In today’s construction news, we will look into the idigitalhub that has formed a partnership with OpenSpace to deliver innovation in the construction fire safety legislation in the UK. Meanwhile, additional recognition for the EnviroTech 50 star program at IPG Energy. Furthermore, the first company in the UK to harness electricity from waste water will be Scottish Water. Moreover, a new collaborative work management solution has been released by Elecosoft.
Idigitalhub and Openspace Innovate Uk Building Fire Safety Standards
Original Source: idigitalhub partners with OpenSpace to deliver innovation in UK construction fire safety legislation
New UK building and construction fire safety legislation and continuous domestic building upkeep have made firestopping a prominent topic.
Harvey Jassal launched idigitalhub in 2019 in response to the growing need for civil engineering firms to increase performance, safety, consumer downtime, and value through digital innovation.
Harvey, a digital transformation pioneer, required a solution to document construction fire safety legislation, governance, and certification to reduce liability and improve building quality.
Harvey said “reams and reams of paper” were needed for documentation.
“We wanted to overcome documentation issues.”
Strategy: Improve fire safety documentation with OpenSpace.
Harvey searched for a documentation tool.
I found OpenSpace. Idigitalhub’s OpenSpace strategy fit my goals.“
Harvey tested OpenSpace by traversing project sites with a hard hat-mounted 360-degree camera and shooting images that were immediately attached to site plans. Field Notes highlighted issues and oversights for build teams to address.
Harvey stated, “Because in the UK every building has to have a certificate to say that it is safe from fire, we’re recording and certifying that, as well as making sure everything has been installed correctly before closeouts.
Teams recognized improvements in quality and speed, and clients valued improved documentation.
The company is adding 3D modelling and BIM compared to OpenSpace.
Results: London’s Metro Safety and Fire Brigade’s first digital sign-off for building fire safety legislation.
OpenSpace helped idigitalhub accelerate client certifications and documentation. The London Metro Safety and Fire Brigade gave the company its first digital fire safety sign-off. OpenSpace certified idigitalhub in weeks, compared to months.
Harvey remarked, “The speed at which we can now get certified and continue with our project is absolutely unheard of.
“But OpenSpace is time stamped and recorded, so you can’t lie.”
Results are also being seen:
More responsibility
Harvey and his team can instantly monitor progress and firestopping compliance to guarantee partners stay on track and satisfy high requirements to avoid rework and other issues.
Faster documentation
Documentation formerly required thousands of images and lengthy notes that were often insufficient for firestopping.
For the most complete documentation, a weekly site tour with a hard hat-mounted 360-degree camera is enough. Harvey claimed he processed it on the way home. The cloud pins photos to the site plan. “I’m done in the time it would take someone to do that manually.”
Save time
Harvey estimates OpenSpace accelerates documentation by 10x. It also speeds up project site travel.
idigitalhub is the first company to use digital paperwork to get fire safety compliance sign-off, speeding up project schedules for partners. idigitalhub can reduce certification wait times from several months to two weeks with OpenSpace.
Improved workflow
Harvey said captures, verification, and approvals are faster than before. “We don’t need to tear down walls to verify something because OpenSpace will show us.”
Risk mitigation
To protect clients and tenants, the organisation ensures safety code compliance. “Compliance is all about what you have to back it up,” Harvey said. “People want visuals and digital documentation. They want to see your first day and every day after that—not on an iPhone.”
EnviroTech 50-star IPG Energy
Original Source: Further accolade for EnviroTech 50 star IPG Energy
The BuiltWorlds Building Tech Top 50 list gave IPG Energy its third prize in a month.
After winning the Energy Systems and HVAC category for its Flameless Generator, the second-ranked clean energy solution strengthens its position in the worldwide construction industry.
The generator reduces carbon emissions in construction, mining, data centres, and grid balancing by replacing diesel generators.
At UK Construction Week, IPG was selected Most Sustainable Exhibitor. This win made the company a game-changer for net-zero construction sites.
The three accolades coincide with IPG’s £10 million Series A, which will allow it to realise this breakthrough technology’s potential.
“It’s great seeing the anticipation and excitement around how the IPG generator can really support net zero endeavours and deliver decarbonisation for hard-to-abate sectors,” said CEO Toby Gill.
Not only was our solution highlighted at UK Construction Week but being included in both Building Tech Top 50 and EnviroTech 50 list strengthens our image as a prominent player amongst the sustainable tech and construction industries.’
IPG’s Flameless Combustion generator solution produces pollution-free electricity from any fuel.
This fuel-flexibility allows enterprises to stop using diesel and decarbonize without risking energy security due to uncertainty in the green hydrogen and biofuel supply chains.
First UK Electricity From Waste Water by Scottish Water.
Original Source: Scottish Water to harness hydropower from waste water in UK first
Scottish Water will use waste water hydropower in the UK first.
Hamilton Waste Water Treatment Works in South Lanarkshire is installing a hydro turbine for the unique project.
Scottish Water Horizons, Scottish Water’s commercial business, is leading the plan, which is expected to generate 0.42GWh of green power each year, enough to boil 1,800,000 kettles, and offset 13% of the treatment works’ electricity usage.
The UK’s first prefabricated hydro scheme will be placed at a wastewater treatment facility, with waste water flowing through a hydro-electric generator in the pipeline.
The hydro turbine is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 64 tonnes per year, equivalent to 13 flights from Glasgow to Sydney, Australia.
“Scottish Water has a vast array of land, property, and operational assets that offer enormous renewables potential,” stated Horizons Hydro Energy team lead Neil Beaumont. To meet our green energy goals, we must be creative and courageous.
“Until recently, all hydro efforts focused on harnessing energy from our water assets. We’re exploring new energy sources to reduce carbon emissions. Hamilton Treatment Works’ non-traditional method can help us optimise generation and unlock Scotland’s potential.
This new method will help Scottish Water achieve net zero emissions by 2040 and beyond, deliver service excellence, and create greener communities.”
The innovative hydro project should be operational by autumn 2023. Before commissioning, it was shortlisted for two Water Industry Awards categories in Birmingham on June 29, 2023.
The scheme will be delivered by local renewable energy solutions specialists FES Support Services Ltd on behalf of Scottish Water Horizons and join a growing portfolio of water and waste water treatment works that generate their own power.
New Collaborative Job Management Solution From Elecosoft
Original Source: Elecosoft launches new collaborative task management tool
Elecosoft, an international provider of software and services for the built environment, is thrilled to unveil Asta Connect, a new collaborative task management feature in its award-winning Powerproject solution.
Asta Connect connects project teams to the master construction schedule, captures commitments, and provides project insights to enhance decision-making.
Asta Connect lets trade contractors, project managers, contract managers, trade and site managers (‘last planners’) centrally organise daily and weekly work plans. A simple visual interface helps individuals grasp roles and duties, collaborate on assignments, view progress, and see how their actions affect other disciplines.
Asta Connect simplifies 1990s-pioneered “lean construction” to increase construction design and planning dependability and trade cooperation. Lean construction projects are three times more likely to be ahead of schedule and two times more likely to be under budget (Lean Construction Institute), so start now.
Collaboration benefits
Elecosoft worldwide product manager David Simpson explains, “Our customers are increasingly adopting last planner and lean principles. Collaboration and accountability reduce waste and rework.
“We are pleased to support this trend by launching Asta Connect to provide a critical online gateway for multi-stakeholder collaboration while supporting the industry’s shift toward lean principles.
“Asta Connect users can import project plans from master scheduling software like Powerproject or create a new master schedule within the program to connect everyone involved with the overall project objectives.
Digital whiteboards allow project stakeholders to visualise short-term tasks, optimising productivity, generating buy-in from all project disciplines, and providing crucial data insights to empower decision-making and support continuous learning and improvement.
Eleco CEO Jonathan Hunter says, “Customer centricity is core to our strategy and over three decades we have been working with the most experienced and talented construction planners in our industry to shape and develop our planning solution, Powerproject. Most experts refer to Powerproject by its original name, Asta, which Eleco acquired in 2006.
“2023 marks nine years of being voted the best project management and planning software in the UK, and to demonstrate our attentiveness to customers and our portfolio approach, we have chosen to reintroduce the Asta brand with the release of Asta Connect.”
Summary of today’s construction news
Overall, we discussed that in 2019, Harvey Jassal founded idigitalhub to help civil engineering businesses improve efficiency, safety, and value for clients through the use of cutting-edge digital tools and techniques. On the other hand, with this honour, IPG Energy has won three times in the past month. Additionally, Scottish Water will be the first UK utility to utilise waste water hydropower. The hydro turbine is being installed at the Hamilton Waste Water Treatment Works in South Lanarkshire. On top of that, the award-winning Powerproject solution from global software and services provider Elecosoft now includes a brand-new collaborative work management feature called Asta Connect.
