M&S is introducing sustainable construction techniques into all future builds – as it strives to become the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015.

The popular chain will open its most eco-friendly store in Sheffield next month, which has been constructed entirely from recycled material.

The Ecclesall Road store is the first of two “sustainable learning” stores the company intends to open. The eco-friendly measures are part of an overall green programme (Plan A) which has been in operation from the group since 2007.

M&S says the learning shops will help deduce “the most appropriate building techniques” – thus contributing to its overall store building programme.

Built on a brownfield site, the Sheffield store has achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating. Bricks for the project came from a disused mill and the floors are laid with polished concrete.

Heat supply will be sourced from the stores’ refrigeration facilities while rainwater will be recycled for the toilets.

Clem Constantine, director of property and store development with M&S, said: “This store represents a big milestone in our sustainable construction programme as we are installing a host of unique technologies and features.”

“The learnings we have taken from building the store will help us achieve our goal of becoming the world’s most sustainable major retailer by 2015.”

Paul King, chief executive of the Green Building Council, said: “Sustainability is increasingly important in the construction and property sector and major companies like M&S have a crucial role in driving that process, particularly given the relationship not just with suppliers, but also with consumers.”

BuilderScrap would like to congratulate M&S on this move and sees it as a very positive sign both for the stores future as well as the future of our environment.

BuilderScrap sourced this articled from Construction Enquirer.

With the launch of the BuilderScrap Managed Service Pilot this month, we are actively seeking charities, schools and community groups in need of building materials and products. 

We will very soon be opening a new section of the website for these groups to promote their projects and list required materials, which we will be able to match with the construction materials coming in from the Managed Service Projects.

If you are, or know of, any projects who could benefit from this FREE service,

please call 0844 225 3000

or email Paul@BuilderScrap.com

According to the Federation of Master Builders cutting VAT on domestic repairs and maintenance work would bring the 1 million empty properties across the UK back into use.

If they were able to turn these currently empty properties into homes it would take a lot of pressure off the growing housing crisis which has to cope with five million people on the social housing waiting list with a further 90,000 living in temporary accommodation.

Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said: “Recent research commissioned by the FMB from the London School of Economics reveals that there is capacity within existing towns and cities to create all the new homes the UK needs and that reusing empty properties is one of the instruments to help fulfil this aim. “

“However, the current rate of VAT is acting as a disincentive for owners of unused properties to bring them back into use. Often it is cheaper to simply demolish and rebuild as new build is VAT exempt.”

Berry concluded: “Cutting VAT on domestic maintenance and repairs would not only mean many empty properties are brought back into use but would help boost an ailing construction industry by helping to create much needed jobs and apprenticeships for young people. Communities would also benefit too as getting rid of neglected properties would help create better local environments by helping to reduce crime and create demand for local services.”

“With house building at its lowest level since 1924 bringing empty homes back into use is a sensible way to help meet housing needs of every community around the UK and cutting VAT on domestic maintenance and repairs would make sure that this happens.”

The team here at BuilderScrap are always frustrated when hearing about buildings or construction materials not being used to their full value. Approcximatelty14% of the UK’s 120 million tonnes of construction waste generated each year is surplus brand new material, which equates to roughly 16.8 million tonnes. Currently these materials are recycled or sent to landfill without ever being used. By using this material for its intended purpose with in maintenance or empty properties environmental, social and financial benefits could be made.

At BuilderScrap we attempt to facilitate this through both our open house online exchange platform as well as our managed service pilot scheme launching December 1^st. This service seeks to identify and segregate surplus materials and redistribute these materials into charities and community project via a transition yard. This will enable charities and community projects to benefit from these materials for free or a heavily reduced cost.

If you know of any projects in the North-West that would benefit from this initiative please call is on 0844 225 300. Thanks.

This article was sourced from Construction Now.

Construction Materials supplier Jewsons have launched a free Sustainable Building Guide.

The free guide will be 62 pages and will give basic information on current legislation as well as upcoming legislation that will affect the construction industry. It will also include government incentives and sustainable products and practices.

Speaking at the launch at BRE, Watford, Peter Hindle MBE, managing director of Jewson said: “The key to greening our buildings is to give our clients the advice, support and training they need to build more sustainably”.

BRE chief executive Peter Bonfield said: “Builders’ merchants have an important role in ensuring customers make the right choices.”

On top of that Jewson is expected to open its Greenworks Training Academy in just under a month. The academy will be kitted out with rooms set for wet and dry work, an elevated drainage pit and low level roofing rig.

BuilderScrap are very pleased with the commitment Jewson has shown to being sustainable as a lot of emphasis has to be on the construction materials supplier to ensure a sustainable construction industry and they should also ensure materials are not recycled before used or thrown to landfill by supporting BuilderScrap and giving their customers a way of sourcing builders surplus and supply.

The SME construction sector is heading for a double dip recessions according to the latest State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders.

A worrying 42% of people surveyed for the third quarter of 2010 said that public new build workloads had fallen and that a further 51% expect them to do so again in the next three months.

Richard Diment, director general of the FMB said: “The severe reduction in workloads for small construction companies working on public sector new build projects such as schools, hospitals and other infrastructure construction is a direct consequence of the government’s public sector cuts.”

“We are now moving towards a double dip recession in construction with more than half of our members anticipating falling workloads in the public sector over the coming three months. Only 9% of our members expect things to improve.”

With times in the construction industry looking so bleak it is important that all construction materials are used to their fullest potential, so any surplus materials should be made available to a wider audience who may have a need for it, that’s why BuilderScrap is continuing it’s drive for re-use across the construction industry.

This month seen the scrapping of the Building Schools for the future scheme, the Education Secretary Michael grove said 719 school revamps which have already been signed up will now be terminated, with a further 123 to be viewed by a case-by-case basis.

The 706 schools in the existing BSF programme which have reached financial close will go ahead, but officials will see what money can be saved within each project.

Mr Gove said: “The Building Schools for the Future scheme has been responsible for about one third of all this department’s capital spending.

“But throughout its life it has been characterised by massive overspends tragic delays, botched construction projects and needless bureaucracy.”

He called the scheme “dysfunctional” and “unnecessarily bureaucratic”, with nine “meta stages”.

He added: “It is perhaps no surprise that it can take almost three years to negotiate the bureaucratic process of BSF before a single builder is engaged or brick is laid.”

180 schools have been rebuilt or revamped since the programme and one school in particular has truly benefited from the scheme achieving 78.18% score from BREEAM making it the most sustainable school in the UK. Let’s hope the 231 schools about to begin work can live up to this potential and that the government’s cost cutting will not affect the children’s learning environment.

1,100 school who signed up for the scheme, investing their time, money and energy into drawing up plans for redevelopment have seen their hopes dashed by this move.

The plan was for all of England’s 3,500 schools were to be revamped by 2023, it was supposed to replace out dated buildings which have no place in modern education.

Ed Balls Shadow Education Secretary said “Today is a black day for our country’s schools”

He added that he and his Labour colleagues would fight to “save our new schools”.

Christine Blower, the General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, was very unhappy with the decision and said, “Poor learning environments have a negative impact on the education of children and young people.”

“School buildings were woefully run down prior to Labour coming to power in 1997 and while much has been done to improve them there is still a lot more to do.”

I know everyone with in the industry will have an opinion on this, whether you’re a supplier of building construction materials or a UK builder. I for one am opposed to the scrapping of the scheme, it sends a very direct message that saving money is more important than using environmentally friendly materials and that construction materials which may be hazardous to the environment are not a concern for this government. I may be a little bias, but I think eco building and reusing and recycling building materials to lower our carbon footprint is of the utmost importance.

At BuilderScrap, we are always keen to hear about successful reuse projects.  The following case study shows how, with proper planning and coordination, huge savings can be made on even small projects.  This project reuses many building materials to create a brand new office.

A medium sized contractor in the North West required a new, 18 m² office to be constructed on a mezzanine floor, to accommodate a growth in staff numbers.

Half glazed office partitioning was deconstructed from a client project and installed around the outer edge of the mezzanine.  This was a total of 22 sections.  3 fire doors were also installed along with 3 large radiators.

Although the ceiling tiles were purchased new to avoid a patchwork effect, the grid was reused (approximately 60m²).  Shelving, insulation and plasterboard were also reused, or surplus from previous projects.

Office furniture (3 desks and underdesk filing units) plus swivel chairs were also returned from another project and used in the furnishing of the office.

 If purchasing these materials new, they would have cost £14,010.  To have disposed of them, they would have equalled 3816 kg to landfill.  The volume of these items would have filled approximately 2 roll on roll off skips at a cost of £500 each (plus 3 men for one day at £480).  The total saving equated to £15,490

 The end result was a success, with the office now being used by several members of staff.

If you have any interesting case studies, please let us here at BuilderScrap know.