Technology

Tens of homes left half-finished by collapsed modular housebuilder Ilke Homes are to be part-demolished before construction can restart. Work at the Meadow Grange development in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, stopped last June after the housebuilder collapsed into administration. More than a year later, a replacement contractor has not yet been appointed.…

Peers have called for the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to be stripped of responsibility for certifying modern methods of construction (MMC), following criticism in the Grenfell Inquiry’s final report. A House of Lords debate on MMC yesterday (5 September) also heard calls from across the political spectrum for the BRE…

Three plant-hire trade organisations have urged chancellor Rachel Reeves to extend an upfront tax break to include equipment rented without an operator. Currently, construction plant is eligible for full expensing relief if it is rented with someone to operate it because it is considered a service. Plant rented without an…

Modular builder TopHat has avoided being wound up after agreeing a deal with one of its creditors. Developer Harworth filed winding-up petitions against two TopHat entities on 2 August, which were heard at the High Court in Leeds  yesterday (13 August). Both parties have agreed to dismiss the case, Construction…

A Yorkshire-based developer has filed a winding-up petition against embattled modular firm TopHat.

Balfour Beatty has become the first major contractor to mandate human-recognition cameras on large plant, in an effort to cut site deaths. The system uses cameras attached to machine ‘blind spots’ and AI software trained on images of humans to detect when someone is near heavy machinery, and then alerts…

Robot tunnelling start-up HyperTunnel has gone into administration. The Hampshire-headquartered firm, which was chaired by former Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne, went under earlier this week after failing to attract new investment, according to insolvency specialists Opus. The company had sought to use a combination of artificial intelligence, 3D…

Most construction product manufacturers are still not set up to meet one of the key post-Grenfell safety recommendations, according to a survey. Research for the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) found a widespread lack of understanding of the move towards digitised project documents among manufacturers. In a report, the body warns…

Workers in construction should treat artificial intelligence (AI) as a “new colleague”, according to guidance published by the Chartered Institute for Building (CIOB). The CIOB Artificial Intelligence Playbook, produced by consultants and academics on its Digital and Innovation Advisory Panel, covers potential uses and threats, legal issues, the importance of…