Technology

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…

Tide Construction has reported a fall in pre-tax profit despite an 11 per cent jump in revenue.  The London-based company, which specialises in building high-density residential schemes using modular methods, has reported a pre-tax profit of £7.1m for the year ending 31 August 2023 - down from £11.1m a year…

Failed industry disruptor Urban Splash House is to go into liquidation, more than two years after collapsing into administration. The move marks the final step in the winding-up of the modular-build specialist, and could bring certain suppliers closer to receiving some of the cash they are owed. Spun out of…

Digital sign-ins for workers have been blamed for a doubling in cyber attacks on construction companies over the past year, according to a report. Financial advisory specialist Kroll said the sector accounted for 6 per cent of its incident responses in the first quarter of this year. That was double…

TopHat managing director Andrew Shepherd is to leave the troubled modular housebuilder, it has emerged. The former Laing O’Rourke chief posted on professional networking site LinkedIn that he would be “moving on to a new challenge”. TopHat announced in February that it was consulting on up to 70 job cuts,…