Technology

Sir Robert McAlpine has begun work on a 'world first' airport for drones and vertical take-off vehicles in Coventry. The project called Air One has been developed by Urban-Air Port (UAP), a start-up that plans to build hubs for drones and other small vertical take-off vehicles. Construction will include a…

HS2 has taken delivery of three fully electric crawler cranes at sites in London. The 100 per cent emissions-free giant Liebherr cranes are being used at its Old Oak Common and Canterbury Road vent-shaft sites, in what HS2 said is a UK first. The project aims to achieve net-zero carbon…

Warwick District Council and Coventry City Council have approved the outline plans for a gigafactory in the West Midlands. The facility, which will produce batteries for electric vehicles, will have 530,000 square metres of floor space and is expected to receive further planning approval in March 2022. West Midlands Gigafactory…

The UK arm of a giant global modular housebuilder has received an £11.5m investment. Sekisui House UK, a subsidiary of the Japan-based Sekisui, received the capital injection from its owner on 23 December after it issued new shares. It was the second such move the parent company made in 2021,…

Kier is set to trial an automated-gate system designed to protect road workers. The SwiftGate device will reduce the need for personnel to put out cones amid moving traffic, according to a statement from project funder National Highways. It is being installed at the A3 Hindhead Tunnel in Surrey, which…

The industry’s decisions and innovation are key to the government’s aims of levelling up the country and meeting net-zero targets, the construction minister has said. Speaking at the Construction News Summit, Lee Rowley stressed how much of a priority it is for the government to make the industry greener, and…

Leaders of tier one firms have called for the spirit of cooperation that emerged among contractors in the early days of the pandemic to continue, as the industry tackles major challenges such as the climate crisis and a skills shortage. Speaking at the Construction News Summit in central London on…

Wates has made “a big investment” in data to help with its performance and to provide better value for customers, its chief executive has said. David Allen (pictured) said the investment will be used to help clients decide between retrofitting properties or opting for new-builds. Construction News understands the investment…

Labour has called for clarity on how the government plans to remove China’s state-owned energy company from nuclear power projects in the UK. Asked about Chinese involvement in nuclear projects at Bradwell and Sizewell during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) yesterday, Boris Johnson said the UK “do[es] not want to see…

Wates is to use artificial intelligence to help monitor the delivery of a £95m project in east London. The contractor revealed plans to incorporate technology supplied by Israeli firm Buildots on its 320-home Park East scheme. The system uses cameras mounted on hard hats, which feed back images to a…