne FUSO Canter it purchased six years ago, the firm’s owners had no difficulty in deciding on a replacement – they chose another Canter.

Like its predecessor the new truck was supplied by Bell Truck and Van, which represents Mercedes-Benz in the North-East – the manufacturer’s franchised Dealer Network is also responsible for sales and support of the popular FUSO light truck range in Britain.

A mum’s ‘toilet selfies’ have inspired a south coast theatre to splash out £17,000 on brand-new facilities for people with disabilities.

Mayflower Theatre has announced it will install a ‘Changing Places’ toilet as part of its major refurbishment project this summer. It comes after hearing the story of Sarah Brisdion, who caught headlines last year when she posted pictures of herself on the toilet to campaign for better public toilet facilities.

The Hampshire mum posted a selfie from the loo every day in the lead up to Christmas to raise awareness of the poor conditions she was forced to change her son in when using public toilets.

Supermarket fuel card provider, fuelGenie, is pleased to announce its attendance at leading industry exhibition, Fleet Management Live. The free fuel card is popular amongst tradespeople in the building and construction industry and allows employees to keep fuel costs down when attending customer jobs.

Taking place at Birmingham’s NEC, this year’s show will see in excess of 2,000 visitors. With over 150 businesses exhibiting on both the 9th and 10th of October, the event is set to give fleet managers and decision makers a chance to speak to experts and peers about how they are preparing for the future of fleet.

Sliding and folding door hardware manufacturer, P C Henderson, has witnessed an ever increasing trend for its Rustic 80 barn door hardware over the past few years. The hardware has recently been specified for a home renovation project by first time buyers Reece Hall and Zoe Wood due to its unique features and space saving properties.

Located in the Kent countryside, Reece and Zoe purchased the property in June 2017. Built in the early 1900s, the 2 bedroom, semi-detached cottage was full of character but required a much needed renovation to help restore the property to its former glory. The 11 month renovation included a complete rewire, full house re-plaster, a full damp-proof course, new heating and plumbing system and a new kitchen and bathroom. The couple also required some sliding door hardware for the properties bedroom and bathroom doors.

Apart from the recent thunder storms, Britain’s summer has so far proven to be a very un-British scorcher. With temperatures hitting sweltering highs, spare a thought for the bricklayers, carpenters and other tradespeople that have to work outside, and who have already had to endure the bitter Beasts from the East earlier this year.

To find out how people on the country’s construction sites are handling the heat, the UK’s largest online supplier of ironmongery, IronmongeryDirect, has carried out a poll among its customers – mainly sole traders and small businesses.

The number of visitors attending The Homebuilding & Renovating Shows who are working on a live project is increasing year on year, according to new research from the event organisers Future PLC. The last show of 2017 emphasised the quality and commitment of the show’s audience with 80 per cent of visitors undertaking a live project, significantly increasing the ROI for exhibitors.

As a result, the organisers are now issuing a call for entry to those that are interesting in exhibiting at this year’s London and Harrogate events taking place in ExCeL between 21 and 23 September and HCC from 2 to 4 November.