Geomechanics.io

Kubota’s new U145 reduced-tailswing excavator is entering service with Park Cliffe Farm Ltd, a small Cumbrian plant business that already runs an 8.5‑tonne KX085‑5, a KX080 and a U18‑5, all supplied by dealer P.V. Dobson. The 14–15.2‑tonne U145, specified with a two-piece boom, Engcon tilt-rotator and twin proportional auxiliary circuits, will work with grabs, shears, grapples and buckets to maximise utilisation on larger projects. Powered by a 76.4kW Stage V engine, it offers three operating modes plus Boom Down Energy Saving, Auto Idle and Auto Shut Down for fuel-efficient site work.

South West Water has extended Kier’s Network Services Alliance contract by two years, worth about £140m, to continue reactive and planned maintenance, leakage activity, network reliability schemes, metering and developer services across its network. Over the past year Kier has delivered more than 25,000 repair and maintenance jobs, including over 18,000 leak repairs and 32,000 metering optant and maintenance jobs, with over 97% of priority jobs attended within the two-hour target and average peak response around one hour. The deal secures workload into AMP8 and reinforces Kier’s water portfolio alongside Anglian Water, Severn Trent, Southern Water, Thames Water, United Utilities and Yorkshire Water.

Tower Hamlets Council has appointed Guildmore Group to deliver the next phase of the St George’s Leisure Centre redevelopment, covering demolition, site preparation and detailed design ahead of main construction. The new BREEAM Excellent-targeted facility will include a 25-metre pool, learner pool, splash pad, multi-court sports hall, fitness suite with women-only area and multiple studios. The scheme also adds 30 council-owned homes, including three fully accessible units, with demolition set for autumn 2026, construction from early 2027 and completion expected in 2029.

Industry leaders and decision makers will convene at the 15th Victorian Transport Infrastructure Conference at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 17–18 June 2026 to examine major road, rail and port projects across the state. Senior representatives from government, contractors, consultants and operators will focus on delivery models, funding structures and construction methodologies for large-scale upgrades to metropolitan and regional networks. Sessions are expected to address project staging, interface risks and whole‑of‑life asset performance, giving designers and contractors early insight into upcoming procurement and technical requirements.

NMITE has secured a new UK government award announced on 11 June to expand defence-focused engineering education, funding additional student places and new specialist facilities in Hereford. The institute plans to equip more young engineers with skills aligned to defence-sector needs, including systems engineering, advanced manufacturing and secure infrastructure design. For civil and infrastructure professionals, this signals a growing pipeline of graduates with capabilities tailored to defence projects, from hardened structures and critical national infrastructure to complex systems integration.

Integrated client–contractor partnerships on complex infrastructure schemes are being used to tackle programme risk that is not primarily technical, but rooted in interfaces, logistics and decision-making. Framework-style alliances with shared KPIs, co-located teams and early contractor involvement are enabling faster design iterations, clearer constructability reviews and more reliable possession planning on multi-phase rail and highway upgrades. For geotechnical and civil teams, this model is changing when ground investigation, temporary works design and value engineering are locked in, with commercial pain/gain mechanisms directly tied to buildability and whole-life performance.

Costain has secured places on both the civils and buildings frameworks for London Gatwick Airport, positioning it to deliver future airside and landside works across the UK’s second-busiest airport. The frameworks are expected to cover upgrades to pavements, utilities and terminal structures, including complex works in constrained operational areas with 24/7 passenger and aircraft movements. For contractors and designers, this signals a pipeline of airfield and terminal projects requiring tight phasing, robust airside logistics and careful geotechnical and structural detailing around existing assets.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority has opened procurement for a £75M professional and technical services framework to support transport schemes across the region from 2027 to 2032. The framework will cover planning, design and project delivery support for highways, public transport and active travel projects, consolidating consultancy commissions into a single multi-year vehicle. Consultants can expect long-term pipelines for feasibility, modelling, outline and detailed design, and construction-phase services, with early engagement likely to influence geotechnical, structures and materials specifications on upcoming corridors and junction upgrades.

Vysiion has secured a £3M AMP8 Telephony and Resilience Framework contract with Portsmouth Water to upgrade operational technology (OT) and IT infrastructure across the utility’s network. The framework will focus on resilient telephony, control and data systems supporting treatment works and remote assets, with an emphasis on improving uptime for critical SCADA and monitoring functions. For civil and MEICA teams, the programme signals increased integration of digital comms into asset renewals, with OT requirements likely to influence plant layouts, cable routing and resilience provisions on upcoming AMP8 projects.

Sandvik has launched the Commando DC310RiE, its first all‑electric top hammer surface drill rig for construction and infrastructure work, delivering zero local emissions at the point of operation. The DC310RiE is designed to match the drilling performance and control layout of existing diesel Commando rigs, allowing operators to transfer directly without retraining and maintain established penetration rates. Targeted at urban and tightly regulated sites, the rig removes exhaust management constraints and simplifies compliance with local air‑quality and noise restrictions.

Demolition of Hull’s Torpoint, Millport and Woolwich tower blocks has begun, with GBM Demolition appointed after tender and completion targeted for the autumn to clear the site for new housing. Hull City Council plans at least a one-for-one replacement of the existing council homes with modern, energy‑efficient houses and apartments, retaining much of the current green space. The authority will now procure a development partner to deliver mixed‑use plots including potential retail and community facilities alongside the new residential units.

AMPS, working with the US Electrical Generating Systems Association and EUROPGEN, has helped produce the sixth edition of On-Site Power Generation: A Comprehensive Guide to On-Site Power, expanding it from a US-focused text to globally relevant guidance. The updated guide now covers both 50 Hz and 60 Hz systems, European CE and US UL standards, and regional variations such as grid codes and planning regulations, with an eye to Africa and the Middle East. It also adds design and operation guidance for hybrid systems, micro-grids, and generators using HVO, biomethane, hydrogen and synthetic fuels.

Kier has appointed Rachel Warren as group finance director for transformation, tasking her with leading the company’s financial shared service centre alongside group finance director Basil Mendonca. Warren joins from brick manufacturer Michelmersh and brings experience from British Airways, Aer Lingus, Wincanton and Sage in restructuring complex operational businesses. The move signals Kier’s intent to tighten financial control and scalability as it targets long-term UK infrastructure work and pursues what it calls “ambitious plans” for growth.

Queensland has committed a record $3.2 billion to the CopperString transmission project, which will connect Mount Isa and the North West Minerals Province to the National Electricity Market via Townsville ahead of the 2026–27 State Budget. The high-voltage line is intended to stabilise power supply for existing operations and new copper, zinc and critical minerals projects across the NWMP, where many mines currently rely on isolated gas and diesel generation. For engineers, grid connection could enable larger electrified fleets, lower-cost ventilation and dewatering, and easier integration of on-site renewables.

SAMI Bitumen Technologies has opened the SAMI Technical Centre (STC), a purpose-built laboratory for advanced bitumen and asphalt testing, research and performance-based assessment for Australia’s road network. The facility is configured for high-end rheological characterisation, mix design optimisation and durability testing of binders and asphalt, supporting polymer-modified and speciality binders used in heavy-duty pavements. Expanded in-house capability is expected to shorten test turnaround times for road agencies and contractors and support more rigorous performance specifications for high-traffic and high-temperature environments.

Coates is doubling its fleet of large containerised generators, adding 750–1250 kVA units to bolster temporary power capacity for major Australian construction and infrastructure worksites. The expansion targets complex, time-critical operations such as tunnelling, bridge construction and road upgrades where grid access is constrained or redundancy is critical. For contractors, the larger fleet enables scalable multi-megawatt setups, improved load sharing and reduced reliance on smaller, less efficient sets for dewatering, high-capacity cranes and continuous concrete batching.

Dudleys Consulting Engineers has completed the new UK headquarters for Spanish coach builder Irizar in Blyth, working with KPP Architects, Stainforth Construction LLP, RPP Group, Quod and Orbis Building Services Consultants. The facility consolidates Irizar’s UK operations on a single purpose-built site, integrating office, workshop and vehicle handling functions. For engineers, the scheme signals continuing demand for bespoke industrial premises with coordinated structural, services and transport planning input across multidisciplinary UK project teams.

Dalkia UK has secured an £8.9m mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) package for the new Passivhaus-standard Trinity Academy secondary school in Edinburgh, its third Passivhaus school project. Working with main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey from October, Dalkia will be responsible for low-energy building services design and installation to meet the stringent Passivhaus heating demand and airtightness criteria. The contract signals continued demand for highly integrated MEP and fabric solutions on Scottish education projects targeting ultra-low operational energy.

National Tool Hire is expanding its online rehire marketplace to sell building materials such as bricks, plasterboard and cement, alongside its existing tools and equipment. By partnering with builders’ merchants across the UK, the platform will allow DIY and trade customers to order materials alone or bundled with hired kit, with nationwide delivery. The move targets time savings on small to medium projects where site teams currently source consumables and plant separately, streamlining procurement for short-duration construction and maintenance works.

Work has started on the second phase of the £65m redevelopment of Lynfield Mount Hospital in Bradford, with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust appointing McAvoy to deliver the scheme using modular construction. The project will use offsite-manufactured units to accelerate programme and reduce disruption on the constrained healthcare campus, with modules craned into place to form new inpatient accommodation. For civil and structural teams, key issues will include modular foundation interfaces, service coordination through pre-formed openings, and managing tolerances at module joints.

Vp Plc reported adjusted profit of £27m on revenue of £358.3m for the year to 31 March 2026, down from £36.7m on £380m, after cutting fleet capital investment by 21.1% to £51.6m amid weak early‑year construction activity and lower AMP7 water revenues. The Brandon Hire Station restructuring has shifted the business fully to B2B, shrinking its branch network from 119 to 41, reducing its rental fleet by 40% and shedding 400 jobs. Restructuring costs of £10.5m to date, with a further £10.6m to come, are expected to achieve cash payback in four years.

Crane BS&U workers in Hitchin have secured a 6% pay rise from US-owned Crane Co, double the firm’s initial 3% offer, following two weeks of strike action by GMB members. The dispute, the second in two years at the process flow technologies division site, centred on base pay rather than one-off bonuses, with staff pushing for an uplift that better tracks current inflation and skilled engineering labour rates. The settlement may influence wage expectations at comparable UK manufacturing and valve/flow-control suppliers facing similar cost pressures.

Alwoodley Civils is using National Pile Croppers’ Quad and CFA croppers to trim 350mm concrete piles on a tightly constrained hotel site behind a preserved 1920s façade on Piccadilly, York, which also contains Roman-era walls. The Quad unit’s small footprint and four synchronised rams allow cropping of contiguous and secant piled walls with pile spacing down to 100mm, while holding cut sections for controlled removal. Despite the inner-city constraints and heritage sensitivities, the team is achieving cropping rates of 10–15 piles per day, with NPC specialists switching tools as conditions change.

John Wolosick will be inducted into the National Academy of Construction’s Class of 2026, joining 44 other new members recognised for long-term contributions to the construction industry. A past president of the Deep Foundations Institute and a leading figure in geotechnical design-build for retaining walls and ground improvement, Wolosick has been closely involved with complex slope stabilisation and soil nailing projects across North America. His induction signals continued NAC emphasis on geotechnical expertise in major infrastructure and heavy civil works.