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UK infrastructure leaders to gather for NCE Tunnelling 2026 as early bird deadline approaches. 18/10/2026. The NCE Tunnelling Conference & Awards will return to Hilton London Bankside on 3 December 2026, bringing together clients, contractors, consultants and specialist suppliers for a day of project updates, technical discussion and networking, followed by an evening celebrating achievements across the tunnelling industry. According to the organisers' latest announcement, representatives from Transport for London, HS2, Sizewell C, Ofwat, National Highways, Thames Water and Network Rail are already confirmed. With participation spanning transport, water, energy and major infrastructure, the event offers delegates an opportunity to meet organisations involved in planning, commissioning and delivering underground projects across the UK. The conference will combine project case studies with expert debate and discussion of future opportunities. For Tunnelbuilder readers, it provides a chance to exchange experience on tunnel and shaft design, construction methods and project delivery, while developing contacts with clients and engineering specialists. Attendance can also contribute towards continuing professional development, with the event assessed by The CPD Group. The evening awards will recognise achievements in project delivery, technical innovation, safety, sustainability, collaboration and professional development. This year's shortlist includes Skanska, Costain and Strabag's HS2 Northolt tunnel, shortlisted for both Tunnelling Project of the Year over USD150 million and Tunnelling Project Team of the Year. Ferrovial Bemo Joint Ventures' Grain to Tilbury tunnel is also shortlisted in the team category, while the Civil Works Alliance's approach to subsea shaft connections at Sizewell C features in Innovation in Tunnel or Shaft Design. Readers can view the full 2026 awards shortlist here. An additional feature of the 2026 event will be live judging during the conference for the Tunnelling Project of the Year category covering projects up to USD150 million. Winners will be revealed at the evening awards ceremony. Early bird conference passes are available until 23:55 UK time on 30 October 2026, priced at £525 plus VAT, with a £425 plus VAT rate available to organisations subscribing to New Civil Engineer. Conference passes include access to conference sessions and the exhibition, networking lunch and refreshments, speakers' slides after the event and the virtual networking app. Evening awards tables are booked separately through the same page. To select a pass and proceed to payment, visit the official NCE Tunnelling 2026 early bird booking page and scroll to Conference passes. Further details are available through the event website and 2026 conference programme. 43/26.

Czech republic Skanska launches sales of 151 apartments in Prague. Residential schedule 15 October 2026 Opr./edited by AH Skanska has launched sales for the fourth stage of Modřanský cukrovar, its residential development on the Vltava river in Prague. The new stage will comprise 151 energy-efficient apartments and eight retail units. Construction is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2027, with completion expected in early 2029. You are reading this content because it is covered by the free limit. Buy full access! The new building will be divided into five sections, with apartments ranging from studios to six-room homes. Two- and three-room apartments will make up most of the offer. The development will also include four lofts, apartments with mezzanine sleeping areas and a duplex penthouse with a terrace and provision for a sauna. Every apartment will have a balcony, loggia, terrace or private garden. Underground facilities will include storage rooms, bicycle and pram storage, and parking spaces for residents and visitors, with provision for electric vehicle charging. The building will also incorporate systems for recycling greywater. Its aim is not simply to build new homes, but to create a place where people can enjoy a good quality of life. Modřanský cukrovar has been shaped from the outset by public consultation and the needs of local residents. Good architecture, innovative solutions and carefully designed public spaces help create an environment where people can feel at home and a strong community can develop. Petr Dušta, senior project manager at Skanska Residential The new stage will extend the public spaces created around Cukrovarnické Square in an earlier stage of the development. Eight retail units will accommodate shops, restaurants and services. Other local attractions include a public viewing platform in the historic 53 m chimney and a new boathouse for children and adults. The buildings will enclose a landscaped courtyard designed for relaxation and children's play. Planting by landscape studios Flera and Zahrady pro radost will follow blue-green infrastructure principles, using rainwater infiltration to help maintain a cooler local environment. Residents will also have access to a shared rooftop terrace with covered seating and an outdoor kitchen. The development is designed to achieve the highest energy-efficiency rating, class A, under the Czech energy performance certificate system. Its primary energy consumption from non-renewable sources is expected to be 43 pct lower than that of a reference building from 2024. Green roofs will support insulation and rainwater retention, while solar panels with a capacity of 47 kWp will generate electricity for apartments and shared areas. Solar thermal panels are expected to produce up to 70 MWh of heat annually for hot water. Other measures include heat-recovery ventilation and the recovery of heat from greywater. Water-saving measures will include rainwater storage, infiltration systems and a borehole to supply irrigation for landscaped areas and private gardens. Greywater will be recycled for toilet flushing and laundry. Skanska expects these measures to reduce drinking water consumption by up to 49 pct, or around 55 litres per resident per day. The development will also use Rebetong, Skanska's recycled concrete made partly from construction waste, reducing the need for natural aggregates. The masterplan was designed by Chybík + Krištof, which worked with DMNK on the fourth stage. The buildings are being designed to meet BREEAM requirements, with a target of Excellent, and the developer is also seeking WELL for Residential precertification and certification. Modřanský cukrovar is planned in six stages, with more than 900 apartments across a 58,000 sq m site. The first two stages have been completed, the third is under construction, and sales of the fourth stage are now underway.

Montague appoints Skanska USA to manage Strathmore mill project. MONTAGUE - In accordance with state procurement laws, the Selectboard has appointed Skanska USA to serve as the owner's project manager for the Strathmore mill cleanup project for a cost not to exceed $399,440. The town previously contracted with Tighe & Bond for engineering work in the project to demolish the former Strathmore mill complex at 20 Canal St. Assistant Town Administrator Chris Nolan-Zeller said the town is moving forward with demolition of Buildings 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and with high demolition costs expected, the town needs to limit the expense for an owner's project manager. "We're aware that the pot of funds available for this project is limited, and every dollar that we spend on consulting fees is money that ultimately comes out of our actual demolition budget," Nolan-Zeller noted. The town received submissions from seven different firms, and ultimately selected Skanska USA, a New York-based company with offices in Boston and Waltham. Nolan-Zeller said that since the scope of work the town had included in its contract with Tighe & Bond included some of what an owner's project manager would have traditionally done, the town was able to reduce the scope of the contract by approximately $80,000. "We felt confident that they have direct related experience with managing projects on extremely complicated sites like this one," Nolan-Zeller said of Skanska USA. "They have a track record of success with other projects that involve selective demolition and vacant former industrial buildings." Skanska USA secured a contract not to exceed $399,440, which Nolan-Zeller said will be paid for through a state earmark and funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Montague previously received $4.92 million from the EPA and another $5 million from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation for the demolition project. Other construction work. During Monday's meeting, Selectboard members also approved a $60,000 contract with Fuss & O'Neill for Oakman Street erosion mitigation and a $7,824 change order with Omasta Landscaping for an expanded footprint at Unity Park. Nolan-Zeller explained that the town completed a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness study that identified stormwater drainage concerns in the hill neighborhood of Turners Falls. One location that was highlighted as a priority to address was Oakman Street, just south of the intersection with Highland Circle. "This is the location of some increasingly concerning erosion right off the side of the road, which, from a resilience perspective, we're only expecting to get worse until we take action on it," Nolan-Zeller said. "If left unaddressed, a storm with severe enough rainfall could lead to a complete washout and road failure in that spot." Fuss & O'Neill will design schematic plans to address the erosion, which the town will be able to use to apply for further MVP grant funding to carry out the repair work. The change order with Omasta Landscaping will support the installation of pour-in-place rubber cement in a larger area of the Unity Park playground than was originally expected. Nolan-Zeller said work is currently underway at the park and it was discovered that the exact model of blue tube slide that was previously installed is no longer being manufactured, so the town can't replace it with the same size slide. Instead, the town is opting for a similar model that is slightly larger, thus requiring more rubber cement surfacing to be poured. "Believe it or not, the old blue tube slide, the exact make and model from the early 2000s is no longer made, so we had to go with the most similar one we could find," Nolan-Zeller said. "It does take up a slightly large footprint than the previous one." He said the project contingency fund and bid overrun accounts can support the change order, and the town will evaluate if the old slide has any value before it can be declared surplus and disposed of.