Technology

Kier has started using artificial intelligence to support its bids for new work, Construction News can exclusively reveal. The contractor has been using technology from start-up company nPlan, which analyses programmes to identify where potential delays and problems are most likely to occur and where savings could be made. Other…

Former Crest Nicholson chief executive Patrick Bergin has joined modular housebuilding firm Ilke Homes as its chief financial officer. Bergin held a number of senior roles at Crest, including group finance director and chief operating officer, before becoming CEO in 2018, a post he held for a year. Ilke Homes,…

Housebuilder Berkeley will produce the first modular homes from its new factory later this year. Plans for the factory in Northfleet, Kent were first announced in December 2017 and it began commissioning last year. The company confirmed in its full-year results this morning that the first modules are scheduled to…

The programme to restore parliament will take a pioneering approach to data use to spot problems in the project before they arise, Construction News can reveal. The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme body has appointed experts from Herriot-Watt University to research ways to make the project safer and smoother.…

A 50 metre-deep pool to test underwater, offshore energy and space technology is being planned for Cornwall. It is part of a proposed £150m Blue Abyss facility at Cornwall Airport Newquay, that is being dubbed “the world’s leading extreme environment research, test and training centre”. The pool will be 50…

Highways England has set up a group for its supply chain to share intelligence on cyber-security threats, Construction News has learned. The client has made the move amid rising instances of both private and public bodies being hit by cyber-attacks. A spokesman for the roads body said the move is…

Nissan and the UK Government are in advanced talks to build a new ‘gigafactory’ for electric-vehicle (EV) batteries in Sunderland, according to the Financial Times. The newspaper said the proposed plant could provide annual production of 18-20 gigawatt-hours in rated battery capacity, sufficient to power 200,000 cars at the top end…

UK experts have agreed to work with their US counterparts to help develop the country’s BIM capabilities Over the next two years, the UK’s Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) will work in partnership with the US National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) to develop the US’s National Building Information…

The developer behind the 90-metre-tall MSG Sphere in east London is drawing up a detailed strategy to show how it will stop train drivers being affected by its illuminated exterior, it has emerged. Transport for London has also called for the proposed events venue to be able to have restrictions…

The impact of the pandemic helped Bam Construct substantially reduce its CO2 emissions in 2020, the company has said, cutting emissions to 45 per cent below a benchmark set in 2015. The benchmark level was set in 2015 when Bam Construct gave itself five years to trim emissions by 25…