NEWS
INDUSTRY UPDATES Each month PSBJ rounds up the latest public sector construction updates, from new contracts to industry awards.
Works complete on new Urgent Treatment Centre at Lincolnshire hospital Construction works to build a new Urgent Treatment Centre at a Lincolnshire hospital – an emergency-funded project which was fast-tracked to help ease COVID-19 pressure – has now been completed by Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson. The £2.4m project involved the construction of a single-storey extension at Lincoln County Hospital, expanding the facility’s existing accident and emergency department, to create an urgent treatment centre, which also includes a new entrance into the accident and emergency department. Secured through Pagabo’s National Framework for Medium Works – which covers schemes between the value of £1m and £5m in the Midlands – the project was completed over a period of 24 weeks following planning approval, with the official handover taking place at the end of April. United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust submitted plans to City of Lincoln Council last year, after receiving a £7m national funding boost from the Department of Health and Social Care, which is part of a £150m capital funding programme to expand and upgrade 25 A&Es across the UK, to reduce overcrowding and improve infection prevention control in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New competition set to deliver significant energy savings CUBE, an innovative competition that enables commercial buildings in both the private and public sector to make a genuine contribution to net zero, has launched in the UK. Organised by Ampersand Partners alongside founder A4MT, the competition introduces gamification for energy consumption, cutting energy usage and equivalent costs by an average of 12% and up to 55% in a single year. Set up for landlords, building managers and occupiers, including local authorities and public sector tenants, CUBE is a community which understands that achieving net zero starts with reducing energy use in their buildings. For users and employees, it engages everyone in a friendly, fun and collaborative competition to facilitate improved energy performance – one building at a time. CUBE is about simple interventions that make a big difference. It sets a baseline based on the previous one to three years of energy consumption data, then collects utility bills monthly to assess performance, improvements and highlight successes. With a range of support, tools and ideas from previous competitions, it helps firms identify how to continue to slash energy use.
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Specialist school, The Avenue, on track for completion Work is progressing at pace on The Avenue, a new school which will meet the growing demand for special school places by further improving provision for pupils with autism and complex needs within the London Borough of Brent. Sat on an extremely constrained site, the new inclusive learning environment has been designed by Pozzoni Architecture and will eventually cater for up to 104 pupils from the ages of four to 18. The school is being constructed by Galliford Try Building Southern as part of a £50m contract to build five SEND schools in the south of England, three of which (including The Avenue) are in Greater London. Pozzoni Architecture has designed four of these five schools. The team working on site anticipates the school will be ready for its planned completion date in February 2022. Catherine Mulley, Director at Pozzoni and head of the practice’s education team, said: “The Avenue is testament to how great things can come in small packages. Everyone involved in the project is working collaboratively to deliver a school that provides everything its pupils need – a safe, happy and secure learning environment where they can ‘love, learn and laugh’ together.”
John McAslan + Partners awarded George Square design contract Glasgow City Council has appointed John McAslan + Partners as the architect for a major public realm scheme focused on George Square. The commission is for Block C of Glasgow City Council’s ambitious Avenues Programme – funded by the Glasgow City Region City Deal – comprising George Square and approximately 2.5km of the surrounding streetscape. John McAslan + Partners has been commissioned to reconsider the synergy and balance between George Square and the surrounding streets in relation to contemporary life. This involves clarifying the architectural and spatial qualities of the Square and its relationship to the surrounding urban context. The scope of the improvements will include George Street and St Vincent Street as well as John Street and Dundas Street. The scheme is part of the wider £115m Avenues initiative aimed at improving pedestrian connectivity and priority throughout the city, amid new tree planting, rain gardens, cycleways and improved public transport. Sustainability and community are at the heart of the brief with the aim of substantially enhancing the urban environment and opportunities for residents and visitors.
