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Providing Wind Farm Support and Fabrication

AJ Woods Engineering page 4

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AJ Woods Engineering

Providing wind farm support and fabrication AJ Woods Engineering was founded in 1999, initially as bespoke manufacturers and installers of steel and aluminium fabrications, before expanding its portfolio to include services in civil engineering and the marine and wind farm industry.

The last two years has seen the Company moving towards wind farm support. In addition, AJ Woods has expanded nationally to undertake more ship mobilisation services, which involves converting a ship for other purposes.

To facilitate this, a new yard is being opened up in Sunderland to provide a facility to mobilise ships on the Tyne, in the Tees. This lease was signed in June 2012, and work in Sunderland commenced that month.

The Company’s services range from the supply of fully qualified crews and maintenance teams to the wind farm industries, bespoke fabrications, general marine engineering, rapid response rescue, offshore refuelling and purchase to hire.

Occupying a site close to Harwich International Port and the A120, AJ Woods has a purpose-built 5,000sq ft workshop, 1,500sq ft offices and an 80,000sq ft yard, all in addition to the new yard in Sunderland.

The former Trinity House Miranda

building on the quay at Harwich has recently been acquired by the Company, to become the new headquarters, and a Windport Enterprise Centre. In addition, boat repairs and servicing from New Haven Marina will be available.

All training for the workforce is provided in-house. This includes training for personnel from other companies who work in the offshore industry.

This training is provided because AJ Woods found it hard to find places to train its own staff, so instead of sending them to different places, decided to open a training school with the capacity to train the workforce and others. This includes working at heights training, compliance-based training, fire training, manual handling, all of which is a requirement for the offshore industry.

AJ Woods is making smaller fabrications, but going into heavier engineering and larger fabrications to serve the wind industry, such as towers and foundations. These are huge structures, weighing up to 300 tonnes.

The Company’s change of direction was accelerated three years ago when Greater Gabbard Wind Farm came to Harwich. Since then, another wind farm has been constructed in the area, called Gunfleet Sands. AJ Woods got

involved with both of these to provide troubleshooting and engineering, helping to expand its client base and reputation.

Services provided to the Gunfleet Sands Wind Farm and Greater Gabbard Wind Farm include project management, procurement, fabrication, supply of fully skilled staff, refuelling, offshore maintenance, ship mobilisation, general marine engineering, manufacture of large steel structures, barge and support vessel maintenance, and rescue teams.

The fully qualified and certified workforce has provided 24-hour availability on many occasions and is proven to have maintained a reliable and efficient service in all situations and environments.

Recent prestigious projects that the Company has been involved in includes Seajacks Leviathan, Deep Cygnus, A2Sea Seajack, Topaz Commander, Polar Prince, Bourbon Enterprise, Normand Mermaid, Relume, Pioneer and Sia. AJ Woods also boasts ISO 9001 certification for quality standards, and has obtained contracts to provide support services offshore, which continues to be an area of major expansion for the Company.

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CambridgeHOK Awarded BCIA Technical Innovation Project of the Year The Eden Project CambridgeHOK have been awarded the BCIA award for Technical Innovation Project of the Year for engineering and installing a new, energy efficient control system at one of the UK’s largest tourist attractions; The Eden Project. The three phase project included replacing all existing controls with Priva systems. The new system has reduced the centres carbon emissions by 111 tonnes in an 8 month period and has resulted in energy savings in excess of 1.4Gwh.

JZ Flowers CambridgeHOK have designed and installed an award winning management system for the UK’s leading producer of floral bouquets, JZ Flowers.

Based in East Yorkshire, the impressive 60,000 square feet packing house contains a myriad of energy saving innovations all controlled by the latest Priva technology.

The heat produced by the chiller plant, normally wasted, is diverted to a buffer tank, the hot water in the tank is then used to heat offices, amenity areas and the production area. There are no conventional boilers or electric heaters on site – essentially heat is provided for free. Additionally, each office used an occupancy detector. When an office has been unoccupied for a pre-set time, the lights switch off and any cooling/heating equipment reverts to stand by. Recently, JZ Flowers were awarded the RICS Commercial Pro-Yorkshire award.

If you have a project requiring building management or control please call us on 01430 449440 assistance.

CambridgeHOK, Wallingfen Park, 236 Main Road, Newport, Brough, East Yorkshire, HU15 2RH 01430 449 440 – info@cambridgehok.co.uk – www.cambridgehok.co.uk

UKC news

Clegg Construction starts work on £13M student accommodation scheme Clegg Construction has begun work on a £13.25M student accommodation project – its largest current student development scheme.

The project will provide accommodation for 437 students at Selly Oaks in Birmingham.

Clegg Construction was awarded the contract, where three steel frame blocks of eight-, sixand five-storey flats will be built for The Student Development Partnership after winning it through a competitive tender process.

Clegg has previously worked for the partnership’s operator Victoria Hall on its Nottingham and Leicester student residences, but this project is the largest

build and budget Clegg Construction has been given by the client.

Simon Blackburn, Managing Director at Clegg Construction said: “We’re thrilled that Victoria Hall has come back to us for this project, they are an excellent client to work for. We’ve built a really successful relationship with the developers over the years and this build is their most challenging brief to date.

“Not only is it a large scale project, but the building site is very restricted. It is bound by the new Selly Oaks bypass, a railway line and a brook. Therefore careful planning was required

to ensure that we make the most of the space available for the building works so that logistically, the site restrictions did not hinder the space required for the construction.”

The project is still in its very early stages. So far Clegg Construction has completed a reduced level excavation of the site and begun removing any ground contamination and has started to lay the foundations for the three blocks of flats.

The residences were designed by O’Connell East architects. Special requirements of the build include flood defence works and it has a ‘Very Good’ BREEM environmental rating.

Portakabin delivers sustainable modular solution for a new Network Rail waste management facility Portakabin, the UK’s leading modular building specialist, has delivered a highly sustainable solution to provide Network Rail with a new waste management facility at its leadership training centre near Coventry.

The building at Westwood accommodates state-of-the-art waste processing equipment, including advanced food dewatering, composting and general waste handling. The project was completed as part of Network Rail’s corporate waste minimisation initiative to help improve on the Company’s target of reducing waste to landfill by 60% and a ‘zero to landfill’ site target.

A Portakabin building was commissioned to accommodate the waste handling equipment without compromising the site’s strong sustainability credentials and aesthetic appeal.

Supplied as a single steel framed module, the building features wide double doors to the front and side that facilitated the installation of the specialist equipment.

The floor was specially reinforced to achieve a 5Kn loading to support the heavy composting plant, and the complete building was wrapped in vinyl sheeting overprinted with images of trees and plants to help it blend into its surroundings.

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The new facility has a green sedum roof that provides additional thermal insulation, is low maintenance and encourages wildlife and biodiversity.

A modular solution was also ideal for this site because it is enclosed on three sides by protected trees and so was very constrained.

Commenting on this innovative and sustainable project, Mark Kelly, Network Rail’s Operations Manager for the Westwood site, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the building and this solution. It is a very

unobtrusive facility, but nevertheless has become a huge attraction here. Many visitors want to take a look at it and we’ve had interest from across Network Rail and other organisations, who are keen to replicate this type of sustainable waste processing on their own sites.

“Portakabin did a fantastic job of completing this challenging installation. It was craned into position efficiently with just inches to spare, on schedule and ready for us to move our equipment in.”

College students receive Kier talk Construction stars of the future have received key career advice from senior personnel at leading repairs and maintenance provider, Kier. Over 150 East Durham College Technical Academy students attended the talk which saw Kier’s project skills and corporate responsibility manager, Terry Hanlon, share his personal vocational experiences and career development.

The presentation offered insight into future employment opportunities within the construction sector, and broadening existing skill sets to diversify from traditional linear career paths. Terry drew on his own experiences as an apprentice to present the students with a real life example of how they can expand their career horizons.

Students were shown examples of construction based corporate responsibility projects in the East Durham area including Kier’s renovation of Peterlee Methodist Church, where Kier is providing new floors and tiling in addition to donating a new kitchen. Terry also talked about Kier’s project to clean up the River Tees for local Tees Wheely Boat Club, which helps disabled people of all ages enjoy boating.

After the presentation, Terry said: “I hope the talk allowed the students to realise the potential scope for future employment within the construction industry, and to consider additional options available to extend their work experience.”

Technical Academy Centre Manager, Rob Hutchinson, supported the opportunity for students to meet Kier: “The presentation was developed to broaden students’ perspective and I feel Terry certainly achieved that. His talk presented an idea that can be applied to working within our region, nationally or even internationally and hopefully showed them there are no limits when striving for career excellence.”

The Technical Academy was established in September 2010 creating a professional, construction based working environment where students receive the latest training in trade areas dedicated to today’s industry needs.

Demolished tower block brightens Birmingham’s skyline

Keepmoat completes 8,500 Nottingham home improvements Nottingham City Homes’ contractor partner, Frank Haslam Milan (FHM), part of Keepmoat, has completed its 8,500th home improvement as part of the city’s Secure Warm Modern programme.

Snape Wood estate resident Brenda Barnes recently had a new fitted kitchen installed at her home on Snape Nook Court making her the 8,500th Nottingham City Homes tenant to benefit from refurbishment work carried out

by Keepmoat.

Nottingham City Homes is currently working across the city to bring all its 29,000 properties up to and beyond the government’s Decent Homes Standard.

The Secure Warm Modern programme means council homes across the city are benefiting from new kitchens and bathrooms, electrical rewiring, new gas central heating systems and boilers, and new windows and doors.

Keepmoat staff this week thanked Brenda, 78, for her part in helping the Company reach the milestone of 8,500 properties completed to date by presenting her with a new kettle and toaster for her kitchen.

Brenda said: “My new kitchen is lovely, I’m really happy with it. It’s a big improvement on what I had before. It was looking old and tired and was really in need of updating. I’ve had a fully fitted kitchen installed and was able to choose the units myself. Keepmoat have also replastered all the walls and put in a new vinyl floor and tiles. It took three weeks to do but it was worth the wait. The workmen did a fantastic job, I can’t fault them.”

National housing and regeneration specialist Keepmoat is currently in its fifth year of working with Nottingham City Homes on its massive citywide home refurbishment programme. Keepmoat has secured a number of contracts under the programme to deliver new kitchen and bathrooms and electrical re-wiring work.

By the end of 2012/13, the Company aims to have completed 9,700 home improvements on behalf of Nottingham City Homes.

A derelict 18-storey tower block that has blighted Birmingham’s skyline for years has come crashing to the ground, much to the relief of local residents.

Normansell Tower on Waterworks Street, Aston, was demolished at 9.40am on Sunday 2nd September.

DSM Demolition Group was contracted by Birmingham City Council to bring down the large concrete panel tower block using explosives. More than 80 homes within 160 metres of the site were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Billy Young, Contract Manager for DSM Demolition said: “The building was constructed using large concrete panels that are interlocking, which would make a manual or mechanical take down expensive and very time consuming. The use of explosives is a much quicker, economical and safer way of demolishing the tower block.

“The building fell in approximately 4.5 seconds but it will take a further eight weeks for the team to process the material and clear the rubble.”

Dave Samrai, Project Manager at Birmingham City Council said: “The former residential building has been derelict for the past five years and had become an eyesore for the town. We know that local residents are pleased to see it has been demolished.

There are no firm proposals for the 21,527sq ft site at present, but it will become part of a wider development of the area.”

Approximately 25 people were involved in the process leading up to the demolition including: DSM Demolition project team, Birmingham City Council, local police, HSE, Highways, consultants WYG, structural engineers, and explosive engineers. The workforce rose to 60 on the day of demolition with look out sentries, an evacuation team, traffic management, clear up teams, and monitoring engineers joining the established co-ordination team.

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UKC news

Moran appointed to 100 Cheapside redevelopment Quadrant Estates has appointed leading multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Hilson Moran for the speculative redevelopment of 100 Cheapside, a 94,000 sq ft Grade-A office and retail development located in the heart of the City of London, between the Bank of England and St Paul’s Cathedral.

100 Cheapside comprises the comprehensive redevelopment of a prominent site at the corner of King Street and Cheapside on the ceremonial route to and from the Guildhall. The existing buildings will be demolished, with the new BREEAM ‘Excellent’ building taking its place.

Hilson Moran has been appointed to design

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the building services, provide sustainability services, including BREEAM and LEED, as well as designing the vertical transportation for the building.

Martin Murphy, Director at Hilson Moran said: “100 Cheapside is a high quality, efficient and imaginative new development that will offer an environmentally-conscious and highly serviced workspace for its tenants. It is one of the few being developed speculatively.”

100 Cheapside is a joint venture between CarVal, Orion and The City of London, with Quadrant Estates acting as Development Manager. The completion target is set for the second half of 2014.

First nuclear analysis laboratory to be built using modular construction arrives on site at Dounreay Britain’s newest laboratory for the analysis of radioactive materials has arrived on site at Dounreay in Scotland. The project, which is under construction by off-site specialist Yorkon, is also the first nuclear facility of its kind to be built using modular construction, and one of the most complex and remote modular building projects ever undertaken in the UK. 35 steel framed modules have been craned into position in only four days, significantly reducing disruption to operations at Dounreay. The units were pre-installed with partitions, fume cupboards, windows and office areas to minimise work on-site.

The contract for the £9M building was awarded by site clean-up contractor, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL), to a team led by off-site specialist and Main Contractor, Yorkon.

The off-site approach is reducing the programme time for the building envelope by around 50%. Construction of the 1,300sq m building is scheduled for completion in spring 2013 when it will be handed over to the client to commence active commissioning. It is due to receive its first samples for testing in 2014, subject to regulatory approvals.

The scheme will provide six laboratories to allow DSRL to comply with its statutory and environmental monitoring requirements, and will remain in use for up to 25 years until the site decommissioning programme has been completed.

Commenting on the project, Iain Lyall, Project Manager at Dounreay Site Restoration Limited, said: “The off-site solution enabled an almost overnight transformation of the site. This is a substantial building which was installed and ready for the final stages of fitting out in just four days. Speed of programme is important so we can have the building up and running as soon as possible, but it is also critical to get the quality right and to achieve best value. We are delighted with Yorkon’s approach and performance to date, and look forward to the building’s completion.”

OPUN set for pivotal role in delivery of Building for Life 12 OPUN, the Leicestershire based Architecture Centre for the East Midlands, is set to play a pivotal role as a leading national training provider for the new Building for Life (BfL) standards.

Published at an event in Coalville in the East Midlands by Cabe at the Design Council, Design for Homes and the Homebuilders Federation, BfL12 is the new national benchmark for well designed housing in England.

The guidance has been updated to respond to issues relating to housing quality, as well as the government’s localism agenda, updated Housing Strategy, and the National Planning Policy Framework. The vision is for new housing developments to be attractive, functional and sustainable places.

OPUN and Nottingham Trent University (NTU) have been involved in developing BfL12, working alongside partners to revise the original twenty checklist areas into twelve key questions. A traffic light system has also been incorporated to ensure proposed schemes and their impact on local people can be properly interpreted and evaluated.

Julie Tanner, CEO of OPUN said: “BfL12 is common sense. It provides a straightforward, easy to follow approach and will help anyone involved in bringing forward a housing scheme avoid the common pitfalls in the early design stages. That’s really important, as it can often be costly to correct design faults at a later stage in the development.

“We’re delighted to have been chosen as a leading training provider in partnership with NTU. BfL12 will inevitably become a critical element of local plans in bringing forward better places to live. It is vital that this new guidance is successfully rolled out to have maximum impact.”

BfL12 is aimed at local authorities, parish councils, community groups and importantly housebuilders working in the public and private sectors.

Industry gives verdict on CarbonLight Homes The Velux CarbonLight Homes have opened their doors to the UK’s housebuilders, academics and developers, ahead of the first test family moving in later this year.

Barratt Developments PLC, Crest Nicholson, Gentoo and Coventry University are just some of those to have toured the two carbon neutral homes, eager to learn more about their innovative design and energy strategy. The visits come as the first test family prepares to move into the fourbedroom house in October with the second test family following in spring 2013.

Stephen Wooldridge, Sustainability Manager at Barratt Developments PLC, said: “I am interested to learn more about the success of the natural ventilation strategies designed into the homes using the doubleheight atriums. Indoor air quality is a key part of a successful design solution and achieving this while using and losing as little energy as possible is of significant

interest to me.

“It’s also important that an energy efficient home is easy for occupants to manage so they reap the rewards of the energy strategy. Using a ‘fabric first’ ethos, as in the CarbonLight Homes, makes a dwelling intrinsically efficient. This is particularly important in relation to the number of houses we build and sell each year. I will be interested to see the results of the monitoring programme.”

Keith Riddle, Managing Director at VELUX, adds: “We’re eager to start a discussion on best practice for the industry and are delighted that the industry has taken the opportunity to visit the homes, all eager to see if they can learn from our left of field approach that pitches energy efficiency alongside occupant health and wellbeing.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating and we are now looking forward to reporting back on the test families’ findings.”

Gibside puts trust in Owen Pugh Leading construction business The Owen Pugh Group has begun work on a major £1.54M construction project on behalf of The National Trust.

Dudley based Owen Pugh Construction, a division of the group set up just 18 months ago, has been appointed to carry out improvements to facilities at Gibside Estate near Rowlands Gill, Gateshead that will enhance the visitor experience.

Work will include the construction of two new purpose built car parks, visitor centre and an elevated walkway through woodland connecting the new car parks to the estate.

The new development works will ultimately allow the full restoration of the four-acre historic Walled Garden to its former glory.

The land is currently used as an overspill car park and the investment is a response to an increase in visitor numbers from 60,000 to 166,000 over the past ten years.

In the coming weeks a site compound will be established and the area will be cleared before Owen Pugh Contracts carry out the bulk earthworks. Further work will include the installation of a gabion retaining wall and sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) complete with attenuation tank, swales and wetland discharge to minimise the environmental impact of the scheme.

This will enable storm water to be stored, and will allow discharge to ground without connection to the existing drainage system.

Improvements to the current car and coach park and new paving and resurfacing work will also take place and Lee Buchanan, Project Manager for Owen Pugh, will finalise the design and route of the elevated timber walkway working closely with the National Trust.

Phil Bolam, Project Manager for the National Trust commented: “Following a very competitive tender process, we were delighted to appoint Owen Pugh Construction as the Main Contractor.

National Trust was very impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm of the Owen Pugh team, helping to ensure that we get best value for our £1.54M investment. I’m looking forward to working closely with Owen Pugh to deliver this fantastic project and bring great improvements to the historic Gibside Estate.”

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UKC news

DIO delivers new rehabilitation complex for injured service personnel The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and regional industry partners PriDE have delivered new facilities at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC), Headley Court, near Leatherhead, in Surrey.

Working with regional industry partner PriDE and their principal contractor Rollalong, DIO delivered the Jubilee Rehabilitation Complex (JRC) on schedule in honour of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.

The brand new £16.9M complex was fully funded by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and comprises of: • A state-of-the-art therapy building with a second prosthetics department, radiology department and open plan gym to ensure

that injured personnel continue to receive world class medical care and rehabilitation.

• An Activities of Daily Living flat, where patients can learn to live independently.

Surgeon Vice Admiral Philip Raffaelli, Surgeon General said: “Headley Court is the MOD’s premier facility for the rehabilitation of injured Service personnel, providing rehabilitation for complex injuries, including amputees and brain-injured patients.

“The delivery of the Jubilee Rehabilitation Complex demonstrates the MOD’s continued commitment to the DMRC to ensure its excellent support to members of the Armed Forces is maintained.”

The new complex is located within the

grounds of Headley Court, next to the listed garden amongst mature trees. Close liaison with the Local Planning Authority and Headley Court Trustees allowed the project to progress quickly. The project was fast tracked to contract award and an accelerated construction programme helped to deliver the new facilities on time.

DIO Project Manager George Liu said: “DIO’s top priority is to support the Armed Forces and their families. We’re delighted to have worked successfully with our industry partners to deliver as quickly as possible a range of facilities to help speed the rehabilitation of injured Service personnel at Headley Court.”

Leadbitter completes new student residence at Oxford Brookes The Leadbitter Group has completed the construction of new student accommodation at Oxford Brookes University’s Harcourt Hill campus.

Leadbitter built 50 studio apartments, each with its own kitchen and bathroom, for twin occupancy, as well as 48 ‘cluster apartments’ with between three and seven ensuite bedrooms and communal kitchens.

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The development has delivered a total of 318 study bedrooms in two three-storey blocks.

The apartment blocks are traditionally built masonry structures, with a combination of brick, render and cedar cladding. The scheme was designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating, with sedum roofs on both buildings. Leadbitter also built an energy

centre, which will provide all hot water, heating and 20% of the buildings’ power requirements, using gas boilers and a combined heat and power unit.

The design and build contract also included the realignment of the campus road to ensure minimal disruption to students and users of the campus leisure centre, which was kept open to the public throughout the construction period.

Oxford Brookes University has established a solid working relationship with Leadbitter, which has provided the University with more than 1,500 student bedrooms over the last decade.

The Harcourt Hill contract followed Leadbitter’s successful completion of new student accommodation and an energy centre at Morrell Hall in 2010 and a new Postgraduate Centre in 2011, both located in the Marston Road area of the University’s Headington campus.

Cliff Thomas, Regional Director of Leadbitter’s Central Construction division, said: “We are delighted to deliver this, our latest project at Oxford Brookes, which demonstrates our continuing commitment to providing high quality developments to the University and to other student accommodation providers. The new halls will provide excellent accommodation for Oxford Brookes students for many years to come.”

Willmott Dixon doubles new apprentice intake for contracts The construction industry has received a huge boost after Willmott Dixon’s repair and maintenance company said it is taking on 21 apprentices this year across nine different locations in the UK. Willmott Dixon Partnerships will train the new apprentices, who will learn trades such as carpentry, plumbing and building maintenance, as part of its commitment to skills development. The Company provides support services to more than 150,000 homes.

This year’s intake of new apprentices has doubled that employed in 2011 and will mean the Company has 61 apprentices on its books, a major investment in skills development while the construction market continues to struggle from reduced work volumes.

Willmott Dixon Partnerships Managing Director Mick Williamson says: “We want to attract new people into the construction and maintenance industries through our apprenticeships and unique Opening Doors programme, a work experience initiative benefiting hundreds of people across the country. It gives them lifelong skills to boost our economy and provides our sector with a platform for when the market recovers.”

Apprentice trades being offered by the Company include plumbing, electrical, carpentry, bricklaying and plastering. Those on the apprentice scheme will work with the Company for between one and four years to obtain qualifications through a mix of on and off the job training at local colleges.

Apprentices are also offered training to become Company ‘Construction Ambassadors’, working with schools and youth centres to inform young people about the routes into the construction and maintenance industry and help them to understand the benefits of having a trade qualification.

Ventrolla breathes new life into country estate A picturesque Georgian property in Taunton has bid a fond farewell to its draughty sash windows, thanks to the help of renovation experts Ventrolla.

Ventrolla Wessex was appointed by Mr and Mrs Gamble to tackle the breezes sweeping through their family home, which resulted in the windows rattling.

11 two-metre high sash windows were installed with the unique Ventrolla Perimeter Sealing System (VPSS), closing the gaps around the windows to eradicate the draughts and rattles. The system also helps to reduce external noise and heat loss.

One window required specific attention due to years of rot. With the timber beyond repair, Ventrolla supplied a bespoke replacement window frame in keeping with the period property’s aesthetics.

Mrs Gamble said: “I’m thrilled with the

outcome of the work. It has made a huge difference, improving the comfort of our home as we no longer have to put up with cold draughts. We’re also pleased to be benefiting from the added bonus of noise reduction.

“From start to finish Ventrolla was very professional, completing the work promptly and to a high standard, which is why I have already recommended them to friends.”

The Gamble’s are currently in the midst of a major renovation of their Grade II listed property, located on a six-acre estate in Adsborough, where they have lived for the past four years.

Ventrolla offers a bespoke renovation service for timber sliding sash and casement windows as well as timber doors.

The central office is in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, with additional offices located throughout the UK and Ireland.

Cracking the code H+H’s Thin Joint system has been used in a fabric first approach to the design and construction of a low energy apartment block on a constrained site in Brighton.

The planners insisted the four-apartment scheme had to comply with Level 4 for the Code for Sustainable Homes. This demanded a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions when compared to Building Regulations (2010).

Michael Alderton, Director of Contractor Canning Ericsson said: “The scheme had to achieve Code Level 4, so not only did we have to achieve a very good thermal performance, but good sound resistance and airtightness too. The H+H Thin Joint aircrete construction system appeared to be the best solution to achieve this.”

The apartment’s external walls were constructed using Celfix Mortar applied to Standard Grade 610 mm long x 270 mm high x 100 mm wide Jumbo Bloks for both the inner and outer cavity walls. The walls were designed using H+H’s Aircrete Construction Details to minimise the amount of heat lost at the junctions of walls and floors. The 100mm cavity was filled with insulation. An additional 50mm of insulation was added to the outside of the wall, which was finished in a precoloured render system.

The separating walls between apartments were also constructed using the Thin Joint

system, which enabled one block type to be used throughout the scheme. The separating walls are constructed from two skins of 100mm wide High Strength Jumbo Blocks with the 100mm cavity filled with insulation. A sound test on the walls proved the solution exceeded Building Regulations requirement by up to 8dB. In addition to the highly insulated building fabric photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof of the block to generate electricity from the sunlight. The panels supply one of the apartments, which achieved an EPC A rating, with the remaining apartments achieving a very impressive B-rating.

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IT strategy enables construction firms Whilst the current business climate remains using software to ensure an accurate central hub or information repository that a challenging one, we’re increasingly seeing picture of past performance, present allows managers to share, reuse and firms turn to software as they recognise the needs and future requirements, businesses analyse project data and costs. This strategic and operational benefits it can are best placed to solve problems and plan information can, in turn, be used to inform bring, and have seen almost a 30% rise in future estimates and improve the accuracy more accurately for the future. software enquiries this year as a result. and speed of tender submissions.

• Monitor labour productivity – It is Technology is a differentiator that can staggering how many construction firms’ • Bring together your data and support business growth, helping firms information - Save your business time, profit margins are eroded as a result of remain ahead of competitors by enhancing and allow instant access to relevant, up to productivity problems. Use software to the delivery and flexibility of their services date information with a SharePoint-based separate jobs within a project to help and improving efficiencies and operational intranet solution. A centralised environment identify discrepancies between labour effectiveness, so it’s no surprise we’ve seen estimates and actual labour costs. for all of your business critical documents, demand for our services soar.

Separating jobs whilst still observing the full allowing multi-user access and version control. This will empower your workforce picture allows site managers to better by giving them the knowledge required to Wes Simmons, General Manager at Sage forecast cost-to-completion figures, improve business profitability and reduce Construction considers how IT can act as address current problems, and improve risk. With late payment of invoices recently future estimating and bidding accuracy, all a strategic enabler by making it easier for of which are central to maintaining identified as a common problem for construction companies to manage their construction firms, putting their businesses profitability. business processes. in jeopardy, a collaborative approach to • Automate your processes – By bringing data management can also ensure all of your data into a core ERP system, • Monitoring KPIs - Is part of every contractors have a full view of the health of you will reduce your manual input, and be construction firm’s business strategy. their supply chain and can better identify able to access and accurately report on Unified software solutions can enable troublesome suppliers in order to improve reliable information. managers to accurately monitor these cash flow.

KPIs, obtain rapid KPI updates and make • Ensure your business has an integrated approach – Every any necessary changes in order to construction company should have a maintain a strategic business plan. By

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The Last Hurdle – The Devil and The Detail I have done my fair share of marathon mediations, working into the small hours of the night before the ever important breakthrough arises that finally leads to a settlement of the dispute. The relief in the parties’ separate rooms when verbal agreement is finally reached is palpable. But, as I always say at the outset of any mediation I am conducting, the mediation is not over until the terms of settlement are reduced to writing and the settlement agreement is signed by all the parties to the mediation.

building into apartments. By 2007, remedial works undertaken by Mivan had not corrected defects but nevertheless the parties entered into a settlement agreement which included the following terms.

There is something quite frightening about trying to draft a settlement agreement in the middle of the night. Everybody, including the Mediator, will be exhausted by then and yet it is at this very point in the mediation when maximum concentration is needed. Most Mediators will encourage the parties to draw up and sign a settlement agreement before they leave for that well-earned night’s sleep. After all, a new day might lead a party to see a new perspective on the dispute and what it was willing to agree to last night is no longer on the agenda and, in those circumstances, the mediation will fail.

We would confirm that this final agreement concludes Mivan's responsibilities and obligations in respect of their works at the above project.

It never ceases to amaze me just how often, when the parties and the lawyers begin to put down in writing what has been agreed, a new point or problem comes to light that needs to be negotiated and settled. Then there is the agreement itself. Just what do the settlement terms mean? Could they be open to misinterpretation by any of the parties in the future? Will that post-midnight drafting come back to haunt you?

The Judgment in Point West London Ltd v Mivan Ltd (2012) demonstrates just how important it is to get the terms of a settlement agreement absolutely right. The case is not specifically about mediation but is about how what parties agree may not be what one or more of them actually intended.

The case concerned a dispute over a final account for work done and liability for defects in work done by Mivan for Point West on a project in London in 2000 which involved converting an existing

“The agreement comprises a further payment of £50,000 (including VAT), representing the final assessment of monies due or to become due thus achieving full and final settlement in respect of the above works, together with any and all outstanding matters.

We appreciate your assistance in this matter, and now look forward to receipt of the final payment as agreed in due course."

Point West became involved in a court case with the owner of a penthouse apartment which it lost and had to pay damages to him for the defects.

Point West, therefore, brought proceedings against Mivan seeking a declaration that the settlement agreement it had entered into with Mivan did not include settlement of Mivan’s liability to pay damages in respect of defects which it had or would in the future have under its contract with Point West, including any liability in respect of defects which existed at the date of the agreement.

The court declared that the settlement agreement released Mivan from any liability for defects which both parties were aware of at the date of the agreement, including in relation to the unascertained defects relating to the heating and cooling system. It was clear to the court that at the time the parties entered into the settlement agreement the “outstanding matters” were the questions of payment to Mivan and the defects. Both parties were fully aware that further remedial works were likely to be required.

Mr Justice Ramsey held that the outstanding matters, therefore, included liability for such defects as they were clearly evident at the

date of the agreement. Those were the outstanding matters corresponding to the words “all works carried out” by Mivan and the financial settlement was in respect of these.

Mr Justice Ramsey also confirmed that as the agreement was stated to be “in full and final settlement in respect of the above works, together with any and all outstanding matters”, it was clear that it was intended to achieve just that, a full and final settlement in respect of all works and all outstanding matters. The combination of phrases used in the agreement was intended to take the settlement further than a pure financial settlement and included releasing Mivan from having to attend to defects that were outstanding at the date of settlement.

How many times have you see the words “in full and final settlement of all claims and causes of action arising between the parties both prior to and after the execution of this agreement” in a settlement agreement? Are you sure that these words mean what you think they do?

This case is a timely reminder to think very carefully about what terms should be included in a settlement agreement and to ask yourself two very important questions. Just what claims and counter-claims are you actually settling? Are there any potential existing future claims that you are not settling?

Be careful what you wish for and remember that the devil is in the detail!

Peter Vinden is a practising arbitrator, adjudicator, mediator, expert and conciliator. He is Managing Director of The Vinden Partnership and can be contacted by email at pvinden@vinden.co.uk

Regent House, Folds Point, Folds Road, Bolton BL1 2RZ t. 01204 362888 f. 01204 362808 tvp@vinden.co.uk www.vinden.co.uk

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Branksome Chine Outfall Installation Working in the marine environment for over 20 years, CMP has the obtained the capability to face the challenges presented by mari me condi ons. The sea is par cularly hazardous due to the some mes hos le environment in which work is carried out. The vola lity and unpredictability of condi ons caused by storm, waves, currents and des provide addi onal challenges to those faced by civil engineers working on shore. With an experienced team, CMP provides an expert service for marine construc on opera ons ranging from Principal Contrac ng to specialist sub-contract works.

CMP were responsible for the fabrica on and installa on of a 350 metre long 800mm diameter MDPE short sea ou!all pipe. A temporary cofferdam was installed by CMP’s hydraulic piling teams. CMP provided the complete solu on including design,

supply and installa on of the 80 metre cofferdam.

Once complete, the cofferdam provided protec on against wave ac on and facilitated the excava on and trench support through the challenging inter dal zone of the beach.

Dredging of the seabed was completed using a long reach excavator working from CMP’s S50 modular Jack-Up barge.

The pipeline & diffuser were fabricated on the shore and then floated out into posi on and sunk onto the sea-bed. All the works were completed by CMP’s own in-house marine construc on team.

KEY POINTS: • Innova ve “float & sink” pipeline Installa on system designed by CMP • Design, supply and installa on of the temporary cofferdam • All diving works carried out in-house using CMP’s dive team • CMP’s SE-50 Jack-Up provided a stable pla!orm for all works in an inter dal zone

To secure the pipe in posi on and provide protec on from sea swells, submarine rock armour & concrete ma#ress were accurately placed along the pipeline.

Liverpool – Cruise Liner Berth Working in the River Mersey provides demanding marine condi ons with dal flows of 8 knots and rise and fall of 9 metres. CMP installed 12 steel piles each weighing 100 tonnes in the form of a 2 metre diameter tubular pile, each 40 metres long.

These piles were installed using a process known as ‘rock socket piling’, where the pile toe was anchored up to 15 metres into the river bed rock.

Ini ally, CMP used underwater demoli on equipment to remove large reinforced concrete obstruc ons from the sea bed, and to verify the pile loca ons were free from obstruc ons.

required a large diameter ‘socket’ to be drilled into the sandstone substrate using a hydraulic piling rig working from CMP’s jack-up barge.

The marine resources included CMP’s 1500t crane barge with a 300T crane on board to li$ the piles into place. Once the drilling was complete, the piles were li$ed into the socket, secured in place, whilst grout was pumped down into the annulus between the pile and the rock socket. Over 40 pallets of grout were pumped into each pile.

Special techniques were developed to allow the grout to be poured and within 12 hours released and ready for further works.

CMP worked through day and night with teams of men to construct the rock socket piles in line with the demanding programme of 6 weeks. The piles

KEY POINTS: • All marine resources provided by CMP, including 1500t barge, 300t crane, Jack-up barge • All drilling rigs and piling equipment supplied and operated by our marine construc on teams • CMP supplied Marine Project Management for the demanding programme working 24/7 • Drilling 15 metres into the sandstone riverbed • 100t piles li"ed and grouted into a ‘rock socket’

Commercial Marine & Piling Ltd Unit 3, Stag Business Park, 164-166 Christchurch Road, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 3AS

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UKC comment

A measure of green Keith Riddle, Managing Director of VELUX In 2011 the UK’s carbon emissions fell by 41 million tonnes compared to the previous year. Although undeniably of significant numerical value, what does it mean in material terms? If I was to tell you 41 million tonnes of carbon is equal to taking more than seven million cars off the road for a whole year, the news would probably garner a bigger response.

For this reason, I took to measuring the ‘unknown’ when VELUX’s CO2 savings were recently made available. Since 2007 we have reduced our carbon emissions by a staggering 10,000 tonnes. Not only does this equate to as much as one tonne for every employee, but this figure is also equivalent to 1,166 UK homes, although not homes of the CarbonLight kind I hasten to add.

There is a clear need to make the issue of carbon emissions more ‘user friendly’ if the public are to get on board fully with the government’s ambitious carbon reduction plan, which hopes to see a 20% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 on 1990 levels. It is no surprise then, that many homeowners are prompted to make energy efficiency improvements to their property not because they can save ‘X’ amount of carbon, but because of the need to make a monetary saving. There is nothing more quantifiable than hard cash. Following the news that energy provider SSE is to increase costs for gas and electricity by 9% over the next 12 months, and with more providers expected to follow suit, I wouldn’t be surprised to see many more looking to replace single glazing and install solar heating.

However, research from uSwitch has revealed that the UK’s growing number of renters are being left behind when it comes to cutting their energy bills. The survey found that 27% pay little or no interest in the energy efficiency of their home while 26%

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don’t think their landlord would be interested in talking about their home’s carbon footprint. With a third of all households now renting this could throw a spanner in the works for the government.

One solution could be the soon to launch Green Deal which will not require the landlord or tenant to pay for energy efficiency improvements. Instead, payment for work is recouped through future savings on energy bills. The scheme could see more people consider a property’s carbon footprint, jumpstarting improvements in the sector.

The burgeoning rental sector has been fuelled by a shortage of new homes, something the government is determined to get a grip on. As the ONS revealed that new private housing in the three months to June was down 8% compared to the same period last year, the government was quick to unveil a series of plans that include public funding for new development and relaxing social housing requirements to stimulate construction and welcomed by the industry and buyers.

However, I hope the new homes the government promises will be the most energy efficient possible, after the revelation that the average SAP rating - fell in the second quarter of this year by 0.1 points in England and as much as 0.7 points in Wales, compared to 2011. There were also variations between the regions with a new home in London averaging 81.8 and the North East averaging 77.2.

As the 2016 deadline for building to zero carbon fast approaches it is a little unnerving to think that if you were to buy a property this year it could be less energy efficient than last – no matter how small the parameters. The only way should most definitely be up.

One small reprieve could come in the form of the Olympics and the much talked about event ‘legacy’. The Olympic Park, which will be renamed Queen Elizabeth Park now the celebrations have come to a close, will include 8,000 new homes built to zero carbon. Like the stadium build process and Games themselves I have no doubt that the changing face of the Park will grab the country’s attention. The decision to set a new benchmark standard for sustainability there could well prove to be a gold winning move in an effort to cut the UK’s carbon emissions.

Keith Riddle

UKC comment

Home technology innovations help to drive down carbon emissions Graham Perrior, Head of Standards & Technical, NHBC While much of the focus in construction over the past few years has been on improving processes and materials used to drive down the overall carbon footprint of building new housing stock, the emphasis has recently focused on the function of appliances in the home. As the housebuilding industry continues to work towards the 2016 zero carbon targets set by the government, a range of energy efficient systems and appliances for occupant use are becoming available.

The 2016 targets still represent a significant challenge for the housebuilding industry and there is now a growing need to assess the performance of new technologies, given the speed with which they are evolving and the varying levels of performance reported by users in the home. With that in mind, the NHBC Foundation has conducted primary research with a range of key organisations to carry out in-depth scoping.

In our report Energy Efficient Appliances and Building Control Systems, we sought to comprehensively address performance variation in new household technologies. It is vital that designers and housebuilders are able to make informed choices about the inhome technology installed in new build properties so they offer the optimum energy performance for homeowners. This report aims to present an objective view of the likely technologies that could influence a reduction in energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions for a typical home built in 2016.

Significantly, the research demonstrates that a number of technologies offer potential for saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions, but the overall recommendation of the report is that electrical shutdown in the home when occupants are asleep or not present could reduce household CO2 emissions by almost one-fifth.

This power-down system, known as ‘whole house shutdown’ enables occupants to easily turn off power to non-essential electrical items. The technology is already

well established in the leisure sector with hotels using the keycard system to power off lighting and electrical appliances when guests leave their room.

From the variety of technologies explored in the research, a shortlist of nine was considered for in-depth assessment. Aside from ‘whole house shutdown’, the report concluded that single socket shutdown offered energy savings of up to 16%, with waste water heat recovery also scoring well.

The report also investigated in detail other technologies such as ‘passive flue gas heat recovery’, which works to recover the latent heat in the flue gases of condensing boilers to pre-warm the incoming cold water feed to the domestic hot water system, which improves the efficiency of hot water generation. Additional energy efficiency devices assessed include ‘demand control ventilation’, and ‘next-generation light emitting diode lighting’, which help to increase luminary efficiency and colour rendering performance.

It is important to remember that most of the devices that have been assessed are still very much in the early stages of development. There remains considerable work for the housing industry to ensure these often complex appliances are delivered in a consumer friendly format with easy to understand terminology.

This need for clear communication is something NHBC Foundation previously explored in its NF40 report, Today’s Attitudes to Low and Zero Carbon Homes.

This examined in detail responses from occupiers, house builders and housing associations on their views of new build homes, assessing industry and consumer priorities when buying such properties. It found that consumers are generally finding it difficult to understand the number of terms that are associated with zero carbon homes. Although the term ‘energy efficient’ appears to be the most popular, other references and the names of technologies themselves are finding it more difficult to gain equal recognition.

Turning to this latest report, it is likely that terms such as ‘whole house shutdown’ could appear slightly ambiguous to the average consumer. With that in mind, the technology industry may need to consider a more consumer-friendly alternative if it is to be more widely adopted.

Energy efficient appliances and building control systems marks a major step forward in identifying the best performing appliances currently being considered for large-scale introduction to the housing market. It should be considered an essential tool for both designers and builders to assess and understand the effectiveness of these technologies against the 2016 zero carbon homes policy when deciding what to install in new build homes today and in the future.

Graham Perrior

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UKC comment

Construction to kick-start economy under government push Angus Walker, Bircham Dyson Bell Proper planning and quick delivery are key to getting the UK’s infrastructure moving – and, as infrastructure is the backbone of any thriving economy, we must get it right. Fortunately for the industry as well as the wider economy, the latest signs from the government are that, with a little tweaking, things are now heading in the right direction.

First on the blocks to push things forwards is a possible new bill in Parliament plus an internal government consultation on planning reform. While a complete change to the regime would not be helpful and would create more uncertainty, I do firmly believe that a few well-aimed interventions will help everyone, and this route will hopefully achieve that.

To shed some light on what we can expect, in the summer the Deputy Editor of the Telegraph, Benedict Brogan, suggested that the Prime Minister is preparing a bill - the Economic Regeneration Bill is the working title - to kick-start the economy. This bill will fill the vacuum created by deciding not to progress the House of Lords Reform Bill.

According to Brogan, the new bill is 'likely to include a new attempt to relax planning laws, which is already causing Cabinet strain, and will act as a push for major infrastructure projects and regulation'.

Mr Brogan goes as far as to say that the bill 'means, for a start, a third runway at Heathrow, new nuclear power stations, and more road-building'. Personally, I think it is unlikely to be the route by which a change of heart on Heathrow is conveyed, given the existing proposal for a 'call for evidence' on that issue by the Department for Transport this autumn, but the other two seem likely given that they are existing policy.

I also heard the Prime Minister is looking for ideas from government departments about how to speed up infrastructure delivery, with a brainstorming exercise held in August where departments were encouraged to 'be broad and be bold'.

Stage two is to consider the identified 'top 40 infrastructure projects [and programmes]' and, importantly, look at whether and how any of these might be accelerated specifically. The latter is to cover procurement issues as well as legislative reforms, since many of them have been consented but just not finished yet - or even started

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These are all good signs, and if handled carefully, will benefit infrastructure planning and delivery - as long as we focus on the right infrastructure, planned properly as well as delivered quickly.

The most pressing issue needing legislative reform on my list is: GET RID OF SPECIAL PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE (SPP) for statutory undertakers' and local authority land. You might as well get rid of it for open space land not being replaced as well.

Both of these can be given a special status in the Planning Act process, but should be part of that process and come within the same timescales.

The clearest demonstration of the delay this is causing is on the only project to have been consented under the Planning Act regime - the Rookery South energy from waste project in Bedfordshire.

When the Parliamentary committee considering this project meets, it will be over a year since the consent was issued.

Indeed, SPP will probably take longer than the whole of the rest of the application process. This simple step would remove a lot of delay and uncertainty from a lot of projects. The government cannot boast that the regime is speeding up delivery until this embarrassing feature is removed.

The requirements to get certificates from various government departments for taking certain land and rights in land should also be abolished and replaced with a special status in the Planning Act process (if that). These are again a pointless duplication and complication in a supposedly streamlined regime.

Removing the need for obtaining consent to be able to include a list of consents in the main application would speed things up and simplify them too.

When you ask a body if you can remove its consenting power, understandably it almost always says no (although I did get a yes once). The regulations under section 150 of the Act should be repealed (the list of consents) but section 150 itself should be got rid of too so that it doesn't rear its ugly head again.

With a bit more blue sky thinking, if these deadlines are so effective for applications, how about having them for producing and reviewing National Policy Statements (NPSs)? We have been waiting for nearly three years for a sniff of a road and rail NPS

but there is not likely to be any sign of it until 2013 at least. An NPS is not meant to be new policy, merely a convenient expression of existing policy, so a timetable shouldn't interfere with the government's freedom to make policy at any time.

NPSs are not the end of the story, of course - for example, saying that eight nuclear power stations are urgently needed has only produced one application so far. Can anything more be done? Planning and consenting issues have probably not contributed greatly to the delays with the other seven, which are more related to the recession, Fukushima and electricity market reform. Should Hinkley Point C get consent (for which the deadline is 22 March 2013), then we can hope this will encourage the rest to push ahead, too.

Angus Walker

UKC comment

The latest ruling on concurrent delay Walter Lilly v Giles Mackay [2012] EWHC 1773 An issue that is often debated is whether a contractor is entitled to an extension of time where there could be more than one cause of the delay, each cause on its own would have resulted in the delay, and one of the causes would entitle the contractor to an extension of time, and the other cause(s) would not (concurrent delay).

It was generally thought, following the first instance case of Henry Boot Construction v Malmaison (1999) 70 Con LR, that where there was such concurrent causes of the delay, the contractor would be entitled to an extension of time, notwithstanding it would have been delayed anyway by the other event(s) for which it was responsible.

Although this was simply the basis on which the parties had agreed between themselves to deal with concurrent delay in that case.

However, in City Inn v Shepherd Construction Ltd [2010] ScotCS CSIH68 the Inner House in Scotland did not follow this approach. In the case, Lord Osborne, who gave the majority decision said: “Where there is true concurrency between a relevant event [entitling the contractor to compensation] and a contractor default, in the sense that both existed simultaneously, regardless of which started first, it may be appropriate to apportion responsibility for the delay between the two causes; obviously, however, the basis for such apportionment must be fair and reasonable”.

What was uncertain, until now, was whether the Scottish approach of apportioning the delay to the various concurrent causes would be followed in England and Wales. In his judgment in Walter Lilly, Mr Justice Akenhead, the Head of the Technology and Construction Court, made it very clear that it would not be: “... I am clearly of the view that, where there is an extension of time clause such that as agreed upon in this case and where delay is caused by two or more effective causes, one of which entitles the Contractor to an extension of time as being a Relevant Event, the Contractor is entitled to a full extension of time. “... although of persuasive weight, the City Inn case is inapplicable within this jurisdiction”.

Mr Justice Akenhead’s rationale for this was

twofold. He said that, firstly, many of the events that would entitle a contractor to an extension of time were acts by the employer preventing the contractor from completing; and in such circumstances the contractor should always obtain a full extension of time, irrespective that there may be concurrent causes of delay for which the contractor was responsible.

He said that the second and more important reason was that as a matter of interpretation, the wording of the relevant extension of time clause (clause 25 of the JCT Standard Form of Building Contract) did not suggest that the contractor’s entitlement to an extension of time should be reduced where there was concurrent delay.

In his judgment Mr Justice Akenhead made the following further useful comments about assessing and establishing the causes of delay: “one cannot ... do a purely retrospective exercise ... and then say it was the last event at the end which caused the overall delay to the Works.

One needs to consider what critically delayed the Works as they went along”, “I was impressed by the way that Mr Robinson [Walter Lilly’s delay expert] approached the exercise ... What [he] did was to analyse on a month by month basis (broadly) ... what was in reality impacting upon progress. What he sought to do was to identify as far as possible [Walter Lilly’s] actual progress with the Works on a monthly basis and its planned intentions for executing the remainder of the Works”, and “in the delay assessment exercise the Court should be very cautious about giving significant weight to the supposedly contemporaneous views of people who did not give evidence”.

As is in fact often the case, Mr Justice Akenhead concluded that there was not actually concurrent delay: the contractor, Walter Lilly, had only been delayed by events for which it was entitled to an extension of time. As a result he did not deal in his judgment with the more complicated, and often more important issue of money: the extent to which and on what basis a contractor is entitled to recover its costs

where it has been delayed and there are concurrent causes of the delay, one or more of which the contractor is responsible for.

It is generally assumed that a contractor will not be able to recover its costs in that situation. In City Inn the Scottish courts again took a different approach, suggesting that, as with time, apportionment was the correct approach.

However, in light of Mr Justice Akenhead’s comments, it would seem likely that City Inn will also not be followed in England and Wales in this regard.

Jonathan Gold Sheridan Gold LLP If anyone has any queries about this article or the issue of concurrent delay, they can contact Jonathan Gold (ddi 01737 735577; e jgold@sheridangold.co.uk)

Jonathan Gold

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UKC comment

Reflecting on RESI 2012 Debate, discussion and building the UK residential property market UK Construction reflects on a successful RESI 2012, which took place on 13 and 14 September. Getting Britain building, planning and funding became key themes throughout the event.

The sixth RESI conference was a ‘sell out event’ this year and further embedded itself as the UK’s leading conference for those in the residential property and house-building community. Taking place at Celtic Manor, Newport, this annual event provided an opportunity to assess the current housing market, identify opportunities and issues and clarifying what steps need to be taken to improve and develop the industry.

The conference generated much debate, conversation and opportunities for the industry to connect, with speakers representing the audience from leading house-builders, investors, landlords, consultants and the government.

The much anticipated keynote panel covered the biggest barriers to Getting Britain Building, which was hotly debated by Stephen Stone, Chief Executive at Crest Nicholson, Steve Morgan, Chairman at Redrow and David Van Gelder, Founding Director, Exemplar. They argued their points alongside John Hoad, Head of Planning at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Simon Marsh, Head of Planning Policy at The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Richard Blakeway, Deputy Mayor for Housing, Land and Property at the Greater London Authority.

The panel emphasised the need for tax breaks and public investment, changing the current stamp duty system and removing politics from planning as key solutions to help get Britain building at a rate that is required to meet the country’s housing needs. Issues also centred on the call for long-term change in government around support for the housing industry, improving the planning application system and the need to free up finance.

Stephen Stone commented: “Financing is the problem, the biggest issue of the day, but even if we were able to overcome the finance issue, planning is a massive obstacle.

“It’s outside of London, where the principle of development comes into question,” Stone concluded.

Liz Peace, Chief Executive at British Property Federation was part of the panel discussion covering the industry response

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to the review into institutional barriers in PRS, alongside Andrew Cunningham, Chief Executive at Grainger. Peace explained how she was reassured by how the government was implementing changes following last month’s Montague report, but argued that we need proof that they are serious about PRS in the long term. She stated that shifting the UK culture towards making renting more desirable is key to meeting the need for housing in this changing housing environment.

Break out Sessions Nine break-out sessions took place throughout the first day of RESI 2012 covering subjects such as the Green Deal, sustainability, planning, and delivering housing with local authorities.

There was heated discussion in the “New Models of Affordable Housing” session, which concluded with a delegate vote. When asked if they would prefer to stick with and adapt the current options regarding affordable housing or whether to opt for a clean slate and more innovative ideas for the market, it resulted in a 70/30 split, with the majority of industry delegates opting to adapt to current options already available.

Roundtables and the RESI Village A series of invite only roundtables were also hosted by sponsors, including JJ Homes and Dexter Moren Associates, to further discuss key issues facing the sector and identify alternative solutions across the sector.

Located within the RESI Village were sponsors and exhibitors including MACE, Grainger, Young Group and Clearview Homes. The Village also hosted the new Hospitality Lounge, a space for planned meetings and networking opportunities.

Case studies Topical developments were presented throughout the two days, provided insight and inspiration for the delegates. They included Grosvenor’s presentation on NEO Bankside and a look at the East Village residential property after the Olympics by First Base and Qatari Diar Delancey.

RESI’s Next Big Thing An enthusiastic welcome greeted judges who interrogated and then selected the best product/idea to help improve the residential property market

completed day one of the conference.

The judges, Bruce Ritchie, CEO at Residential Land, Nick Candy, CEO at Candy & Candy, John Hitchcox, Chair at Yoo and Harry Handelsman, CEO, Manhattan Loft Corp. selected Henry Yates as the winner. Yates created and presented www.estatecreate.com, a cost effective online sales brochure and data room for selling residential developments and investments.

RESI 2013 takes place 12-13 September 2013, at the Celtic Manor, Wales. We’ll be keeping an eye on the line up and themes for this growing industry event.

For more information about RESI 2012 and 2013 visit www.resievent.com.

UKC comment

Tall Buildings and The Shard Gareth Moores, Managing Director of Lytag Ltd, examines the changing tall building market and explains how materials help deliver a number of high priority requirements The international skyscraper boom of the past two decades has given the world some astonishing buildings –the Burj Khalifa, Taipei 101 and London’s Gherkin to name but a few. But this era has now given way to one of greater austerity, caution and modesty. We can expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future, both in the UK and further afield.

For the construction and engineering firms working on the tall building projects which are currently in planning or development, the eyes of their clients and competitors are fixed more keenly than ever on return on investment and cost savings.

Pressure is higher than ever on tall building project teams to design and construct an iconic and impressive structure which also delivers on performance, sustainability and cost efficiency. This is no doubt a considerable challenge, but there are options in terms of construction approaches and materials which can make a significant contribution towards delivering on all these requirements. The most high profile and iconic tall building in the UK of recent years – the Renzo Piano designed Shard at London Bridge – provides a prime example.

Already an integral part of London’s skyline, The Shard stands at a height of 310 metres and is officially Western Europe’s tallest building. The Shard will house a mix of high-quality offices, world-renowned restaurants, the five star Shangri-La hotel, exclusive residential apartments and the capital's highest viewing gallery offering 360° views.

Owned by Sellar Property Group, The Shard’s striking design of a splinter of glass disappearing into the clouds makes it one of the most instantly recognisable structures in the world. But what makes this kind of engineering possible while keeping a focus on maximising commercial benefits?

With a view to the building’s occupation, the project team wanted to maximise usable space and limit the need for supporting pillars and walls on the floors of The Shard dedicated to office space – between floors 4 and 28. In order to do this, the team needed to ensure the floors were light so they would not need so much structural support.

The project team also looked to keep the size of the building’s foundations to a minimum, to keep costs down and make the tight spaces in which they were working easier to navigate.

As part of the solution to both of these challenges, structural engineer WSP Group chose to use Lytag Ltd’s Lightweight Aggregate (LWA) to make the concrete for these floors. This is a secondary material

which is half the weight of traditional aggregates, and can create structural and precast concrete that is 25% lighter than ‘normal weight’ concrete made using traditional aggregate.

The floors are composite, constructed using a steel frame and corrugated metal topped with lightweight concrete – a format often used in office buildings. By using LYTAG LWA, the dead load of these floors could be reduced by up to 11%, reducing the number of concrete columns needed to support the floors, and enabling a more open floor plan to the offices.

The light weight nature of the office floors also meant that the foundations of the building could be kept to a minimum which would not have been possible with traditional aggregates in the concrete. This helped deliver cost efficiencies that are so valuable to any project but especially one as high profile as the Shard.

As well as the important engineering solutions that LYTAG LWA was able to

provide, use of the material also brought valuable green credentials to the project which aims to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

The lightweight aggregate is a secondary material, made from a by-product of coalfired power generation called Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA). This means that less PFA is sent to landfill as waste. In addition, utilising the secondary aggregate means the demand for quarried aggregate is reduced.

The use of lightweight concrete in The Shard helped enable the project team to deliver the design criteria for the building, whilst providing valuable flexibility. Not only this, but it also brought about some of the time and cost efficiencies that are all important on tall building projects of today and tomorrow.

For more information on LYTAG LWA and its applications, visit www.lytag.net

27

UKC competition

Art of Building Roof in Colours labelled as favourite in Art of Building photography competition Building art from roof tiles, an image depicting the construction of a modern, terracotta coloured temple roof in Bangkok has earned Ines Costa, a Lisbon based pharmacist, the accolade of 2012 Art of Building Photographer of the year.

This was the third year of the worldwide photography competition and the winner, entitled Roof in Colours, beat 11 other images to the top spot. When talking about the photo, Costa said: “This man is building art! It was very inspiring to see how he chose the colours and put the tiles into the temple roof.”

The competition saw over 300 entries and thousands of votes were cast to determine the overall outcome. The 12 shortlisted entries included a neglected synagogue in Ukraine, a Vietnamese Brick Kiln and a view from a high-rise looking over Hong Kong.

Interest has steadily grown since its first year and this year’s competition gained further interest through involving the work of the charity Article 25, a reconstruction and development charity that works within areas hit by natural disasters. The Chartered Institute of Building saw the opportunity to help support the charity through the competition by requesting permission from the finalists for a charity

28

auction next year. Due to take place in the House of Commons the auction will be preceded by a number of weeks stay in a public gallery in London.

The public gallery and auction will not be the first time that the CIOB have involved the public in the competition. Following the 2011 competition the photographs of the finalists were turned into a public art exhibition, taking up residence on the hoarding surrounding a multi-million pound development in Wolverhampton. CIOB Press Manager Saul Townsend commented: “People would look at these pictures and then look over the top of the hoarding and imagine the very real art of building that was going on at that multi-million pound project.”

Following the January 2010 earthquake Article 25 is currently working on a Blueprint for Schools in Haiti. The blueprint has been developed for schools to be made earthquake and hurricane resilient and the construction of two schools is currently underway, the money raised from the auction will help speed up completion of those projects. Article 25s involvement doesn’t just stem to the designing of the buildings though, with CIOB hoping to get its members involved in the construction

and the charity teaching Haiti’s construction industry the skills and knowledge to build hurricane and earthquake resilient properties. The charity hopes that taking this knowledge to the people of Haiti and teaching the industry there to produce buildings like this will mean better protection from any future natural disasters.

The CIOB are hoping to work with this year’s winner, Ines Costa, on a photojournalistic documentation of the work in Haiti next year. Costa will be offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Haiti, to record and photograph the projects as they take shape.

Winner

Sea of Stairs Photographer: Clarissa Debenham, Essex, UK The photograph was taken: Olympic Stadium, London Photographer’s comment: The structure of the stadium is completely on display around the staircases leading to the upper levels.

The glass work subtly changes colour as you walk around the stadium, running through every colour of the rainbow.

Judge’s comment: The colourful steel really shows the power and strength of construction.

Roof in Colours Photographer: Ines Costa, Lisbon, Portugal The photograph was taken: Bangkok, Thailand Photographer’s comment: This man is building art! It was very inspiring to see how he chose the colours and put the tiles onto the temple roof in the right place.

Judge’s comment: The orange tiles are so continental and reminiscent of older European buildings. There’s something very humourous about this colourful composition.

Bird’s Towers Photographer: Mario Cardenas, Abu Dhabi The photograph was taken: Doha, Qatar Photographer’s comment: A local man standing in front of the bird’s towers in Katara Cultural Village, Doha. This place is an exceptional project, full of hope and human interaction.

Judge’s comment: Although we can’t see his face, you can sense there is a clear relationship between the man and the building.

Vintage Photographer: Ahana Gangopadhyay, Kolkata The photograph was taken: Chitkul, India Photographer’s comment: “This photograph explores the relationship between the old lady and her old wooden house. The wooden door leading into the balcony and the array of pots and pans, together with the owner in front, add to the fairytale image.

Judge’s comment: “This shot represents the age of the building and how, in communities such as this one in India, it can be so important to preserve buildings at any cost.

100 Floors Photographer: Tim Martin, California The photograph was taken: Hong Kong Photographer’s comment: This image shows the entire scene around it, from the reflections of hundreds of smaller high-rise structures in the city to the boats in the water and the people inside, watching the world below.

Judge’s comment: The reflections in the building and the hinterland are marvellous to look at.

Shacks built out of necessity Photographer: Frank Trimbos, Holland The photograph was taken: South Africa Photographer’s comment: The residents of these small improvised huts in rural townships are mostly immigrants who moved to the cities looking for work. The shacks are built using scrap materials such as plywood and corrugated metal or plastic.

Judge’s comment: The lonely structure is in a harsh landscape but has obviously been tended to with care.

Eagle Eye Photographer: Zheng Hui Ng, Kedah, Malaysia The photograph was taken: Singapore Photographer’s comment: Looking down at a pagoda at the centre of the Chinese Garden in Singapore. The patent form of the stair looks like an eagle’s eye.

Judge’s Comment: This imaginative perspective on a staircase really does look like an eagle’s eye – right down to the speck of light on the pupil.

Faith Keeper Photographer: Maksym Khytra, Ukraine The photograph was taken: Chernivtsi, Ukraine Photographer’s comment: This synagogue survived after fascist occupation and soviet dictatorship. It’s old, neglected and ravaged but still keeps faith and history.

Judge’s comment: Whether he is conscious of how many thousands of people have worshiped here or not, the young man is in clearly in awe.

In the Brick Kiln Photographer: Phuc Ngo, Vietnam The photograph was taken: Vietnam Photographer’s comment: The brick architecture is unique.

Judge’s comment: Lovely texture. The composition is very elegant, especially the way the eye is drawn to the light.

Cantilever Photographer: Gonzalo Acuna, Montevideo, Uruguay The photograph was taken: Berlin, Germany Photographer’s comment: I was surprised by the way the prism rests gently on the brick building.

Judge’s comment: The reflection underneath the modern cantilever brings a sense of history into the image.

Construction Photographer: Kamal Krishore, New Dehli The photograph was taken: Greater Noida, India Photographer’s comment: The labourers line up from bottom to top to pass building materials. The picture looks like an artwork.

Judge’s comment: This is construction at its most humourous.

A Place for Aitor Ortiz Photographer: Alfonso Batalla, Bilbao, Spain The photograph was taken: Bilbao, Spain Photographer’s comment: What was a warehouse in a sugar factory now looks like an Arabic temple.

Judge’s comment: The block-vaulted ceiling and reinforced concrete is a strange juxtaposition of construction technologies and is beautifully detailed, which adds to its charm.

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Browns Garage Showcasing P & A Wood’s attention to detail P & A Wood will soon benefit from a brand new coach workshop and showroom facility.

Since the Company was established in 1967, it has continued to grow. As time passed, this growth made it necessary to move in 1988 to larger premises in the village of Great Easton, Essex.

Existing buildings on the site were modified and converted into offices, parts department and coachwork facility. Additionally, a large new building was erected as an engineering workshop, specifically designed to cater for the repair and maintenance of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars.

This growth has continued and the Company needs to expand the current coachwork and clean build/finishing departments. This has been required for some time due to the number of projects P&A Wood has.

The Company also wanted to upgrade its facilities for more efficient dealing with modern crash repair work. The showroom is for Rolls-Royce motor cars that require a showroom fitted out as per their standards, something that was not in keeping with the current building.

The workshop is on two levels, with all metal and paintwork being carried out at ground level and the clean build/finishing facility is on the first floor.

The showroom will take up to six RollsRoyce cars with an office, rest room, and toilet facilities above. In the workshop there will be a spray booth with mixing room and two smart repair bays on the ground floor with a body jig, scissor lift and space for a further 12 cars. On the first floor there will be space to work on 20 cars plus a storage area.

For many years, the site was a petrol station and local post office and shop. It was known as Brown’s Garage and is still referred to as that today.

When the owners retired, P & A Wood purchased the site with a view to eventually developing it, but were delayed in doing so.

Now, construction is well underway on the site, which is ideally situated, across from the Company’s current site, so the two

30

premises will form an impressive entrance expertise that the Company has built up to the village of Great Easton. with the classic and vintage cars.

The existing filling station and workshop Today, with the support of fully trained had to be demolished and the fuel tanks were and diligent staff, the Company continue removed or decommissioned prior to starting. to provide an extremely high standard After this, a mandatory archaeological dig of service for its customers, and this was required, as evidence of Middle Age will increase when the new development dwellings was expected because it is near a is complete. known site of a Motte and Bailey Castle.

The Main Contractor is M G Cosgrove As well as this though, evidence was found Construction Ltd, and the Architect is BRD from Roman times which was previously Tech. Work commenced in spring 2011 and unknown in the area, and even some will be completed this Christmas. possible Bronze Age artifacts. This resulted in the dig being extended by several days.

Although the showroom inside will be a modern RollsRoyce space, externally the building needed to blend in with the local built landscape so has a very traditional look to it, similar to the existing showroom building, which was completed in 1995.

The Company has also entered into an agreement with the parish council to maintain the old red phone box next to the site, to complete the smart appearance of the entrance to Oliver Close, West Thurrock, the village.

Grays, Essex RM20 3EE P & A Wood’s work was recognised in 2001 when the Company was appointed as ‘The Official Rolls-Royce and Bentley Heritage Dealers’ in recognition of the knowledge and

M G COSGROVE CONSTRUCTION LTD

We are pleased to be associated with PA Wood on the Browns Garage project and wish them continued success for the future

Tel: 01708 861837 Mobile: 07775 744021 mcosgrove@btconnect.com

UKC leisure

Dunwood Park Continued restoration of the woodland area Thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund, Dunwood Park has continued its successful run of improving facilities, with further changes that were completed in August 2012.

Over the years, Dunwood Park has been well used and well loved, enjoyed by the whole community, but was in need of rejuvenation.

Some of the community who were concerned about the declining state of the park got together to try to do something about it.

They formed the Friends of Dunwood Park, a community group, which now has over 150 members. They sought and received the backing of the people who used the park and the Parish Council and the Area Committee of Oldham Council.

A committee was appointed and during their first year in 2004, they achieved remarkable success.

Dunwood Park was allocated £80,000 from the Fair Shares programme to be spent on the programme of a skateboard facility at George Street, on repairs to the drains, on woodland management, and renewal of the children’s playground.

A forestry consultant’s survey of the

woodland in Dunwood Park was received and a draft constitution agreed to be placed before the AGM. Major restorations of some woodland paths and culling of trees took place in 2005.

Repairs to the drainage of the paths and to the pavilion roof were also undertaken, while street lighting was erected and a survey of the views of park users was conducted.

The new children’s play area was opened in 2006, and a further study of local opinion on the future of the park was undertaken.

This excellent working relationship prompted the Council to support the request made by the Friends of Dunwood Park to the Area Committee to apply for Big Lottery funding.

As a result, and following two years of hard work involving officers of the Parks Development, many community groups, schools, councillors, and committed individuals, the Big Lottery allocated £1.1M to be used for the renovation and refurbishment of the park.

Changes have seen the main path drained and resurfaced, tree shading substantially reduced through removal and crown

thinning, while the toe of the steep bank is supported by low stone retaining wall and a new woodland flora established along with naturalistic flood planting.

The existing pond was opened up and made accessible, the old bandstand area is a woodland amphitheatre, with restored terraces, a central feature, and rerouted paths enabling the creation of a simple space to be used for formal or informal events.

A section alongside the River Road has been developed as a riverside habitat and teaching resource, the former park building area was cleared of sycamore and redeveloped as a natural adventure site with climbing walls aimed at teenagers, and all remaining existing footpaths were widened and surfaced, whilst some new routes were created. Dry stone walls were progressively restored as part of an existing volunteer training programme.

Facilities are improved for bowls and tennis, there is a new pavilion, toilets, community room, interest centre and café.

The Main Contractor was Casey Group Ltd and the Architect was Ryder Landscape Architects.

Garcia & Sykes are a family run business who have over 100 years engineering experience. Based just North East of Manchester, we cover the whole North West region with our teams of experienced fitters. Our portfolio of commercial work spans everything from on site weld repairs to management of large environmental projects but, in the main, is for small structural steelwork, fencing and groundworks.

Everything is manufactured in our workshop by our skilled team and made to a quality standard as evidenced by our ISO accreditation and we are also members of ConstructionLine.

Telephone: 0161 303 7383 www.garciaandsykes.co.uk

Our customers include Caseys, Stockport MBC, New Charter Housing Trust, GB Building Solutions, Johnson Construction, Seddons and Tameside MBC. We strive to provide quality customer service, as well as great products and invite you to contact us to discuss your fabrication needs. We would be only to happy to help. Please give us a call or visit our website.

31

UKC profile

Balfour Beatty Continuing to win projects through high quality work In June, Mott MacDonald and its joint venture partner Balfour Beatty were awarded the Asset Support Contract (ASC) for Area 10 by the UK’s Highways Agency.

The appointment will see the joint venture operate, maintain and improve part of the strategic route network in North West England.

ASCs replaced the old managing agents contracts (MAC) and enhanced managing agents contracts (EMAC) this year. The new contracts aim to ensure motorways and major ‘A’ roads are maintained to high standards while delivering substantial savings to help the Highways Agency meet its contribution to reducing the budget deficit.

The Area 10 ASC covers 500km of motorway and trunk route carriageway including 2,500 structures throughout Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and southern parts of Lancashire. The contract runs over the next five years and adds to Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald’s current portfolio, which includes the Area 4 contract in the South East.

David Tarrant, Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald Director and Managing Director of Highways at Mott MacDonald said: “Being awarded the Area 10 ASC contract in the North West is very important for Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald. It demonstrates that our record of providing industry-leading skills in asset management, strategy and innovation, and value for money is something that our customer has faith in and we look forward to partnering them in the years to come.”

The contract is due to begin at the beginning of November and will last for five years, with options for extensions of up to three years.

Balfour Beatty specialise in designing, planning, engineering, and building work, boasting a wide range of experienced project and facilities managers, analysts and consultants.

For more than 100 years since its formation in 1909, Balfour Beatty has created and cared for the vital assets that enable societies and economies to grow: road and rail, airports, seaports, tunnels and bridges; health and education facilities; heat, light, power and water; places to live and work – the infrastructure that underpins everybody’s lives and drives progress.

From its humble beginnings, the Company has grown to become a global business operating in over 80 countries, in emerging and mature economies alike. Balfour Beatty is now one of the few companies with the skills to deliver complex projects of huge scale and take advantage of the growth in long-term infrastructure markets.

Balfour Beatty’s impact is in iconic structures and bold engineering feats,

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hidden innovation and buried pipes and pumps, as well as all the joined-up thinking, financing and partnerships that make up the world’s greatest infrastructure projects today.

The combined breadth of the Company’s capabilities and depth of its technical expertise makes Balfour Beatty a true global leader in infrastructure.

The dedication of its people and the shared values give many stakeholders the confidence to trust Balfour Beatty and to do business with the Company. The collective commitment to operate sustainably means that Balfour Beatty intend to be around in another 100 years creating and recreating the assets required by future generations.

Partnerships are important to the Company and in July, DCT Civil Engineering, based in Oldham, secured work for its local workforce of ten and created two new apprenticeship opportunities having won a £1.5M contract with Balfour Beatty as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

The Company will be undertaking external works to North Chadderton School as part of the project to create a new state-of-theart learning environment for all students and staff. This will be achieved through new buildings and refurbishment of the Upper School site. All works are scheduled for completion by spring 2013.

Lee Stringer, Infrastructure Director for DCT said: “This is great news for DCT. Winning the contract has secured work for our locally based team and has created new job opportunities. It is also satisfying to be involved in a project that is investing in local education facilities for the employees of the future.”

Helen Wills, LEP Operations Director at Balfour Beatty said: “We welcome

DCT on board. This appointment highlights our ongoing commitment to the use of local contractors where possible as well as the creation of jobs and apprenticeship opportunities”.

Across the Oldham BSF programme there has been a total construction spend of £29.3M to date, of which £11M has been spent with Oldham based contractors, generating 26 apprenticeship opportunities across a variety of trades.

Balfour Beatty announced last October that it was awarded the £77.6M M4/M5 managed motorways scheme construction contract near Bristol.

The scheme, the first managed motorways scheme in the South West of England will utilise a range of innovative technology, combined with new operating procedures, to actively control and improve traffic flow, cutting congestion, regulating journey times and improving road safety.

Balfour Beatty’s scope of work will allow the Highways Agency to introduce variable mandatory speed limits and open up the hard shoulder to traffic during periods of exceptionally heavy traffic at congestion bottle necks on the M4 and the M5.

Commenting on the awarding of the contract, Balfour Beatty Chief Executive Ian Tyler said: “This is an innovative scheme that will assist in bringing greater capacity to our motorway network. We are pleased to continue our long relationship with the Highways Agency, and look forward to helping them deliver positive benefits to road users.

Work on this project started at the beginning of the year and the completed scheme will open to traffic in 2013-14.

Balfour Beatty has won the Business Green Leaders Award for ‘Sustainability Team of the Year’ based on its worldwide Sustainable

Working Group’s (SWG) success in driving change across the business through: • A comprehensive employee engagement campaign to generate employee support.

• Winning work through sustainability.

• Responsible procurement.

• Integrating sustainability into its leadership framework.

• Sharing its knowledge externally and influencing the market to select more sustainable outcomes.

• Hands-on practical support for its businesses.

The team has achieved the following results by adopting this approach - A 45% reduction in waste to landfill; procuring 34% of its UK major materials and 66% of its global

timber from recognised responsible sourcing schemes; delivering £2.5Bn of sustainable infrastructure in 2011 (2010: £2.2Bn) and entering new markets in the green economy; securing 40% of the UK’s offshore wind transmission assets and £1.3Bn of new municipal energy from waste plants.

The SWG is led by Mike Peasland, Divisional CEO and includes senior managers from across the International Group. Balfour Beatty’s approach is applicable to any business, comprising a mix of targeted programmes and practical hands-on support emphasising how all employees and key functions can help to drive the sustainability agenda.

The sustainability focus of the Worldwide Balfour Beatty Group has been transformed through the SWG’s leadership. Change has been delivered at pace over the last 12 months, embedding sustainability across the organisation. Hands-on support and sheer hard work have delivered real reductions in environmental impacts and unlocked new growth opportunities in the green economy.

Mike Peasland said: “This is a prestigious award and external recognition of the efforts of SWG reaffirms that we are embedding sustainability across our operations successfully. Through the work of the SWG we have been able to engage with all parts of the business and bring about tangible improvements.”

• 40+ years experience • Full national coverage • Suppliers of mobile concrete pumps M16 – M63, static concrete pumps & static placing booms • National Order Office • Training School – Pochin Training Services • BSI accreditation ISO 9001 & OHSAS 18001 Pochin Concrete Pumping Ltd 2 Amber Business Village, Amber Close, Amington, Tamworth B77 4RP

T: 01827 314536 F: 01827 318139

E: pumping@pochinconcretepumping.co.uk

www.pochinconcretepumping.co.uk

SWIF T H ORSMAN Swift Horsman was established in 1971 and has a sound reputation as a high quality joinery provider. Although the company profile has developed and the Swift Horsman Group has now been successfully delivering innovative fit-out solutions for nearly ten years - we are constantly developing a vast store of knowledge and experience all of which provides us with a continual lessons learnt process.

Swift Horsman Ltd | Castle Works | Unit 1 - 3 | Edingham Industrial Estate | Dalbeattie | DG5 4NA T: 01556 612164 | F: 01556 612686 | E: info@swifthorsman.co.uk | W: swifthorsman.co.uk 33

Wx

UKC profile

Management Cubed Ltd Delivering efficient management services Management Cubed Ltd (m3) is a leading contractor, providing high quality financial, construction and project management services to the property and construction industry.

Established in 2004 through the amalgamation of quantity surveyors and cost consultants with construction and project management professionals, m3 has quickly built a company on the foundations of delivering success to its clients.

In combining a multi-disciplinary knowledge of the construction industry with a common sense, yet alternative approach, the Company is able to deliver innovative solutions to the pre-development, procurement and undertaking of capital projects.

Offering a broad base of management services including that of construction management procurement, m3 offers clients a proven and financially attractive alternative to traditional procurement routes with main contractors.

The diversity of its clients and the range of management services provided by m3 enables the Company to effectively bridge the gap between consultancy and traditional contracting, as work is frequently undertaken in each capacity.

This allows an internal transfer of knowledge that these two often contrasting disciplines provide, resulting in the delivery

of an organic, cohesive and entirely beneficial service to its clients.

M3 aims to offer a traditionally personal and professional service to its client base while delivering this in a contemporary context, Greenhithe for Asda Stores Ltd. adopting a method of working that is The combined contract value of £1.7M appropriate to today’s marketplace. demonstrates m3’s strong performance in The Company has a wide variety of competitive market conditions. experience. Projects undertaken include an exciting civil development for warehouse Management Cubed ltd, The Iron Works, distribution, assisting a client to achieve 153 Effingham Road, Sheffield, S4 7XU. higher vehicle turnaround times and staff Tel: 0114 272 8484. safety.

Other work included being commissioned to relocate a sprinkler facility into a purposebuilt compound for a large commercial facility.

Committed to Health & Safety, we work alongside the construction M3 has also completed industry to prevent and protect against work place accidents and have six major toilet developed a diverse and professional range of specialised safety refurbishments for a products which meet and exceed Health & Safety Executive regulations. major retail client, while minimising the For further information anywhere in the UK impact on footfall with the small works team, and two major orders include delivering www.tradsafetysystems.co.uk warehouse extensions at Derby and

08450 50 70 50

UKC housing

Staiths South Bank Contemporary design with community values Situated on the banks of the River Tyne and set against the stunning backdrop of the historic Dunston Staiths structure, being one of the largest structures in Europe, this award winning development offers a range of house types suitable for first time buyers, families, and ideal for those wishing to live within close proximity of the vibrant city of Newcastle.

Located just off the A1(M), Staiths South Bank is ideally located for travelling north or south. Newcastle railway station is easily commutable by local transport and being 62mm situated only ten miles from ideallyH Newcastle International Airport.

The development is a stunning range of twobedroom apartments and two-, three-, fourand five-bedroom homes, within seven different property types.

A wide range of different housing is available, with some properties having spacious family rooms with double doors to the rear garden, downstairs toilet facilities, open plan living including dining areas and fitted kitchens, master bedrooms with ensuite facilities, separate utility rooms, well proportioned bedrooms, superb river views, and spacious living areas.

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Art Gallery, Sage Gateshead Music Centre Five courtyards front the river in this and MetroCentre shopping mall. stunning area of the Staiths South Bank Adjacent to Dunston Staiths, an development offering a wide variety of impressive timber structure that was homes, including apartments, townhouses used to load coal onto ships, Staiths and small family homes.

South Bank is ideally placed to make the With attention to detail, good design and most of what Gateshead, Newcastle and affordability, the development of Staiths the surrounding area have to offer.

South Bank is a desirable place to live.

It is ideally placed for access to the extensive regional cycling networks and has communal pocket parks, barbecues and a choice of communal play areas allowing residents to meet and socialise with their neighbours.

Set against the Tel: 0191 216 0296 backdrop of the Fax: 0191 268 6987 famous bridges info@johnfoleyandson.co.uk including the Tyne www.johnfoleyandsontilers.co.uk Bridge and the Gateshead Millennium John Foley & Sons (Tilers) Limited Bridge, Staiths South Jack Foley House, Samson Close, Stephenson Industrial Estate, Killingworth, Bank is within easy Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 6DX reach of the BALTIC

UKC profile

Bay Building Services Ltd This family business was established in 1994 and offers a comprehensive service, covering all aspects of commercial/domestic mechanical services, plumbing and heating installations, operating throughout the North West.

Services include boiler plant replacements, new boiler plant, heating, hot, cold water services, ventilation, ducting, air conditioning, building management systems, control panels, underfloor heating, solar hot water heating, air and ground source heat pumps as well as above ground drainage, sanitaryware installation, rainwater goods, leadwork, and rainwater recovery systems.

The Company is committed to providing a comprehensive service to cover all aspects of a customer’s requirements, including design and build services, with designed and installed mechanical services tailored to each individual clients’ needs.

Such success has resulted in Bay Building Services acquiring and moving to new, larger offices and workshop facilities in Morecambe, allowing the chance to continue expanding their range of services.

The Company employs 46 staff members, including 26 engineers, nine apprentices and 11 supervisory and office staff, and boast an annual turnover of £4M. Other recent news includes Bay Building Services now being an approved installer for Mitsubishi air source heat pumps, as well as carrying the certification for the installation of solar panels for hot water generation, as the industry moves ever closer to embracing renewable technologies.

Also approved installers for the ‘Rehau’ underfloor heating system, the Company has undertaken numerous projects from simple domestic installations to commercial installations for schools, sports pavilions, libraries, and other sport and educational facilities.

There has been a lot of investment in company staff training to ensure the Company remains compliant with the ever changing regulations in the industry. Bay

Council, Capita, South Lakeland District Building Services is committed to the Council, and has a track record and training of young people and have a reputation of successfully undertaking minimum of two apprentices each year and work with all concerned. therefore on average, the Company has The Company is also an approved contractor eight apprentices at any one time. for the North West Consortium Of NHS There is also a development programme in Trusts to carry out mechanical and place, whereby Bay Building Services can plumbing works within the health service offer a career structure to those individuals and has recently undertaken a number of showing the potential to advance to large contracts within this sector. supervisory levels, and supplement this with training in leadership and team building. In recognition of the commitment to this policy, the Company has achieved ‘Investor In People’ status.

In recent years there has been a significant change in the Allied Pipefreezing Services Ltd is a nationwide specialist provider mechanical and of onsite pipeline isolation and intervention services. From Pipe services sector and Freezing, Under Pressure Drilling (Hot Tapping), Wall Tapping, Line more environmentally Stopping and Tank Tapping, we are sure that our services can friendly initiatives are provide a solution for almost any challenge. now at the forefront of the industry to reduce Covering both public and private sectors and supplying our services carbon emissions. across a vast range of industries, Allied Pipefreezing has established Bay Building itself as one of the leading companies in our sector.

Services work closely with all the main Operating from our offices in the North West of England, we offer our contractors in the experience and expertise throughout the United Kingdom. area and undertake work on both a competitive tender and partnering basis.

A substantial amount of the Company’s work is associated with schools and public buildings, generated through local authority nomination, and Bay Building Services boast approved contractor status with Lancashire County Council, Cumbria County

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UKC housing

Clifden Road 11 new properties A prominent site in Clapton in London will soon benefit from a brand new housing development.

Located on a brownfield site, the project will have four town houses and seven flats, boasting a standard of property that exceeds all others in the vicinity.

In terms of materials, zinc, triple glazing and photovoltaics have been used. The client has agreed to spend this extra money to provide the highest quality properties, which in turn will increase the value.

Formerly an old ice cream factory, this site became redundant many years ago before becoming a builder’s merchant. However, it has stood empty for more than two years, which has led to this development.

Work was required to demolish the existing buildings on site, including the former ice cream factory, and the rest of the site was also cleared to prepare for construction.

After a soil test was completed, it was agreed that the development would have piled foundations and ring beam on all major external walls due to there being a lot of made up ground.

For the floors above, there is external brickwork and blockwork. The houses have timber floors but the flats have concrete, and all properties adhere to fire and sound requirements.

The external materials were chosen carefully in order to obtain planning permission. This meant a high quality of material would have to be used. The result will be a composition that is modern and contemporary, with a connection to the local context. As well as the zinc, there is some brickwork and also timber cladding.

It is quite a challenging development because on one side of it, there is a twostorey brickwork wall, so it has taken some planning to ensure that the site is made up of something that is interesting as well as modern.

The rest of the structure is either concrete slab or timber with blockwork walls and a timber roof, and because there are a number of projecting balconies, some steelwork was incorporated.

All of the four-bedroom homes will have

photovoltaic cells on the roof, linked to a combined boiler system to make sure they all adhere to the Code 4 for Sustainability standard.

The flats do not have a sustainability requirement, but insulation has been kept as high as possible, and the triple-glazed windows mean that the thermal requirements are exceeded by some distance, and in the rest of the development, insulation is higher than expected.

There is both hard and soft landscaping to the project. Hard permeable block paving is incorporated to the entrance area and then in front of each property there is grass as well as some hard landscaping paths. There are also timber terraces at ground floor level, which will add a slightly different landscaping texture.

The development has benefited from the high quality design work of Milan Babic Architects. Work commenced on site in October 2011 and will be completed in November 2012, with a contract value of just less than ÂŁ1M.

Drylining, Screeding and Rendering Specialist 123 Roll Gardens, Illford, IG2 6TL

Telephone: 0208 227 9516 Fax: 0208 227 9510 Email: contact@jttudor.co.uk

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UKC profile

Enterprise Plc Enterprise is the UK’s largest dedicated maintenance and frontline service provider to the public sector and utility industry.

More than 15 million people use the Company’s services, which is 25% of the UK population.

The Company has long term partnerships with local and central government, working together to ensure that people’s essential daily services are delivered efficiently and on time.

Enterprise work closely with utility companies to provide people’s homes and businesses with reliable power, gas, water and communication links every day.

For local authorities, Enterprise provide daily frontline services, with its teams repairing and maintaining essential utility infrastructure for gas, power, water and telecoms companies.

The work for central government includes property and asset maintenance, and repairs to strategic highways.

Services can be provided as a single activity or bundled into full asset management packages to achieve the best benefits in terms of value and efficiency.

Enterprise offers a one-stop-shop approach to service delivery, working with customers from stage one; helping to shape the vision and requirements for future service delivery

and procurement, ensuring that services are as efficient as possible and respond to the needs of the customer and the local area.

Enterprise focus on developing partnering agreements with mutual goals, a high level of transparency and open communication. The Company believe this mutually supportive framework creates better relationships and effective working solutions.

The many successful long-term partnerships are testament to this approach. Enterprise has partnership arrangements with customers and complementary organisations alike. The flexible, proactive nature of these arrangements allows contracts to evolve with the changing needs of the customer and the industry.

People drive and shape Enterprise’s organisation. The collaborative culture of the Company encourages its people to work at their best in partnership arrangements.

Enterprise also appreciate that everyone needs to fulfil their potential, participate and engage fully in the Company and work in a fair and ethical environment – which is Enterprise’s commitment to its people.

The Company has a number of successful partnerships, one of which includes working with the National Grid since 2005. Three

years after this, Enterprise deployed 50 gas engineers to restore gas supply in Rawtenstall, Lancashire after an incident had left 18,000 local residents without gas.

Enterprise also enjoys an innovative service delivery partnership with Liverpool City Council. Together they form the joint venture partnership EnterpriseLiverpool.

The first of its kind, this joint venture has produced exceptional results including reducing highways budget by 28% while improving the level of service, reducing the number of annual tripping claims from 6,000 to 500, and improving the frequency of highways inspections from less than 50% to 100%.

Another joint venture, EnterpriseMouchel, works in South London maintaining the Transport for London (TfL) Road Network.

London’s Blackwall Tunnel runs under the River Thames and at the time of its opening was the world’s longest underwater tunnel.

The large amount of traffic going through the tunnel on a daily basis makes it difficult to maintain high levels of cleaning without causing major disruptions.

EnterpriseMouchel identified some new, improved equipment that would enhance the efficiency of the cleaning process.

The joint venture worked closely with Mercedes-Benz to develop an innovative >

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cleaning method using one specialist vehicle called a Unimog Mulag washing unit.

This only needs to pass through the tunnel once to complete thorough cleaning. The purpose-designed machine uses flexible, long reach arms, has a ‘rotating wrist’ brush mechanism to reach the most difficult areas, has interchangeable heads allowing for different operations to be undertaken, uses brushes to ensure a better finish than the previous jetting system and requires a minimum amount of water, enabling the 3,000 litre tank to last for a full shift.

Enterprise collects the rubbish and recycling for over one million homes, keeping the streets clean in four major cities and large areas of London. The Company also looks after parks and gardens in six city regions, including three of The Royal Parks and the gardens of 10 Downing Street.

The teams at Enterprise upgrade over 400km of water pipes every year and repair power networks in every country across Britain. Enterprise also maintains 34,000km of strategic highways and local roads including in London.

The Company maintain the infrastructure of the UK, and the way it manages, plans and delivers these services makes all customers happy.

Enterprise has developed an innovative partnership with Staffordshire County Council that has led to it forming a virtual

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joint venture and becoming a great example of best practice. The partnership was commended at the MJ Achievement Awards in 2008 for its ‘Best Use of Resources’.

Staffordshire Highways was created in 2004 to deliver maintenance services to the County’s road network. Following an external Partnership Healthcheck in 2007, project ViSTAH was launched to improve operational efficiency and transform the partnership into a virtual joint venture to achieve even greater integration, transparency and best value.

The innovative nature of the joint venture has meant that tight restrictions on operating overheads have been met.

These have been reduced by 3% in real terms year-on-year since Staffordshire Highways was created. The team also achieved upper quartile road condition with lower quartile spend.

Enterprise value the contribution and energy that young people bring to the business and feel it is important for the Company to support and encourage young people into challenging and enjoyable careers.

In addition to the apprenticeship and graduate programmes, the Enterprise Foundation runs Transitional Employment Programmes (TEP).

These offer local, long-term unemployed young people training and experience, working alongside Enterprise teams.

The Company deliver social housing

maintenance for Barking and Dagenham Council and have taken on ten young people on a TEP. Once they have completed the sixmonth programme, Enterprise organise a special day where local employers and the young people get together and have the opportunity to network, talk about the potential roles available and get some interview practice. They can then go on to find steady employment either with Enterprise or with another local employer.

The Company has held a 40-year relationship with BT and this continued during the creation of BT Openreach.

Openreach required a network installation supplier to mobilise a contract in Wales within a short time frame and to maintain service delivery during the transitional period.

Enterprise was asked if it could conduct a seamless transition into Wales while delivering £6M of overdue work.

A robust mobilisation plan was a critical success factor. This included details of:• Management resources and HR. • Depots and offices including commercial control and coordination.

• Roles and responsibilities at all levels.

• Health, safety and quality control.

• IT systems.

• Vehicles and plant.

The introduction of a dedicated Enterprise Regional Director gave the Senior Openreach Managers a single point of >

Design and Supply of Steelwork at a 400kV NG Substation

Products and Services Substation Projects Kelvin Energy, previously trading as Kelvin Construction Company Limited, provide a complete substation design service from initial site surveys through to ‘as built’ documentation. Our in-house expertise includes land surveyors, civil structural and electrical engineers, 3D modelling, quantity surveyors and project managers.

We have extensive experience in working with and managing other specialist companies such as earthing and protection engineers, environmental scientists and architects. Kelvin Energy can therefore deliver an extremely comprehensive substation package.

Kelvin Energy have been involved with leading edge substation design using the latest climate neutral technology. In May 2010 Kelvin Energy worked with the Zedfactory Ltd and EDF to develop one of the first climate neutral substations.

Our customers appreciate our ability to integrate our substation services seamlessly into their larger energy / construction projects.

Project Management Kelvin Energy offer a wide range of management services including, planning applications, consent management, cost control, on-site quality control and the management and procurement of installation and construction for all or part of a substation project.

Structures Kelvin Energy design and supply substation and transmission line structures world wide up to 800kV. Our contacts in and knowledge of the steel and aluminium manufacturing and fabrication industries coupled with our state of the art design software enables us to offer very cost effective solutions.

In 2007, Kelvin Energy developed a suite of bespoke aluminium structures which have been independently tested. The economic design of these structures has led to them being installed in a large number of substations across the UK.

HV Cabling Kelvin Energy can develop optimised cable routes for new and existing substations. Our expertise in this area allows us to provide all cable route construction information, easement data and drawings.

Products Kelvin Energy partner international businesses connected with the power industry. We believe that our extensive international client base and our knowledge of the global power industry makes us an attractive option for overseas companies looking to establish a foothold in product sales to the commercial market in the UK. Our experience includes the sale and supply of porcelain insulators, wind turbines, air core reactors, state of the art power voltage correction systems and transmission lines. We are also looking to expand our sales into the residential market, in the area of microgeneration.

A 132kV onshore substaion for an offshore wind farm

Kelvin Energy 12 Barshaw Business Park, Leycroft Road, Beaumont Leys, Leicester LE4 1ET Telephone: +44 (0) 116 232 3111 Fax: +44 (0) 116 232 3110 E-mail: enquiries@kelvinccl.com www.kelvin-energy.com

contact and provided a level of accountability, which encouraged an integrated, communicative approach.

Enterprise ensured that the outstanding work was reduced from £6M to £2M in the first three months and customer service was greatly improved.

Enterprise’s 40 years of experience and indepth knowledge of its markets are aligned with the priorities and requirements of its customers. This allows services to be combined into bespoke packages that respond to their needs.

The Company focuses on adding value with its services, which can be through new technology, innovation, environmentally responsible techniques, community-focused projects or service re-engineering to bring significant savings and improvements in quality and reliability.

Enterprise’s bespoke IT systems improve efficiency in maintenance activities and enable the Company to deliver best value throughout its operations. There are transparent systems that are used. These improve communication channels between sites, offices and customers. Enterprise also believe investment in IT to be essential to deliver cost, improved performance and ensure a safe workplace.

The Enterprise system, WorkManager, is just one of the successes. It is a bespoke management system that was developed in-house, supporting over 6,000 users and handling around 60,000 transactions a month.

40

It allocates resources effectively to improve productivity and provides real time updates and reports on work. It is also completely adaptable to contractual and local requirements.

In-cab devices and hand-held technology are used on the Company’s frontline activities so it can work with real time information. This makes service delivery much more efficient, accurate and transparent.

Innovation is a key element in Enterprise’s commitment to continuous improvement. It can help to reduce environmental impact and improve the health and safety of the Company’s operatives as well as the general public.

Innovation is encouraged throughout the Company and helps ensure it remains at the forefront of the industry.

Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) is a dedicated joint venture company, between Enterprise and Carillion Plc. It maintains more than 43,000 houses and accommodation blocks for service personnel and their families throughout England and Wales.

Due to the confidential nature of the MOD, any systems require a highly secure, efficient, proven process for taking calls.

The actions arising from the calls also need to be carried out in a timely, integrated manner and from one central point.

The Enterprise flagship support centre at The Matchworks in Liverpool provide a dedicated customer contact centre. It is

equipped with state-of-the-art telephony equipment, highly trained staff and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The helpdesk receives 7,000 calls per week for reactive repairs. Service levels are consistently above the target level and 99% of calls are answered, while 99% of service users are satisfied with the service.

MOD Defence Estates has access to real time status and performance reports via a secure web portal. This transparency and ease of access is an essential part of this open and productive partnership.

Another major organisation Enterprise work with is the London Underground, and there are several framework contracts to inspect, maintain and upgrade.

Typically, trains and cranes are used to move heavy materials to the necessary area.

However, this is not always possible and often very costly to implement.

Enterprise created a new solution by introducing conveyor belts to move the loose materials. This eliminated the need for 2530 operatives to carry heavy materials across the station.

The Company has also applied an innovative approach to the improvement of catchpit covers. These have traditionally been made of galvanised steel that is extremely heavy and has to be made to order, as the Underground system has 173 different sizes of catchpit chambers.

Enterprise’s teams have managed a project, which proved that Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) is a suitable replacement for >

J Britcher Tree Services Tree Felling - Scrub Clearance - Fencing Highway Work - Emergency Service Chipper Hire - Tractor Hire - Wood Chipping We are pleased to be associated with Enterprise PLC and wish them continued success for the future The Gate House, Stockbury Valley, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 7QD

Tel: 01795 843056 Fax: 01795 843056 Mobile: 07774 238124 E.mail: s.britcher10@btinternet.com

• Commercial and domestic gas installations • Boiler and central heating installations • Gas servicing - planned and cyclical services • Legionella and L8 prevention • Commercial water storage tank replacements • Commercial and domestic plumbing services

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Wyndhams Dairy, High Post Road, Winterbourne Dauntsey, Salisbury SP4 6HG

Unit A1, Romford Seedbed Centre, Davidson Way, Romford RM7 0AZ Tel: 01708 720190 Fax: 01708 728740 Email: info@greentherm.co.uk www.greentherm.co.uk

Mobile: 07977 560277 Phone: 01980 619114

Leading the way in road marking across the South East of England

NATIONAL ROAD & CAR PARK MARKING, HIGH FRICTION SURFACING & CATS EYE MILLING CONTRACTORS. SPECIALISING IN HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE, HI-WAY SERVICES LIMITED HAS OVER TWENTY YEARS EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY, NO JOB IS TO BIG OR TOO SMALL. UNIT 32 THOMAS WAY, 3A LAKESVIEW INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PARK, HERSDEN, NR. CANTERBURY, KENT CT3 4JZ TEL: 01227 714380 Fax: 01227 713067 EMAIL: admin@hi-way.co.uk www.hi-way.co.uk www.hi-way-store.co.uk

41

galvanised steel. The GRP covers are lighter, longer lasting and 40% cheaper to produce.

Enterprise’s health and safety systems and policies are rigorous, thorough and proven.

The Company has an outstanding record that has been recognised by RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) with a Gold Medal Award in 2010, the fifth consecutive award within this category, having held the RoSPA Gold Award for the previous five consecutive years.

Placing the highest premium on health and safety, Enterprise ensure regular, comprehensive training for all employees tailored to specific jobs that meet industry requirements.

Enterprise encourages personal ownership of health and safety and to develop this further the Company launched a Behavioural Safety Programme in 2010.

The Company continues to develop its TargetZero initiative, which communicates the importance of health and safety and emphasises that all accidents and incidents can be prevented.

Within Enterprise’s local roads services and across the transport industry, the ability to enforce temporary traffic management signals is extremely challenging. Many drivers fail to obey instructions at mobile site works, which has led to a number of accidents and incidents industry-wide.

Enterprise encouraged employees to offer suggestions for improvement.

Following a suggestion from one employee, Enterprise had a meeting with the local Police Chief Inspector in Shropshire. Various options were discussed and the idea of filming the approaching traffic was introduced.

The Police approved the ideas and agreed to take appropriate action with drivers who ignored the signs if the necessary evidence is provided.

Cameras are now mounted on a traffic cone at either end of any sensitive sites and can be used in prosecution as evidence.

This innovation has led to significant improvement in the number of drivers abiding by traffic management signals, as well as a large reduction in ‘near miss’ reports. Enterprise also won the

Shropshire Tripartite Innovation Award 2009 for this initiative.

Enterprise also supported the Homes and Community Agency innovative self-build project. This enabled people in need of housing and training to contribute to the construction of their own homes and receive NVQ training.

The Company teamed up with Lewisham College to help ten people take part in this project. Enterprise provided the hands-on experience and training in the local community, while also providing property management services to the Council.

In 2010, Enterprise introduced solar powered traffic lights onto a number of its projects with Severn Trent Water. They reduce environmental impact and minimise disruption to the local population.

The lights are silent, causing much less disturbance than diesel powered lights and they require no re-charging like battery powered lights.

Enterprise will continue to enhance its reputation by working on a wide range of projects, displaying technology and innovation, working to sustainable practices, as well as with each community and local authorities.

For more information, please visit www.enterprise.plc.uk

‘High Powered Compact Rigs’ ‘Environmental Friendly Drilling’ Directional drilling and Moling since the 1980’s, with diameters of up to 225mm over 120 metres.

• Does not use bentonite - pneumatic hammer reaming.

• Higher power to weight ratio than any other rigs - less transport required - fits in 3.5 tonne trailer.

• Small footprint - quicker mobilisation and demob • Fusion welding • Water, gas, drains and network cable installations • Accuracy of 25mm and 1-100 fall for drainage installations • No dig drain connections

Leading Infrastructure Provider to the Utility Market Unit 10, Construction Way, Barkston Road, Carlton Industrial Estate, Barnsley S71 3HU

Office: (01226) 286383 / 242908 Fax: (01226) 785504 Email: enquiries@manterfielddrilling.co.uk www.manterfielddrilling.co.uk

123 Arrowe Park Road, Wirral, CH49 5PB

Freephone: 0500 605 146 Tel: 0151 605 1469 Email: sales@moleuk.com

www.moleuk.com 42

SURFACING – ROAD MARKING – DRIVEWAYS – EXTENSIONS

Compressors - Pumps - Motors Sales - Service - Repairs - Installation

AND ANY OTHER WORK OF THIS KIND

WE ARE A LOCAL, SITTINGBOURNE BASED COMPANY WITH OVER 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE

FREE, NO OBLIGATION QUOTATIONS – GIVE US A CALL ON

John McSweeney Commercial Services Ltd Pleased to be associated with Enterprise now and in the future JMCS provides bespoke database applications for many clients, including Enterprise. Databases permit multiple concurrent users, controlled access and the opportunity to link seamlessly with other electronic data sources.

JMCS provides intuitive data input and bespoke reporting exactly tailored to your requirements. Single point of data entry is a key driver. Reporting is consistent and readily accessible by those who need to know.

Tel: 01926 882 183 Email: jmcs1@jmcs.co.uk www.jmcs.co.uk “Turning your data into information, and information into knowledge”

With 20 years experience, our track record is hard to beat.We bring together modern technology, specialist skills and project management.

COMPLETE UTILITIES

Complete Utilities is fully equipped and able to handle any size project, whether duct or disconnect work, telecoms or civil engineering.

07540 704831 / 01795 436737 OR E-MAIL: enquiries@lemar-ltd.co.uk

FOR A FRIENDLY, PROFESSIONAL AND EFFICIENT SERVICE WE CAN ALSO OFFER ROADMARKING AND SIGNAGE WORKS FOR PRIVATE CAR PARKS, ROADWAYS ETC. PLEASE CALL TO DISCUSS YOUR REQUIREMENTS.

HARBOUR MARINE DIVING CONTRACTORS LIMITED SUPPLIERS OF DIVING SUPPORT TOTHE MARINE AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY SINCE 1993 Specialist Underwater Diving Services backed by fully trained personnel and up to date equipment.

Contact sales @harbourandmarine.co.uk Tel 01506 834400 www.harbourandmarine.co.uk

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Some examples of our products & services

Our specialist services revolve around the needs of our customers.

A tight knit management team are always at hand to ensure your project runs smoothly and efficiently.

Working in partnership with our customers to achieve the highest standards of construction and customer service.

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Stanair Industrial Door Services Ltd Shire Security Ltd (01536) 482187 (01536) 410483 www.stanair.co.uk www.shiresecurity.co.uk

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UKC retail

Marks & Spencer Sustainable store at Cheshire Oaks The much anticipated flagship Marks & Spencer store at Cheshire Oaks was declared open on 29th August by Plan A Ambassador Joanna Lumley, M&S CEO Marc Bolland and Store Manager Hilary Wilkinson.

The long awaited 151,000sq ft store, which has taken three years and 550,000 man hours to build, encapsulates the very best that M&S has to offer and is the largest M&S store outside of London. The store opened to an eager crowd of shoppers keen to get their very first glimpse inside.

Hundreds of people joined the queue for the launch of the new store, arriving as early as 8am to get the first glimpse of Joanna Lumley and Marc Bolland cut the ribbon.

Marc Bolland was the first person at Cheshire Oaks to embrace the new Shwopping initiative, shwopping his very first M%S suit, which he bought when he landed the top job at M&S, in favour of a new sustainable suit.

Shoppers Maureen Scott and Karen Couchman were amongst the hoards of customers in-store on launch day. Maureen

said: “The store is very spacious and bright and really has the wow factor. I am very impressed with both the store itself and all the fashion ranges it has inside.”

Karen added: “I am really bowled over by the food hall, which looks fantastic. The new deli counter is a real highlight – the challenge will be what to try first.”

Marc Bolland, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer, said: “We’ve been working hard over the past 18 months to deliver a more inspirational shopping environment for our customers. We’ve developed better navigation, clearly defined by our sub brands, we’ve made it easier to ‘shop the shop’, developed new home and beauty concepts and have a new look food hall to better demonstrate the freshness and speciality of our food.

“We’ve achieved this by using new technology and a much more interactive shopping experience so that customers can ‘shop their way’. Cheshire Oaks is a special store as it is all here, under one roof for the first time – the very best of M&S.

“This is also our greenest ever M&S store and we call it a ‘sustainable learning store’ as around 60% of the eco features featured in Cheshire Oaks will become standard spec for M&S stores.”

Store Manager Hilary Wilkinson commented: “We are absolutely thrilled to have finally opened the store, and the reaction from customers so far has been fantastic.

“With a long building process, which has involved so many members of the local community, we expected to see lots of people at the opening, however we’ve been overwhelmed with the number of people who came from far and wide to see Joanna and Marc help us to open the store.

“It has been wonderful to see shoppers explore everything the store has to offer and we look forward to welcoming them back in the months and years to come.”

Cheshire Oaks is one of M&S’ greenest stores, as it is built with the latest in sustainable building technologies and practices. > Hundreds gathered at M&S Cheshire Oaks to get a glimpse of M&S Chief Executive Marc Bolland and Joanna Lumley officially open the greenest and second largest M&S store in the UK at Cheshire Oaks. The green store, called a ‘sustainable learning store’, will be 30% more energy efficient than a standard M&S store.

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BALFOUR BEATTY ENGINEERING SERVICES HELPS DELIVER FLAGSHIP SUSTAINABLE MARKS & SPENCER STORE Balfour Beatty Engineering Services is delighted with the successful delivery of the £4.1million sustainable mechanical and electrical package at Marks & Spencer Cheshire Oaks – its new flagship environmentally conscious store.

Balfour Beatty Engineering Services | Lumina Building, 40 Ainslie Road, Hillington Park, Glasgow G52 4RU

Telephone: +44 (0)141 880 2000 Email: enquiry@bbesl.com www.bbesl.com

D MORGAN Established 1950

www.dmorgan.co.uk D Morgan PLC, celebrating over 62 years of continued excellence in Civil & Environmental Engineering.

We are pleased to be associated with Simons Group on the Marks & Spencer Premier Store at Cheshire Oaks, and our involvement with such an innovative scheme, to manage and reduce the environmental impact.

D Morgan PLC continues to provide progressive and innovative civil engineering solutions in response to complex client requirements, particularly in the fields of: Regeneration Led Site Development | Civil Engineering Land Remediation | Major Earthworks Demolition | Sustainable & Renewable Energy – Wind Farms & Nuclear Environmental Protection & Mitigation | Plant Hire New Hey, Chester Road, Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH66 2LS Telephone: 0151 339 8113 Fax: 0151 347 1254 Email: enquiries@dmorgan.co.uk

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Joanna Lumley was on hand to encourage customers to ‘Shwop’. In partnership with Oxfam, swhopping is M&S’ free clothes recycling initiative which aims to create a ‘buy one, give one’ culture on the UK high street and help reduce the 500,000 tonnes of clothing that go to landfill every year.

Store features include a wide selection of the latest women’s fashions across clothing, accessories and footwear from brands such as per una, Autograph and Limted. Each M&S brand of clothing is clearly segmented in store, with distinct identities that allow customers to see which brand best meets their personal style preferences.

Cheshire Oaks is one of only 20 stores to offer the brand new Savile Row Inspired collection alongside brands such as Blue Harbour, Autograph, Collezione and North Coast in the menswear section.

At 8,200sq ft, the kidswear department is one of the largest in any M&S store, catering for newborns through to teenagers and offering a wide range of schoolwear ready for the start of the new term.

The store’s food hall showcases the quality and freshness of M&S food. A deli food counter with 110 new and exclusive lines including carved meats, pasta sauces, raw and cooked meats, cheeses, salads and fish is available for customers looking for something special for their meals.

The bakery provides bread, freshly baked on-site every day. As well as a great place to shop, M&S Cheshire Oaks has two M&S cafés, providing seating for 430 people.

Serving delicious, freshly made dishes using the finest M&S ingredients, it is a Joanna Lumley officially launched the greenest and second largest M&S store in the UK at Cheshire Oaks today, encouraging people to embrace M&S’ popular Shwopping initiative. M&S Chief Executive Marc Bolland also attended the opening of the green store, will be 30% more energy efficient than a standard M&S store.

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destination for customers looking to have a break during their shop and enjoy the store’s views. The faces offer fairtrade tea and coffee, cakes and pastries and an extensive selection of sandwiches and hot food.

Cheshire Oaks is the first M&S store to make extensive use of all the latest technology and innovations in multi-channel to create an enhanced, more convenient and inspirational customer shopping experience, including: High-Definition display screens located throughout the store, which aim to inspire customers by showcasing the latest looks or offers.

There are 12 browse and order screens to allow customers to order from the entire M&S catalogue in-store and have it delivered to any M&S store for free, or to a postal address for a delivery charge.

The new homeware department at Cheshire Oaks debuts for the first time a new look, large format offer, which creates an inspirational environment to browse and shop for products for the home.

Using cutting edge technology alongside new display and signage concepts, customers are able to seamlessly browse the latest M&S ranges to create a living room, kitchen or bathroom that suits them, including: 70 inch display screens that showcase key design themes from M&S collections – Clerkenwell, Caravan, Kensington, Conran and Marcel Wanders.

Enhanced product presentation that uses signage, product samples and displays to educate customers on how to choose the best product for them, as well as tell a

product’s story and provenance is available for customers, helping to inform them and let them choose items and furnishings that fit their personal style.

In a first to market, the new duvet and pillow selector that helps customers achieve a perfect night’s sleep by tailoring recommendations based on answers to onscreen questions is available.

Once inspired and informed, customers can then order products via 32 inch interactive browse and order hubs, or with iPadequipped customer assistants.

Cheshire Oaks showcases M&S’ new beauty offer. Customers can shop from an extensive range of M&S’ own-brand products, including its new natural and eco-friendly bodycare range called Pure.

The store will also be one of the first to carry some of the world’s leading and exclusive beauty brands such as Nuxe (France), Murad (USA) and Monotheme (Italy), all of which have been handpicked by M&S experts.

The new beauty offer is enhanced by the use of ground breaking technology to help inspire and inform customers on a beauty look that best suits them. The ‘Virtual Makeover’ counter uses exclusive software to let customers experience different make up looks and skin consultations ‘virtually’, either from a photo or a model.

Now completed, the store should help the business be the world’s most sustainable major retailer by 2015.

bluegyp ltd Before

Tel: 0161 7776688 Fax: 0161 7776880 email: john@bluegyp.co.uk Unit 12 Wharfside Business Park, Irlam, Manchester, M44 5PN

A er

www.bluegyp.co.uk

We are known for our high quality and reliable service. With specialist skills and unrivalled care and a en on to detail, we carry out Magic repairs and transform damaged surfaces.

Bluegyp Ltd are extremely proud of the works they have completed at the M&S Cheshire Oaks. It has been a pleasure to work with Simons on this project and we wish them continued success for the future.

We offer a full on-site survey and are so confident our work will stand the test of me, we offer a twelve month guarantee on all the repairs we undertake.

Repairs undertaken in the UK and across Europe are: • Powder coated and UPVC window frames and doors • Re- finishing and spot repairs to baths, sinks and shower trays • Wall and floor les • Scratched glass • French Polishing to floors frames and doors •Laminate repairs • Trespa and Corian repairs • Stone sills and cosme c brick repairs

All enquiries or to arrange an on-site survey contact us on 01244 301575 or e-mail sales@laminatesolu ons.co.uk

• Steel Framing Solutions • Partition Systems • Suspended Ceilings • Wet Plastering • Dry Lining

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Sabre Guarding Ltd Sabre House, Rossfield Road, Rossmore Trading Est., Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 3AW Tel: 0151 200 1999 Fax: 0151 201 1999 Email: enquiries@sabreguarding.co.uk Web:www.sabreguarding.co.uk

The Sabre name is widely recognised throughout the North West as being synonymous with the provision of top quality security solutions across all trade sectors.

Sabre Guarding has a wealth of experience in the provision of manned guarding, mobile patrols, keyholding, staff screening and electronic security systems dating back to 1976.

Sabre Guarding is an ISO9001:2008 Accredited company, and holds SIA Approved Contractor status for the provision of Security Guarding Services All Sabre staff are vetted to British Standard BS 7858:2006, and all staff are managed in line with BS7499:2007. We can also offer Criminal Records Bureau enhanced disclosure for staff working with vunerable persons.

The people who run our company own it. They have a vested interest in ensuring its success. They know the importance of good communication and strong working relationships.

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UKC profile

Flood Protection Association Over the past few years the UK has seen unprecedented levels of rainfall and subsequent flooding. Since the flooding in Carlisle in 2005, many parts of the country have been destroyed by flooding. Who can forget the summer of 2007 which saw much of the country devastated by flood?

In 2009, flooding hit Cumbria again with not only hundreds of homes and businesses affected, but as a result of which, a policeman lost his life. The summer this year has been a total washout, with so many areas being flooded and lives devastated as a consequence!

In part due to climate change, the number of devastating floods in the UK is on the increase. Flooding throughout the country has dominated the news agenda on many occasions, yet many people remain unaware of the risk of flood and the utter upheaval that it can cause.

Many people happily invest in smoke alarms and security locks to protect against fires or thefts, but if you live in a floodplain you’re far more likely to be flooded than have your house lost in a fire. A flood is the most effective and indiscriminate ‘burglar’ there is, it will take everything you have including items of no value to anyone else.

So what can we do to reduce our flood risk?

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Don’t panic- it is not all doom and gloom!

Firstly, find out if you are at risk of being flooded. Log onto the Environment Agency’s website www.environment-agency.gov.uk and type in your postcode under the section ‘Am I at risk of flooding?’ You can also call Floodline on 08445 988 1188. If you are there is a new, Free Environment Agency Flood Warning for Kington. You can sign up by calling Floodline or by logging into the Environment Agency’s website and registering with flood warnings direct. You will then receive an alert to your landline, mobile and email address - if you have one, if a flood is expected. This will give you time to move precious things out of harms way. As yet, the Environment Agency does not cover surface water flooding. Surface water flooding can occur very rapidly, giving you very little time to move your valuable items. You can find out if you are at risk by purchasing a ‘desktop’ flood survey- such as one from Home Check from about £20 Think about writing a household emergency plan. Basically you write down what you would do if a flood were to happen and where you’d put things and in what order, so when a flood is imminent and your mind is whirling round frantically, you know what to do first. For help writing your own plan visit www.mary.dhonau.co.uk

Also, think about investing in some flood protection products for your home, this doesn’t have to cost a fortune and may well stop you from being flooded. Approximately 9,000 litres of water an hour can enter a home via the airbricks alone! By either covering the airbrick with a kitemarked registered air brick cover, or replacing the airbrick with a self closing variety, this type of flooding could be totally preventable.

Often floodwater can enter a home via the back door and leave via the front devastating everything en route. Doors can also be protected with either a kitemarked door guard or with a ‘normal’ looking front door that becomes a flood door every time you lock it. Useful if you are away from home when a flood comes. There is so much you can do to protect your home, other than the humble and inefficient sandbag. Visit the Flood Protection Association’s new interactive website http://thefpa.org.uk/ and find out what you can do to protect your home using flood protection products from trusted suppliers.

Floodguards has one aim - to help people protect themselves against the devastating effects of flooding.

Our products already defend thousands of homes and secure millions of pounds worth of premises and goods.

Houshold name companies, councils, government departments and countless individuals rely on Floodguards’ products for the simple reasons that they work, they are exceptionally fast to install and they provide great peace of mind.

We were one of the first flood protection companies to be awarded a BSI Kitemark and all our output is governed by the ISO 9001 quality standard. We have won both the Business Britain and the BBC Tomorrow’s World innovation awards and continue to develop world class flood protection products and services.

To find out for yourself how Floodguards can protect your property and possessions, please call for a free flood assessment.

Keeping you out of deep water!

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Flood Guards Systems Ltd Unit 8A, Kennet Weir Business Park, Arrowhead Road, Theale RG7 4AE

T +44 (0) 845 500 0077 F +44 (0) 845 500 0088 For further information please visit www.floodguards.com E sales@floodguards.com

UKC retail

Weymouth Gateway Regeneration masterplan A 30-acre site that will redefine the arrival point at Weymouth is under development, with work to build a New Look office building scheduled to complete next month.

It is part of a masterplan that also includes development of a new Premier Inn hotel, a family restaurant linked with the hotel but on a freestanding patch of land, and a new 7,000sq m supermarket.

The New Look building will be the first to emerge but the four components as a whole will define the northern end of the site, which is the arrival point.

Within the next two years, the arrival point will comprise of a finished office building, a nice hotel and pub restaurant, and a Sainsbury’s.

This development is necessary because the existing office building within the sheds of the old distribution centre was not fit for purpose, and the distribution centre also blighted the site, which is in a very good location.

There was a previous planning permission gained for the site but it didn’t include the supermarket. The inclusion of this now adds significant value to the site, enabling it to go ahead.

The site was previously the location for New Look’s distribution centre, but this was moved to Northampton five years ago. This meant the distribution centre was largely unused, apart from an office for approximately 300 staff members, tucked into the northern end of the distribution centre. Also, it failed to meet certain compliances as the years progressed, and didn’t have the requisite energy performance, so redevelopment was necessary.

This is a significant development because it is bucking the trend by proceeding despite the challenging economic times, proving that work can go ahead when the right expertise is applied, as well as the pragmatism needed to see the scheme go ahead.

Designed by AWW Architects, who gained

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planning permission on the New Look project, Deeley Freed, who is the Developer, also contributed with a strategy of how the development could be managed and could proceed without exposing any party to unnecessary financial risk.

This resulted in the project developing momentum, which has led to the office buildings being on track for completion.

The New Look offices needed to be a pragmatic, functional office building, but also with a shop front element. There is a glass box at the arrival point at the roundabout, fronting the busy areas and designed as a shop front for them. The glazing for the glass box tips forward to assist with reflections so that the reflection of the sky is not seen.

Facades are highly articulated to allow east and west sunlight into the building to provide good natural lighting, and with the building orientated predominantly northsouth, it means the building is very sustainable, providing good natural light at all times.

It is a highly economical structure that complies with all current and advanced regulations, is a steel frame, three-storey building with an in-situ concrete floor, and is approximately 5,150sq m.

It is not an atrium building but uses natural light sensibly, and is a balance between heat loss through the windows and solar gain through an excess amount of windows.

An office building usually costs more to cool than to keep warm so it is a balancing act of those two elements in the highly efficient building.

The site is being branded as ‘Weymouth Gateway’ and the style and design will reflect the town’s forward-thinking vision, while the redevelopment of the New Look offices will help to safeguard existing employment, while also providing a more suitable and functional working space for all employees.

The project reinforces New Look’s commitment to retaining its strong presence and historic links with Weymouth, retaining and creating more than 1,000 jobs for the local area due to the creation of an employment zone.

Additional native planting on the southern boundary will help screen the development from the residents of Hetherley Road and St Andrews Avenue. Mercery Road, Souter Way and the new estates roads will benefit from the planting of semi-mature trees to create a high quality landscaped site.

A ten metre-wide wildlife corridor will be maintained and the streamside consisting of additional planting and other features to help enhance biodiversity of the site.

The Weymouth relief road, runs adjacent to the northern site boundary. The northern end of Mercery Road will be extended and connect to the new relief road, while the existing access from Dorchester Road will also be maintained.

A new park and ride facility is located to the north east of the site, providing a sustainable travel option for those working and shopping on the site, and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge will link the site to the surrounding area, providing opportunities for sustainable travel.

Drainage and power will also be improved on the site, providing greater advantages to the public realm. The entire infrastructure has to be paid for by the first phase of works because it has to service the New Look office building. This is something that was made possible by the addition of the supermarket development to the site.

The Main Contractor for the office development is Vinci Construction. Work commenced in November 2011 and will be completed next month, at a cost of £8.4M, with the work on the hotel and restaurant, and supermarket following on from this.

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51

UKC civil

RENERCO wind farm supplies renewable energy for 10,000 homes Cotton Farm Wind Farm is currently under construction in South Cambridgeshire and is the third UK project of Munich-based RENERCO Renewable Energy Concepts AG (“RENERCO”). The project comprises eight REpower MM92 turbines, each of 2.05 MW capacity. Once operational, the wind farm is expected to generate up to 49 GWh annually; equivalent to the consumption of 10,000 homes.

RENERCO Project Development Manager, Marlene Buchinger, said: “The wind farm is located on a former airbase, known as RAF Graveley, which is now in private ownership and is intensively farmed with arable crops.

The topography and location on a plateau, east of the Ouse Valley, provide excellent conditions for wind power generation.

Several airfield taxiways used for existing farming activities form a basis for the access tracks.

Prior to the start of works a number of ecological and archaeological surveys were undertaken to understand the potential impact of the project on the local environment. After completion of the construction period a landscaping scheme will be implemented to improve the ecological quality of the area.”

RENERCO Turnkey Construction Manager, Michael Rinklin, added: “As the site was previously used as a military base it was

necessary for us to carry out unexploded ordnance searches, but no concerning finds were made. A site investigation was then conducted to assess the ground conditions ahead of the installation of the concrete turbine foundations. The existing access tracks have been upgraded, the new substation building was completed by September and the turbine foundations in October 2012.

The first turbines will be delivered to the site at the end of October 2012, with erection commencing shortly thereafter.

The REpower MM92 turbines were selected as they are best suited to the prevailing wind conditions, are technologically proven and RENERCO has built a strong relationship with REpower on other projects. The comprehensive supply and maintenance proposal also matches RENERCO’s objectives for the site.”

The estimated capital cost amounts to approximately £19M (applying the RenewableUK/DECC capex figure of £1.18M/MW, from their May 2012 report “Onshore Wind: Direct and Wider Economic Impacts”).

Cotton Farm Wind Farm is targeting commercial operations before the end of March 2013. The main civil works contractor

W.A.S CONSTRUCTION LTD W.A.S Construction offers a wide and varied range of professional services from: · Foundations inclusive of Ring Beams, Rafts and associated Piling Works · Drainage from domestic UPVC to Large Diameter Concrete · Streetworks - both Operatives and Supervisor available · Slab and Block Pave laying · Sewer Connections · Concrete laying and finishing works inclusive of Yard Slabs, Bays and Designed Floors · S.U.D.S · Kerb laying · Shuttering and Formwork

PO BOX 1116, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 5ZB

Tel/Fax: 01553 813000 Mobile: 07875 213410 Email: mail@wasconstruction.co.uk www.wasconstruction.co.uk 52

for the project is RG Carter. The turbine supplier is REpower.

RENERCO Renewable Energy Concepts AG (“RENERCO”) is an experienced renewable energy development company based in Munich, Germany.

RENERCO has been active in the wind energy market since the early 1990s and operates an integrated business model across its four core renewable energy sectors; wind, solar, geothermal and bio energy. Current activities are mainly focused on Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Poland and Italy. RENERCO’s areas of expertise include the development and turn-key construction of renewable energy projects as well as commercial and technical management of operational projects. Both of these skill sets are applied to in-house as well as third party projects where RENERCO assumes an independent consultancy or sub-contracting role.

The RENERCO group of companies owns operating projects with a total capacity of approximately 250MW. The pipeline currently includes advanced wind and solar projects in Europe with a capacity of more than 500MW, adding to the 500MW of wind assets under management.

UKC housing

Langwith Junction Redeveloped dwellings thanks to the East Midlands Property Alliance Walker Troup Architects is working in partnership with Kier Partnership Homes Ltd and Bolshover District Council for the redevelopment of previously existing bungalows on land at the junction of Albine Road and Pear Tree Road at Langwith Junction in Derbyshire.

The three-phase project involves work at Oxcroft, Langwith Junction and New Houghton.

Phase II at Langwith, underway since February 2012, involves the demolition of 45 bungalows and these will be replaced with 24 new two-bedroom bungalows supplemented with general family housing, providing a total of 82 dwellings.

The 24 bungalows will comprise of 22 lifetime homes bungalows and two disabled bungalows. The remaining 58 open market sale dwellings are a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom properties.

Within the site, there are a number of trees and some small patches of more dense vegetation and these are to be removed as part of the redevelopment proposals, which will allow a structured landscape scheme to be incorporated as part of the new proposals.

Of the 58 open market sale properties, 16 will be two-bedroom homes, 30 will be three-bedroom, and ten will comprise of four-bedrooms. These will predominantly be semi-detached with a short terrace of three, and some detached units to provide a variety of dwelling types and sizes.

A series of appraisals were carried out in advance of developing the final concept layout, which now includes a ‘green heart’ as the focal point of the layout. All dwellings are then arranged around this new central space and fronting directly onto the main highway route running north-south and east-west across the top of the site.

The dwellings also front onto Albine Road and Pear Tree Drive, together with two small private driveways interlinked by

designed to provide a wide variety of internal pedestrian access, which fronts onto the configurations, which should further end of Jasmine Close. enhance the choice available.

In creating the new central area of green open Work at Langwith Junction is scheduled to space within the heart of the development, complete in February 2014. with the vehicular route passing around the edges, the green space is contained by strong and vibrant dwelling frontages. These maximise private rear garden space to all of the dwellings, as well as the creation of car parking in all locations.

Two varieties of red facing brickwork and through coloured off white/limestone (Painters & Decorators) LTD acrylic render and local stone features are being used, including gables and projecting bays to give local distinctiveness CONTRACTORS TO HOSPITALS, in the designs PUBLIC WORKS & INDUSTRY and materials.

Roof tiles will consist of SPECIALIST IN AIRLESS SPRAY red/orange and grey APPLIED COATINGS concrete roof tiles, taken from the local vernacular of both the surrounding dwellings We are pleased to support Kier Homes on and the wide Langwith Junction district.

Longworth Junction, Bolsover White window frames are to be utilised throughout the development in uPVC and black rainwater 14 SPOON MEWS, STANNINGTON, gutters and downpipes SHEFFIELD S6 6NB will be provided.

A mix of bay windows, TEL: 0114 234 1532 & 266 8886 canopies and window MOBILE: 07966 514 029 patterns will provide a variety of the street Email:james.lee2@btconnect.com frontage. Layouts of the homes in particular have been

Dutton & Lee

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UKC profile

Cox & Allen (Kendal) Ltd Providing the best value all round service Cox & Allen (Kendal) Ltd originally formed as a partnership between Brian Cox and Fraser (Fraz) Allen in 1965, when they specialised in carrying out a lot of stonewalling for the various motorways and roads that were being built in the area at the time.

Until 1980 the Company was operated in two parts, the Kendal part operated and supervised by Brian Cox and the Morland part operated and supervised by ‘Fraz’ Allen, which also included a damp proofing business (A&C Damproofing).

By 1980 the Kendal part of the business was significantly larger than the Morland part and Brian arranged to buy Mr Allen out of the building business, but left him owning and operating the damp proofing business as part of the division. A&C Damp Proofing is still in business, based in Morland and operated by Fraz’s son Stephen.

In 1984 the Company moved into purpose built offices, workshop, garage and yard area at Shap Road Industrial Estate, where they remained until they moved into new offices, garage and fenced storage facilities at Meadowbank Business Park in 2005.

The new facilities were again purpose designed and built by the Company and included wind generators, low-energy lighting, many of which are controlled by timed PIR’s turning off lights in unused rooms and corridors, which, along with high levels of insulation, keep the building’s carbon footprint as low as possible in these environmentally aware times.

Cox & Allen (Kendal) Ltd is equally comfortable carrying out work for private, corporate or public clients, providing them all with the same high levels of supervision and service. Notable recent contracts include repairs and renovations to Sizergh

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Whilst the last three years have all been Castle, a £1.2M refurbishment project on a very difficult years for the construction Grade I listed building for the National industry, Cox & Allen (Kendal) Ltd has Trust; a new £5M spa facility at seen year on year improvement and Armathwaite Hall Hotel, which won the believes it is in a very good position, has a Company the Allerdale ‘Built in Quality’ dedicated and skilled workforce and has Award for 2009; a stunning contemporary new house in the Newland Valley, which has sufficient capacity to benefit from any early signs of future growth. won both the Allerdale & Northern heats in 2011 & 2012 respectively and most recently completed a £1.2m SPAR Convenience Store Cox & Allen (Kendal) Ltd, Meadowbank & Filling Station six weeks early!

Business Park, Shap Road, Kendal, The Company was the Regional Winner of Cumbria, LA9 6NY. Tel: 01539 733533. the FMB Master Builder of the Year in 2007, Email: info@coxandallen-builders.com. in the Energy Efficiency category for the Website: www.coxandallen-builders.com.

CREA (Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency) offices at Redhills, Nr Penrith.

The Company is equally very capable of carrying out planned, or reactive maintenance works through its Property Services & Maintenance Department, and is always happy to discuss an early involvement with a project, even open book, or staged negotiations where projects have to be commenced urgently.

The four Directors, Gary Davis, Mike Leahy, David Armstrong and Andrew Cox Cumbrian Stone Ltd is proud to be (non executive) have over 90associated with Cox & Allen and wish them continued success for the future years experience of working for the Company between Masonry ● Walling ● Paving them and have encouraged the Company to develop a Site Visits / Design ● Fire Surrounds strong training and development ethos, as evidenced by the Investors In People award, which has delivered over 120 days of training to it’s 38 strong work force during 2011/12 and has Tel: 01768 867 867 a similar number planned Fax: 01768 867 868 for 2012/13.

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Accountancy | Audit & Assurance | Taxation Business Advisory | Business Support Corporate Finance | Academy Services Chandler House, 7 Ferry Road Office Park, Riversway, Preston PR2 2YH

Tel: 01772 430 000 Fax: 01772 430 012 www.wnj.co.uk

Products and Services at Kendal Timber Centre | Roof and Tile Centre Lanscaping Centre | Insulation Centre P & H Centre | Door & Joinery Centre Tool Hire | Bathroom Showroom Velux Centre | Heavy Building Materials Travis Perkins Trading Co. Ltd Mintsfeet Trading Estate, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 6RX Tel: 01539 731166 Fax: 01539 723338 www.travisperkins.co.uk

UKC health

Lansdowne Secure Children’s Care Home Benefiting vulnerable children A secure children’s home, replacing an existing five-bed home is underway to provide safe surroundings for some of the most vulnerable young people in Hailsham.

Lansdowne secure unit care home will be completely rebuilt after East Sussex County Council won more than £8M in government grants for the project, meaning the outdated building could be replaced.

The new facility is being built around the existing one and planning permission has also been submitted to extend the new facility to a ten-bed unit in future if the funding is available.

An enabling phase involved demolishing one wing in order to make way for the building, while it also included decant of the staff running the unit, who moved into the rest of the building so demolition and groundwork could take place.

Work is now taking place to construct the main building and once this is completed, the staff and children will move into the new facility and the existing building will be demolished and replaced with landscaping to the rest of the site.

wrapped around the building will Facilities will include a school, as the incorporate some benches, trees, grass, children are given a normal school paving and planting. curriculum. There will be a number of Designed by AJK Architects, and built by teachers, five classrooms including a Wates Group, work started in January and vocational area, hair and beauty room, will be completed in April 2013, with the painting and decorating, woodwork, hair landscaping completed in October 2013. dressing and manicure work, all of which is risk assessed and observed.

There will also be a gym, sports hall, a couple of day rooms and relax areas, a dining room, kitchen, and an administration Urban Design block for staff.

All seven rooms are ensuite and there will Green Infrastructure be toilets for staff and also some high security Environmental toilets near the Impact Assessment entrance. In each bedroom there will be a media centre, with a TV, DVD player and music facilities. call us on 01730 262040 www.terrafirmaconsultancy.com A courtyard that is

Landscape Architecture

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UKC leisure

Thinktank Museum ‘We made it’ gallery on course for 2013 opening This exciting new gallery will cover the fascinating science of materials and manufacturing in the region. It will be a hands-on science gallery, showing just how and why Birmingham became known as ‘the workshop of the world’, and demonstrating to visitors how innovation remains part of the region’s cultural identity.

The gallery will be an important new addition to Thinktank, showcasing some of the city’s most outstanding contributions to manufacturing and including hundreds of items from Birmingham’s stores that have not been on display for decades, if ever, alongside modern products made by today’s manufacturers in the Midlands.

The exhibition will take visitors on a journey from raw materials to finished product, demonstrating how everyday goods are produced. This journey will be illustrated by around 1,200 intriguing objects from Birmingham’s world-renowned manufacturing and natural science collections, and contemporary products made or designed in Birmingham.

Throughout the exhibition, the science that lies behind materials and manufacturing processes will be revealed through handson multimedia exhibits.

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The gallery will contain four distinct areas, each focusing on an area of manufacturing for which Birmingham is renowned: 1. Nuts and Bolts – Birmingham’s role in making iron and steel goods for the world.

2. Treasure – Precious possessions made from precious metals and gemstones from Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.

3. Tins and Things – Packaging for food and drink using glass and aluminium developed and made in the West Midlands.

4. Gadgets – Inventions that changed everyday life, focusing on the use of plastic and wood.

‘We made it’ is being created with funding provided by a range of charities and foundations including the Heritage Lottery Fund, Millennium Point and SITA Trust.

The gallery design and graphics are by At Large, with lighting design by Light Perceptions. Interactive exhibits are being constructed by Paragon Creative, while the fit out is by Beck Interiors.

As materials are the underlying theme of the gallery, across four thematic areas, small quantities of products and finishes from numerous suppliers are being used to reinforce and differentiate the themes.

The thematic design means that a far wider

range of products is being used in the fit out than would be typical for a museum gallery.

Examples include recycled glass worktops in the section about packaging and minimising waste, reflective metallic panels to cover the walls of the historic silversmith’s workshop exhibit, a stylised wooden tree made from many different woods, and benches made using reclaimed tractor seats in the section on shaping and forming metal.

The new hands-on science gallery at Thinktank is scheduled to open in February 2013.

Also coming to the museum is Kids’ Park, a vibrant and intriguing outdoor play area within the new eight acre Birmingham City Park at the front of Millennium Point.

Opening later this year, the play area will feature 14 science interactive exhibits specifically designed to encourage children under seven and their families to explore science while having fun playing outdoors. The fun exhibits will encourage children to learn about sound, light, touch and movement.

FORWARD INTERIORS LIMITED

We are pleased to be associated with Beck Interiors and the Thinktank Science Museum and wish them continued success for the future

UNIT 20, COURT COURT, GREETS GREEN ROAD, WEST BROMWICH, WEST MIDLANDS B70 9EL

Tel: 0121 557 6819 Fax: 0121 557 4327 www.forwardinteriors.co.uk

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UKC leisure

Tydd St Giles Golf & Leisure Estate Perfect extension to the country estate The brand new state-of-the-art leisure centre will be the latest building at this golf club that has been established for 20 years.

The central part of the building is the current clubhouse, and the new leisure suite is the largest addition to the site.

It will be a swimming pool complex with a gym, fitness studio, sauna and steam room, providing a luxurious addition to the holiday homes on-site in the middle of the golf course.

These facilities, which were a top priority to add to the site, provide activities to do anytime of the day.

It is replacing the driving range that was originally placed in the middle of the golf club, on seven acres of land.

These facilities had become outdated and removing them opened up the land to expand the building in all directions, which wasn't possible previously. The extension is the first of many, which is ongoing due to the huge potential of expanding the site further over the next 20-30 years.

The project is benefiting greatly from the expertise of the Main Contractor, Bespoke Oak Supplies Ltd, who has designed the original drafts and sketches of the green oak structure, while Mortan and Hall Constructing Ltd provided the structural calculations.

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Bespoke Oak Supplies Ltd designed the layout of the whole building, the shape and the position of everything that is going into the building. As well as being the Main Contractor, the Company is also project managing the whole development.

The existing building was built to look like a barn internally, using polyurethane lookalike beams, which has served its purpose, but the extension is being completely built in oak.

This is a full-blown oak extension, which stands the development out in the area of East Anglia as completely unique.

The windows, doors and all the bespoke joinery is currently being built in Latvia, and the development is being built with hammer beam trusses. The whole scheme is more than nine metres tall, and will come complete with a very spectacular lighting scheme.

Also with a pool that is approximately 13 metres, the whole development will have a cathedral look about it due to there being no crossbeams.

At approximately 10,000sq ft, the building is single-storey in general, but there is a first floor in the gym area with some fantastic views across the course.

The site has certainly come a long way since 1995 when it was a cabbage field on the

back of the Tydd St Giles Manor, which itself dates back to 1530. In those 20 years, the site has become a world-class facility that is continuing to improve.

The entrance to the leisure centre completed in September, finalising the entire oak structure, while roof battens are now almost complete and ready for tiling, and the flooring and brickwork is rapidly moving forward.

Work on the foundations began in April and is now complete along with the ring beam, and the pool tank structure and below ground drainage is also complete.

The Architect is now Morton and Hall, though it was originally Wilson Dicks, and Polypool has worked closely with all contractors, providing a highly insulated heat-saving pool panel system.

Construction on the ÂŁ2M development commenced in March 2012 and will be complete in late November 2012.

Homeowners and holiday guests will be able to enjoy free use of the complex, while a limited number of membership passes will be available for day visitors.

UKC education

Frank Wise School Extended facilities Work at the school, located at Hornbeam Close in Banbury, has expanded the existing school hall and pool changing areas, as well as the pool reception.

Hall sideways have been pushed out to give a larger floor area, increasing the original by almost 30%, while the pool changing rooms and reception have been increased by joining two existing buildings together, which has resulted in over 100% increase in floor area.

Originally, the hall catered for dining needs for less than 40 pupils but the school has grown steadily with Banbury’s expansion. It resulted in post-16 students having to eat their lunches in their own classroom blocks, while the remaining 74 pupils aged five to 16 had to fit into the existing school hall.

Due to the needs of the children, the school employs 19 Midday Carers, who work alongside 12 school staff over the lunch period, meaning that 105 people have to be squeezed into the space, while maintaining a clear route for fire exits.

The school is under continued pressure to accept more children and was in need of

increased hall space and improved storage and kitchen facilities linked to this.

The enlarged school hall gives pupils more scope to enjoy lunch without being cramped for space, and tables and chairs can be stored out of the way of the main section of the hall so that in lessons such as PE, the pupils now have full use of the space safely.

There is also an improved kitchen area and a single larger area for PE storage, making it simpler to get pupils involved in learning where equipment belongs and how to get it and put it away independently.

The single-storey development has a front area canopy to aid the loading and off

loading of school mini buses and has an external façade of rendered brick.

Benefiting from the first class design of Lloyd-Thomas Architects and built by Edgar Taylor (Buckingham) Ltd, work commenced in April 2010 and completed in September 2012.

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UKC profile

Lakes Architect Christopher Rushton is an award winning Chartered RIBA Architect with 30 years of successful design experience encompassing buildings large and small, both private and public. For the past 20 years he has lead his own practice providing a personal comprehensive service to all clients which he believes is very important in these days of impersonal big business. He celebrates together with UK Construction Magazine in their 20 year anniversary.

Chris firmly believes that : “ All building challenges suggest a variety of solutions, depending upon the needs and pocket of the client. For me, the thread is traced in the building traditions of a given area. I am particularly interested in the Arts and Crafts style of design and features which have evolved to meet people’s needs in the most effective and appealing way. This architecture, growing from the environment and deep human needs, has the ability to lift the spirit using traditional materials and design in a functional and sustainable way, whilst being completely compatible with the demands of the 21st century” The Practice, Lakes Architect is aware of the importance of two-way communication,

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whereby our aim is to establish a first-rate working relationship between architect and client, to determine needs and appropriate solutions to design problems. In a friendly and efficient way, and with a strong ethical sense, the Practice aims to give the best possible service to those seeking advice.

The office is situated in Windermere, the centre of South Lakes where most of the work is undertaken. Surrounded by the beauty of the Lakes that have inspired so many artists and designers. Chris has also been privileged to work in the Silverdale and Arnside area as well as Lytham St Annes.

This is where you will see and meet the people and buildings that have been part of his architectural skills in helping people with their lives.

Lakes Architect Limited aims to offer the best service possible, stressing confidentiality and mutual trust, to achieve the most satisfactory solutions to the client’s building needs, whether large or small.

The service offered will tailor to a client’s particular requirements, from initial discussions to design and supervision of the building project from inception to completion.

Fees will be charged on an hourly rate, or a lump sum quotation, or a percentage of the

overall cost, whichever is most appropriate.

The policy is to hold an initial discussion with the client, free of charge, in order to clarify the commission and suggest possible solutions and methods of operation and service to be offered.

Our Services will provide design and help in all building matters including : Either partial RIBA Plan of Work with Measured survey/Planning/ Building Regulations Or a full RIBA Plan of Work with Site or building appraisals and feasibility schemes Concepts and designs for new buildings, plus extensions and/or alterations to existing and new structures.

Planning and Listed Building applications.

Building Regulation applications Recommending, liaising and working with other allied professionals Preparation of detailed drawings, description of works, and specifications Tender and contract administration on-site With over 900 buildings either altered or built from new the variety and complexity of the buildings designed by Chris provides the experience and confidence you can expect

from an Architect. The portfolio of buildings include :

Home for severely disabled Adults Primrose House Morecambe.

Over 15 new houses, large and small including : Hopebeck in Windermere, Potts Cottage in Warton, Swainson Street Lytham.

New Church Brookhouse Lancaster.

Chris looks forward to you contacting him if you are looking for advice on any building project. www.lakesarchitect.co.uk. chris@lakesarchitect.co.uk The Loft Oldfield Road Windermere LA23 2BY 015394 42224 07971 911432

Many house extensions and alterations including : Bracken Rigg Bowness, Garden House Silverdale, Woodville Terrace, Lytham Hotel alterations and extensions including : Rothay Garden Hotel Grasmere, New Managers House, Sauna and new Dining Room.

Public Buildings including : New Dining Hall, New swimming pool and New Conference Hall Capernwray Hall Carnforth.

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UKC community

RSA House Combining respect for history with confidence in its future With the first phase of refurbishment of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) House completed, Fellows and visitors now enter an environment that makes the most of RSA’s 250-year history, blended with its 21st century enlightenment mission.

At the heart of this project has been the refurbishment of the Great Room. The new design means that it can be adapted for a wide range of uses, from lectures, conferences and exhibitions to dinners and weddings.

The room now has a flattened floor, flexible seating and a moveable stage. Its main feature – The Progress of Human Knowledge and Culture, a series of paintings by James Berry – has been

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enhanced. Moveable screens can be installed to bring remote audiences into the room and the lighting can be adapted to suit the occasion.

The staircase leading to the Great Room has been uncovered to reveal the original mosaic tile pattern. The house now features two contemporary lighting installations designed by Troika, one of which hangs above the staircase and one of which is located in the Benjamin Franklin Room.

The ground floor has been opened out to create a more welcoming reception area that includes a series of touch screens.

These show information about events, projects, publications and Fellows’ networks. The screens display a live video

stream of lectures, along with a live Twitter feed that shows viewers’ comments.

A new signage system, designed by Pentagram with support from wayfinding experts, helps visitors to navigate the ground floor spaces. Disabled access has also been improved.

In one of several new meeting rooms, a projected wall screen allows Fellows and other visitors to access information and collaborate on projects or business ventures. These improved technological features allow events to be relayed to and from the Great Room, creating real time links with Fellows and public audiences in the UK and internationally.

It enables more visitors to benefit from the

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RSA’s free annual events programme, which with more than 150 events a year, is one of the most exciting in the country.

Matthew Lloyd Architects led the design of the refurbishment project, supported by a range of specialists including technology consultancy Vanguardia and MHBC, who as Project Managers were tasked with overall responsibility for the successful delivery of the project. The Practice worked hard to restore some of the building’s original features while introducing high quality audiovisual technology.

Matthew Lloyd Architects won an invited competition in 2010 for the refurbishment and restoration of the building that was designed initially by Robert and John Adam in 1774. Over the ensuing generations the building has been through many iterations, with some of the renovations diminishing its Georgian purity and splendour.

RSA’s brief was to produce a space with state-of-the-art technical capabilities, but in keeping with the fine 18th century architecture, and accommodating a wide variety of functions.

The design from Matthew Lloyd Architects for the outstandingly important Grade I listed building restored its original proportions, form and shape.

Ventilation and lighting are concealed within the acoustic ceiling. Subtle, timeless modern elements have been created so that the 21st century functionality is hidden, the room’s beautiful simplicity revealed.

The previously angled floor is now level as it was originally, stacking seats so that the room can be used for its many events.

Ground floor spaces are clearer and more accessible to visitors of all abilities, easily

navigable across the five Georgian houses of which the building is composed.

Sustainability was a key concern throughout the project: the architects used materials that have a long lifespan, such as oak and slate.

Wherever possible, furniture, fittings and other materials were sourced from British Chartered Quantity Surveyors manufacturers.

The team of Construction Consultants designers, contractors and CDM Co-ordinators consultants who Dispute Resolution Consultants carried out the project worked well together to complete it on time and within budget. It is appropriate that this refurbishment We are pleased to be associated was completed in with the RSA and wish them London’s Olympics year, given that one of continued success for the future the paintings in the Great Room shows the original Olympians. They can now look down on a 89 Charlotte Street London W1T 4PU significant legacy for the future.

Matthew Bates, RSA Telephone: 020 7636 1036 Venue Director said: “We look forward to Fax: 020 7436 5347 welcoming many Email: info@bristowjohnson.co.uk more Fellows and visitors to the RSA House so that they

The Great Room - Audiovisual Systems The Refurbishment of the RSA House has included integrated audiovisual systems to allow flexible use of the spaces.

The installation has been designed to meet the exacting architectural standards of the historical building and the system overcomes a number of technical challenges such as not connecting to any walls in the main space. The system utilises a flexible under-floor cable infrastructure which distributes, video, audio, data and control signals to removable media columns that can be located into structural floor plate locations. The system receives camera feeds, multimedia video and audio and distributes these to various rooms in the house allowing the Great Room to be used for events such as lectures, film screenings, exhibitions, banquets and weddings etc. The house is enabled with live HD web-streaming so that events can be broadcast live on the internet.

The historical house has been equipped for the 21st Century.

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can enjoy its elegance and sophisticated technology. More than ever, they will now be aware that the RSA has a distinguished history but is very much an organisation of the 21st century.”

Some of the first people to see the new spaces were a group of 17 students from the RSA Whitley Academy. The students were given a guided tour of the building, and eagerly road-tested new technology in the shape of the giant multi-touch screen in the reception. .

The project has ensured that the RSA is strengthened as a platform for ideas, building on its past while positioning it for future growth.

Allwood Timber Construction

TIMBER CONSTRUCTION

Achieving the highest standards Based in Devon, Allwood Timber Construction design, manufacture and erect timber frame buildings for a whole host of sectors including residential, education, healthcare and commercial.

Allwood Buildings Ltd was incorporated in 1992, benefiting from the wealth of experience that the Company chairman has in contracting and timber frame construction.

Following the appointment of Stephen Griffiths as Managing Director in September 2009, and the promotion of Charlie Maher to Operations Director, Terry Kingdon remains the Company Chairman and Sandra Kingdon is the Financial Director.

Clients include housing associations, developers, main contractors, and self-build private clients, all of whom have used the high quality service at Allwood Buildings including sales, estimating, design, procurement, manufacture and on site construction.

There are 25 highly trained members of staff, including factory and workshop operatives, and Allwood also employs agency factory operatives during peak times of year, while fully qualified subcontracting erection teams gain work from this forward-thinking Company, under the supervision of the Operations Director and Contract Manager.

Operating throughout southern England and South Wales, contract values range from £25,000 to £1M. Allwood are corporate members of TRADA (Timber Research and Development Association), maintaining quality assurance and management systems, including full Chain of Custody, and are

CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme) accredited.

The Allwood timber frame package is a comprehensive service that translates architectural design criteria into full structural form, with reference to all current building regulations, industry trade standards and site logistics.

Design and manufacturing expertise is embedded into all of the Company’s projects, and has evolved to become an invaluable client resource for cost effective design development and project planning.

The Company has achieved many of its targets for this year, which is carrying on a trend of success, leaving Managing Director Stephen Griffiths very pleased.

He said: “Despite the economic climate, Allwood continues to go from strength to strength. We have consolidated our extraordinary success in 2010 by achieving the business plan objectives in 2011 and we have already secured orders in excess of our target for 2012.

“Even more significantly, we have already secured work for the first quarter of 2013 so we can plan ahead with confidence.”

Projects previously undertaken include a four-storey student building: based at Brunel Close in Exeter, the development was scheduled to last for 22 weeks, but such is the high quality and speed of Allwood’s work, the project completed four weeks early. The project comprised 243 units, providing student bedrooms with shower room pods, disabled units and

studios. Communal kitchens, launderettes, self-contained warden accommodation and offices are included and the communal steel staircases were installed as part of the timber frame package.

An extension to Castle Drogo Visitors Centre was a five weeks subcontract programme for Allwood to provide a single-storey timber frame extension comprising a public dining area, kitchen, toilets and shops. Materials used include a glulam frame, engineered FJI studs, and kerto wall panels, while the extension also has a pitched roof structure extending over the existing building and existing boiler house.

Allwood have recently completed a six-week subcontract to provide a new care home in Exmouth. The result is a care facility with 24 ensuite rooms over four storeys with an entrance hall, reception, lounge, dining room, assisted bathrooms, kitchen and laundry. Rooms on the north elevation have balconies that enjoy panoramic sea views.

More recent acquisitions for the Company‘s portfolio include a seven-storey residential block in Plymouth, an architect-designed Passivhaus in Somerset, four prestigious residential projects in Hampshire, school buildings in Torquay and Exeter, a select estate of homes in North London, and care units in Bradford on Avon.

With all strategic and operational targets already met, the Company is looking to the future: “Allwood is constantly looking for new initiatives and is currently partnering an exciting research and development project” says Stephen Griffiths, MD.

Talewater • Talaton • Exeter • Devon • EX5 2RT

Tel. 01404 850977 Fax. 01404 850946 Email. frames@allwoodtimber.co.uk www.allwoodtimber.co.uk

UKC housing

Barton Village Improving the Eccles skyline forever City West has opened the doors to one of the greenest affordable housing blocks in the country, following a multi-million pound transformation.

An apartment block of the future has been created – a modern residence situated in Barton that is eco-friendly, secure, energy efficient, which reduces poverty and helps stop global warming – transforming a 1960s concrete tower block.

The canal-side block is the first of four in City West’s flagship Barton Village development, where work has finished, following the £14.3M retro-fit refurbishment programme.

There are four high-rise blocks: Wade House, Cawdor House, Enfield House and Engels House, which has now completed.

Innovative green technologies, a state-ofthe-art ventilation system, high insulation cladding and improved security are among the new installations at Engels House.

In addition, the apartment block has been fitted with the award-winning EcoPad heating system, which combines highly efficient cascade boilers with solar power.

The free energy provided from the solar gain will be used first before the cascade boilers

switch on and top up the heating and hot water supply.

City West, who own and manage 14,600 homes in west Salford, will become the first housing association in the North West to use an innovative building management system, which will automatically alert the landlord when ‘at risk’ tenants fail to adequately heat their properties.

Colette McKune, Director of Asset Management for City West, said: “Work finishing on Engels is a very significant milestone in City West’s high rise improvement programme. It is the first of our 12 tower blocks to be completed and it sets the standard for the remainder of the programme. We will be providing sustainable, modern affordable homes for our customers.”

Each of the 58 one- and two-bedroom apartments has received a total refurbishment. Each apartment has been remodelled to provide occupants with an open plan kitchen and living space, the balconies have been enclosed to create a conservatory area and windows replaced with those that have the highest energy efficiency rating and are self-cleaning.

The apartments have been fitted with new kitchens, bathrooms, a heat control panel, radiators and have been rewired and redecorated with fixtures and fittings chosen by the residents who live there.

The exterior of the building has been completely wrapped with a thermal cladding, which not only makes the building far more attractive but also improves its thermal efficiency.

Due to the building’s dramatic overhaul, residents had to temporarily move out of their homes for 12 months while the work was carried out in record time.

Designed by Halsall Lloyd Partnership, the Main Contractor was Bullock Construction.

Now Engels is complete, the next block of flats at Barton Village to be completely refurbished to the same high standard is Enfield, where work is already underway.

Work on Cawdor is scheduled for January 2013 and Wade for November 2013.

The refurbishment of Barton Village heralds the start of a wider regeneration programme to the Barton area of Eccles, which lays at the heart of the industrial revolution on the banks of the Bridgewater Canal, the oldest working canal in Britain.

commercial industrial domestic 80 Eden Street, Astley Bridge, Bolton, BL1 6NU

[T] 01204 593810 [F] 01204 597350 [W] www.abdceramics.co.uk

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shower & bathroom centre

UKC profile

New industry-leading elevators from KONE KONE, an innovative leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has recently unveiled a completely transformed elevator portfolio to the global marketplace, its largest new product offering for years.

The firm’s industry-leading elevators have set a benchmark for the whole industry with

leading eco-efficient performance, premium ride comfort, award-winning design, and improved space efficiency. The new range is expected to cover approximately 60% of KONE’s elevator offering, and will gradually replace KONE’s current volume elevator offering globally.

”The new elevator portfolio is the core of our product offering and will therefore have a significant impact on our business. These products will come to represent a substantial part of KONE’s elevator supply over the coming years,” says Matti Alahuhta, President and CEO of KONE Corporation. > copyright © Kone

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copyright © Kone

The new elevator range further strengthens KONE’s competitiveness in the new equipment markets. He said: “Today, we are the second biggest elevator and escalator provider in our industry.”

The new products will be available in Europe and Asia Pacific during the second half of 2012, and in the Americas in 2013. The portfolio includes the machine room-less KONE MonoSpace® for the global markets, and KONE N MiniSpace™ with a small machine room for the Asian market.

The industry’s most energy-efficient elevators KONE is a pioneer in eco-efficiency within its industry. The new KONE MonoSpace elevators are up to 35% more energy efficient than KONE’s previous industryleading elevator platform. The improvements are made possible by the completely renewed KONE EcoDisc® hoisting machine, a highly efficient drive, and enhanced standby solutions. ”The construction and real estate customers are demanding when it comes to energy-efficiency and green building certification schemes like LEED and BREEAM. With our solutions, the carbon footprint of buildings can be cut to an even greater extent,” says Heikki Leppänen, EVP of New Equipment at KONE. As the first company in the elevator industry, KONE’s volume products received an Aclass energy rating according to the VDI 4707 guideline - the benchmark for elevator energy efficiency.

Guaranteed ride comfort The renewed KONE EcoDisc hoisting machine is complemented by a wide range of upgrades that are designed to deliver industry-leading ride comfort: a new motor control system, a renewed braking system, a redesigned hoisting system, and an improved car structure. “This means that the noise levels, both inside and outside the elevator cars, are as low as possible, the

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copyright © Kone

ride is smooth with no vibration, and that the floor levelling is perfectly accurate. Ride comfort is an important part of user experience, and our vision is to deliver the best user experience”, adds Leppänen.

One significant improvement is also a comprehensive test for ride comfort, now conducted on every KONE elevator before handover – this is a unique service in the elevator industry.

Award-winning design KONE has been granted four world-class red dot design awards for its new design solutions. The red dot design award dates back to 1955 and is now one of the world’s largest and most distinguished

design competitions.

The user experience and appearance of KONE elevator interiors have been enhanced with trendy colours, materials and unique patterns, creating a sophisticated ambiance.

The new KONE Design Collection offers regionally over 50 car interiors, by design professionals for both new construction and modernisation projects.

The wide range of ceilings, wall materials, floors, handrails, mirrors and other accessories offers the richest visual variety on the market to create customised designs.

According to KONE’s design philosophy, a good elevator user experience is more continued page 72 >

A sense of responsibility, consistency and sustainability are the values which secure our market position as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of conveyor chains, drive chains and sprockets. As a family-owned company we do not think in business years, but rather in terms of generations. It is this claim that makes us your long-term and high-performance partner – one which is characterised the world over by a trendsetting spirit of innovation and healthy, reliable structures.

Responsibility KettenWulf: a family-owned company Responsibility ranks first in our scale of values. By this term, we do not only mean the sense of responsibility which we attribute to our customers in day-to-day business. In fact, as a company and employer, our understanding of responsibility is much more multifaceted: We take on responsibility for people This is shown first and foremost towards our staff who play a decisive role in the success of our company. At the same time, we also include all those people who are active within the company environment and the local areas around the company’s sites. We feel that loyalty towards service providers and social engagement are important qualities which lead to stable growth.

We take on responsibility for the region The company head office is located in the

Sauerland – a rural, heavily forested region in the western part of Germany. We feel deeply-rooted in this area – not only since we are one of its main employers, but even more so through our continuous commitment to keep the region as attractive as it is. This also holds true for all company sites worldwide – in particular with regard to the protection of the environment.

We take on responsibility towards education Knowledge is an important asset that should be open to everyone. For this reason, we are not just an accredited training company, but a training company with a passion for what we do. Promoting young people and offering them a framework for personal development are a true matter of the heart to us.

Solutions for specific industries Areas of application Nearly every industry profits from our know-how.

Wherever something is moved, conveyor and drive technology is needed. And we are experts in this field: we invest our knowledge and over 85 years of experience in the development of our high-quality products to constantly increase their performance and quality.

Innovative developments, high quality materials and manufacturing precision are what make the difference.

This is why many well-known equipment manufacturers and plant operators put their trust in the products and services of KettenWulf.

We take on responsibility for your goals It is our objective to be a strong partner for you whose motivation, innovation strength and product quality you can rely on worldwide.

Conveyor Chains, Roller Chains and Sprockets The KettenWulf Group with 10 locations across Europe, America and Asia and a worldwide distribution network, is a market leader and one of Europe´s largest producers of conveyor chains, roller chains and sprockets. More than 1200 employees develop, produce and market customized conveyor and drive engineering solutions all around the globe.

Almost every industrial sector benefits from our know-how.

Wherever things need to be moved, conveyor or transmission engineering is involved. We commit our knowledge and more than 80 years of experience to the development of high-quality products in order to sustainably enhance product performance and service life.

» Escalator industry » Automotive industry » Steel industry » Wood industry » Packaging industry » Bulk material handling industry » Paper industry » Weirs and floodgates

KettenWulf Betriebs GmbH Zum Hohenstein 15 D-59889 Eslohe-Kückelheim Germany T + 49.(0) 2973.801-0 F + 49.(0) 2973.801-2296 service@kettenwulf.com www.kettenwulf.com

Widestripe Engineering (UK) Services Ltd. Unit 5 & 8 Gordic Square, Maxwell Road, Woodston Industrial Estate, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE2 7JH. Tel: 01733 239 020 Fax: 01733 311 972

V.P. Fabrication Ltd. Unit 5, VP Square, Storeys Bar Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 5YS. Tel: 01733 552 888 Fax: 01733 311 972

Services include: • Design • Electrical Installation & PAT Testing • Electrical Supplies • Fabrication • Filler Weights • General Material Supplies • Lift Installation • Lift Removals • Lift Shaft Installation & Testing • Machine Shop • Sheet Metal & Architraves • Shot Blasting • Site Surveys • Steel Structures & Shaft Division Screening • Welding

www.widestripe.co.uk

than just a ride – it’s an emotional experience that combines aesthetics, accessibility, comfort, safety and reliability. The philosophy springs from KONE’s vision of delivering the best user experience in the industry.

Simon Dow, Business Development Director for KONE, confirmed that the Company was very honoured to have received the awards for its latest innovative designs. The new design solutions offer a wide selection of unique elevator car interiors as well as user friendly components and accessories to create highly customised ambiances and experiences.

copyright © Kone

What is new with KONE’s elevator solutions?

• Best-in-class eco-efficiency • Fully renewed EcoDisc® hoisting machinery and enhanced standby solutions.

• Up to 35% more energy-efficient.

• VDI 4707 A-class energy efficiency.

Enhanced space-efficiency • Compact central hoisting takes up less height and width in the shaft -Especially beneficial when replacing elevators in existing buildings.

• More floor space, roomier car, greater comfort.

Industry-leading ride comfort • Centralised low-friction hoisting, robust car, silent brakes.

• Ride comfort testing as a built-in service.

• Smooth, quiet operation, minimal disturbance to tenants.

Latest news from KONE KONE has won an order to deliver 31 ecoefficient elevators to 5 Broadgate, a new office building under construction in City of London, the main financial district of London, UK. KONE’s solutions will ease the People Flow® of the employees and visitors when it is completed at the end of 2014.

The order includes 24 KONE MiniSpace® elevators, of which 10 will be of a special scenic design. To ensure smooth people and goods flow, the office building will also house five KONE MonoSpace® Special elevators and two additional bottom drive

Award-winning design • KONE Design Collection car interiors, with innovative materials and accessories.

• New signalisation solutions and designs for different building types.

• Easy selection of interiors, the most flexible and versatile offering in the market.

MiniSpace elevators which will be dedicated to carrying freight. The KONE E-link traffic monitoring system will ensure a high service level of the equipment.

All the elevators will be equipped with the energy-efficient KONE EcoDisc® hoisting machine, which is 50–70% more efficient than elevators that use conventional lifting technologies. The compact machine rooms will be in varying locations to suit the building designs and the strict restrictions on central London Planning.

"We are pleased to work with partners who share are our passion for green buildings while making no compromises in creating an excellent people flow experience," says Ari Lehtoranta, EVP and Area Director of KONE Central and North Europe. ”We are proud to be associated with British Land again and look forward to the joint collaboration on this continued page 76 > copyright © Kone

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Wye Cylinder Engineering Ltd design & manufacture hydraulic cylinders.

The company’s objective is to supply a quality product at a competitive price complete with a high level of product knowledge, service and back up support.

Wye Cylinder Engineering Manufacturers of hydraulic cylinders, sub contract C.N.C. machining, cylinder tube honing Wye Cylinder Engineering Ltd 403 Netherwood Road, Rotherwas Industrial Estate, Hereford HR2 6JU T: 01432 355454 F: 01432 358727 E: sales@wye-cylinder.co.uk www.wye-cylinder.co.uk

WCE manufacture a standard range of cylinders that can be supplied from stock. They also supply a wide range of hydraulic cylinders for a large number of different applications some of which are supplied to some very well known OEMs within a variety of industry sectors.

Product Types within the Range Single acting Double acting Displacement type Piston type multi stage (single acting) Displacement type multi (single acting) Double acting multi stage Brake cylinders (displacement) Additional Features Available Check & Overcentres valves Hose burst protection Linear Transducers Steel pipe work for port positioning A range of plain bearing relative to application Spherical bearings (weld on - male & female threads) A variety of mounting designs i.e. clevis & rod eyes, trunnions, threads etc.

Zinc plating finish Painted finish

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publishing limited Established since 2007

to advertise in this magazine please call

0125 7 231900 www.pro-mark.org.uk

ACM have a national call out team to handle the problems a broken or ill working compactor can cause your business, from twice yearly maintenance to installation and refurbishment – you only have to call one number – ACM’s.

UNIT 19, SOUTH RIBBLE ENTERPRISE PARK, GROVE ROAD, WALTON-LE-DALE, PRESTON. PR5 4AJ TEL: 01772 886088 FAX: 01772 886137 e-mail: info@acmsystems.co.uk Web site: www.acmsystems.co.uk

Carruthers & Kirkpatrick Engineering Services LTD We specialise in full li removals and installs and we are proud to work alongside Kone.

Elevator Installa ons & Repairs Professional Proof Load Testers 17 Appleton Road, Widnes, Cheshire WA8 6EX

m: 07793 185039 m: 07921 756274 tel/fax: 0151 510 1385 www.ckli s.co.uk 74

All types of lifts including: passenger lifts, goods lifts for businesses, hydraulic and traction

Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year Providing a high quality of service to ensure customer satisfaction.

Bray Lifts aim to provide maintenance for lifts, carry out small repairs and modernization,all this can be carried out at extremely competitive prices.

Braeside, Wildground Lane, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 4HJ Tel: 02381 159 065 Fax: 02381 220 903 sales@braylifts.co.uk www.braylifts.co.uk

Lift & Maintenance Services Ltd

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sustainable building project.”

The office building is currently being developed as a joint venture between British Land and Blackstone. Other partners include Make Architects and Mace as the management contractor. 5 Broadgate aims to achieve an 'Excellent' BREEAM green building rating.

British Land is also behind another current KONE London project, The Leadenhall Building.

Pioneering eco-efficiency As urban areas continue to grow, concern for our environment increases, and the cost of energy rises, the challenge is to design buildings that are environmentally efficient and to ensure a smooth flow of people. KONE tackles the challenges of the future by developing eco-efficient solutions and services and by making sure its own operations are as environmentally efficient as possible.

Training offered by KONE KONE is a proactive member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) CPD Providers Network. The Continual Professional Development (CPD) programme is an invaluable source of learning for the practicing architect and design technician. The CPD is entitled, Lifts in Construction and Modernisation.

It is an evolving educational programme that keeps pace with the changes in codes and legislation but more than that, it addresses real day-to-day building challenges and helps to prevent costly changes to established design work, or worse, in-situ fabric.

The CPD offered by KONE Plc not only educates the attendee about the codes and standards surrounding accessibility, firefighting or evacuation for example, but also the management and use of lifts in a building.

Eco-Innovation and sustainability is part of the KONE design process and it is critical that the right amount of lifts are in the building to ensure the building can operate as designed. Too many lifts and it is simply a waste of money and rentable floor space for the life of the building. Too few lifts and the building’s People Flow™ aspirations will not be met and the building will not function as designed and the implications are unimaginable.

KONE solutions The Company offers industry-leading escalator, elevator, and door solutions that help customers save energy and costs, while at the same time creating buildings in which people can move around smoothly, safely, and comfortably. KONE has cut the energy consumption of its volume elevators by over 70% during 2008–2012. KONE offers A-class energy efficiency certification for its elevators as a standard.

KONE provides services to help its customers achieve their eco-efficiency goals in every phase of their building’s lifecycle – from designing and constructing the building to maintaining and modernising it.

The Company pays careful attention to the way its services are produced and delivered to ensure that they create as little environmental impact as possible.

KONE operations The Company is committed to systematically developing the eco-efficiency of its own operations, thereby making KONE the supplier of choice for customers with the most demanding environmental requirements. Focus areas include reducing operational carbon footprint, improving material efficiency, as well as minimising waste, water use, and the use of hazardous substances. KONE’s target is to reduce its

carbon footprint by 3% annually relative to net sales.

KONE & innovation at The Shard The most recent major KONE project to complete was at The Shard in London. In April 2009 KONE secured a major order to deliver all lifts and escalators for the iconic Shard London Bridge building in London, the tallest building in Western Europe.

The contract covered the supply and installation of: • 32 lifts, including 13 double-deck lifts.

• 10 escalators.

• Innovative Jump Lift technology.

This was the first time that Jump Lift technology had been used in the UK. It significantly improved the overall efficiency and safety of The Shard’s four year construction programme, saving time, energy and costs and delivering maximum benefits to the environment as a result.

Developed by the Sellar Group the project completed in June 2012 and stands at 310 metres high. Comprising 586,509sq ft (54,488sq m) of world class office space, an exclusive collection of the UK’s highest residential apartments and a 5-star Shangri-La Hotel with spa and pool and restaurants, it has viewing galleries that offer unprecedented 360 º views of London.

This iconic tower, which is twice the height of the London Eye and adjacent to London Bridge railway station, is the first phase of the £2Bn London Bridge Quarter regeneration scheme covering almost two million sq ft.

KONE plc, Global House, Station Place, Fox Lane North, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 9HW. Website: www.kone.co.uk.

copyright © Kone

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WASTE STRATEGIES RECYCLING ONSITE AND REMOTE IT SUPPORT WATER MANAGEMENT INDEPENDENT ENERGY CONSULTANTS ENERGY SERVICES CARBON REDUCTION COMMITMENT

Lester Control Systems Ltd. ❖

We have over twenty years experience in supplying the industry with quality products.

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77

UKC profile

White Rose Services (UK) Ltd Delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction Established to specialise in shop fitting projects across the UK, White Rose Services (UK) Ltd has continued a trend of development and improvement, accentuated in recent years with the diversification and growth of its customer base.

Formed in the mid 1990’s, it is a thriving company with turnover in excess of £3.2M. The Company offers an in-house manufacturing facility through a state-ofthe-art joinery factory with its service offered across the whole of the UK. High profile retail clients include B&Q, The Body Shop, ATS, Barclays Bank, DVA Boutique, Smile Science and many more, meeting tight timescales for all projects and coordinating specialist installation teams.

The manufacturing facility in Hull is excellently placed for prompt sourcing of many of the materials required and excellently linked to the motorway network for fast nationwide distribution to site following manufacture.

White Rose Services Managing Director, Jon Campbell, has achieved success by consciously expanding the business into an all encompassing commercial interiors provider, acting as main contractor on site managing all aspects, including general rip out and fit out, along with electrical and mechanical works.

The Company’s manufacturing capabilities include joinery, metal work, spray-painting, product prototyping, assembly and warehousing. Mixing the latest CNC technology with traditional carpentry skills gives White Rose Services the opportunity to

78

create bespoke finishes for its clients.

The full scope of the offering has put White Rose Services in a position to manage a full turnkey project from start, all the way through to completion. The Company has been successful at bringing together all areas of a project to provide more control and flexibility for the client, from design and manufacture of unitary, through to on-site construction and project management.

Key to this is working closely with clients on innovative and sustainable solutions, while also providing clients with energy and cost savings together with incorporating new technology to provide well planned, innovative and customer focused interiors.

By employing its own trades within key areas such as carpentry and decoration, along with utilisation of a long term sub-contract base for specialist activities, it puts the Company in a strong position to guarantee quality, ensure costs are kept within budget and within all required timescales.

Significant appointments have strengthened White Rose Services’ position in the market place. These include the announcement of Andrew Stiller as Head of Sales and Daniel Thompson as Designer/Estimator.

The recruitment of these two individuals has greatly assisted in moving the business forward and the works that have been undertaken with a larger variety of clients.

Two schemes that the Company worked from conception to completion on were the two DVA Boutique stores at Westfield White City and Stratford City.

DVA Boutique approached White Rose Services after seeing the impressive portfolio from the official website, as well as having had favourable experiences of other DVA Boutique store projects being undertaken by the Company.

After designing the kiosks and quoting for the work, it was decided the experienced team would manage the projects, meaning quoting for all the works including manufacturing, graphics, electrical work and installation, all of which was approved.

Specification changes during the manufacturing process included a change in MDF finish and solid surface specification, selection as well as a change in glazing specification, lighting and flooring. These changes helped to reduce timescales, while also assisting in the projects being under budget.

Work included manufacturing the unitary, using the change in specification. The change included altering a shutter system that was to be used at night to secure the products. As an alternative, White Rose Services suggested acrylic lockable screens that are put in place at night that not only provide the required security, but also allow DVA Boutique to continuously promote its services and products after units are closed at the evening.

White Rose Services supplied and installed all graphics, electrics, glazing and flooring, as well as installing a CCTV system procured by the client. Experienced fitting teams installed all products in accordance >

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with the client and the management teams at both Westfield shopping centres during out of hours shifts.

The Company is also involved in the relocation of existing kiosks on a bi-annual basis, which involves taking down an existing kiosk and erecting it in another location on site, including minor refurbishment works, and replacement flooring. This work is generally undertaken in a single night shift.

The success of these projects has resulted in White Rose Services being asked to design a kiosk for another part of DVA Boutique’s business from scratch, and another upshot of providing such high quality work at Westfield has been that the Company has been recommended to other clients on-site for its expertise of building kiosks, but also because of the easy communication with all management teams in an efficient manner.

With the current economic climate meaning that the retail industry is struggling, kiosks such as those manufactured and installed for DVA Boutique are becoming commonplace within shopping centres nationwide.

The main advantages for this type of retail

space are that licenses are short and cost less each month, the cost for build is low, compared to a full retail fit out, and if a retailer is on a short-term lease and willing to be relocated every six months, they can benefit from not being classified for business rates.

White Rose Services worked on a project last year for Mark One Interiors at Salford Innovation Centre, converting visuals into working drawings to allow production.

Specification changes were once again encountered, as were reduced timescales, but because of the good communication that the Company is well known for, the project was still delivered on time and on budget, with the unitary delivered to site and installed by the experienced fitting team.

White Rose Services were approached last year to quote for the ATS refurbishment projects. The work was secured, which included:• Internal works provided a full fit out of office and customer areas.

• External works saw decoration to shutters, bollards, sectional doors, car park repairs and white lining.

All unitary, painting and decorating,

electrics, plumbing and unitary was delivered to site and installed by experienced fitting and sub contract teams in accordance with the requirements of ATS. All work was completed on time and under budget once again, as expected from the reputation gained by White Rose Services.

White Rose Services consistently delivers the highest levels of customer satisfaction and is currently working towards ISO14001 and ISO9001 2008 Quality Management System Accreditations.

The Company is proud to have created a one-stop shop for all its clients’ requirements, big or small, while keeping the personal touches that clients have come to expect.

White Rose Services are a member of The National Association of Shopfitters (NAS), which is the only trade association exclusively representing the needs of the shopfitting and interior contracting sector.

White Rose Services, 38 Shrewsbury Road, Penistone, Sheffield, S36 6DY. T: 01226 766416.

E: centralestimating@whiteroseservices.co.uk.

W: www.whiteroseservices.co.uk

• Hi-Class Bespoke Doors and Windows • Orangery Buildings • Roof Lanterns • Staircases – straight and winder box - closed and cut string • Driveway Gates • Bi-Folding Sliding Doors • Bars and back fittings • Reception counters • Conservation joinery including box sash / Yorkshire sliding windows • Bespoke Furniture • Paint grade and veneered door sets, pre-hung or loose sets • Bespoke machining and profiling • Shop Frontage Construction Orchard Works Joinery Orchard Street, Ilkeston, DE7 5NH T: 0115 930 6725 F: 0115 944 0532 E: info@orchardworksjoinery.co.uk www.orchardworksjoinery.co.uk

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UKC education

Wade Deacon High School Helping to achieve ‘world class’ educational outcomes The school redevelopment at Wade Deacon High School is taking shape, and the traditional topping out ceremony was held on-site back in May. The ceremony marked the highest point of the building being completed and was attended by the Main Contractor, VINCI Construction, and the site team, Halton Borough Council, Hochitef, pupils, staff and governors. The celebration of the topping out ceremony included the bedding of the last block of masonry.

Once the £25.3M project is completed, the redevelopment will create a school for 1,500 pupils.

The contract involves partial demolition and refurbishment to the façade on the existing 1930s two-storey building and the adaptation to a new three-storey building, which will house the majority of the school.

The post-tension frame of the new building, which sits directly behind the existing school, has been completed and a waterproof membrane has been erected to the new sports facility. This will contour and construct the roof.

The frame of the new sports hall has been constructed, with cladding to three sides and all internal block work completed, while external brickwork is being constructed. The project also includes upgraded sports pitches.

Building work is continuing on the lower wing of the Birchfield Road Campus, with much of the structure of the new building

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now in place.

Wade Deacon High School is a mixed comprehensive for 11-16 year olds and is over subscribed. The majority of the students come from the immediate locality.

The school operates on two sites, as it has recently been federated with Fairfield School, but the rebuild project will allow the school to become a single institution on one site, completing the amalgamation of the two schools and its drive to improve standards.

Wade Deacon is currently held in high regard in the community. The aspiration for this scheme is not only to improve on the attainment of young people, but to build on the community role the school has.

This will include access to learning resource facilities, provision of the largest performance space in Widnes and building the large, purpose built five-court sports hall, while the development will also comprise of a 500-seat auditorium.

Redevelopment at Wade Deacon High School is part of Halton’s Building Schools for the Future initiative, with the Halton Transformational Partnership (HTP) consortium appointed to deliver the programme.

In addition, to assist the local authority’s vision around conclusion, and to help in rationalising the school’s estate, Ashley School will co-locate onto the site with a population of 120 pupils.

In co-locating with Ashley School, the

richness of learning, pastoral and social opportunity in each school will become increasingly open to students from all.

Wade Deacon has a strong culture of inclusion and a track record of responding in a personalised way to individual learners sometimes with troubled histories at school.

The personalisation of learning will be extended to each student with a broad and varied curriculum and a strong relationship with community learners/contributors.

Critical thinking, communication and collaboration are inherent components of the innovative approach that the school wants to continue to develop.

Development of their sports facilities will also provide a centre of excellence for the local community to be used outside of normal school hours.

Chris Hamer, Managing Director of VINCI Construction UK, Building Division – North, said: “Through the new building and redevelopment of Wade Deacon High School, not only are we re-defining the role of learning facilities in the 21st century, but also demonstrating that the construction industry can be a powerful catalyst for creating jobs.”

Designed by Sheppard Robson Architects, completion is scheduled for next spring.

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Bankside Interiors has been supplying a complete fit out service to the construction industry for the last three years.

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We also have very good working partnerships with a decoration and a joinery company that generally commands more fluidity in the construction.

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A total range of fully-integrated services EWS have over twenty five years of experience of planning, designing, fabricating and installing architectural aluminium systems, curtain walling and door systems.

EWS Ltd are pleased to be associated with Halton Council and Vinci Construction on this prestigious project Bridgeman Street, Bolton, Lancashire BL3 6BS T: 01204 454455 F: 01204 454466 E: info@ewsbolton.co.uk W: www.ewsbolton.co.uk 5th Floor, Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool L2 3PF T: 0151 244 5460

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We are ISO:9001 and CHAS accredited and are members of the GGF.

83

UKC profile

Powys County Council Investing in education The modernisation of the county’s schools is one of the authority’s main priorities, in both primary and secondary sectors.

The main challenges facing the authority are falling pupil numbers and an increasing backlog in repairs and maintenance requirements in schools.

The programme will focus on the reduction in the level of surplus places and bringing all school building to a fit for purpose standard over the next 15 years.

Brand new schools in and around Ystradgynlais are now up and running following a major investment in education and leisure in the area.

Ysgol Golwg y Cwm, Ysgol Bro Tawe and Ysgol y Cribarth all opened their doors last month, while Ysgol Gymraeg Dyffryn y Glowyr’s new building is due to open in January.

Councillor Myfanwy Alexander, Cabinet member for Learning and Leisure, said: “The developments in the Ystradgynlais area are very exciting for the council, for communities, but most of all for the young people who will be able to learn in modern, appropriate surroundings, helping them to fulfil their potential.

Each of the new primary schools will be home to between 180 and 300 pupils and each school is aiming to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellence’ status, showing that they were built as sustainably as possible.

The four schools are replacing ten in the region, which came about when a review was undertaken in 2008 with the board consisting of members from each of the schools, as well as local councillors and representatives from partner agencies.

The review recommended that the existing ten primary schools, most of which required substantial capital investment and were well below capacity, should close and be replaced with the four new schools.

Meanwhile, Ysgol Maesydderwen, a high school in the town, started to use its new block at the school in September, which includes science, design

84

benefited from the project. The club now technology, and computer classrooms, has a new football pitch and clubhouse after together with a library, administration its former ground was identified as the site rooms, a multi-purpose hall, activity to house Ysgol Gymraeg Dyffryn y Glowyr. studio and fitness suite.

Ysgol Maesydderwen is a small and inclusive school where pupils of all abilities are encouraged to succeed in a caring, orderly and supportive environment. The school uses an assertive discipline system where good behaviour is rewarded and students have clear boundaries. As a result, relationships between staff and pupils are a strength.

The Welsh medium school is currently The Powys Primary Schools were designed to maximise day light to operating from reduce energy consump on and schools at improve well being. All classroom Ynysgedwyn and areas feature high-level clerestory windows.

Specialist contractor Cwmtwrch but pupils Ske!y Blinds provided a window will transfer to their shading solu on to manage the daylight and control glare, ensuring new building after the the safety and comfort of staff and Christmas holidays, students alike. Over 400 blinds were installed across the 4 schools. returning in January 2013.

HeliosTM motorised roller blinds from Umbra Shading were used on The project is in two all the clerestory windows, phases, with Phase I operated in groups via dado-level switches. Another example of improving the dining brighter shadingTM successfully hall, servery and the delivered by Ske!y Blinds and general teaching and Umbra Shading. science areas.

Umbra Shading manufacture Phase II provides specialist roller blinds for shading and blackout applica ons. Put improvements to the some brighter shadingTM into your administration and next project: contact 0845 677 0020 conference facilities, a or sales@umbrashading.co.uk. new general teaching block, refurbishment to create general teaching spaces and the demolition of an unserviceable teaching block.

As well as the investment in education, local football team Cwm Wanderers has also

BRIGHTER SHADING...

UKC leisure

Travelodge Now with 58 hotels in the capital Travelodge opened seven hotels in July, with four sites located in London, making the budget hotel chain the largest hotelier in the capital for the Olympic Games.

One of these is the new five-storey hotel located on Victoria Dock Road near the ExCel centre, featuring 131 bedrooms.

Stephen Kennard, Head of Development at the London Development Authority, said: “This new hotel, close to ExCel and its International Conference Centre, will help bring more people and more jobs to the area.”

Strictly ordered masonry facades, though not rigid in their approach in order to allow a more playful approach to be taken where appropriate, form a strong precedent for the development of the facades and the general appearance of the buildings, and brickwork is high quality with a recessed joint to accentuate the detailing.

The landscaping has a central courtyard for the use of all guests, easily accessible from the rear entrance with a large specimen tree at the centre to provide shade for circular seating beneath.

The perimeter and edges of the site are defined by clipped formal hedging and car parking spaces are delineated by planting beds with native species.

The previously existing grass embankment at the rear of the site was retained along with the existing tree line.

Semi mature trees were planted sensitively across the site to create landscaped courtyards and bird/bat boxes are provided

in appropriate locations.

The 131 guest rooms within the scheme fall into three main types, split in accordance with the hotel operator’s requirements.

There are 91 standard shower rooms, 32 family rooms, which are located on the southern façade facing towards the Royal

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Albert docks, and there are also a further eight rooms with disabled access.

The Main Contractor for the project was McLaren Construction, and the Architect was Aros Architects. This hotel, along with the other three in London, created 117 jobs across the city.

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85

UKC profile

Sheffield NHS Trust Recognised leader in medical research Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is one of the UK’s largest NHS Foundation Trusts and one of the largest and busiest teaching hospitals, with more than 15,000 staff caring for over a million patients each year at five hospitals.

These hospitals are the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, the Northern General Hospital, Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, Weston Park Cancer Hospital and Jessop Wing Maternity Hospital.

A full range of local hospital services is available for people in Sheffield as well as specialist services to patients from further afield.

The Trust is recognised internationally for its work in neurosciences, spinal injuries, cancer, transplantation, and orthopaedics, and is one of only a handful of hospital trusts to have been awarded the highest rating of ‘excellent’ for both the quality of services and financial management, three years running.

Royal Hallamshire Hospital has opened its new state-of-the-art critical care unit.

The 29-bed unit will provide modern facilities and equipment for the delivery of high quality care to critically ill patients. The unit provides both intensive and high dependency care for patients with severe or potentially life threatening conditions who need support following major surgery.

The purpose-built unit has been created to replace the Neurosciences Critical Care unit and General Critical Care. By

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co-locating critical care services at the Royal Hallamshire, there are more opportunities to share best practice between the unit specialists, improved patient safety, increased flexibility in how beds can be used and improved privacy and dignity for patients.

Many of the patients receiving care on the unit will be neurosciences patients with conditions such as head trauma, tumours, cerebral haemorrhages and stroke patients requiring surgery.

A significant programme of essential maintenance took place at the Jessop Wing Hospital to ensure the facilities remain as high quality and safe as possible for women and babies using the services.

The maintenance and deep cleaning programme, which was completed in August 2012, caused minimal disruption to staff and women.

The impact of work was carefully planned to manage the disruption to patients and services. There were times in the programme when some parts of the labour unit were temporarily unavailable but plans were put in place to ensure enough beds remained available for women during busy periods, and contingency plans were put into place for any unforeseen rise in the number of women going into labour.

The hospital worked closely with neighbouring hospitals and their maternity services to ensure they were aware of the situation.

In February, a new Centre of Excellence in Rheumatology was unveiled by the Deputy Prime Minister.

The prestigious title was awarded by leading health organisation the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), based on the city’s outstanding record in rheumatology clinical research.

The Centre, which is a partnership between the Trust and the University of Sheffield, is one of only five in the country and joins a prestigious list of research centres across Europe including Paris, Amsterdam and Vienna.

The Right Honourable Nick Clegg MP said: “Everyone in Sheffield should be immediately proud of the great work being done here at this Centre. Sheffield is at the cutting edge of rheumatology research and we have some of the finest minds in the field working right here.

“This award is not just recognition of the great work done here but it will help the clinicians and researchers go on to do more and more vital life changing work in future.”

Mr Clegg unveiled a plaque at the Medical School next to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital before meeting staff and patients.

The event saw presentations from the Head of the Centre, Professor Gerry Wilson, as well as from Professor Alan Silman, Medical Director of Arthritis Research UK.

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David Hallam Ltd build and maintain hydrotherapy across the UK and are recognized as one of leading companies in this specialized field. We design and construct hydrotherapy pools to suit our clients’ needs and can incorporate features such spa seats, massage jets, bubble jets, counter current swim jets and underwater treadmills. Our pools are designed to the highest standards and we recognize it’s not only important to get the design of the pool correct, the water treatment plant must be correctly designed to ensure the pool is fit for commercial use. David Hallam Ltd have won the SPATA awards for special needs pools 2011 & 2012.

Please see our website www.davidhallamltd.co.uk for further details.

We also offer nationwide service and maintenance including breakdown repairs, refurbishments, upgrades and chemical sales.

We have very friendly experienced staff and been in the industry for over 40 years. We carry out work for numerous local authorities and provide a reliable and trusted service.

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87

UKC housing

Multi-million pound masterplan for Old Trafford The largest project of an urban masterplan in Manchester involves the redevelopment of the Tamworth Estate, refurbishing the three balcony blocks and redeveloping the bird blocks. The development included 297 houses and 117 apartments, and demolitions total 336.

The Tamworth Estate is the most significant change within the masterplanning area. This is the area identified throughout the process as having the greatest problems, with towers not previously up to the Trafford Standard.

The Balcony Blocks, containing three towers, are being refurbished, providing a valuable resource in helping the decanting of people from the Bird Blocks in the short term and in the long term as a good resource for people wishing to remain in the Tamworth neighbourhood.

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The Balcony Bocks needed new windows, so double glazed aluminium windows are being installed into the existing structural openings, improving the thermal efficiency of each home. Disruption will be minimised because the windows can be fitted in a day on most occasions.

It is hoped the Balcony Blocks will become a symbol of the area’s recovery.

The three blocks are Clifford Court, Grafton Court and Pickford Court.

Work is varied, with the previously existing balconies in the kitchens of the two-bed apartments being incorporated within the kitchen design.

All the kitchens lacking in sufficient space were redesigned to accommodate sinks, cupboards, worktops, electrical cookers with hobs and space for fridge freezers and washing machines.

Customers are able to choose cupboards, worktops and handle designs, while existing bathrooms will be upgraded with a new modern bathroom including a shower over the bath, and all properties are benefiting from a full electrical rewire.

A new heating system will be retro fitted to the existing tower blocks, minimising disruption to residents. Solar panels will combine with the gas-fired boiler, helping to reduce bills for tenants. The plant room is craned onto the roof and housed in a bespoke aluminium clad box.

A new robust, tough and resilient bitumen roof to the tower blocks will be added, with an insulated layer, which will help improve the energy efficiency of the top floor flats.

New radiators are to be fitted in all flats and the heating system will significantly lower carbon emissions. Tenants will only pay for >

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Continental Installations are specialist manufacturers and installers of aluminium curtain wall, windows and entrance systems on a national basis, www.coninst.co.uk We operate exclusively in the commercial construction sector and our project list encompasses hotels, student accommodation, care homes, social housing and office developments.

The company places great emphasis on health and safety, quality and environmental issues and we hold current accreditations to ISO 9001, 14001 and CHAS. Continental Installations Ltd are pleased to be associated with Seddon Construction and have been involved with several projects across the North West including the window replacement package on the Tamworth Towers Regeneration scheme.

www.coninst.co.uk 89

what they use and can now control the temperature from within their own flats.

External cladding with thermal insulation will be wrapped around the buildings, keeping the walls warm while also avoiding using up valuable living space. The cladding will also improve the appearance of aging external walls too, thanks to the use of a mixture of metallic aluminium rainscreen cladding and white insulated render.

Draughts will be reduced because the insulation will cover cracks in the brickwork, and condensation on the internal walls will also see reduction because the additional layer insulation also discourages damp. All of this means heating bills will decrease due to the fact less energy is required to heat the properties.

Sustainability through heat retention saves energy and money while frameless panes maximise natural light, and the noise reduction due to the enclosed balcony can provide considerable benefits, such as improving quality of life in the area. The system is easy to clean meaning sections can be cleaned on both sides from the safety of the balcony.

Entrances to the blocks will see change, with a shelter incorporated for tenants who may be waiting for visitors or taxis. There will also be seating for visitors and informal meeting areas.

Communal notice boards and internal direction signage is included and there will be a new fully accessible access

control system.

Secured by Design glass screens allow natural light into the properties, but also maximise surveillance. The building will benefit from clear signage in all areas and there will be a covered ramp and steps to the entrance level.

The Main Contractor for the development, Seddon Construction, also gave three unemployed men the chance to build construction careers during development.

Trevor Jennings and Keil Curran, who both live on the estate, joined Seddon as apprentices and are working towards NVQ Level 2 Multiskilled construction qualifications.

In addition, Seddon recruited Michael McGowan, who previously lived in Old Trafford and now lives in Irlam. Michael is working towards an NVQ Level 2 qualification in cladding.

All three apprentices learned construction skills working under the supervision of Seddon’s construction professionals on the scheme to upgrade the three 1970s tower blocks.

David Barrow, Commercial Director of Trafford Housing Trust said: “Investing money in the towers blocks is about much more than improving bricks and mortar to the Trust, it is how we improve people’s lives and create sustainable communities.

“This is one great example of how we are

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This type of service can be viewed at www.maintenance-contracts.co.uk For more information contact our office on 01625 668777.

able to achieve this through a partnership approach. It is our aim to increase the number of apprentices working in this area over time so more local people can benefit from this life-changing opportunity.”

The project was designed by PRP Architects and is expected to complete next month.

OPEN BALCONIES BALCONY ENCLOSURES BALCONY FAÇADE SYSTEMS

Apollo Cradles would like to wish Guy Harvey and the Seddon’s Management team great success with the Tamworth Tower’s project. We are delighted to be supplying Mast Climbing Work platform to this and other projects for Seddon Construction.

Apollo Cradles Ltd is a specialised access hire and manufacturing company. Based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire the company has been established for 24 years. We have regional depots in Birmingham & Newcastle Upon Tyne. The services we provide are available nationwide with technical expertise available from design to installation and commission.

Our services include temporary cradle access, mast climbing work platforms, specialist access platforms, under-bridge platforms and manufacturing of aluminium and steel scaffolding products. All of the services we offer are modular to facilitate any building or structure.

For further information or enquiries please call us on 01226 7000 79

Utility Connections Consultancy New Connections – Disconnections Diversions – Metering Tel: 0161 620 0143 www.poweralliance.co.uk 90

428 Carlton Road, Carlton, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S71 3HX. Tel: (01226) 700079 Fax: (01226) 727108 Email: info@apollocradles.co.uk www.apollocradles.co.uk

UKC profile

Reason Homes Providing luxurious dwellings Reason Homes, founded over 30 years ago, has become a long established residential building firm in East Anglia, with a head office in the market town of Sudbury in Suffolk.

The Company’s well planned developments, offering good value for money, has extended its building programme to include a large number of sites in Cambridgeshire.

One of the projects worked on by the Company is the Cromwell Gardens housing development. The site is located within the town of Wisbech and is bounded by Cromwell Road, South Brink and Weasenham Lane. The land was mainly opened and unused, with an area of approximately 1.76Ha. As well as the properties, the site will have a doctor’s surgery.

To the north are residential properties in Malt Drive, and to the west is the River Nene. To the south west are several other residential properties, a Lidl supermarket and 46 housing units. To the south east is an existing garage premises, while to the east on the opposite side of Cromwell Road are commercial properties and a Tesco superstore.

The development has a mix of dwellings consisting of one- and two-bedroom apartments and coach houses, two- and three-bedroom bungalows and cottages, together with three-bedroom houses. The density of the development complies with Planning Policy Statement 3, achieving a density of 48 dwellings per hectare within the site area.

Particular regard has been paid to the views into the site from North and South Brink.

The street views provided along the north western boundary of the site demonstrate that the new buildings will be of two- and three and a half-storeys high, reflecting the scale and proportions of properties located further to the north along North Brink, which seeks to provide an attractive and substantial built form in this riverside setting.

The open space will make sure trees and hedges are protected wherever possible,

and the attractive walkway along Licking’s fence panels between concrete posts and gravel boards, but some facing brick walls will Drove with its realigned junction with be featured when situated in more prominent Weasenham Lane. positions, and all will be carried out Vehicular and pedestrian access to the site will accordingly prior to full occupation of the units. be by means of the constructed, improved and The whole development will be completed in widened Weasenham Lane junction. Drainage February 2013. will be dealt with using public sewer and surface water drainage systems.

Reason Homes, Beaver House, Northern There will be 19 one-bedroom apartments, Road, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2XQ. 19 two-bedroom apartments, 15 twoTel: 01787 376241. bedroom coach houses, 15 twobedroom bungalows, two three-bedroom bungalows, two twobedroom cottages, 11 three-bedroom cottages, and two three-bedroom houses, with each property provided with a garage and parking space. There will be a good mix of units on site, as well as good variations in ridge lines resulting from a mixture of varying eaves heights and roof pitches.

All properties will be constructed in accordance with Part M of the building regulations, and proposals for hard landscaping such as driveway finishes and 7 Newlands Avenue, March associated paths to Cambridgeshire PE15 8NL dwelling units will be carried out prior to full occupation of the units.

Boundary treatments Email: scottcullum1@aol.com will mainly consist of close boarded timber

Cullum Brickwork Ltd We are pleased to be associated with Construct Reason

Telephone: 01354 650 756

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UKC profile

Derwen Llyn Building a brighter future Derwen Llyn is a leading family run building contractor specialising in construction and civil engineering works.

A longstanding member of the Pwllheli community, Derwen Llyn was established in 1990 by Arthur and Richard Jones. In the years since, the Company has amassed a significant body of work across a wide variety of sectors.

With a reputation for quality and client satisfaction, Derwen Llyn prioritises attention to detail, offering environmentally friendly solutions and sustainable construction techniques.

In October 2010, Derwen Llyn undertook construction of a £1.1M Enterprise Centre in Botwnnog, which was completed in October 2011.

The new complex, developed by Cymdeithas Tai Eryri, incorporates ten offices, two workshops with a window facade, two computer suites with broadband, a conference room and a cafe for the use of the local community.

Built on a brownfield site that used to house a dilapidated farm house and outbuildings, the development is in Botwnnog, a tiny village on the western tip of the Llyn Peninsula in the county of Gwynedd.

This rural and remote area had high deprivation and so qualified for the Communities First programme. Satisfying a

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demand for micro business accommodation in the area, this facility provides much needed facilities while bringing regeneration to an economically deprived area.

Wallis George, Chief Executive of Cymdeithas Tai Eryri said: “We began on this scheme during our consultation phase for the affordable housing project.

“We wanted to provide more than just housing provision, but to also enable people to live and work in their own communities and we hope to tie this in with some sort of community venture to bring local people in the area together.”

As part of the contract Derwen Llyn, who acted as Main Contractor, recruited two trainees for three years, providing additional employment in the local community. In addition a number of local people were also employed on the design and build project with a view to improving the local economy.

To this end, everybody who worked on the scheme lived within a seven mile radius of the site, as well as being Welsh speaking.

The building has from inception been designed to be sustainable both in terms of the materials, construction to be used and the way in which the development will be serviced. Built using timber frame construction, the 570sq m structure is clad in cedar wood, whilst the roof is finished in slate.

The building uses a ground source heat pump to service the majority of the heating requirements of the development and also has the benefit of significant areas of photovoltaic cells. Demonstrative of Derwen Llyn’s credentials, the development has been designed and built to meet the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ level so that the developer can seek government funding for the development of businesses in the area.

The Architect behind this design is Russell Hughes Architects.

The design also allowed for disabled access to all areas, a door entry system, an intruder alarm and CCTV. The day to day running of the centre is undertaken by a newly formed group, Cymydmaen Cyf, who will be made members of the local Communities First programme.

The Enterprise Centre in Botwnnog is an impressive showcase of Derwen Llyn’s varied skill set. Built on time and to budget, the building meets the exacting sustainable requirements set by the client. In this way, the project exemplifies Derwen Llyn’s dedication to delivering high performance buildings that more than meet client expectation.

Derwen Llyn, 43 High Street, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, LL53 5RT, Tel: 01758 614776, Fax: 01758 613103

x 130 H

publishing limited

A ROWLANDS Tiling Contractors We are pleased to be associated with Derwin Llyn and wish them continued success Awel Y Garn, Nefyn, Pwllheli, Gwynedd LL53 6HB

TEL: 07900 907701 Email: arwynrowlands@fsmail.net

D R Williams Electrical Contractors will provide you with cost effective and professional electrical services by taking into consideration your exact electrical requirements and provide an electrical solution to meet your specific requirements.

D R Williams Electrical Contractors provide an extensive range of electrical and renewable energy services including solar photovoltaic and wind turbine installations and maintenance to the domestic and commercial market. Our services also include installation of intruder alarms, CCTV and fire alarm systems.

D R Williams Electrical Contractors Ty’n Ffynnon, Tudweiliog, Pwllheli, Gwynedd.

LL53 8AQ 01758 770370 07780 680103 dwilliamselectrical@hotmail.co.uk

to advertise in this magazine please call

01257 231900 www.pro-mark.org.uk

Quantity Surveyors CDM Co-ordinators Project Managers Barclays Bank Chambers 64 Stryd Fawr Pwllheli Gwynedd LL53 5RR

Tel: 01758 612 812 Email: post@adeiladol.co.uk www.adeiladol.co.uk

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UKC commercial

Neptunus New headquarters celebrating 75 years of business Having had a number of contracts over the summer of 2012, and many more before the end of the year, temporary structures specialist Neptunus is investing in a purpose-built office development to support its expanding UK infrastructure.

Located on the prestigious Swan Valley development off Junction 15A of the M1 in Northampton, the new 11,000sq m site will provide a central location from which to serve the Company’s growing national customer base.

Neptunus is an international specialist in providing high class tents and temporary structures for hospitality and corporate events as well as semi-permanent buildings for a wide range of applications including shops, supermarkets, sports halls, showrooms, exhibitions and conference halls, restaurants and classrooms.

In the semi-permanent sector, Neptunus’ unique Evolution provides all the benefits of a permanent building in a fraction of the time. Structures can be supplied complete with heating, lighting, flooring and glazing along with a wide range of options including security systems, climate control, mezzanine floors, partitioning, furnishings and sanitary facilities.

In the events sector, Neptunus has an impressive range of structures from basic

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‘no frills’ tents to premium end buildings with striking roof designs that succeed in attracting attention. Structures are available in various lengths and dimensions to suit individual requirements.

With the layout based on the bespoke designs of the Neptunus premises across Europe, the site will accommodate a modern three-storey office building as well as large warehouses with loading bays for the storage and onward distribution of its extensive product range.

Flexolution structures from Neptunus’ own product range will form four 24m wide warehouses. As highly sustainable and energy efficient semi-permanent buildings, the Flexolutions look set to achieve a ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating. As such, the warehouses will be used to showcase the structure’s impressive features to prospective customers.

April Trasler, Neptunus’ UK Managing Director said: “The investment in a new head office represents an exciting milestone in Neptunus’ UK history.

“We will continue to build on the growth that we have achieved in recent years through repeat business from our regular clients as well as the upcoming delivery of several major projects in and around the capital. In addition to providing extra capacity for future

growth, the new office will enable us to continue evolving our product range and to expand our service team.”

Offering a complete turnkey solution, Neptunus’ specialists can handle the whole process through design, production, logistics, fit out and maintenance.

Established in 1937, Neptunus employs more than 200 people at its offices in the UK, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Poland, Germany and Austria and can easily supply structures throughout Europe.

Neptunus has provided structures for many high profile events including the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, The Open Golf Championship and Royal Ascot. In addition, it regularly provides solutions to blue chip companies including Audi, Red Bull, Mercedes Benz and HSBC. The new head office is being constructed by local Main Contractor Warwick Burt Construction Ltd and is being project managed by Budworth Hardcastle Ltd’s Building Consultancy Team. The land that is being developed on was also acquired for Neptunus by Budworth Hardcastle’s Agency team.

Development of the office this year is fitting as Neptunus is celebrating its 75 anniversary, and completion is due by November 2012.

Storefield

G R O U P

L I M I T E D

We carry out commercial contracts all

Storefield Plant Limited operate a fleet of Heavy

over the UK specializing in

Plant from the Head Office outside Kettering,

block paving, kerb works, slab works, granite paving, etc.

Northamptonshire. The fleet make up reflects the type of business that the company has historically been engaged in. All contract or site works carried out by other areas of Storefield Group are carried out

‘Celebrating 25 Years’

using Storefield Plant and operators. Storefield Group aims to work with their clients to provide the most cost effective solution for their plant requirements.

3 Giffard Court, Millbrook Close, St James Mill Road, Northampton, NN5 5JF

Tel: 01604 758600 Fax: 01604 758660 WEB: www.aandlpaving.co.uk

Storefield Group Ltd Storefield Road, Rushton, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN14 1BP T: +44 (0) 1536 418121 F: +44 (0) 1536 418704 E: info@storefield.co.uk W: www.storefield.co.uk

UKC profile

David Wilson Homes Part of the Barratt family Established since 1958, Barratt Homes is widely recognised as the highest quality national house builder.

The first Barratt property development company was established in Newcastleupon-Tyne and grew steadily, laying the foundation for the growth that followed, resulting in the Company being listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1968.

In 1972, a programme of rapid expansion followed, seeing a series of acquisitions and the creation of new companies.

During the 1990s the Barratt Group grew organically, establishing an unrivalled track record of consistent growth. In April 2007, Barratt acquired Wilson Bowden Plc and today has a network of 25 housebuilding divisions throughout Britain, selling new build homes under the Barratt, David Wilson and Ward Homes brands.

David Wilson Hoes at Wichelstowe is an exciting new development of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes located in the stunning new village of East Wichel.

Unlike most new housing developments, Wichelstowe has been designed so that each

different house types, with a mixture of house has an individual finish and style. fitted kitchens, dining areas, bright and Benefiting from excellent transport links airy living rooms, open plan living and with junction 16 of the M4 being close by, dining areas, and master bedrooms with residents will be able to commute and ensuite facilities. Other luxurious housing explore far off places with ease. developments now complete include Wichelstowe also benefits from being near Beautfort Park, Peasedown Meadows, to Swindon’s bustling Old Town, which is Teignfields and The Meads. home to an abundance of amenities, boasting a variety of shops, cafés, bars and restaurants.

It demonstrates many unique features such as extensive landscaping, open spaces and parkland footpaths, cycle routes, sports pitches, E&H DRYLINING & PLASTERING (SOUTH WEST) LTD riding and fishing facilities, making this development a Unit 11, Adlams Central Park, fantastic place to Wirral Park Road, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9XE explore the outdoors Tel: 01458 831717 Fax: 01458 831551 and an idyllic location to call home.

Email: neilm@ehdryliningsw.co.uk The property has six

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UKC commercial

Michelin Tyres, Stoke-on-Trent Work on a Michelin UK building has commenced in Stoke-on-Trent This development will see the tyre plant upgraded, converting the existing building ready for the installation of cutting edge machinery for the manufacture of the latest Michelin Remix truck tyres, as well as providing a new building to extend facilities. This is part of a £50M investment in Michelin plants across the UK, with plants in Dundee, Ballymena and Stoke-on-Trent all benefiting.

The existing building in Stoke-on-Trent is 40 years old, comprising of a steel frame and clad with brick up to 2,400mm with cladding above. This was extended about 20 years ago and comprises of a steel frame construction with a flat roof. This latest upgrade will provide up-to-date facilities and a complete modernisation of Michelin’s production capability.

Demolition took place on the site to remove an internal glazed panel, cladding and asbestos sheet trims within the existing building.

The process of making the plans for upgrading the facility in Stoke-on-Trent become reality were helped thanks to a £4M investment from the government two years ago, which was part of a £6.4M investment package for key industrial areas.

The extension, comprising of approximately 1,850sq m, will provide a plant room facility consisting of a basement, ground, and first floor level with a two-hour fire separation, as well as a curing hall. The plant room will house Michelin’s new 60 tonne presses and associated equipment.

The structure will be a steel portal frame with Rockwool and lightweight cladding panels. A lattice beam conveyor house will be included, clad in Rockwool product, and the external façade will boast smooth red brick dwarf wall, bamboo Rockwool

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doors and the internal smoke screen on the cladding, with the extension matching the project. Cold Clad Ltd will also be existing building. constructing the steel work, wall and roof A five degree pitched roof using built-up cladding to the new compressor house.

Rockwool will be used on the main building, Jon Pitman, Cold Clad Ltd Managing while the plant room will have a flat roof Director, said: “Cold Clad Ltd is very pleased with membrane. to be involved with this project. We have Principal Contractor ETDE Contracting Ltd worked very closely with ETDE on a number is responsible for the design and of projects previously and this is another construction works associated with the high priority job for us. This project refurbishment and new construction, installation of mechanical, electrical and fire demonstrates our ability to deliver complete building envelopes.” protection systems, allowing Michelin to Designed by Michelin, work on this £4.6M install their own specialised equipment into development commenced in 2011 and will the existing and new facilities. be completed in July 2013.

As well as the extension, some of the Not content with the improvement works existing facilities will be upgraded, including being undertaken in the UK, Michelin is in the M&E services for new and existing the process of upgrading its global research machines, as well as the upgrade of the and development centre in Ladoux, near heating and ventilation system, creating a Clermont-Ferrand, designed to strengthen fire separation between the three main the Company’s innovation capabilities and production areas and building alteration. shorten new tyre time-to-market.

Eric Le Corre, Michelin UK’s Managing Director, spoke of his delight about the new facilities. He said: “We are extremely excited about this planned investment as it shows that the Michelin Group is firmly committed to the future of tyre manufacturing in the UK, and underlines our desire to strengthen NASSAU Industrial Doors (UK) is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of the future commercial industrial sectional overhead doors. presence of Michelin in the UK.” Functional design, uncompromising quality and expert consultation are Cold Clad Ltd is some of the key factors behind the best doors on the market. responsible for Nassau Industrial Doors Ltd. supplying and Jubilee House, Dewsbury Road, Fenton Industrial Estate, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2TB installing the wall Tel: 01782 418700 Fax: 01782 418720 cladding, high-level Email: info@nassau.co.uk Web: www.nassau.co.uk glazing, the roof system, the external

“Leading the way in insulated construction” Specialising in the design and construction of: • Cold Rooms • Temperature Controlled Environments • Food Production Facilities • Clean Rooms • Fire Separation Walls • Data Stores • Cladding Systems • Roof Systems • SIPS • Building Maintenance • Project Management • SR3 & SR4 Security Panel Systems

Congratulations to ETDE on the Michelin Tyres project

Contact us at: Unit 6 Damery Works, Damery Lane, Woodford, Gloucestershire, GL13 9JR Tel: 01452 757 785 Fax: 01452 229 311 Email: info@coldclad.com www.coldclad.com

Sangwin Ltd. Dansom Lane South, Hull, East Yorkshire HU8 7LN Tel: 01482 329921 Fax: 01482 215353 W: www.sangwin.co.uk E: info@sangwin.co.uk

UKC education

University of Central Lancashire Fine arts building extended Located off Flyde Road in Preston at the Hanover building campus, the extension was designed to provide more studios for the Arts, Design and Performance Centre.

It has been relocated into the Hanover building so the extension incorporates studios, doubling up as the entrance area and new offices for staff. The rest of the building was worked on externally to make it more aesthetically pleasing, with cladding in cedar panelling.

Demolition work took place to a singlestorey pre-school crèche on-site. This has been relocated to another building that is now finished – the Tom Finney building – which is a sports complex building.

The new and existing buildings have been linked by an entrance foyer and display area for exhibitions. It is like an atrium, but instead of glass, a system called Kalwall has been used, which is insulated panel that lets in a good amount of natural light, but also insulates the building.

The wall has been rendered with a throughcolour render in blue, red and yellow.

people to shelter underneath.

In addition, rooflights are utilised on the Designed by Mellor Architects, the Main extension, which let through a soft, gentle Contractor for the project was Construction light rather than harsh sunlight.

The interior of the single-storey building has Partnership UK. Work commenced in August 2011 and was a series of four studios and a large bench completed in July 2012, at a cost of £1.4M. workshop for model buildings, as well as storage and plant rooms.

The main toilets are in the existing building, but two new single disabled functional toilets have been innovative incorporated into the sustainable new building, while the building also architecture benefits from level access.

There are some stone effect flags around We are delighted to have been architects for the the courtyard and in front of the building to Hanover Building project keep a tidy look. A feature in the www.mellorarchitects.com courtyard includes a Kendal: 01539 727 402 Preston: 01772 797 788 blue sail structure for

mellor architects

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UKC leisure

Great Expectations at the Charles Dickens Museum The Charles Dickens Museum in London is rolling out a new identity, and has launched an expansion and refurbishment programme.

The work comes in the bicentenary year of Dickens’ birth, which was marked in February.

The Great Expectations project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, aims to preserve and enhance the special atmosphere of the historic house as well as carry out important works to protect the structure of the building, improve access, and provide a richer visitor experience.

At the heart of the project is the Museum’s expansion and re-display of rooms at 48 Doughty Street, returning them to their traditional Victorian appearance.

For the first time in 80 years, the Museum will use both 48 and 49 Doughty Street to create a new visitor experience, the latter being where the visitor and learning centre will be located, allowing more space at number 48 to create a traditional period museum, alongside the more modern facilities next door.

Number 48 Doughty Street was an important place in Charles Dickens’s life where he resided from 1837 until 1839.

Dickens described the terraced Georgian dwelling as ‘my house in town’.

Two of his daughters were born here, his sister-in-law Mary died aged 17 in an upstairs bedroom, as well as it being the place where some of his most loved novels were written.

Located in the heart of Bloomsbury, the Museum was Dickens’ family home and place of the writing of classics such as Oliver Twist and The Pickwick Papers.

However, Dickens required more space for his growing family and moved to 1 Devonshire Terrace in 1839. The house remained a residential property but was threatened with demolition in 1923, when the Dickens Fellowship acquired it.

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and might return at any moment. The Since 1925 the Museum has opened the stories and customs relating to each room doors to its important collection to the will be told by Dickens himself, using his public and scholars alike, becoming the words and descriptions of domestic life in home of the world’s finest Dickens-related the Victorian era. collection. The Museum is a registered The Architect is Purcell Miller Tritton and charity and governed by an the Main Contractor is Mansell, with the independent trust.

Museum re-opening in December 2012.

The Charles Dickens Museum, with its unique collection and history, has long been a hub for the study and appreciation of the man and his work.

In order to preserve this important heritage site for the enjoyment of future generations and to promote its potential to a more diverse audience, this project is being undertaken.

The way in which the Museum and its artefacts are presented has Harley Haddow Consulting Engineers proud to have worked changed little. Many on the ‘Charles Dickens Museum’ project. visitors have commented positively on the traditional and We have been delighted to act as mechanical and electrical conservative consulting engineers on the refurbishment of the Charles Dickens appearance compared Museum. We have provided full detailed design and contract stage to more modern museums, which are monitoring. We have a broad range of experience in the historic full of technology sector including recent projects at Leighton House Museum, Forty and ‘gadgets’.

Hall Enfield and Watts Gallery Museum.

The new room displays will enhance the understanding of 1st Floor, Finance House, Park Street, Guildford Dickens, his time and Surrey GU1 4XB works, while bringing to life the richness T: +44 (0)1483 544730 and strangeness of Victorian era customs.

F: +44 (0)1483 303700 Once visitors enter E: surrey@harleyhaddow.com the Museum, they will feel as if Dickens has www.harleyhaddow.com just left the building

UKC profile

Nobel Fire Systems Providing a full range of fire suppression systems At Nobel Fire Systems, the entire focus is on fire suppression technologies for special risk environments. The Company believes passionately that early fire detection and fast, effective suppression can save lives, plant and property.

The management team responsible for the inception of Nobel Fire Systems in 2003, Ian Bartle (MD), Steve Shaw (Technical Director) and Ben Parker (Commercial Director) are still heavily involved in the business and committed to ensuring this ethos remains at the heart of the organisation and is reflected in all work undertaken. Their combined 65 years of experience in the fire industry ensures that all customers benefit from their extensive knowledge and skills.

And it’s that seamless customer experience, all delivered by Nobel’s own installation team, that’s key to the success of the Company.

Offering an end-to-end service from survey and design through to installation and maintenance the Company utilise their expertise to ensure projects are delivered to a high standard, all on time and in budget. This level of customer service has resulted in the reputation of Nobel continuing to flourish.

It’s a reputation that has seen customers from all over the world come to Nobel for unique solutions to their fire suppression problems.

With products suitable for countless applications, Nobel is proud to offer a solution for any fire protection problem. In particular the Company focuses on six key market sectors; Industrial, Catering, Marine, Transport, Property and Data Protection, providing a depth of experience and knowledge across all applications.

A good example of this is demonstrated space and weight requirements.” through a recent project relating to the fire Another very complex challenge successfully protection of cranes at Clyde Port. A project taken up by Nobel was offered by Liverpool’s that came after Clyde Port contacted the Central Library, which involved both Company following a glowing restoration work to the important Grade II recommendation by Allianz Insurance. listed parts of the building and the For the job, which was to install a fire development of five new floors with capacity suppression system in the switch gear and for 20 years of new archive space and a technical areas of its two giant offloading doubling of the number of public computers. cranes, Nobel installed its next generation fire The footprint of the restored and developed protection system for enclosed spaces, a building posed unique fire protection clean, compact, cost effective and safe system challenges, requiring rapid installation and called Stat-X. competitive pricing. Nobel’s specific task was Only available from Nobel Fire Systems to protect 5 key repository areas and after throughout the UK and Europe, Stat-X kills fire careful consideration an IG541 system was quickly and efficiently. installed in each of the areas, Nobel’s installation team fitted the system to a Nobel Fire Systems, Unit 6, Southgate tight schedule in order to meet the Port’s busy Industrial Estate, Green Lane, Heywood, OL10 operational requirements.

1ND. Tel: 01706 625777.

Ben Parker, Commercial Director at Nobel, www.nobel-fire-systems.com said: “The two loading cranes are huge and complex machines Leading the way with a great deal of in new technology equipment packed into the tight confines of the switch rooms. That in itself would make traditional piping for any gaseous fire suppression system very cumbersome and extremely expensive.

Stat-X has been invented to address For further information these special types of t: +44 (0)1732 746611 www.afpairtech.co.uk challenges and gives AFP Air Technologies, Lime Tree House, 15 Lime Tree Walk, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1YH up to 90% reduction in

Fire Suppression Services

“Fire suppression integrity testing is an annual requirement. Stay safe, stay legal with Pressure Test.”

Unit 15, Falcon Business Park, Ivanhoe Road, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 4QQ

Tel: 01189 737 555 www.pressure-test-limited.co.uk

Pressure Test offers a complete range of integrity testing services to support IT Managers and Facilities Managers responsible for enclosures protected by gaseous fire suppression systems. We are specialists in integrity testing, remedial work and pressure relief, helping organisations of all types and sizes to maintain safety and meet legal requirements. We also undertake bespoke consulting projects to ensure effective initial enclosure set-up and ongoing compliance.

Pressure Test's commitment to customer service is second-to-none; we are responsive, reliable and trustworthy, with a strong track record. We build long term relationships with our clients to uphold quality and security. Our engineers are respectful of your workplace; they work hard to provide exceptional service without disturbing your staff or disrupting daily operations.

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UKC profile

AJM Decorating Market leader in the North West Fresh from the completion of a series of major projects, North West firm AJM Decorating has left a trail of satisfied customers in its wake.

The Company, established in 1994, has steadily risen to the top of the preferred contractor lists held by award-winning architects across the region.

But far from resting on its laurels, AJM Decorating is keen to keep building upon its peerless reputation for delivering premium quality workmanship completed on time and to budget.

Managing Director, Adrian Morris, said: “We’re fresh off the back of two major projects of which we are extremely proud.

“But we’ve grown our skilled team carefully over time to ensure we have the capacity to take on jobs of any scale, domestic or commercial.”

Mr Morris added: “We’ve got an excellent contractor base with loyal customers coming back to us time and time again.

“These endorsements have also helped us win new clients who value our commitment to work consistently to the highest standards.”

AJM Decorating has two offices, in Kendal and Lancaster, providing ideal bases to cover projects across the north of England and southern Scotland.

As one of the only accredited Dulux Trade Contract Partners in the area, customers gain a four year guarantee on work carried out by the firm.

It is also a specialist in the Repair Care Window Care System - saving clients thousands of pounds on joinery bills by treating and repairing rotten window frames before painting them.

This all encompassing approach was one of the key factors in the firm's award of the prestigious decorating contract within the £6.6M extension and upgrade of the Daffodil Hotel and Spa, on the shores of Grasmere, in the Lake District.

A team of highly trained AJM staff began work on the 80 bedroom property - which is set to become a five star wedding and conference venue - in January and were finished, to schedule, in August.

Mr Morris explained: “Precision was paramount on this scheme as the clients wanted an outstanding quality finish.

“Many of the bedrooms and corridors had feature colour walls, all woodwork was primed, undercoated and painted and the spa area was treated with anti-condensation specialist coating.

“Both ourselves and the client were delighted with the results,” he added.

High Crag Barn is another distinguished assignment completed by AJM. The complete redecoration of this beautiful Cumbrian bank barn was a lesson in combining traditional architecture with a contemporary paint scheme.

Recently featured in a prominent regional interiors magazine, High Crag Barn was transformed into a stunning family home

C&J ROSEWOOD JOINERY JOINERY MANUFACTURER AND INSTALLER

Workshop Unit 3C, Shap Road Industrial Estate, Kendal LA9 6NZ

Tel: 015395 53026

Mob: 07792 252060

Email: candjrosewoodjoinery@hotmail.co.uk

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thanks to the AJM team.

Their work involved using a palette of Farrow and Ball paints alongside Osmo products for the vital protection and care of the ancient wooden beams found throughout the barn as well as the stunning oak doors and frames.

However, the project was not without its challenges.

With environmental sustainability an important factor in the client’s product choice, Earthborn Natural Clay Paints were used to coat the existing hemp lime plaster.

The client also requested a brightly coloured but durable bathroom floor.

After careful consideration, the AJM team finally selected a Farrow and Ball floor paint to give it maximum protection.

Mr Morris, who heads up a staff of 38, said the end result was a striking and ecologically sound home.

“High Crag Barn was another project that was delivered on time and within budget and one that we are very proud to have been involved with.

“It’s testament to the AJM Decorating staff and the dedication they show to their work that this was yet another premium job beautifully done.”

Enquiries can be made to AJM Decorating, Unit 3, Shap Road Industrial Estate, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6NZ or by calling 01539 730918.

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UKC housing

Buckland Mill Integrating the local community An exciting mixed-use, high density residential development in Dover aims to catalyse local regeneration by creating a vibrant, sustainable development that brings together fragmented communities.

Located on the River Dour, the Buckland Mill development comprises of a total of 406 dwellings including 30% affordable accommodation, a nursing home, a healthy living centre, a bar, restaurant and convenience store.

The dwellings range from one-bed flats right through to family houses and penthouse apartments, which overlook the river.

It also incorporates features such as photovoltaic panels, underfloor heating, rainwater recycling and EVT breathable construction methods as part of the scheme’s ambition to achieve a Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3, which was achieved upon completion.

Guy Hollaway Architects provided the design for the development, which was reviewed by the South-East Regional Design Panel (SERDP), who described it as ‘potentially one of the best SEEDA-commissioned projects to date’.

of the existing building and extensive Pre-construction phase works included site basement retaining wall and ramp works to clearance and demolition of an existing create a lower level car park and access. building, crushing of materials for reuse on site and remediation of contaminated land in Associated hard and soft landscaping was included in the project that was built by conjunction with the local authority and the Esh Group.

Environment Agency.

Work on the £4.3M development started in Some work included extension and July 2011 and was completed in July 2012. refurbishment of an existing building to create flats with accommodation over three floors and a basement car park. > screeding The extension > plastering & drylining element is of a > suspended ceilings contemporary design with timber frame, > external colour through render feature flat roof with We are pleased to be associated with aluminium facia, brick Bucklands Mill, Dover cladding and feature panels of render and cedar boarding.

The link to the existing building was brick built with a pitched slate roof.

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UKC commercial

Long Crendon Office and residential space The Grade II listed building at 83 Bicester Road, Long Crendon, has changed use from a public house and residential property to an office and dwelling house.

Formerly the Chandos Arms public house, the work included refurbishment of the existing listed building and separate coach house, the demolition of a 20th century infill extension and the construction of a contemporary extension in its place.

The new office building has a very simple contemporary form, with a linear open plan space that is highly reconfigurable and adaptable to future change, with separate space divided off at the western end for use as a meeting/breakout space or for photocopiers and other equipment.

Externally, this is a single-storey structure clad in horizontal timber panels, with the element at the western end in the same cladding but orientated vertically. A narrow strip of glazing faces south, admitting a small amount of direct sunlight, and the

majority of glazing faces north. Access is via the paved area shared with the entrance to the office accommodation.

The new and existing buildings together form a courtyard, visible from all the offices and also the cottage kitchen, ensuring a safe and secure environment and providing a sense of association.

To avoid unduly crowding the listed building, the overall amount of development on-site was limited, and the informal courtyard of buildings will improve the setting of the listed building when seen from the public highway.

The new extension and building use large elements of glazing on their elevations, and a flat sedum roof with zinc finishes matches the single-storey office extension.

With sustainable design a key factor in the new office building, it incorporates a large area of north facing glazing, looking out over the courtyard.

A series of sliding panels are incorporated to cover these large glazed areas, for

shading and as a security measure – the building can be ‘closed up’ at the end of the day and at weekends, adding interest as the façade changes, concealing its contents from the passing public.

The additional accommodation created by the new single-storey office increases the viability of the site, creating additional employment opportunities for work to the local community and surrounding area, therefore ensuring the former pub remains a valuable asset to the local community.

The dwelling house and office accommodation are separated, so the kitchen and other amenities are dedicated to the residential accommodation, but having no impact on the external appearance of the building. The office accommodation will be served by the amenity facilities in the coach house.

Designed by Wolff Architects and built by Colindale Construction, work completed this month.

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UKC leisure

Ibis Brighton Expanding the Ibis network further Hotel operator Accor UK began construction of a brand new, 140-bedroom hotel in central Brighton in March, under its Ibis brand.

The nine-storey hotel, located at 88-92 Queens Road outside Brighton railway station, is planned to open in June 2013. Design and build specialist McAleer & Rushe has been appointed as the Main Contractor.

Thomas Dubaere, Managing Director of Accor UK & Ireland, said: “We are very excited to be opening a new hotel alongside McAleer & Rushe in the vibrant city of Brighton & Hove.

“It is an important destination for the Ibis network of hotels and continues Accor’s strategic and ambitious expansion in the UK to increase our presence to 300 hotels by 2015.”

Martin Magee, Construction Director for McAleer & Rushe added: “We are delighted to be involved in this exciting regeneration project on this key site. The new hotel not only will create a considerable number of new jobs during its construction and operation, but will also help meet the strong demand for more hotel rooms in the city.”

The hotel will employ almost 200 people during construction and will create further jobs as part of its ongoing construction. It is replacing the former Grosvenor Casino on Queen’s Road.

During the regeneration of the site, McAleer & Rushe will be working closely with Brighton & Hove City Council to ensure that any disruption to traffic and pedestrians is kept to an absolute minimum, with all works designed to minimise the potential impact they may have. The project has been registered with the Considerate Contractors Scheme.

Accor UK and Ireland has a portfolio of 186 hotels and more than 24,000 rooms, with brands including Sofitel, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, All Seasons and Etap Hotel.

The hotel will have a contemporary façade, with the brickwork areas subdivided into panels by the regular vertical window panels and feature recessed steel framing

along the south coast. sections, all of which facilitate a panelised Designed by Stride Treglown, the hotel will façade construction. be completed in June 2013, adding to Ibis’ Guest room widths restrict the spacing of reputation of becoming the European windows, which have therefore been paired market leader in the economy hotel and vertically aligned in respect of the scale industry, with more than 933 hotels already. and rhythm intrinsic to the façade architecture of Queens Road.

Windows will be dark grey aluminium framing generally to contrast with the warm terracotta of the brickwork. Where they are integral with the surrounding external walls, the cladding will take the form of matching glazed panels, with window glazing tinted to provide a more uniform appearance at night.

The entrance will be Time 4 Recruitment are really pleased to emphasised by its street canopy and be associated with McAleer & Rushe and vertical fins, providing their continued success. a focal point to the street frontage.

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UKC retail

Selfridges Reconfiguring the Oxford Street store in three phases In February 2012, Selfridges unveiled the first phase of its transformed Womens Designer Galleries in its London store. The new Galleries are inspired by the store’s neo-classical architecture.

The space features an exclusive digital art gallery and next generation fitting rooms, providing an elegant and contemporary backdrop for the sophisticated woman to select and personalise a high-end wardrobe.

Hidden away from the Galleries floor, hightech fitting rooms offer the upmost privacy, serenity and natural daylight. Customers can choose from exclusive silhouettes and designer collections in an innovative and unique environment, surrounded by a constantly changing piece of digital art from British artist Daniel Brown, a pioneer in the medium who is known for his interactive installations.

At the forefront of technology is the central fitting room mirror featuring three screens mounted together. The screens have built-in cameras that allow customers to capture an image or short video of themselves on each of the panels. The images can be viewed simultaneously allowing for outfits to be compared, colour decisions to be made and fit to be checked.

Customers also have the option of emailing the images for their own records, or to a friend for feedback on their choices.

Customer experience is a key factor in the

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design, but also in the development of the service offering. Bespoke texts and emails can be sent to customers based on the designer clothes they choose, their tastes and purchasing habits when new products arrive. A dedicated ready-to-wear tailor will offer customisation directly on site.

Selfridges has curated exclusive looks from the very best of British and international design houses. The Galleries present directional collections from a hand picked selection of both new and longstanding luxury designer collections, offering customers an advanced approach to dressing, encouraging them to personalise their clothes by using high fashion pieces from different designer brands in one overall look.

Designed by Jamie Fobert Architects, the room features ten different types of marble combined to form an eye-catching floor.

Jamie Fobert said: “Upon entering the space, customers will experience a room that is minimal, but feminine and graceful, yet strong.”

The creative scheme was sparked off by a book of images Selfridges sent to JFA to show the sort of feel considered right for the project and the customers of the area, which houses a hand-picked selection of ten major fashion brands.

The ‘mood’ book featured natural stone, reflecting pools, and the quality of

sheerness. In particular there was one black and white seascape that featured a smooth gradation from white sky at the top to black sea at the bottom.

The idea emerged to break up the floor with darker areas that would merge into lighter zones to add visual interest. Importantly, these were not used to delineate the different retail concessions.

Fobert said that when searching quarries of Italy they expected to find a side of a mountain that fitted in with the gradated scheme but that wasn’t the case.

That’s why they had to choose carefully, literally at the rock face. Photos were sent from Italy of pieces as they were being cut and the stone masons would dry place around 10sq m of the tiles at a time and the Architect would finesse them, move some, turn some and remove some in order to get the flow of the pattern right.

The scheme has also been about taking the area right back to its shell. The windows have been exposed, coffers put back, columns reclad and returned to their original condition.

Fire curtains and air handling were completely refigured and replaced.

The Galleries development opened in time for London Fashion Week in February 2012, and there are two further phases, one this year and one in 2013.

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Luckley House Part of Ashford Borough Council’s regeneration plans The extension to an elderly care home in Wye is now open, completing part of Ashford Borough Council’s Phase II to build 53 units of affordable housing.

The Main Contractor at Luckley House was ISG Jackson, who worked on 44 of the affordable housing units.

Luckley House is the most high profile site that was redeveloped and has provided nine new care flats at the existing sheltered housing facility, built to achieve a Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 rating.

The development is approximately 200 metres from the centre of Wye, a village with huge character, history and good facilities. The centre of Wye has a good number of shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs and retail buildings, as well as public buildings such as the church, Methodist church hall and also the well renowned agricultural college.

There were originally 21 flats at Luckley House, along with communal facilities including lounge, laundry and washrooms.

Proposals to extend the elderly care home were put on hold due to lack of funds but a

Orion Way in Ashford to build seven threecouple of years ago, the scheme was bedroom, and two four-bedroom properties. revived, providing units of good size for All of the 53 properties as part of Phase II residents that continue to support the have been completed and handed over. occupants living there.

Landscaping was important throughout development, with garden space maintained between the existing building and the extension, while another measure included was the growth of plants up the north elevation, in effect greening the walls.

Designed by Hunters & Partners Ltd, the Luckley House extension Mobile: 07799 644923 was completed in Tel: 01473 603236 March 2012.

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UKC education

Hotmill School Part of The Works Located on the Hotmill Plateau at Ebbw Vale, the two-storey school comprises of a 420-pupil primary school, 150-pupil Special Educational Needs school and an integrated children’s centre.

Facilities include a large shared hall and dining space, café, hydrotherapy pool, sports halls, specialist teaching rooms and an extensive landscaping scheme.

The integration with these facilities will have benefits in the way of efficiency due to the number of shared spaces.

The school, costing approximately £50M, is part of The Works: Ebbw Vale regeneration scheme and the primary phase merged the three schools into one facility as well as the new children’s centre.

Pupils gathered in the main hall of the new school when the roof had been completed back in December 2011 to celebrate this landmark.

Leadbitter has provided a high level of design management input to maximise output gains on a very fast programme. For example, when the external design was changed from metal frame to structurally insulated panel, Leadbitter turned to manufacturer MIB in Blaenau Gwent to secure the panels.

From a sustainable standpoint, the building has been awarded a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for design, and its green features include a biomass energy centre, photovoltaic panels, triple glazing and a high degree of air tightness.

From an economic and social point of view, The Works has been developed and delivered within a sustainable development framework that makes the project one of a kind in the UK. Leadbitter has supported this through employing local labour and suppliers, providing training opportunities and educating young people through youth projects and apprenticeships.

Launched by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and the Welsh government, The Works is a £350M scheme that has transformed the former steelworks site into a vibrant and distinctive area that will provide new recreation, leisure and education facilities, local carbon housing, general offices, Central Valley Wetland Park and an arts facility, as well as improved transport links.

The project is part of the wider regeneration of Blaenau Gwent, following the closure of the former steelworks in Ebbw Vale in 2002 and will contribute to the sustainable development of the area by providing employment and encouraging lifelong learning opportunities.

The main structure of the school was completed in mid-November and the exterior wall panels and roof coverings were then installed to make the building weather tight before winter in 2011 set in.

Work on the brick walls that surround the ground floor of the building finished early in 2012, meaning interior work could start.

Underfloor heating has been installed in sheltered sections of the ground floor, along with the high levels of insulation to ensure the building is energy efficient throughout the year.

There are hard and soft play areas, separate fenced areas, dedicated sports facilities such as the primary gym and SEN gym, while a new road was constructed, as well as new vehicular pull-in bays and circulation paths and cycle routes.

Innovations in construction that were brought to the project include zero nonhazardous waste to landfill – during the project, all non-hazardous waste was moved from landfill by careful site management and careful selection of waste carriers on the project.

The design of the project was reviewed and it helped to reduce the total waste and carbon impact on the project, while there is also pre-cast alternative flooring. Alternative metsip panels, as opposed to the original specification, were used to maximise the off-site process.

The Architect was Building Design Partnership, and the Main Contractor was Leadbitter.

Work on the new development was completed in September 2012, incorporating pupils from Pontygof and Waunlwyd Primary Schools, as well as Pen-y-Cwm SEN School.

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Our pools feature top quality designs and craftsmanship and are tailor made to our clients’ requirements.

We pride ourselves for bringing the latest technlogy and innovations to our clients. A winning combination developed over 40 years to give the highest standards of excellence.

Swimco offers the complete service including pool maintenance, spa baths, sauna baths, steam rooms and all pool accessories and supplies.

The Swimco range of products meet the most demanding standards of swimming pool care.

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www.swimcopools.co.uk 106

UKC community

Refurbishment of Southend Civic Centre Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is undertaking a major reconfiguration, re-fit and enhancement programme of works within the Civic Centre in partnership with the building consultancy firm E C Harris.

The 13-storey building has been the focal point of the authority since it opened in 1967, but due to limited investment it is no longer fit for purpose and in urgent need of modernisation. A typical 1960s concrete frame building, it has become increasingly costly to run, heat, cool and maintain and was not designed for today’s flexible, increasingly paper-free working trends.

The Council has examined every option available, including relocating to new premises, carrying out a total rebuild, refurbishment and patching up repairs. It was clear that refurbishment is the cheapest and most cost effective way of ensuring the authority continues to provide the very best standard of service to its residents.

The works are aimed at enhancing the Civic Centre and enabling the interior space to be used as a more flexible working environment with greater occupancy, allowing other council buildings to be vacated. The works are part of a

wider programme, ‘New Ways of Working’, taking place over three core phases with a mix of internal moves and building-to-building moves to free up floors for works to commence.

“We have successfully completed the first phase,” said Scott Poulton, Harrow Green’s Sales Manager responsible for project coordination. “We have a well-thought through plan to complete the project in October 2012.”

Harrow Green will be responsible for the relocation of around 1,100 staff and effects, 1,500 linear metres of filing, along with furniture, safes and other equipment.

Harrow Green will also handle the decommissioning and relocation of the Civic Centre IT. “The first phase went extremely smoothly,” said Sally Holland, Corporate Director, Support Services, at Southend. “Staff were up and working at their new locations at the start of business on the Monday following the moves, with the minimum of disruption. Harrow Green’s expertise and professionalism made what had the potential to be an extremely stressful period, one of relative calm and order.”

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UKC profile

Transport for London Second phase development to improve bus services The East London Transit (ELT) modern bus service provides fast, frequent and reliable journeys and links to the wider transport network including Network Rail, London Underground, future Crossrail and other local bus services.

There are two phases of ELT. The first has been completed and services are running from Ilford to Dagenham Dock station via Barking town centre.

It has introduced new parking and loading facilities as well as major junction improvements to smooth traffic flow, new crossings and street lighting, improved footway paving and rejuvenated green spaces.

There is now real time passenger information at busy stops, new doubledecker buses with next stop announcements and an air cooling system, and buses into Barking town centre.

Phase II, from Barking town centre to the Barking Riverside development, will deliver dedicated bus lanes in selected areas to improve journey times, reduce congestion by removing parking and loading from traffic lanes, better footways with pedestrian access, as well as a tree-lined avenue along River Road.

Passenger information will be improved while some traffic signals and junctions along the route will be upgraded.

The phase will deliver the highway improvements to expand the ELT bus transit system along River Road, Thames Road, Creek Road and Long Reach Road, upgrading access for existing and future public transport, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.

FM Conway was awarded the contract by Transport for London to complete Phase II. Using asphalt materials supplied by FM Conway’s new asphalt plant in Erith, the ELT project will see civil engineering works undertaken to improve resident’s access to community services, employment, education facilities and town centres. In order to ensure River Road remains open for traffic, all lane closures will be conducted overnight.

FM Conway has had a strong year, with

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other contracts won including work to create hard and soft landscaping at Churchfield Wharf, civil engineering improvement works to Shepherd’s Bush Common, as well as an £800,000 contract from Land Securities.

TfL took ownership of all land needed for the works to proceed on schedule back in January. Several buildings have been demolished with some requiring the removal of asbestos. Skanska prepared the way for the Main Contractor and completed the laying of the new gas and water pipes, as well as cables for London Power Networks, Virgin Media and BT. Work to install new BT equipment to upgrade the local network was complete by February and the site office on Welbeck Wharf was closed by the end of January.

FM Conway has a mobile unit that displays information about the construction work involved in the main works contract and will be parked in various locations in the Creekmouth area of the project.

During the design stage, TfL contacted

businesses along the route in the Creekmouth area to identify potential flooding issues, and surveys of the drains were undertaken so damaged and cracked sections that have led to blockages and subsequent flooding can be replaced.

The Thames Road footway excavations, utilities diversions and ducting was completed in February, though junction improvements there, footway works, drainage and resurfacing is all ongoing.

The construction of a new bridge at Mayes Brooke Culvert will complete early next year.

Improvements to public spaces, in order to provide a more welcome environment include the tree planting along River Road, new landscaping, new street lighting, new footways and pedestrian access, and CCTV cameras to be managed

by Barking and Dagenham Council. Four bus stops along River Road will also be upgraded using high quality materials and branded shelters with the improved real time passenger information.

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UKC profile

Bell & Webster Concrete solutions Bell & Webster, established over 63 years ago, prides itself in the design, manufacture and construction of precast concrete hotel and student accommodation rooms. Past projects include over 24 student accommodations for nationwide universities, providing solutions for nearly 16,000 rooms; 50 Express by Holiday Inn Hotels providing a solution for nearly 5,300 rooms; 11 Ibis Hotels providing solutions for nearly 2,000 rooms; six Holiday Inns providing solutions for over 1,000 rooms and other hotel projects include Ramada Hotels, Devere Hotels, Travelodge, Arora and Radisson Hotels, which total to over 2,800 rooms. Bell & Webster has also carried out projects in MOD accommodation, custodial accommodation, YMCA accommodation,

residential accommodation and a school, which total to over 3,500 rooms.

The formation of ElecoPrecast in May this year is driving Bell & Webster to strengthen its position through a national coordinated manufacturing, sales and management approach. ElecoPrecast is a combination of Bell & Webster Concrete and Milbury Systems, Eleco’s two well established precast concrete businesses at Grantham in Lincolnshire and at Lydney in Gloucestershire. An agricultural sales office has also been established by AgriDeck at Yaxley in Suffolk which will market ElecoPrecast’s concrete products in East Anglia.

A new and experienced management team led by John Stothard, Managing Director and Carol Lound, Finance Director, has now taken over at ElecoPrecast. With the three

locations working collectively, ElecoPrecast is providing a better service to the entire UK with more cost effective delivery, better manufacturing times and maintained quality.

John Stothard said: “The strategic locations of ElecoPrecast’s business units will enable us to market the whole of our precast product range to the whole agricultural community in the Midlands, South West, South and South East and East Anglia, as well as to its customers in the waste, environmental and construction industries in those areas. It will also continue to market selectively its RoomSolution products to the hotel and student accommodation market.”

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UKC community

Bedford Civic Theatre Home of council services Bedford Borough Council has moved its services into new premises while also saving the local taxpayers in excess of £1M each year.

This is because the Civic Theatre has become the council’s ‘one-stop shop’ facility to deal with personal enquiries for services including benefit and planning applications, housing advice and paying council tax bills.

The old premises at the large Town Hall office block have been demolished but the council has still retained a vital presence in Bedford town centre.

The historic Old Town Hall complex, including the Civic Theatre building, were retained and enhanced.

The council’s intention in light of fiscal restrictions was to sell the buildings and the site occupied by a large proportion of the Town Hall complex in order to accrue revenue, and remove the ongoing costs of maintaining the buildings.

The Civic Theatre was pinpointed as a suitable location because of the need to stay in the centre of Bedford, as well as having a facility that is convenient and accessible to the public for general and specific enquiries,

along with other facilities previously available within the Town Hall.

The Civic Theatre is a Grade II listed building and as such, throughout the design process, consultations continued with English Heritage and the Borough’s Conservation Officer to inform design decisions and respect the architectural and historical significance of the building.

The plans allowed the council to save £285,000 by terminating previously existing accommodation leases, while the demolition of the Town Hall is expected to save approximately £760,000 per year.

When the plans for moving were announced, the Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said: “This gives us a great opportunity to make the most of Bedford’s greatest asset, the River Great Ouse, allowing us to open up the riverside in that area to residents and visitors to the town.”

Development has not been without problems, as last November, the Theatres’ Trust raised its objection to the relocation to the Horne Lane premises.

The Trust, which complained after it was left out of initial consultations, has prevented

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More than 5,000 people signed a petition to protest about the redevelopment of the Civic Centre, which was considered by the Planning Committee at the end of November.

The building is fully accessible to the public and complies with the requirements of both the Disability Discrimination Act and Part M of the Building Regulations.

To achieve this, a raised stage and associated wings and steps were removed, and a new external ramp, handrail and steps have been incorporated to give access to the building.

Changing the use of the overall building has resulted in no change in employment levels as staff that were in the building were not affected by the change of use and those staff required to occupy and service the new facility were redeployed from existing locations elsewhere.

The Architect for the development was Bedford Borough Council and the Main Contractor was RG Carter.

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UKC retail

Edmonton Green Shopping Centre Growth and jobs Edmonton shoppers are enjoying what their local area has to offer more than ever before and are flocking in record numbers to Edmonton Green Shopping Centre.

Figures show that on average, an extra 19,000 people now visit the shopping centre compared to the previous year, taking the average weekly visitor numbers to around 210,000. There is also a significant increase in the percentage of people visiting the newly refurbished South Mall, showing that investment and regeneration are key to providing a viable and successful retail centre.

Edmonton Green has been subject to large scale, ongoing regeneration by St Modwen, who acquired the shopping centre from Enfield Council in 1999.

The site totals ten hectares and was originally constructed in the late 1970s. The centre currently comprises approximately 450,000sq ft consisting of 120 retail units, 40 market stalls, 750 residential units, leisure and community uses and offices.

Since acquiring the centre, St Modwen has invested £100M in Edmonton Green in close partnership with Enfield Council. Elements of this regeneration include a new bus station, primary care centre and leisure centre alongside 176 residential apartments.

An ASDA superstore was added in 2008 since when many other high street names have opened including Blue Inc, Costa and Argos. In 2011, a new 73-bedroom Travelodge hotel opened on-site.

Significant improvements have been carried

out to the services including new public addition of the Travelodge have been a toilets, shop mobility service, security office success – bringing much needed growth and CCTV system. and jobs to the area.

St Modwen’s commitment to continuing the “I’m confident that the upgrade work on the regeneration programme has seen the North Square, boosted by the brand new completion in late 2011 of the refurbishment Wilkinson, will have the same effect.” of South Mall.

In addition to these exciting developments at This £1.5M investment to improve the Edmonton Green Shopping Centre, Enfield physical environment of the South Mall Council is putting together the Edmonton included a new roof, new flooring, lighting Green Masterplan, a bid to bring new shops, and seating, as well as improved signage. restaurants, open spaces, arts and leisure Work has also just completed on the facilities to the area. refurbishment of North Square. This It is hoped the upgrade work will help included the reconfiguration of units and regenerate the area, which is one of the most extension to accommodate a new Wilkinson deprived in the borough, with unemployment store of 22,000sq ft and significant rates around 10%, and 39% of children rated improvements to the elevations of as living in poverty. all buildings, landscaping, street furniture and lighting.

These works represented an additional £3M investment by St Modwen.

J.A.S. House, Titford Lane, Rowley Regis, West Midlands, B65 0PY For the North Square T: 0121 559 6466 F: 0121 559 8723 E: handh@warleyholdings.co.uk development, the www.warleyholdings.co.uk Main Contractor was Primus Build and the H & H Architectural Systems Architect was offer an extensive range of PRC Architects. bespoke aluminium features Edmonton MP Andy and fabrications, custom made Love said: “The to our clients’ individual redevelopment of the specification. shopping centre’s South Mall and the Extensive range of bespoke aluminium fabrications: Bull-noses and Cappings ● Fascias & Soffits ● Flashings ● Brise Soleil ● Column Casing ● Solar Shading ● Louvres ● Canopies ● Rain Water Systems Curtain Walling, Windows & Doors including Fire Rated and Aluminium / Timber Composite: Schuco ● Metal Technology ● Smarts ● SAS

Level 4, 120 – 128 Moorgate, London, EC2M 6UR

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Rain-Screen Cladding: ACM (Aluminium Composite Material) ● Aluminium ● Zinc ● Stainless ● Copper

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UKC housing

Derwenthorpe Step into the future The first phase to create a completely new community in York has now been completed.

On the eastern outskirts of the city, Derwenthorpe will provide 540 homes connected by green spaces and trees.

Phase I provides 64 of these energy efficient properties, which offer environmentally friendly extras including biomass heating facilities and methods of insulation that will significantly reduce fuel bills for residents.

These cutting-edge, contemporary homes have striking designs both internally and externally.

House types within Phase I include the Kestrel style home, one of the largest on offer. It is a sprawling, spacious home with a delightfully light and airy kitchen/dining room, which has a unique ‘winter garden’.

There is also a separate utility room and cloakroom and there is a lounge with French doors opening onto the garden. It also boasts the advantage of a purpose built home office.

On the first floor there are four bedrooms, the largest of which has an ensuite shower room, while another looks out onto a second ‘winter garden’, and a house bathroom.

On the second floor there is a wonderful master bedroom with ensuite and storage space. There is also roof storage and roof void storage areas on two floors, while a garage is included.

The Wren style home shares many of the qualities of the larger Kestrel, including a double height ‘winter garden’.

This home offers an excellent open plan lounge and dining area, a well equipped kitchen, along with cloak and store rooms.

Upstairs, there are two bedrooms, a bathroom and a home office, and there is also the master bedroom with an ensuite shower room on the second floor.

Another house type comes in the shape of the Raven, an end of terrace house, which has a big open plan space on the ground floor designed to give living and dining areas, while there is a home office/study area and a kitchen and cloakroom. On the first floor there are three bedrooms, one of which is ensuite, and a house bathroom.

The Brambling, meanwhile, returns to the three-storey format with two bedrooms, bathroom and home office on the first floor and a large master bedroom with ensuite facilities, and a balcony above. The ground floor gives an open plan lounge and dining room, and a separate kitchen.

The Robin, again a three-storey home, but in this instance is a mid-townhouse.

It has a striking external look and plenty of space inside including the kitchen opening to a dining room and lounge area, two bedrooms and bathroom to first floor and master bedroom with ensuite provided and a study to the top floor.

The Swift is a stylish two-bedroom home designed to suit everyday living. There are French doors leading outside from the living and dining area to create a feeling of space and airiness.

To the first floor there are two double bedrooms and a family bathroom. The spacious study, also located on the first floor, provides a peaceful haven away from the main living area.

Designed by Richard Partington Architects and built by David Wilson Homes, Phase I commenced in March 2011 and was completed in summer 2012.

There are two further phases planned, to construct the remaining homes, and Derwenthorpe will be completed in 2016.

Painters & Decorators Ltd Domestic & Commercial Contractors 8 Park Lane West, Anlaby Park, Hull HU4 6TU

Tel / Fax: (01482) 505461 Mobile: 07771 816639 Email: info@cookdecorators.com Web: www.cookdecorators.com 112

Rationel Windows high quality windows and doors since 1954 Rationel Windows UK Ltd offer a wide range of windows and doors in modern and classic styles for both new-build and refurbishment projects. Rationel has developed and manufactured high-quality windows and doors since 1954 and today their product range covers almost any imaginable need and architectural style.

Rationel is also the leading Scandinavian supplier of windows and doors for Passiv Haus and low-energy buildings .

Rationel Windows UK Ltd supplied the windows to the first phase of Derwenthorpe in York

UKC leisure

Bahrain Sports Hall Refurbishing outdated facilities Britain’s world famous officer training school, Sandhurst, is building a new sports hall, after accepting a £3M donation from the King of Bahrain.

The donation is part of a long standing relationship between the Bahraini royal family and Sandhurst. The King, Hamad bin Essa Al Khalifa, was trained at the Surreybased academy, as are a select group of Bahraini military personnel each year.

The King has also been a patron of the Sandhurst Foundation, the academy’s alumni charity, since 2007. He twice donated a fee of £69,975 to the Foundation in 2011 and 2012.

The donation, which was received on 18th January 2012, had initially been offered more than a year previously.

RMA Sandhurst straddles the counties of Berkshire and Surrey. Primarily the academy is located in College Town, a suburb of Sandhurst, and partly in the outer region of Camberley, Surrey and is approximately 30 miles south west of London.

The sports hall is being created by the refurbishment of the existing Mons Hall building. It is located within a cluster of buildings between the old and new colleges to the south of Montgomery Gymnasium and to the north of the library.

The location in close proximity with Montgomery Gymnasium is an advantage for Bahrain Sports Hall as it will allow for some of the existing support facilities to be shared, therefore offering better utilisation of the space available within its confines.

Mons Hall was previously a lecture theatre that had not been used for some years. It contained a disused climbing wall, disused lecture theatre and storage areas, all of which were in a dilapidated state, and technical surveys demonstrated the existing roof was deteriorating.

Recognising the unique character of the existing brick facades, defined by their masses, proportions and depth, and the historical graffiti inscribed in the brickwork, sets the principles of the design philosophy and determines the hierarchy of how the architectural elements are put together.

The heavy brick walls, punctuated with the random pattern of the few openings created over the years, become the key architectural feature of the design.

The new insertion, set in the background and recessed from the face of the brick, appears as a frame exposing them. The new double pitched roof is traditional in its form and mirrors the shape of the roof of the adjacent Racket Court. In doing so, the new roof will complete the composition of the two buildings.

The main entrance to the building is located in the north west porch facing Montgomery Hall and will serve as the day-to-day access point. The south east facing porch will be utilised as a secondary entrance and means of a fire escape.

The space planning maximises the use of available space enclosed by the existing brick shell. The fitness areas occupy the majority of the foot print at ground, first

and second floors, with the supporter areas located at the north west end of the building towards Montgomery Gymnasium. These will include the main entrance lobby, office and plant room on the ground floor and the toilet areas at first floor level.

The new roof extension is clad in metal standing seam roofing system, applied both to its vertical panes as well as the roof slopes, therefore appearing as a unified element, forming a contemporary juxtaposition to the brick walls.

New windows and external doors will be set in plane of the new insertion and in PPC aluminium system to match the roof.

Mons Hall was inaccessible for disabled users, but this will be remedied as a result of refurbishment.

The facility will house a physiotherapy and rehabilitation centre, including staff offices and separate treatment rooms, provided with suitable gym equipment.

It will be fully accessible for the disabled, with parking, ramps, signage and access to changing and showering facilities, together with access to the use of appropriate equipment.

Designed by Capita Symonds and built by Interserve, the sports hall is due to open early next year.

Specialists in: Structural Steel Fabrication & Erection Unit J,Rudford Industrial Estate, Ford, Arundel,West Sussex BN18 0BF

Tel No. (01903) 721950 Fax No. (01903) 730315 Email: bos@austin-divall.co.uk www.austindivallfabrications.co.uk 114

Concept Building Services pride ourselves on our friendly and approachable nature. From our offices in Midhurst, West Sussex, we control and manage work in London and across the country for a wide variety of clients, who have come to appreciate our ethos towards the work we undertake, undertaking everything from repairing a burst pipe to the full construction of buildings.

Concept Building Services (Southern) Ltd. Knockhundred House, Knockhundred Row, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 9DQ Tel: 01730 816021 Fax: 01730 816026 E-mail: info@conceptbld.co.uk

www.conceptbld.co.uk UKC housing

The Point A Bellway Homes development in Arnold A stylish new home, designed to be energy efficient, and a location to put people in easy reach of the city – The Point is spot on when it comes to finding a place that fits each person’s lifestyle beautifully, whether people are looking for a two-, three-, four- or fivebedroom homes.

Well served with amenities from shopping to schools and sports, Arnold is also home to a bustling market on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays for shopping on a small, friendly scale – with the Madford Retail Park nearby for retail outlets on a large scale.

Nottingham centre itself also has regular markets and of course the annual Nottingham Food and Drink Festival, a feast of celebrity chefs, food demonstrations and stalls.

Located off Calverton Road, The Point has six different types of home. The Burton is a unique corner house with plenty of room for a growing family.

It benefits from a spacious hallway, as well as storage cupboard under the stairs. The dining/kitchen has French doors into the

This also benefits from a double sized rear garden and the double aspect lounge is shower cubical. This truly is an lovely and light. impressive bedroom that would fit a king Upstairs, the master bedroom has an size bed with ease. ensuite double shower cubicle, while Other homes include The Belfry, Chelsea bedrooms two and three are of similar size Garden Side, The Smithy and Cadeby. and a double bed fits in both.

The Worcester is a stunning four-bedroom modern family home.

The open plan kitchen/dining area is located at the front of the property, with a hallway leading to the lounge situated to the back of the house.

Located on the middle We are pleased to be associated with Bellway Homes floor are three and wish them continued success for the future bedrooms, two of which are doubles and the main family 19 Peel Road, Mansfield, NG19 6HB bathroom. The top floor is dedicated to Tel: 07976 239 654 the master bedroom, Email: rich.mcdon@hotmail.co.uk which leads to the ensuite shower room.

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UKC profile

Newconn Contract Services Ltd Raising professional standards and services Formed in 2002, the Company was initially an electrical contracting business, however, due to the experience and skills of its key staff, it quickly developed into a specialist overhead power line and cable jointing contractor, serving Western Power Distribution.

Newconn now exists as a multi-disciplined service provider operating across the construction and electricity distribution industries, offering a range of services.

The Company has expanded year on year and in 2009 opened its construction and civil engineering arm. In the years since this, the civil engineering arm has grown substantially, now accounting for approximately 50% of the Company’s turnover spread between Tesco’s, McDonalds, local authorities and Western Power Distribution.

Operating from two offices and a depot, the specialist areas of Newconn include all overhead power line refurbishment and replacement, civil engineering in 132KV11KV substations, electrical engineering in 132KV-11KV substations, civil engineering and construction for large retailers, civil engineering and construction for local authorities and electrical engineering for local authorities. The Company currently has 30 operatives, structured into three divisions – civil engineering and construction, electricity distribution services and electrical engineering.

Newconn is dedicated to providing all its staff

with every possible avenue of training necessary to deliver services to the highest standards of quality, safety and professionalism, spending significant amounts of money on this training each year.

When working for prestigious companies such as Western Power in the electricity distribution industry, it is vital that extensive training programmes are in place in order to be able to continue the specialist work on their network.

Other prestigious projects include work for McDonalds and Tesco, with Newconn finishing work on the Tesco in Pontypridd back in January 2012.

Situated in Upper Boat, South Wales, the project was to extend an existing Tesco store, built 20 years ago. Newconn was contracted to undertake all ground works in association with four new extensions attached to the existing store.

Comprising of steel frame with clad panels, the extensions were designed with the intention of providing more shop floor space and a new office section for the original staff.

In what is the largest contract for Newconn to date, with the ground works package costing £1.3M, the main challenge was keeping the store live whilst ensuring the safety and welfare of staff and customers..

Weekly health and safety meetings were essential, as well as site meetings and program

meetings, all ensuring that safe access to the store was maintained.

The existing car park, which was 3,500sq m, had to be raised. This was completed in phases towards the end of the project.

Deep drainage works were undertaken, with the installation of an SDS modular tank and rainwater harvesting system, timescales were vital. A major achievement for Newconn was ensuring that the front of house was completed ready for Christmas 2011.

The growth of the Company was recognised in 2006 when it was awarded a position as one of the 100 fastest growing businesses in Wales, and in 2009, it was recognised in the prestigious Fast Growth 50, achieving the position of 26th largest percentage growth company in Wales.

Newconn has continued to expand and between 2010 and 2012, company turnover has almost doubled, while plans are in place to consolidate on this expansion over the coming year with focus on improving efficiency and streamlining all processes.

This growth can be attributed to the approach in business and commitment shown to each customer, with pride on each and every project, and the impressive safety record and quality of services provided, something that will continue in all future projects.

Newconn Contract Services Ltd, Unit 8, Oldbury Road Industrial Estate, Cwmbran, South Wales, NP44 3JU. Tel: 01633 875842.

Worcester Electrical Distributors Ltd. are one of the largest members of the Electracentre Group. Following our acquisition of another electrical distribution company in 2008, we have grown our extensive branch network to seven branches.

These are strategically and conveniently located along the M5 corridor, from Birmingham and the Black Country, through Worcester, Gloucester, Hereford and Abergavenny.

We are a major stockholding point for many of the market leading manufacturers of motor control gear and associated products, including ABB, Entrelec, Finder, Fortress Interlocks, Omron, Merlin Gerin, Moeller, Pilz, Salzer, Socomec, Square D, Telemecanique and Weidmuller, all of whom we are franchised distributors for.

Units F7 & 8, Blackpole East, Blackpole Road, WORCESTER WR3 8SG

TEL: 01905 755110 FAX: 01905 754015 www.worcesterelectrical.co.uk 116

In addition, we also stock a comprehensive range of wiring accessories and lighting from leading manufacturers such as MK, BG, Nexus, Dextra and Thorn.

We can arrange free energy saving surveys for lighting and power.

UKC profile

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publishing limited ● Electrical distribution ● Lighting design and supply ● Solar PV ● Energy Saving Designs and Schemes ● LED Lighting ● Over £500,000 on site stock at newport ● Over 150 years combined on site experience

Edmundson Electrical Ltd. Unit 1a Albany Road Industrial Estate, Aragon Street, Newport, NP20 5NS

Tel: 01633 856056 Fax: 01633 856353 www.edmundson-electrical.co.uk

to advertise in this magazine please call

01257 231900 www.pro-mark.org.uk

UKC education

Newton Prep School Providing pupils with an exceptional, engaging education Newton Prep School is coming to the end of an extensive programme of building and refurbishing that has been underway since 2009.

Founded in 1991 by Dr Farouk Walji, it is a coeducational nursery and preparatory school based in Battersea, south west London, for children aged three to 13 years, and the pupil population has since grown to 600.

Since its foundation the school has benefited from the vision of Dr Walji and from regular and significant investment in its buildings and resources.

Work has been undertaken to continue to provide state-of-the-art-facilities, while also improving security and convenience.

Phase I of the project included refurbishing an enlarged library, three new ICT suites and three new science laboratories.

The 20th century school building has been extensively remodelled internally, and there will be a modern extension including classrooms, a dining hall, two gymnasiums and a 300-seat auditorium.

The Orchard Block building was demolished to make way for two new buildings on either side of the school to complement the existing facilities, and a new lower school is being built on the western side of the site to include two new nurseries, eight classrooms, and an assembly hall.

On the eastern side of the site, a new sports hall and music school complex is being built comprising of a third gymnasium, changing facilities, three music classrooms, 14 practice rooms, a recording studio, music technology suite, a 20-seat recital hall and three dance studios.

The school’s main entrance is being moved from Battersea Park Road to Lockington Road with a new reception area, whilst the redevelopment is also creating two internal courtyards. The lower school courtyard will be accessible from nursery and reception classrooms.

An external porte-cochere, terrace and walkway will link the buildings at the back and provide access to the all weather pitch. The front playground is also being remodelled.

Disruption has been avoided by the phased nature of work, as well as trying to complete the most disruptive elements of construction during the school holidays.

Designed by BTA Architects, the Main Contractor is Broadoak Construction. Work on the £9.5M project completed In September.

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UKC commercial

Park Road New industrial units for Peter Kinch Plant Ltd This significant redevelopment has seen the demolition and redevelopment of four commercial units.

The previously existing units were outdated, with little or no insulation, exposed blockwork walls and corrugated cement sheet roofs. Although in an industrial area, the buildings had a negative impact on the street scene, meaning that redevelopment to provide these well designed and energy efficient buildings has provided a very positive impact on the area.

Located to the south of Faringdon town centre, Park Road is surrounded by a mixture of industrial, residential and commercial properties, providing an interesting mix of uses along Park Road, all of which were unaffected by the development.

The four previously existing units were split into two buildings, sitting either side of the site access and formed the street scene of the existing estate addressing Park Road.

The redevelopment of these units has provided more sustainable and functional units, and also a much improved public face to the existing industrial estate by providing a well designed and detailed development.

The replacement units were rotated by 90 degrees so each unit has a presence to the road, providing a positive effect on the design with pedestrian and goods doors breaking up the elevation.

The scale is increased slightly but the buildings will still be viewed across the car parking, and are not out of scale with the surrounding buildings.

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They have been designed to improve the the footprint of the units to 7,500sq ft, while public image of the industrial estate from also providing the opportunity for an Park Road by providing the principal additional new mezzanine floor that elevations with a mix of high composite increases the overall area to 9,960sq ft. cladding panels and built up metal cladding. The topography of the site is generally flat, Visually the new units have large glass meaning it is accessible from the street in a entrance screens to further enhance the wheelchair or as an ambulant disabled aesthetics with the colours designed to echo person. The new units also have level those of the original buildings. thresholds at both the main entrances and As the site is an existing industrial site, at the fire escape doors, while internally there were very few areas for soft there is an accessible disabled toilet. landscaping, with the majority of the site The Architect for the project was BPL being laid out as hard landscaping.

Architecture, and the Main Contractor was As part of the overall improvement works, a Barnwood Construction. The redevelopment small landscape margin was provided to is now complete.

Park Road and has been planted with a mix of small shrub planting. There was also a poor quality tree to the rear of Unit Four, and this has been replaced to suit the planting scheme for the new development.

By moving the units further away from the road, the unit sizes have been increased, while still providing car parking at the required standard, as well as necessary INDUSTRIAL - COMMERCIAL - RETAIL turning areas and landscaping. There is also cycle storage to 133 The Causeway, Quedgeley, Gloucester GL2 4LR increase the possibility of staff and Tel: 01452 883334 - Mobile: 07973 268259 customers cycling to Email:haywardcleaning@btconnect.com the site.

All of this increased

T H FABRICATIONS (Cheltenham) LTD Welders & Fabricators Structural Steelwork

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Telephone/Fax: 01242 862279 Mobile: 07831 121 692 Email: thfabs@btconnect.com

INDUSTRIAL ROOFING & CLADDING SPECIALISTS

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(GLOUCESTER) Ltd

INDUSTRIAL, ROOFING AND CLADDING SPECIALIST

We are pleased to have been associated with Barnwood Construction Limited on the completion of many exclusive projects.

County Roofing (Gloucester) Limited has been established since 1987 by the founder Mr Geoffrey Peters.

We offer extensive product knowledge for a variety of new

and refurbishment projects and provide a valuable service to the construction industry.

We specialise in industrial and commercial roof and wall cladding, specialised roof glazing, rainscreen cladding and the removal and disposal of white asbestos cement sheets, containing only chrysotile (White) asbestos.

Tel: 01452 411727 Fax: 01452 524722 Email: roofing@county-group.co.uk County House, Hempsted Lane, Gloucester GL2 5JA 119

UKC profile

Phase 3 Electrical Ltd Quality service at reasonable prices This family owned NICEIC and Constructiononline Approved electrical installation and maintenance company specialises in commercial, light industrial and industrial installations, as well as providing a fully insured design and build facility.

Phase 3 prides itself on its immaculate health and safety record, while also maintaining excellent working relationships with all clients and workforce, and is an approved contractor for a range of public organisations.

The Company has in place a wide range of policies and procedures that are strictly adhered to; as well as the areas of health and safety, this also includes environmental issues and equal opportunities.

Since its inception in 2000, the Company has proven experience in providing services to organisations both large and small, and because of the great working relationships established with clients, it has gained a large, repeat client base.

With the intention to provide a service that balances high standards and professionalism with a personal and flexible service, Phase 3 has developed to deal with the ever changing forces and challenges presented to clients by both the market and technology.

The Company is proud of its continued investment in its staff and more than 95% of current operatives have carried out training and attained qualifications through Phase 3’s Apprenticeship Schemes, which are run in conjunction with local colleges, in particular Gower College, Swansea.

As well as being NICEIC, CHAS and

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Constructiononline approved, Phase 3 is an approved contractor for a range of public organisations including Carmarthenshire County Council, Pembrokeshire County Council, City & County of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot Council, Dyfed Powys Police, Hywell Dda NHS Trust, ABM NHS Trust and Bridgend County Council.

Phase I of the transformation of Ammanford’s Ysgol Dyffryn Aman School, has recently been undertaken by Phase 3.

Completed in September 2012, the school now has a new administration and sixth form block, a new 24-pupil special education needs block, a refurbished and extended science block, covered links between all buildings, extensive works to the IT infrastructure and new computers and whiteboards.

The transformation has provided enhanced learning facilities supplemented by enlarged parking facilities to provide an additional 30 car parking spaces and considerable improvements to the external environment and circulation areas.

Work also saw improvements to the leisure centre, and substantial work to the fabric of the existing building, including investment in photovoltaic panels, combined heat and power plant and energy efficient boilers, rainwater harvesting and other suitable technologies.

Within Phase I, the Company acquired all the electrical services installation package, which was a landmark project as it was Phase 3’s first individual contract award with a value in excess of £1M, and was an exciting project to be involved with, as it has provided the school and the local area with

state-of-the-art facilities.

Other projects Phase 3 has worked on includes the upgrade of Hywel Dda NHS Trust’s specialist scanning facilities at Prince Philip and Glangwilli General Hospitals.

Completed last year, Phase 3 was involved in this highly skilled programme, which required a ‘MEIGAN’ compliant system, and included scanning equipment that is as up to date as any other medical facility in the world, making this a very sought after and prestigious project.

Over the past two years, Phase 3 is proud to have been involved with the continued investment at the prestigious ‘Royal Welsh Showground’ at Llanelwydd, Builth Wells.

Spring 2010 saw full electrical installation to the food hall, including general, emergency and external lighting along with mains, distribution and power installations.

Last year saw the second installation to the new ‘Members Pavilion’, comprising of full electrical systems being installed over two floors as well as high bay lighting in the viewing area. These buildings required a complete design for the electrical installation, which was carried out in-house

by Phase 3.

Both projects were well publicised during the 2010 and 2011 Royal Welsh Shows, and adhered to Phase 3’s priority, which is to provide a quality service at a reasonable price.

Phase 3 Electrical Ltd, Phase 3 House, 38 Church Street, Briton Ferry, Neath, SA11 2HJ. Tel: 01639 813252.

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UKC education

Keele University Constantly improving facilities Keele University is continuing to make improvements, with various developments ongoing. Work completed last month on a new nursery, which will house 128 children of school age.

Located within the confines of Keele Historic Park and Garden area and in close proximity to Keele Science Park, the nursery is a single-storey development and will have three areas linked by a wide corridor around an internal courtyard space.

The internal courtyard has the presence of a tented structure to provide shelter from rain during outside play.

Comprising of a steel structural frame enveloped with white render fascia and pretreated timber, work on the £2M project that

includes all disabled facilities including level access and disabled toilets, commenced in November 2011 and ended last month, opening in October.

Another important development for the University is the refurbishment of the ground floor at the students union building.

The basic brief for the development was to make use of the vacant former union square bar and to increase the space allocated to key student functions, together with the drive to create improved accessibility and the feeling of an open welcoming environment.

Work will improve accessibility and provide a clear focal point main entrance, while improving the security and visibility of the entrance.

The linkages to external areas of union square plaza will be improved and there will be associated redevelopment to allow external café culture seating area and improved external events space.

There will be a relocated and expanded single catering outlet, additional social and catering seating spaces, a coffee shop outlet, laptop bar spaces and refurbished toilets.

Enabling works commenced in November 2011, with completion due at the end of the month.

Keele University is also benefiting from the refurbishment of the Darwin Building, providing accommodation and co-location of the Keele Management School, as well as a new 95-seat lecture room.

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UKC community

Heart of East Greenwich New community on the way The Heart of East Greenwich development will create a new destination and identity for the local community with a public square and community facilities at its heart.

Hadley Mace, a joint venture between Mace and Hadley Property Group, became the preferred development partner in 2011, working with the Home and Communities Agency (HCA), Greenwich Council and NHS Greenwich, the primary care trust, on the project.

HCA is a single, national housing and regeneration delivery agency for England. Its vision is to create opportunities for people to live in homes they can afford in places they want to live, by enabling local authorities and communities to deliver the ambition they have for their own areas.

The main goals for the project are to provide:• Regeneration of Woolwich Road, and the re-introduction of active retail frontage there.

• A new public square.

• The integration of the site with the surrounding urban grain.

• Provision of a substantial number of new homes with a high proportion of affordable, key-worker and family units.

• A carbon-neutral, sustainable development.

• A community resource including the new Greenwich Centre providing leisure, library and health services.

The 645-home scheme will transform the former Greenwich District Hospital site into a modern complex, offering a range of high quality homes and brand new community facilities.

The focal point of the development is the Greenwich Centre, which will house a library, leisure facilities, an NHS health centre and new Greenwich Council service centre.

Residents will benefit from the provision of these first class amenities alongside the new homes, almost a third of which will have three- or four-bedrooms to accommodate families.

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The Greenwich District Hospital was demolished in 2006. It was built in the 1960s upon the site of the previous St Alfege’s Hospital, which was built in 1931 and replaced in 1963, but the district hospital was closed in 2001.

Vanburgh Hill is the road that runs alongside it and it runs uphill towards Blackheath. It is perpendicular to the A206 Trafalgar Road/Woolwich Road, which heads toward Greenwich in the west and Woolwich eastward.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “News that the Heart of East Greenwich project is now pressing on full steam ahead is fantastic to hear. It is a landmark regeneration scheme, as part of a determined effort we are making across London to bring forward public land for development. As well as bringing some vital new facilities such as a library and leisure centre to the community, it will deliver quality housing that will make a real difference to families in the area.”

Of the 645 dwellings, 50% will be provided as affordable homes. Of these, around half will be social rented homes, and the remainder intermediate homes delivered through the London Wide Initiatives.

All the residential layouts comply with the essential standards of the Scheme development Standards and the main principles of the Lifetime Home Standards.

Social rent units will be designed to meet Parker Morris space standards. Across the masterplan 40% of the residential accommodation areas is allocated to threeand four-bed family units.

Each of the residential blocks has a different character and aspect. Block one will be a range of private and affordable one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments characterised by proximity to the public square.

Block two will have a private communal garden at first floor level, which provides

the focus for a range of private and affordable, predominantly two- and threebedroom apartments.

Block three will be a range of private and affordable one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments organised around a large, private communal garden. Some ground floor units have their own front doors opening out onto the street. Upper level apartments are organised in clusters around small cores oriented towards the shared garden.

Block four will be a row of stacked threebedroom duplexes, with ground floor accessed units providing family accommodation and private rear gardens, while upper units have east facing terraces, and block five will be a row of four-bedroom family townhouses providing an up to date version of the Victorian terraced housing bordering the site.

The design approach for the facades is to unify the five buildings so they can be seen as being part of the same family, while at the same time ensuring the five separate blocks have their own unique identity and appearance.

The project aims to demonstrate exemplary performance in energy, water use, material use, waste, construction practice, planning and biodiversity to achieve net zero carbon.

This zero carbon initiative is a requirement for new developments, as stated on the London Authority website.

It requires the following in planning permission:• Be lean: use less energy.

• Be clean: supply energy efficiently.

• Be green: use renewable energy.

Mace is behind the design of the new east Greenwich hub and the idea was to minimise environmental impact and reduce water and energy consumption.

Mace is an international consultancy and construction company with an £850M turnover in 2010, employing 3,000 people and operating across 65 countries. Mace’s >

HEALTH

Greenwich Square exploded axonometric view

A cure for mixed-use developments

Including healthcare within a mixed-use development is mutually beneficial to the Developer, the Resident and Local Health Providers.

Developers benefit through a favourable rent from a robust tenant, and planning gain/ s106 advantages.

Residents benefit through having a high-quality healthcare service on their doorstep.

03-06

Residential

GPs benefit through leasing a Care Quality Commission (CQC) compliant premises at an affordable cost.

Despite the benefits, a complicated business case approval method and complex health planning can frustrate the process.

Greenwich Square (left) has demonstrated how Fleet’s extensive health sector knowledge and in-house tool-kit helps to inform proposals at an early stage, maximising tenant opportunity and minimising developer risk.

FLEET TOOLKIT

02

Health Centre/ Residential

Coordination of floor-to-floor heights, fenestration and passive services Compliance with statutory guidance

Clinical planning

Vertical circulation

Master planning

Accessibility

01 00 0B

Library/ Office/ Residential Basement Gym and swimming pool Commercial Units/ Residential Entry

Fleet Architects Ltd Unit 7, Robert Eliot Centre, 1 Old Nichol Street, London, E2 7HR.

+44 (0) 20 7729 0882 mail@fleetarchitects.co.uk www.fleetarchitects.co.uk

Structural mediation

core business is programme and project management, construction delivery, cost consultancy and facilities management, but it is truly multi-disciplinary with services spanning the entire property and infrastructure lifecycle.

Hadley Property Group is a privately owned company that overseas the operation of several wholly owned subsidiaries incorporated to develop and manage a wide range of property focused ventures.

The Group was established in 2000 when the success of numerous residentially led development schemes was harnessed to formulate a holding company to oversee all future operations.

Alongside its core residential development business, the Group also undertakes development consultancy and joint venture opportunities.

The Group’s developments are characterised by attention to detail and a commitment to high quality, creating homes in prime locations that offer well designed, intelligent living spaces and investment value.

Planning permission was granted in 2008, with work starting on-site this year, and it is split into phases.

Completion of Phase I is expected late next year, with the entire development finishing in 2016.

Administration Office 1 The Glenmore Centre, Moat Way, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0TL

Tel: 01233 502557 Email: enquiries@hardings-surveyors.co.uk www.hardings-surveyors.co.uk Other offices are: Tenterden: 01580 230500 | Tunbridge Wells: 01892 570750 | Hastings: 01424 230880 | Canterbury: 01227 200911

If you wish to avoid delays, costs and penalties, then we will be happy to discuss your particular project or concern, and provide the appropriate professional support to enable you to navigate through the intricacies of the party wall legislation.

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UKC education

Portslade Aldridge Community Academy An inspirational learning environment Facilities are being transformed thanks to the government’s academies programme at the Portslade Aldridge Community Academy in Brighton.

The school, located on a steeply sloping site, had experienced accretive development over a period of nine decades, resulting in the school’s building assets being spread out and not organised to support 21st century functionality or academy aspirations.

The site context and its buildings presented a number of challenges. Situated in the centre of a valley, the site falls dramatically from its South Downs Ridge towards its southern boundary.

Internally, the fall of the site has led to 22 different internal floor levels, in a variety of constructed buildings, which have been incrementally added to the site.

Accommodating the level changes in the context of accessibility and consolidating the sprawling buildings presented the design and construction teams with the opportunity to effectively unlock the potential of the site to provide a new, functional and inspirational learning environment.

The design solution vastly improves circulation, flexibility and sightlines within the building and also enhances the external spaces to provide meaningful external learning and social environments.

A new heart space or ‘Hub’ at the front of the site has been created to provide a flexible, multi-use arrival and circulation space, which can be configured for exhibition, educational, social and community purposes.

The Hub is physically located so that each of the four schools of learning radiate from it and connect directly to it. As an entreprenurial academy with a science specialism, the design places the Business & Enterprise School in the original 1920s building to the west of the Hub space and the Science & Sport School in the new, high profile building to the east, strategically

positioned to provide a welcoming street frontage and a prominent new identity for the academy.

Materials have been selected based on a set of sustainability criteria that includes sustainable sourcing, embodied energy, service life, ease of maintenance and recyclability.

The design of the new building respects and compliments the scale and geometry of the western 1920s block and is terraced from east to west to echo the significant contours across the site, expressed through an overly layered building.

The façade is formed from a MetSec metal frame walling system with a rendered finish, contrasted with grey, wire cut bricks, which clad the ground floor.

The façade elements reflect the vernacular materials prevalent in the surrounding South Downs area.

Alterations to the existing school were derived from a carefully thought out approach to minimising circulation and maximising usable floor area.

Where possible, load bearing structural walls have been replaced with new beams and columns to create a more open and inherently adaptable building.

The academy will achieve a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating, with energy efficiency optimised by thermal mass to provide a thermal flywheel and facilitate night time cooling, roof overhangs and brise soleil on south façade, enhanced and optimised passive ventilation and photovoltaic solar technology.

The Main Contractor is Apollo Education, and the Architect is HKS Architects Ltd.

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UKC community

Manor Park Library Part of a larger scheme to improve libraries and customer service While other councils are closing their libraries, London Borough of Newham Council is investing millions of pounds in theirs.

Last year, the Council began a major programme of refurbishing its libraries.

These well loved and much used facilities have seen improvements ranging from better accessibility to an increased number of computers and new books.

Of the library developments underway, Manor Park Local Service Centre (LSC) has now closed for refurbishment, ready to open next year.

It closed in March 2012, after which, along with the former army and navy store next door, it is being transformed into a new library where residents can educate themselves and their children and make simple transactions with the Council, such as payment of rent and council tax.

Manor Park is a purpose built library that was built in 1890. This building is no longer suitable for the provision of modern library services or in the right location in terms of footfall and access to the building.

The army and navy store was vacated early in 2011 and the Council owns the freehold to both the existing LSC and army and navy store on Station Road.

By combining these two properties, the new library created will have a larger floor area for a library, self-service provision through kiosks, library book self-service and two additional public use computers.

The self-service kiosks will make council payments and service booking easier and quicker, there will be free internet access, and the services and information will be based around customer needs.

This new facility will be a continued family events programme, and a bright, modern facility will make the most of all the increased space.

During the refurbishment, every effort is being made to ensure the least amount

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Stratford, as well as the Green Street of disruption to residents as possible.

Library that opened in July 2012.

There are now many other ways to pay Work to build a new, three-storey customer rent, council tax and other charges, as service facility and library is also underway well as access to other council services in East Ham, and between now and 2015, through Newham Council’s payment the Council is spending more than £20M on pages on the website. improving libraries and providing better The Main Contractor for the project is Amber customer service facilities for residents.

Construction Ltd, who offer a wealth of experience within the refurbishment market, having completed various projects ranging from internal remodelling of a leisure centre to external refurbishment of a social housing estate, both in full occupation.

The Company’s teams We have recently completed works at various libraries within of in-house site the London Borough of Newham and are currently on site at Manor Park. operatives have the technical skills and Works include internal refurbishment, new build extension, Air experience to use the conditioning/electrics renewal and Installation of a glazed modern construction façade incorporating signage. techniques and materials required in At Amber, we specialise in providing Refurbishment Solutions today’s ever changing throughout London and the South East. market. The team are With a proven track record in both the Public and Private supported by a well sectors, we offer excellent service, combined with a established group of professional approach. supply chain contractors and assisted by experienced contract managers, site managers, quantity surveyors and liaison officers.

Designed by Newham Council, the building Amber Construction Services Ltd will re-open in Unit 5 Rippleside Commercial Estate, Ripple Road, Barking, IG11 0RJ January 2013 as a new library.

Tel: 020 8592 5699 Fax: 020 8592 8194 So far, the Council Email:admin@amberconstruction.com has refurbished libraries at Canning www.amberconstruction.com Town, Beckton and

We are pleased to be associated with the Manor Park Library Project.

Professional Building Solutions Ltd

Professional Building Solutions Ltd (PBS) is a building contractor working in both public and private sectors throughout London and the Home Counties with offices in both Essex and Cambridge. With a dedicated workforce and management team, our company has enjoyed consistent growth.

What We Do We deliver on time, within budget with a delivery mechanism which is second to none. Only the best quality and management is acceptable, which is a culture strongly imposed throughout the business by the management team.

Our Objectives To perform for our clients the highest level of quality construction services at fair and market competitive prices. To ensure the longevity of our company through repeat and referral business achieved by customer satisfaction in all areas including timeliness, attention to detail and service-minded attitudes. To maintain the highest levels of professionalism, integrity, honesty and fairness in our relationships with our suppliers, subcontractors, professional associates and customers.

Head Office Unit 13 Imperial Park, Rawreth Lane, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 9RS Cambridge Office Rosewood Offices, Freckenham Road, Chippenham, Cambridge CB7 5QH

T. 01268 655037 F. 01268 655038 E. info@professionalbuildingsolutions.co.uk www.professionalbuildingsolutions.co.uk

UKC housing

Lance Way Revitalising this High Wycombe estate The £10.8M regeneration of the Lance Way estate will see the replacement of 142 flats with a range of new properties.

This two-phase project will provide homes through a variety of tenures, including affordable rent, shared ownership and shared equity.

This will provide more options for local people looking to rent or buy. The properties will be a mixture of houses with gardens and apartments with balconies.

PRP Architects designed the properties to an excellent standard and the properties surpass building regulation requirements on energy efficiency, water usage and access.

The new homes will achieve a Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, out of a possible six. The code is the government’s measure for sustainability for new housing assessed against a range of criteria including carbon usage for water, space heating and lighting, enhanced ecological value/bio-diversity, use of ‘green’ building materials, and reduced water consumption.

New Build Home Buy is a form of low cost shared ownership, enabling people who are eligible to buy a share of a property. For example, buy 40% and then pay rent on the remaining equity. Customers have the option to increase the amount of equity they own.

Shared equity gives first time buyers the chance to buy a new home at 75% of its

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market value. There is no rent payable on the remaining 25%, which is only repaid if the property is resold.

Lance Way was built more than 30 years ago

by Collingwood Housing Association and Home Group took over management of the estate in 1981.

Home consulted on proposals to build the new properties with other customers because the design and internal layouts of the housing stock no longer met requirements. Consultation gave people the platform to discuss and share ideas on the major, long term investment plans for the area.

Jonathan Higgs, Managing Director of Home South said: “Our goal is to provide high quality housing, supporting customers and neighbours in creating a vibrant, friendly and safe place that people want to live.

“We are committed to ensuring that our proposals suit the genuine needs of local people.”

A mix of 142 new homes are being built, to Secure by Design standards, that will ensure a balanced and vibrant community. Built on a sloping site, the tenants of these properties will get the chance to choose colour schemes and fittings too.

The Main Contractor for the project is Willmott Dixon Housing Ltd. Work started in March 2012 and will be completed in September 2014.

Home Group is behind some of the largest regeneration projects in the UK. The Company believes it can work with local people to help create successful neighbourhoods.

Working in partnership with local authorities, developers, other housing providers and the community allows Home Group to transform neighbourhoods.

This partnership approach to regeneration also means Home Group can deliver other benefits, such as employment training initiatives, making sure local people are given a chance to work or train as apprentices on the developments.

Other regeneration projects undertaken by Home Group include the Rayners Lane development in Harrow. This will bring the area more than 800 homes, a mix of market sale, shared ownership and social rent.

The £185M SW&N project in Sheffield will see 800 homes replaced with 1,050 new homes in the Scowerdeons, Weakland and Newstead areas of Sheffield, creating a mix of properties available through a wide range of tenures.

With a value of £350M, Gateshead BIG is one of the UK’s largest regeneration opportunities. It is a 15 year project that will deliver redevelopment of at least 19 sites, providing 2,400 homes and a level of housing choice not seen on such a scale in the North East before.

Climbing the Hill in High Wycombe Darryl Ward and his team in our Reading Office are delighted to have been appointed as Civil and Structural Engineers on the large and challenging redevelopment project at Lance Way in High Wycombe. We have been actively working alongside Home Group and the design team to develop the scheme, both pre and post planning, and it is a positive reflection on all involved that it has now come to fruition.

With falls in ground levels across the site of over 25m, this large scheme presents a number of engineering challenges. As one would expect, large numbers of retaining structures are required across the site and we are utilising a number of innovative approaches including retained earth walls, pre-formed hollow block walls and admixtures to achieve waterproof solutions within the blocks themselves, where there are a number of two storey steps in level.

Alongside this, the ground levels and landscaping have been under continuous review and development in order to achieve effective and efficient completed solutions.

The surface water drainage on the site is connected to a series of soakaways whilst permeable paving will be used in new

parking bays to limit run off into the existing and new drainage system. Stormwater storage systems will also be utilised to cover the effects of 1 in 100 year events and an allowance for the effects of anticipated climate change.

We have utilised the experience that we have gained on similar large redevelopment projects and on challenging sites and design of the four phases of this development is progressing well, alongside the construction of Phase 1.

In conjunction with the architect, we have also used BIM 3D modelling software to allow details to be developed and interfaces to be assessed as well as providing a basis for arrangement and detailed drawings and computer analysis and design. This has worked so well that we are now looking to undertake all future commissions utilising this software and our developing expertise.

The phased nature of the project also presented a number of challenges, where it was necessary to study and develop the phasing of the upgrading of highways to facilitate the works and maintain safe access for the residents of the estate. We

also had to develop temporary ground re-modelling solutions that avoided the need for temporary retaining structures.

The commencement and ongoing delivery of the project is a successful outcome and just rewards for the efforts, enthusiasm and hard work of all the partners who have played a role in developing this scheme.

It is also a positive reflection of the continued success and development of Clancy Consulting, both nationwide and within each of our local offices. We offer services across a range of disciplines and have an extensive nationwide and overseas constructed portfolio within a wide range of sectors.

As we celebrate our 40th year in business, we are pleased to be continuing many of our relationships with valued clients such as Home Group and Willmott Dixon Housing and we believe that, in the South East, our extensive experience across the social housing sector, amongst others, sees us in a strong position to continue our growth.

If you would like to find out more about how we may able to assist you, please contact Darryl Ward in our Reading Office on 0118 9417888.

Engineering Excellence in the Built Environment For further information on the range of services we can offer, please contact us on the details provided below: Elizabeth House 20 School Road Tilehurst Reading RG31 5AL Tel: 0118 941 7888 Email: enquiries@clancy.co.uk

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www.clancy.co.uk

UKC profile

DCM Surfaces Providing a different approach As one of the UK’s largest, experienced installers of safety surfacing, DCM has installed impact absorbing surfaces at thousands of sites across the UK, focusing on building strong, long term working relationships with its clients, while keeping the values of competitive pricing, integrity, high standards and high quality installations imperative to the Company’s way of conducting business.

Established in 1995, DCM is a specialist in the design and installation of surfaces for play and sport usage, and can also install a range of products for hard surfacing and landscaping purposes such as rubber mulch and bonded minerals, as well as gravel.

The Company was established in response to customer demand for impact absorbing, colourful playground safety surfacing.

The particular area of expertise is in high impact safety surfacing - known as wet pour – for play areas. Using the skills of its experienced workforce in the installation of

graphics, DCM can install a range of designs, patterns and effects into the surface.

Steven Roby, DCM’s Managing Director, explains what sets the Company apart from all others.

He said: “I believe it’s all about quality. Setting the standard in reliability and performance.”

The Company think about a project from start to finish, with knowledge in all products, being attentive during installations, while also remaining competitive within the industry.

Working to install play areas means the Company has extensive experience in the education sector.

One of the schools that has benefited from DCM’s products is Park Primary School in Cheshire.

This recently installed wet pour area includes a roadway, bus stop and parking bays. There is also an area of artificial grass that DCM has installed in the centre of the roundabout.

The site even has bus stop stools

incorporated that are made of wet pour.

These add a quirky, tough design, but are also in keeping with the whole design.

DCM also provided its services at Endeavour Primary School. This new build school located in Andover includes some stunning, circular wet pour designs, which have eye catching areas of overlapping graphics.

This project clearly demonstrates DCM’s installation team and their skill when it comes to installing more complicated graphics.

DCM’s longevity and integrity proves the credibility of its guarantee, allowing the Company to offer the longest guarantee in the industry of six years.

All work is undertaken by DCM’s directly employed installation teams, giving the Company complete control over scheduling and quality.

DCM Surfaces, Premier House, Moss Industrial Estate, St Helens Road, Leigh, WN7 3PT. Tel: 0845 650 0066.

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UKC housing

Highbury Infill Stadium transformed into a unique London living space Work carried out by Cosmur Construction under the guidance of Senior Site Manager Wayne Phillips has resulted in the development of new build houses at the former entrance of the former famous old stadium at Arsenal.

On the outskirts of the old Highbury Stadium, there are also four housing refurbishments as well as two blocks of flats at the top of Highbury Hill.

Cosmur was awarded the contract for the infill project around the old Highbury Stadium for Highbury Holdings Ltd, and it represented the final phase of the stadium redevelopment.

Built to be compliant with all the latest building regulations, all properties comprise of traditional materials, with high specification finishes. There are five new build houses, four refurbished houses and two refurbished blocks of flats.

When Highbury Square was constructed, these buildings were used as offices by Arsenal, who owned the refurbished properties, while others were occupied by employees of Arsenal. Some of these buildings were quite dated and needed the refurbishment that has taken place.

Floor joints that weren’t strong enough had to be renewed because of the age of the properties, and all stairs were renewed. One property in Highbury Hill also benefited from having its roof completely replaced and repitched.

All the walls have been insulated with plasterboard on the externals, and windows are double-glazed, while there are conservatories on the back of a few of the properties.

The houses on Highbury Hill had to be underpinned because basements were put in them both, while other challenges were

encountered when working on the Gillespie Road properties because it was a former industrial site many years ago.

This meant that ground conditions were difficult, with lots of concrete found, resulting in some delays. But Cosmur’s attention to detail and commitment to providing quality housing meant that the piles were moved, and foundations redesigned to ensure they were situated in the best location possible.

The development is well situated, and is opposite the Arsenal Underground station, just seven minutes from King’s Cross station and 15 minutes to Piccadilly, both on the Piccadilly line.

The Architect for the project was DMP Architects. Work commenced on site in April 2011 and was completed in September 2012, at a cost of just over £3.5M.

02087707994 Kendal Electrical & Mechanical Contractors Ltd

31 Onslow Avenue, Cheam, Sutton SM2 7ED Email: kendal.em@02email.co.uk 131

UKC health

Luton and Bedfordshire Mental Health Unit officially opened The redevelopment of the former Limetrees unit that commenced in early December 2011 on the Luton and Dunstable Hospital site and involved a major refurbishment with a new extension is now completed and was officially opened on Wednesday 8th August 2012.

The event was attended by SEPT Chief Executive Dr Patrick Geoghegan OBE and Kelvin Hopkins MP for Luton North who officially opened Jade ward and Dr David Sieglers - Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Bedfordshire and SEPT Project Director Subramaniam Krishnan who opened Coral ward.

SEPT Chief Executive Dr Patrick Geoghegan OBE, said: “The Luton and Central Bedfordshire Mental Health Unit heralds a ‘new beginning’ for mental health treatment and assessment in Central Beds and Luton with the co-location of inpatient assessment and treatment mental health services for adults and older people close to the Luton

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and Dunstable Hospital site.”

The completion of this transformation project will enable the transfer of the Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, Section 136 suite, 10-beds Assessment and 30-beds Adult Admission inpatient services which are currently provided in Oakley Court in Luton. This will conclude the transformation plan for the Luton and Dunstable site with the establishment of a new site identity as ‘Luton and Central Bedfordshire Mental Health Unit’. The new MHU will encompass 93 beds including the transformation development of wards concluded last year.

Designed by Huggins Bromage Ferguson LLP, the existing building has been completely overhauled to meet the demands of a state-of-the-art mental health unit for recovering and assessment patients.

Totalling 1,561sq m, the unit is a steel framed, brickwork clad structure with a Kingspan roof system.

Service relocation commenced one week

after the launch date. Wards at the Luton and Central Bedfordshire Mental Health Unit have also been re-named to reflect the healing properties of semi-precious stones.

Dr Patrick Geoghegan OBE, SEPT Chief Executive, said: “The three key objectives that underpin the transformation of our mental health services for adults and older people are to introduce a service model that is supported by strong clinical evidence and ‘best practice’, cluster key inpatient services together and to ensure more effective use of space and modernisation of buildings – especially the patient environment. I’m pleased to say we have delivered on those objectives and I’m delighted the new Luton and Central Bedfordshire Mental Health Unit is now open and I extend my thanks to all those involved in the project. This opening marks further excellent progress of SEPT’s mental health transformation for services in Luton and Bedfordshire”.

The Ecological Challenge LUC Principal Ecologist Steve Jackson-Matthews explains how to ensure ecology works within your project timescales and budgets The government’s “Red Tape Challenge” has brought the UK’s Planning System into the spotlight. One of the most hotly debated topics so far has been the current regulation relating to the protection of wildlife and biodiversity and its role in the construction process.

Although this legislation and subsequent planning policy has been in place for some time, the mere mention of ‘ecology’ can strike fear into the hearts of project managers, construction managers and site agents. However it’s an industry myth that ecological issues are costly and timeconsuming to deal with.

LUC has considerable experience in providing ecological advice during the design and implementation of complex development projects. The Company’s skilled ecologists work with its clients from the very outset of their projects. By getting involved at the very start, LUC is able to guide projects through the legislative requirements while maintaining a focus on project timescales and budgets, making sure the ‘ecological challenge’ is met with pragmatic and innovative solutions.

Advice on complex development projects: The Olympic Park LUC is proud of its involvement in the London Olympic Park in East London where it helped guide the site enabling works, ensuring that impacts on wildlife were minimised and allowing for the successful delivery of innovative habitat creation works.

The Company carried out a range of ecological baseline and monitoring surveys throughout the Olympic Park.

These included surveys for bats, amphibians, reptiles, fish, invertebrates, birds (including kingfisher, sand martin and black redstart), habitats and flora, and then advised the Olympic Delivery Authority as to the best way to proceed with works whilst minimising harm to the urban ecology of the area.

These works aimed to maintain biodiversity in the area, allowing for recolonisation of the Park once work was complete and helping to keep the Olympic project on track.

Ecological Clerk of Works services: Clyde Windfarm The Ecological Clerk of Works (EcoW) is a sitebased role that the construction industry has come to see as an essential means of meeting its environmental responsibilities during the construction phase of projects.

LUC is currently providing ECoW support on a wide range of projects, including during the construction of Clyde Windfarm in South Lanarkshire. This is one of Europe’s largest windfarm projects, where construction works are constrained by a range of ecological features including sensitive habitats and protected species.

LUC’s role is to identify and guide responses to ecological concerns, working closely with the site developer, design engineers and construction companies. The Company also coordinate ecological and environmental protection works, acting as project spokesperson to SNH and SEPA. This has enabled prompt resolution of environmental issues as they have occurred and has maintained positive regulator involvement with the project to avoid delays.

For pragmatic ecological advice on your current or future projects, contact: Steve Jackson-Matthews | steve.jackson-matthews@landuse.co.uk | Glasgow | 0141 334 9595 Pete Lawrence | peter.lawrence@landuse.co.uk | London | 020 7383 5784 www.landuse.com

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UKC community

St Marie’s Cathedral Complete renovation Parishioners in Sheffield will soon benefit from the renovation of its cathedral, as well as some items within it.

The Cathedral Church of St Marie, constructed in the 1840s is undergoing essential maintenance, the need for which has gradually built over a period of 15 years.

In this time, required work included replacing electric cables, removing the rising damp up the pillars, and improving the general state of the building.

Gradually, through negotiating with parishioners and the Historical Churches Committee, work was undertaken.

There have been a number of stages during this process. Once it began, the Architect, Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams, came and spoke at the principal services and there was an open meeting afterwards.

Approximately 80 people turned up to this, to ask questions, seek clarification, and look at drawings and suggested layouts. As time has progressed, when it came to designing some of the new items like the lectern, font, alter and benches, there has been a representative group from the parishioners who have been consulted.

The Historic Churches Committee, who have been involved due to the fact it is a Grade II listed building, have made a positive contribution in helping the building maintain its historical context.

During construction, rare Alabaster carvings have been found. Of the seven discovered, six are from the 1480s and one from the 1700s.

They were originally on the lower part of one of the side alters in the mortuary chapel but in the 1970s they were removed with the intention of selling them.

They weren’t sold but were stored away for over 40 years. Thankfully though, no damage came to these rare carvings.

Father Chris Posluszny, Dean of the Cathedral, said: “This is a rare find. To have so many doesn’t often arise.

“There are so many figures, so beautifully carved and telling so many stories of what’s in the scriptures in just one scene. The carving of Christ’s arrest includes Judas’ betrayal, St Peter running away, three

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soldiers, and a man whose ear was cut off, reaching out to be healed.”

The carvings have now been insured for £30,000.

The facilities of the Cathedral, including the sound system, lighting, loop system and underfloor heating will all be extremely valuable and create a venue that is ready for the future. Some of the other areas, such as the narthex will be well lit and more welcoming than it was, and will also have much better access for the disabled.

There is also somebody now employed who is looking into the use of the Cathedral for other means, so a string of concerts with local groups are planned.

Some contact has also been made with the university and some of the secondary schools too, while it is also being investigated as to how the Cathedral can be more prominent within the city.

Keeping disruption away from ongoing services threatened to be a complicated issue but many local churches offered to give the Cathedral’s services a temporary home, while the Cathedral also looked at premises close by.

Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to use these because many were derelict. Instead, a company that was leasing one of the Cathedral’s own premises chose to move out just at the right time. This became the weekday

chapel, for anything that happened from Monday morning, all the way through to Saturday afternoon. One of the local churches, St Matthews in Sheffield, kindly offered use of their church at weekends, so those cathedral services took place at this church on Sunday.

The Main Contractor for the project is Maysand. Work commenced in November 2011, and will be handed over next before the end of the year.

UKC education

Learning together Richmond Hill School Richmond Hill School is an established learning facility for primary aged pupils with severe learning difficulties and complex needs. Dedicated to providing a dynamic learning environment, the Luton based school has recently undergone a significant extension to accommodate a growing student population.

While Richmond Hill School currently caters to an approximate 85 pupils, a 19% rise in the number of local primary school aged children with special educational needs is expected by 2014. In light of these statistics a substantial extension has been undertaken which will enable the School to accommodate an additional 24 pupils while also providing further ancillary facilities.

The single-storey extension is comprised of

two new classrooms alongside a multipurpose staff room, which also doubles as an additional teaching space. Spanning an approximate 245sq m, the extension is situated adjacent to the western elevation of the building and replaces an existing play area.

Construction began in March 2012 with Dawkins Construction acting as Main Contractor.

Traditional materials such as the buff coloured facing brickwork - a design theme present throughout the existing school have been shirked in favour of a contemporary aesthetic befitting the more modern western elevation. Composed of grey metal cladding panels together with a cream coloured render and rainscreen cladding, the extension makes for a striking

addition to the school campus. Above, a dark grey single ply membrane apes the form of the existing building which is predominantly flat roofed.

Parking provision has also been bolstered with an additional 10 spaces provided. To facilitate this greater commitment a disused bomb shelter has been demolished while an existing garden area has been partially cleared.

Designed and built with the future in mind, the extension marks a considerable investment in Richmond Hill School’s infrastructure. With its completion, the School has assured a successful learning environment for students across the borough.

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UKC profile

FT Leisure Established in October 2003, FT Leisure’s core business deals in the provision of innovative products and professional technical services to the commercial, municipal and private swimming pool industries.

The Company portfolio includes the design, manufacture, installation, commissioning and refurbishment and maintenance of products such as water treatment and filtration systems, moveable floors and booms, accessibility solutions, wellness and spas, flumes, wave machines and water features.

Services are available nationwide to the public sector/local authorities, facility management companies, private health and fitness chains, hospitals, schools, hotels and water authorities.

In 2005, FT Leisure installed water treatment and filtration systems in a number of 25m pools. Nowadays, the Company is one of the UK’s leading swimming pool specialists with an impressive 100 new build installations under its belt and securing some of the most prestigious aquatic leisure developments in the country.

Thermelek Engineering, the company that previously existed before its employees formed FT Leisure, developed moveable floor and boom systems in association with British Aerospace. This range of products was branded Aquaterr Pool Technology. FT Leisure purchased this trademark and continues to manufacture and market their moveable floors, booms and disabled access platforms under the Aquaterr brand name.

Due to how niche this progressive company

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is, training has to be conducted internally, because swimming pool water treatment and filtration or associated leisure design services are not covered by particular educational courses. The training provided

by FT Leisure is carried out to the highest standards, maintaining the reputation the Company has built.

All of the Company’s electrical engineers are trained to comply with the latest relevant regulations, and is a registered member of the Contractor’s Health and Safety Scheme (CHAS), as well as ConstructionLine. As part of these associations, the training profile has to remain at a very high standard.

FT Leisure has a number of projects currently in development, while some have already been completed, such as the work at East Marketgait in Dundee.

This is FT Leisure’s largest recent project, valued at just less than £1.4M. A whole host of services were provided on this scheme, including water treatment and filtration systems to a 50m pool that has a diving area. These services were also used on the wave pool and toddler pool.

Other facilities included at East Marketgait include a moveable floor system, submersible boom system and traversable boom system. There are four flumes and a wave machine, as well as several water features, while facilities for the disabled are included in the form of two disabled access platforms.

One of the more prestigious contracts secured by the Company is to work on the Tollcross Aquatic Centre, which will play

host to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games’ swimming competitions.

With an existing 50m, ten-lane pool, the facilities are being extensively refurbished, and a second 50m, six-lane warm-up and training pool is also being introduced. These developments will provide a permanent training and recreational facility for the local community and elite athletes alike, as well as continuing to serve as a site for other major international swimming competitions.

The main pool filtration system incorporated a full ozone treatment system. This will be decommissioned and replaced with UV sterilisation. The ozone carbon vessels will then be converted to medium rate sand filters, to serve the newly constructed 50m training pool. A complete new water treatment system will be provided for the training pool.

Owned by Glasgow City Council, site works commenced in November 2011 on this prestigious project.

Over the past couple of years, FT Leisure has experienced significant increase in turnover, from £3.5M to £5.5M. This is the result of a growing reputation and success with previous installations.

The involvement in prestigious projects such as East Marketgait, Plymouth Life Centre and Tollcross Aquatics Centre will serve to raise the Company’s profile to a new level.

FT Leisure, Unit 3, Bridgeside Bus Centre, Lingard Lane, Bredbury, SK6 2QT. Telephone: 0161 494 5785.

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The passing of this test allows atg UV Technology to certify that their systems will provide a 3-log inactivation (99.9% kill) or greater of Cryptosporidium in a single pass, whilst vastly improving water and air quality to the reduction problem chloramines. atg UV Technology has more systems validated to the US EPA UVGM standard than any other Medium Pressure UV System manufacturer. This provides atg UV Technology with the ability to offer independently tested UV systems that are future proof against regulations that could demand all systems used on swimming pools are required to be validated. (This is now the case in the US swimming pool industry and UK drinking water industry).

The atg UV validated range of standard swimming pool systems offers effective UV treatment from 5 m3/hr to 5,000 m3/hr in a compact, high performance, low foot print in-line UV system. All atg UV Technology swimming pool systems come with UV intensity monitoring, automatic wipers systems, half to full power stepping, strainer baskets and atg UV’s leading SPECTRA Control panel as standard.

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UKC profile

East Sussex County Council Developing a broad range of projects throughout the county East Sussex County Council has continued to improve services in the area and this year has seen the completion of a number of projects, as well as the start of other exciting developments.

A new archive store is being developed for East Sussex County Council’s county records, in combination with the University of Brighton.

Designed by Atkins Architects, the project, known as The Keep, is effectively a repository for the county records and also for the university’s historical documents. As well as being a repository and store for that information, it is also going to be a publicly accessible building in terms of actually

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being able to access the records.

This civic building and library also has associated staff and office space, providing an entrance point to Brighton.

It will also provide a home for the Special Collections of the University of Sussex, including the internationally renowned Mass Observation Archive. The building will also include the library and headquarters of the Sussex Family History Group. This group aims to encourage people to study family history and genealogy and to preserve and publish relevant documents.

The site used to be playing fields belonging to the neighbouring Falmouth School, but became disused land.

Lizard Landscape design has been involved as environmental consultants, dealing with ecology survey work on-site following through to the landscape design work.

There are various blocks of ancient woodland that surround the site, and although it wasn’t designated as ancient woodland, there was a remnant piece of woodland area on the site.

In consultation with the local authority, Lizard Landscape Design has agreed to replant at either end of the site. There is some substantial woodland block planting to replicate the layout pattern of the woodland historically on that site, which is due to be completed before December 2012. >

Warwick House Redevelopment

The building itself has been designed to enhance the landscape setting. There is a chalk grassland embankment that runs along the edge of the existing A270 highway carriageway.

This is being retained and protected and within some of the site areas, Lizard Landscape Design is actually drawing that influence into the site by creating a chalk grassland butterfly bank to the northern edge of the building, which is publicly accessible.

One of the constraints has been the site itself, which was left fallow for quite some time and has a population of protected species of reptile.

There are also slow worms and common lizards within that development site. It is being retained and enhanced within the site for reptiles, with the chalk grassland embankment packed full of reptiles.

In order to construct the key project itself, reptiles effectively had to be excluded from the construction zone. The habitats enhanced beyond that construction zone in order that Lizard Landscape Design maintain the population of reptiles in a suitable habitat. All of this mitigation has been developed and devised with Brighton and Hove’s ecologists.

The state-of-the-art historical resource centre will house over six miles of archives and historical resources dating back over 900 years. These records document the lives of individuals, places and events from across the community, including written records, maps and plans, photographs and films, prints and drawings, oral histories, digital and electronic records, as well as local, national and international collections.

The Main Contractor for the work is Kier Construction (Southern). Work commenced in October 2011 and is scheduled to complete May 2013.

Because it is a repository block there are various climatic conditions that need to be met, regarding storing important documents.

To ensure this, a set amount of testing has

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to be done to make sure the environmental conditions are met. Kier should finish by February 2013, and in May, there will be various testing taking place to make sure that all conditions are met, before historical documents are moved into the building.

The County Council has started work on Warwick House, a new £6M development in Seaford, which will include a stunning new state-of-the-art library, a day centre for older people, and supported living flats for people with learning disabilities.

Built on the site of the old library in Sutton Park Road, the building should be opened by the end of next year.

The flats have their own entrance and lift facilities, and will be provided on three floors.

People with a learning disability will be able to live independently in the community with support and care being provided by a staff team. The tenants will be able to enjoy increased independence and choice by living in the community.

Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility (ERF), which forms an integral part of the overall waste management and treatment solution for East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove Council, was officially opened in July 2012.

The Newhaven project represents a £160M capital investment in the area and various orders placed locally during the construction phase totalled over £10M. During this time 500 temporary posts were created during construction and 40 new jobs have been created with all 40 people now employed permanently on the site, of which 70% live locally.

The facility is contributing to maximising landfill diversion while saving the taxpayer more than £2.5M each year in waste disposal costs.

The ERF operates under highly controlled conditions and converts waste left over after recycling into electricity for the National Grid. The facility will provide enough electricity to power 25,000 homes with the

opportunity to provide heat for nearby users.

Emissions are monitored constantly and the Environment Agency has stringent requirements for the operation of the plant.

Council Leader Peter Jones said: “I am very pleased to be opening the energy recovery facility, which reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill, produces electricity, and will save taxpayers £2.5M in waste disposal costs this year alone.

“Virtually nothing leaves ERF as a waste.

Ferrous metals are extracted by magnets and sold on as scrap metal and the incinerator bottom ash is used in road construction.

“We have nearly doubled our recycling rates since joining the integrated waste contract with Veolia and Brighton & Hove and we are fulfiling our pledge that there will be no new landfill or land raise in East Sussex for municipal waste.

“The coming years will therefore see a further transformation in how we deal with waste as we work towards our goal of ever more sustainable waste resource management.”

Meanwhile, a brand new £10M development of specialised housing for older people has been officially opened in Eastbourne.

Cranbrook is the latest extra care scheme providing modern independent living to elderly and frail residents.

There are 62 one- and two-bedroom apartments designed to make life easier for people who want to remain independent in their own homes but need some support. For some people this means they do not have to go into a traditional residential care home.

The first ever resident, David Rycroft, 70, who moved into Cranbrook earlier this year said: “It’s great to be here. It’s like living in a luxury hotel!”

Residents at Cranbrook have access to 24hour care and support delivered by an on-site team and a range of facilities including a restaurant, which provides a freshly cooked lunchtime meal. The local community in Langney also uses the restaurant. >

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Interior & Exterior Painting Contractors, General Building, Upvc Replacements, Property Maintenance.

About Colours Decorating Ltd Where we came from Colours began in 1987 as a partnership carrying out small painting contracts for a local authority. The quality of our workmanship and the reliability of the company allowed us to successfully apply for approved contractor status with further local authorities and Housing Associations.

While carrying out painting contracts repairs were often needed before we could complete the decorations. Our clients struggled to find reliable contractors to do this work, so Colours invested in qualified tradesmen and tradeswomen to carry out pre-paint repairs.

From simply being reliable decorators, with quality workmanship and meeting the needs of our clients, Colours Decorating Ltd has developed into a full service provider in the building refurbishment and maintenance area.

Where we are now In the year 2000, we became a limited company and acquired new premises which incorporate offices, conference area and building plant & materials storage area.

With annually increased audited accounts posted at Companies House, we are financially stable and with employees of varying trades we are able to undertake any type and size of contract.

Our accreditations, seen on the right, attest that we are committed to being with the very best in quality and service.

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The development at Cranbrook is a partnership between between the County Council, Saxon Weald and Eastbourne Borough Council.

At a launch ceremony on 5th July, residents and staff enjoyed a tea party to celebrate the grand opening, with councillors from the County and Borough Councils, including Eastbourne Mayor Councillor Mike Thompson and Saxon Weald managers.

Councillor Bentley, East Sussex County Council Leader member for Adult Social Care said: “This is a double celebration.

Firstly the opening of Cranbrook, which is the fifth extra care home facility in the country.

“This means there is now one in every district and borough in East Sussex. The other celebration is the partnership working, which has made all this possible. This has allowed people to get their lives back with independent living and to enjoy Eastbourne. So I would like to congratulate all the partners in this project for their contribution.”

Another project now underway is the multimillion pound scheme to transform school buildings at the new St Leonards Academy.

More than £15M is to be spent redeveloping, refurbishing and extending the Academy’s Edinburgh Road campus. Once complete it will mean that the Academy can operate from one site in state-of-the-art redeveloped buildings.

East Sussex County Council is providing much of the funding for the scheme, who is also project managing the scheme that started on site in June 2012.

The County Council is a co-sponsor of the St Leonards Academy, which has the University of Brighton as lead sponsor and BT as another sponsor. The new Academy was formed in September 2011

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and replaced two secondary schools – Filsham Valley and The Grove.

It is partnered with the Hastings Academy (formerly Hillcrest School).

Work on a new building for Hastings Academy began last summer.

Currently, the St Leonards Academy is operating on the two previous school sites but the intention is for it to move on to one site once the building work is finished in the autumn of 2013.

The building project will involve major remodelling and redevelopment of the existing buildings to create new classrooms, new central learning and social spaces, and major upgrades of the ICT infrastructures and equipment.

It will also involve some new buildings and extensions including a four-court sports hall and drama hall, and a multi-agency facility to offer support for families in the local community. External spaces will also be improved, including a courtyard at the heart of the building.

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UKC health

Bedford Hospital NHS Trust Bedford Hospital is a 403-bed, high performance acute district general hospital.

The Hospital has a rich and storied heritage that dates back to August 1803 when the facility first opened. With a staff some 2,000 members strong and a current turnover of £121.2M, Bedford Hospital has become a focal point of the local community, servicing over 270,000 people across north and mid Bedfordshire.

As part of Bedford Hospital’s ongoing capital programme, a comprehensive refurbishment has taken place with a view to providing a new state-of-the-art CT scanner suite. Since 2007 Bedford Hospital has endured an approximate 33% increase in CT scanner use. In response

Gamma Plus Appeal. This substantial contribution has allowed the Hospital to install a cutting edge Gamma Camera which, when combined with a CT scanner, produces images in brilliant clarity and allows for a more accurate diagnosis to be made.

The provision of the new CT scanner suite demonstrates Bedford Hospital NHS Trust’s commitment to continued development.

Indeed, Bedford Hospital is midway through the Foundation Trust application process which will allow the Hospital greater autonomy. In conjunction with this, a purported £38.5M has been dedicated to a number of exciting future developments.

to this rising demand, the refurbishment looks to provide improved facilities and additional space for a second CT scanner which will see a significant reduction in patient waiting times.

The refurbishment began in early 2012 with the distinguished Luton based T & E Neville acting as Main Contractor. In the months since work continued apace, despite an active and challenging site, thanks in part to a considerate construction team which included Murphy Philipps Architects, Davis Langdon and Edmondsdale Electrical.

Completion of the £1.5M CT scanner suite was reached in summer 2012.

In the past year the Bedford Hospitals Charity has also raised £600,000 as part of its

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CONTRACTORS & ENGINEERS Established in 1963, Edmondsdale Electrical Ltd is a registered member of NICEIC, ECA and Constructionline.

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E-mail: electrics@edmondsdale.co.uk 143

UKC retail

Shoprite New store space in the Isle of Man The extension and refit of Peel’s Derby Road Shoprite store has doubled its size, while bringing much needed refurbishment and re-planning internally.

The development allowed for a radical fit out to maximise the retail area and consequently allows for a greater choice of produce, and through the increased floor area, additional employment opportunities.

Shoprite is bringing its new ‘Fresh Marketplace’ concept to Peel as part of the redevelopment that has increased the store from 8,000sq ft to more than 17,500sq ft.

The building has been extended on three sides, including an increase in parking spaces as well as a complete redesign of the fixtures, fittings and layout of the existing store.

Shoprite says: “The design, style and branding of the store will be based on the highly successful concept store that Shoprite has pioneered in Port Erin over the last 18 months.

“The new Fresh Marketplace will include a wide variety of Manx produce and artisan products as well as an in store bakery and hot and cold delicatessen counter.”

The store has a new fresh fish counter, including locally caught queenies, crab and pollock. It also carries sustainable fish such as tuna, and tilapia alongside freshly prepared fish cakes, queenie dishes and fish pies.

The store also has a meat counter stocked with a wide choice of Manx red meat and trained butchers are on hand to help with any specific requests, recipes, or cooking advice, and to cut and prepare the meat at customers’ request.

In addition, there is a large selection of prepared pork, beef and lamb dishes in a pre-packed chilled format, while there is also a hot and cold delicatessen with cheeses, as well as delicacies in charcuterie and antipasti from around the UK and Europe, courtesy of Waitrose.

Shoprite is increasing its core range in the store, with a particular focus on Waitrose lines and increased range of Manx sourced products.

The new store also contains a Subway Café, offering Subway sandwiches and snacks along with coffee, tea and cold drinks.

Andrew Thomas, Chief Executive of Shoprite,

said: “We are very grateful for the vision and support for their community shown by Peel Town Commissioners who agreed to a mutually beneficial land swap that will enable us to offer a much broader range of high quality food, as well as increasing car parking space, for our customers in the west of the island.

“We have worked closely with planners and architects as well as Peel commissioners to implement a sympathetic extension in keeping with the extensive store design and believe that residents in the local area will now have a food market store that they deserve.

“The redevelopment is part of a seven figure investment in the west of the island, which will not only benefit the local community, but provide significant economic benefit to the island’s economy as a whole as well as maintaining Shoprite’s position as the island’s leading indigenous retailer.”

Designed by Cornerstone Architects and built by Island Drainage and Groundworks, the development was completed in July 2012.

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We have been very pleased to work with Island Drainage & Groundworks on this exciting expansion of a well established retailer in the Island and wish them all continued success in the future Balthane Ind Estate, Ballasalla, Isle of Man, IM9 2AJ

Tel: 01624 822854 Fax: 01624 824995 Email: gary@wilsonandcollins.com

UKC housing

Repton Park An exciting choice Persimmon Homes, one of the UK’s premier housebuilders, has completed a luxury new development in Ashford, perfectly demonstrating Persimmon’s reputation of evolving its housetypes, while creating homes that can meet the aspirations of all homebuyers.

Repton Park, situated on Templer Way, boasts ten different types of property, with everything from apartments, to detached family homes.

There are one- and two-bedroom apartments available, as well as two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom properties.

One of the homes, is the Chestnut, a superbly spacious three-bedroom townhouse that is specifically designed for those wishing to run a business from their home.

The ground floor layout has two separate working areas, a utility area and cloakroom, while the first and second floor offer spacious living accommodation.

Ashford, in Kent, was recently voted one of Britain’s best places to live. Combining the attractive features of a market town with the modern facilities of an international gateway, it boasts two large malls, a host of interesting specialist shops, and the acclaimed McArthur Glen Designer Outlet centre.

A diverse selection of cafes, bars and restaurants gives Ashford a cosmopolitan buzz, while entertainment venues include the Eureka Leisure Centre with its 12screen cinema and nightclub.

The area offers some of the best fitness facilities in the South East, from two firstclass leisure centres to a range of private health clubs. Ashford is also renowned for its high educational standards, with more than 50 state and independent schools to choose from.

From rolling hills to wooded valleys, hop gardens to historic houses, it’s easy to see why the countryside around Ashford is known as ‘the garden of England’.

central heating and mains powered smoke Dotted with charming villages, this verdant alarms with battery back-up, fitted in the landscape offers endless unspoilt walks, at hallway and landing. the end of which people can sit and watch Regency style white satin internal doors and the world go by in a centuries-old inn.

Ashford is exceptionally well connected, with chrome ironmongery are provided throughout. A number of electrical sockets trains to five different London stations and are provided, with phone and TV outlet the Eurostar link to Lille, Paris and points in the lounge and master bedroom.

Brussels. Gatwick is just over an hour’s Gardens are landscaped and/or turfed to drive away and Heathrow around 90 minutes, while Hastings and the south coast the front and top soiled at the rear with patio area. are within easy reach by road.

Persimmon offer the Finishing Touches collection for the development, allowing buyers to personalise their homes inside and out, and enhancing it by adding or upgrading selected items from an extensive range.

Choices from the Finishing Touches collection include carpets, kitchen We are pleased to be associated with upgrades, fixtures and appliances as Persimmon Homes and wish them well as a multitude of other popular fixtures and fittings. continued success for the future Fitted kitchens are included, combining style and practicality, so it’s both functional and welcoming, featuring a built-in oven, hob, extractor hub and a range of Victoria House, 12 Hatherley Road, useful units.

Sidcup, Kent DA14 4DT Bathrooms have crisp white sanitaryware with chrome taps to suit and wall tiles fitted.

The properties benefit from full gas fired

Tel: 0208 301 2041

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UKC education

New era of education in Mansfield A new state-of-the-art building is being built to relocate Shirebrook Academy and Stubbin Wood Special Educational Needs School on the site of Shirebrook School in Mansfield.

The Academy will accommodate 900 pupils between the age of 11 and 16, as well as up to 60 students over the age of 16. It will offer a broad and balanced curriculum, offering vocational and academic qualifications, with a design that reflects the Academy’s specialism in science and construction.

Stubbin Wood SEN School will accommodate 120 primary, secondary and post-16 pupils, catering for those with moderate, severe and profound learning difficulties. The School will comprise of buildings that fully meet the physical, behavioural and cognitive needs of a wide range of pupils.

A therapy suite, including a hydrotherapy pool, will be included within the School, providing a vital asset that can be shared with the Academy as well as the local community.

While each school will maintain its individual identity in the new campus, the new campus will allow both schools to share spaces and facilities on the site. The campus will play a significant role within its local community, providing additional learning opportunities, facilities for professional and skills development, sports and leisure facilities.

Shirebrook Academy is formed by two teaching wings with a central atrium in between that forms the heartspace of the building. It has many different uses, from dining, main entrances, learning, and social space.

Stubbin Wood SEN is a single-storey building connected to the Academy but wrapped around an external courtyard, which forms the School’s heartspace.

Although external, the external courtyard is the main feature of the SEN School. At the entrance there will be the 72sq m hydrotherapy school and there are small breakout spaces overlooking the landscape throughout the School.

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The central heartspace is the Academy’s main feature, with amphitheatre steps, rooflights and glass and timber balustrades.

The extensive number of glazed screens at all floors creates a great visual connectivity between the spaces and passive supervision. The art rooms also enjoy some external terraces.

Due to the SEN School, the whole project is DDA compliant. There will be several hygiene rooms and disabled facilities such as hoists, while Derbyshire County Council also have some specific and extra requirements in terms of accessibility, which will be included.

There will be multiuse games areas, and an all weather pitch with floodlights. The central courtyard to the SEN School will have different year group zones, incorporating different textures, pavements, colours, materials and water features.

Car parking for staff and visitors will be available, and there will be a separate drop-off point for Stubbin Wood SEN School.

The development will be a steel structure, with pre-cast planks for thermal mass.

There will be blockwork wall to staircases and toilet cores, and the external fabric will include brickwork,

with blue brick in general and red brick to the double height volumes such as the sports hall, hydrotherapy pool and main hall.

The Architect is Bond Bryan Architects and the Main Contractor is Bowmer and Kirkland. Work commenced in June 2011 and will complete in April 2013.

UKC profile

Bradshaw Gass & Hope LLP Celebrating 150 years in business Founded in 1862, the Practice was one of the first modern, truly multi-disciplinary practices with separate departments of architects, quantity surveyors, structural and service engineers.

Having been based at its current offices in Silverwell Street, Bolton, since 1871, Bradshaw Gass & Hope LLP was founded on the cotton industry, with commissions including mills, schools, churches, town halls, civic centres, libraries, hospitals and museums.

By the late 19th century, the Practice had achieved a position of national pre-eminence.

Notable commissions have included Manchester Royal Exchange, the Le Mans Crescent Complex and town hall extension in Bolton, as well as new town halls in Edinburgh, Stretford, Luton and Wimbledon.

The Practice, from inception, has operated a truly integrated practice with the architect leading complete in-house design team encompassing the many disciplines that can be offered.

Outside of a collective service, the Practice offers any combination of services working in association with external consultants to the client’s preference.

Today, Bradshaw Gass & Hope LLP delivers consultancy services of the highest standard, with particular emphasis on sharing expert knowledge and adding value to the design and construction process.

The principal professional services of the Practice are architectural design, structural engineering design, civil engineering design, cost management, and general quantity surveying.

Recent commissions have included schools,

colleges, civic buildings, industrial buildings, office accommodation, housing and sports facilities, and particularly in the industrial/commercial sector, commissions have been received from large clients such as Hitachi Automotive Systems (Europe) Ltd, Royal Mail, Eaton Transmissions Ltd, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, Greater Manchester Police, Royal Mail, The Territorial Army, Eaton Transmissions Ltd and the NatWest Bank.

This RIBA chartered Practice has also been heavily engaged in Building Schools for the Future and educational projects from early years to further education with commissions from £6M to £23M. This year, the 150th in business for the Practice, has been a very productive one, with work undertaken to extend Westhoughton Leisure Centre, re-ordering Trinity Methodist Church in Ellesmere Port, as well as major structural repairs and remodelling and a new teaching block at Holy Cross College in Bury, to name just some examples.

Last year, the Practice worked on the Youth Intervention Centre for 42nd Street Charitable Organisation

DEVELOPMENT DESIGN ASSOCIATES CONSULTING ENGINEERS

in Manchester. This work has been rewarded with the ultimate prize of Building of the Year 2012 in the coveted Manchester Society of Architects Awards 2012 and has also recently been awarded Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Building of the Year 2012.

The centre is an open door facility where young people between the ages of 19 and 25 can come for advice and help. The centre provides administrative accommodation for staff as well as social spaces and one to one counselling areas. The design’s success was due to a collaborative effort from all team members and the client’s desire to create a building that expressed the particular issues they deal with daily in the local community.

Bradshaw Gass & Hope LLP, 19 Silverwell Street, Bolton, BL1 1PR. Tel: 01204 525488.

building your horizons

Congratulating Bradshaw Gass & Hope on 150 years of professional services

H.H. Smith & Sons Co. Ltd. Hazel Terrace, 337 London Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, SK7 4PS Tel: 0161-483 2030 Fax: 0161-456 4884 E-mail: admin@ddace.co.uk Website: www.ddace.co.uk

Smith’s Yard, rear of 95 Bury Old Road, Whitefield, Manchester M45 7AY Telephone: 0161 280 3509 Fax: 0161 280 6226 Email: info@hhsmith.co.uk www.hhsmith.co.uk

CONGRATULATIONS TO BRADSHAW GASS & HOPE LLP ON 150 YEARS IN PRACTICE AND EVERY SUCCESS FOR THE FUTURE

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UKC education

Swansea University A world class university The research-led Swansea University has been making a difference since 1920, offering a community that thrives on exploration and discovery and offers the right balance of excellent teaching and research, matched by an enviable quality of life.

Always seeking to improve its facilities, Swansea University is coming to the end of a project to transform the Faraday Lecture block on the Singleton Park campus.

The previously existing façade around the entire building is being replaced with a contemporary, coloured glass curtain wall and cladding system, adding much needed vibrancy to the building and the mall area.

Built over 40 years ago, the existing Faraday building possessed a tired and monotonous design detracting from the overall appearance of the campus and surrounding buildings, and was not considered fit for an ambitious, developing university.

Instead, new material, colour and pattern are being introduced to this central section of the campus.

In addition to enhancing the physical appearance of the building, the project is set to extend the useful life of the facility, while dramatically improving environmental performance, potentially reducing carbon emissions by up to 22% while improving visual, thermal and acoustic properties. A remodelled main entrance will improve access while adding additional space to the second floor.

The £2.75M scheme started in January 2012 and will be completed next month.

That isn’t the only work at the heart of the Singleton Campus as September saw the

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completion of significant work on the ground floor of Fulton House, developing the space and providing three brand new retail outlets and an improved home for the Students’ Union Advice & Support Centre Service.

As well as investing in new services, the project also improved the aesthetic and mechanical condition of the building, which first opened in 1965.

At the heart of the scheme is a significantly improved ‘mini market’. This 200sq m development offers a large range of convenience and fresh foods, including fruit, vegetables, breads, meats, and an international foods range recreating the success of Niche. This has provided a great resource for all those living on and off campus.

Additionally, there is separate provision for an official university/students’ union merchandise store and a brand new ‘grab and go’ café complimenting the existing campus offering.

The new features will help to significantly enhance the student, staff and visitor experience by providing greater choice, better value and improved accessibility.

The Students’ Union Advice and Support Centre, which was located to the east of Fulton House, has now been moved to refurbished offices in the west of the building, formally occupied by the University Health Centre.

The new space has not only significantly improved the visibility and accessibility of the service but has also provided an improved working environment for staff and students, offering the potential to expand the services on offer to the student population.

Charlotte Britton, Students’ Union Welfare Officer welcomed the new development. She said: “We’re very excited that the move will allow us to change and grow to make the service even better for students.”

Work began in June 2012 and was completed last month.

Swansea University has managed to secure not just one but two top awards in the competitive constructing excellence field.

The iconic Institute of Life Science building was awarded the Wales BREEAM Healthcare 2008 award for new buildings in 2012 at the Constructing Excellence in Wales annual awards dinner at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff.

Located between the campus and Singleton Hospital, this sustainable building is suitable for highly specialised functions of clinical research, clinical trials and the Centre for NanoHealth.

Key features include low waste, low water, low energy, renewable energy and dedicated sustainability advice through to handover.

The university also scooped the Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW) 2012 award for ‘Integration and Collaborative Working’ at the same event.

This award was won by the university for its Contractor and Consultant Framework, which showcases the wide range of new build, reconfiguration, refurbishment, student experience and maintenance project, which have taken place over recent years.

The recent extensive high quality projects have been delivered using the added value and collaborative working ethos, which comes from the Framework.

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UKC profile

Staffordshire County Council Launch pad for prosperity Staffordshire County Council’s progress in bringing greater facilities to Staffordshire has continued with the opening of a major regional business and innovation hub. i54 South Staffordshire will be the base for Jaguar Land Rover’s advanced engine plant, with other global businesses also choosing it as their base.

Jaguar Land Rover will invest £355M in its new facility as well as create 750 jobs onsite, which will open in 2014. Many more advanced manufacturing companies will follow. Moog, a manufacturer of products for the commercial aircraft industry and Eurofins UK, a leading scientific testing and analysis company, are already up and running on-site.

At the end of August, leaders from Staffordshire County Council, Wolverhampton City Council and South Staffordshire Council toured the site to see how construction work was progressing. i54 South Staffordshire will greatly enhance the prospects for the area, creating jobs and attracting millions of pounds’ worth of investment.

The three councils are working in partnership to develop the site. As a result of this, a new local access bridge across the M54 is currently being built. Construction on a dedicated motorway junction for the site on to the M54 also commenced in October.

A significant part of the site is already

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occupied, with the remaining plots being actively marketed to advanced manufacturing businesses together with offices, hotel/leisure and other suitable uses. Remaining plots could be split or grouped according to the types of business locating there.

Moog Aircraft Group officially opened its new centre in September following an open day.

Andy Hughes, Moog Aircraft Group’s Operations Director said: “The i54 South Staffordshire business park gives us the opportunity to offer location continuity to existing employees as well as an ideal future off-ramp exit from the M54 motorway.

“We have a beautiful new building that affords us the unique opportunity to incorporate optimised flow-line technologies and development labs.”

Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economic growth and enterprise Ben Adams said: “Moog’s official opening on-site is a key milestone for i54 South Staffordshire and demonstrates it is very much open for business.

“It’s great to see a world leading company up and running on-site, joining Eurofins and soon to be followed by Jaguar Land Rover.”

Other work in the county includes the education facilities, with Staffordshire University Academy in Hednesford, being part

rebuilt and completely refurbished after it was awarded £9.7M in government funding.

In July, students and staff saw the last parts of the old school building, which was formerly Blake Valley Technology College, marking the beginning of the construction work. Initial groundwork started in the spring after the Council approved the planning application in March.

Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills Liz Staples said: “It’s exciting for everyone associated with the Academy as we’re seeing the beginning of the construction phase of the new building and extensive refurbishment.

“Students and staff at Staffordshire University Academy are really looking forward to being in a new and improved building. However, this is about far more than buildings.

“The Academy will look to raise the profile of education in Cannock Chase and Staffordshire. We look forward to working with the Academy, the community and the district council to extend further the huge successes already achieved.”

Staffordshire University Academy replaced Blake Valley Technology College in the existing buildings in September 2011 in a move designed to attract funding to improve facilities at the School.

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UKC housing

St George’s Barracks Celebrating the end of a two-year refurbishment programme The existing three-storey junior rates accommodation building has undergone complete refurbishment to improve the facilities.

Built in the 1970s the work was necessary to upgrade the aging facilities, windows, and fabric of the building to make it habitable for today’s expectations.

The work at St George’s Barracks has seen a total of four junior ranks single living accommodation being redeveloped to provide ensuite rooms for single occupancy with a sitting room, kitchen and drying area for every five rooms.

St George’s Barracks houses an internet café, TV screens showing the most popular sporting fixtures, a pool table and fruit machines.

Limburn Boiler & Heating Services Ltd provided the supply, installation, balance, test and commissioning of the building services.

Work included the provision of heating installation and ventilation systems, provision of water services, including sanitary ware, and provision of the BMS system.

The existing incoming mains water supply

into the building has been extended to the new external packaged plant room to the rear of the building with a double check valve, drain cock and meter assembly. The new meter is capable of providing a pulsed output for remote monitoring.

Hot water is supplied from a direct fired gas water heater located in the new external packaged plant room to hot water outlets throughout the building. Temperatures within the distribution pipework are maintained using a pumped secondary hot water return pipe.

A new, dedicated heating distribution and a new pumped constant temperature boiler circulation circuit in the plant room serves a distribution header located within the retained internal plant room of the building, from which weather compensated variable temperature secondary pumped circuits serve the heat emitters.

Interconnecting primary circuit pipework from the boiler plant in the external plant room to the low loss header in the internal plant room

runs below ground in pre-insulated pipework suitable for purpose.

Heating to the drying rooms is provided by wall mounted, low level electricity heated, finned tubular heaters, and these heaters are controlled by local room thermostats.

The heaters are provided complete with wire guards to prevent loose clothing and other items directly on the heater surface.

A BMS system has been installed to provide the control functions to manage the building services plant and monitoring of the water, gas and electrical consumption.

Work on the development was challenging because timescales had to be met even though work started later than expected, and a number of trades had to work together in small locations, but all of this was overcome with sound teamwork and planning.

The Main Contractor was Mitie Property Services and the Architect was Atkins. Work started in October 2010 and was completed in April 2012.

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UKC education

University of Bedfordshire Investing heavily to improve the Luton campus facilities Following the success of the first phase building, Phase IIA has provided a five-level postgraduate centre with continuous professional development facilities.

These were required in order to bring postgraduates to the Luton campus, consolidating all in one facility and giving flexibility for continuous professional development and seminars.

Primarily a teaching block with student services on the ground floor, there is also a lounge, games room, a cafĂŠ and exhibition space, with connectivity to the existing adjacent buildings.

There are two Harvard-style teaching rooms, one for 80 people and the other for 55.

Above the ground floor are teaching blocks in general, as well as IT/computer rooms.

There are also boardrooms with nice vistas onto the Grade I listed church.

In addition, two buildings have also been refurbished on the live campus, situated adjacent to the Phase IIA development, providing a modernisation as well as a new building.

Designed by RMJM and benefiting from the professional project management services of Davis Langdon, the building has been

Sorba UK is an independent designer, manufacturer and installer of aluminium, stainless-steel, powdercoated, steel-facade and glass systems.

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shaped from an iconic perspective, making it visually very impressive.

Many challenges arose from development.

Building with archaeology in such close proximity was a considerable risk that was managed because the planning was very well managed.

This involved consultation with Luton Borough Council and English Heritage. It is all part of the campus masterplan and the intent was to have a joined up approach to the overall campus development as well as fitting in with the local environment.

In addition, working on a live campus,

adjacent to the two live buildings on a live road would usually be challenging, but the Main Contractor, Kier, is well versed in working on higher education developments on live campuses.

At approximately 4,254sq m, the building comprises primarily of insitu concrete but there is some steel framing on the upper levels and a Sorba high performance cladding was used externally.

Before this, a small three-storey student union block had to be demolished on the site, before work could commence.

The carbon reduction commitment from the university is very high, so the new building consists of an air source heat pump and photovoltaic cells, and the actual building itself is high performance.

Work started in September 2011 and was completed in January 2013.

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UKC profile

Neville Lumb Specialising in all aspects of sanitaryware With a heritage that dates back to 1882, Neville Lumb is the UK’s market leader in the supply of sanitaryware, brassware, showering and associated products to all market sectors.

The Company works closely with architects, developers, designers, and consultants straight through to installers and clients to develop and deliver the specifications and products required for each individual project.

Incorporating renowned names such as Cakebread Robey and Folkard-Bolding, the Company offers a national service to all major conurbations in the UK. Since its foundation, Neville Lumb has stood out as a centre of excellence within the commercial and domestic market sectors in which it operates and is constantly evolving to meet the customer’s needs, including the introduction of new branches and distribution points opening across the country to help the Company improve its service.

Services are aimed at everyone from retail customers to large contractors, and also cover a wide variety of sectors including office, healthcare, special care, hotel and leisure, education, security, sports and fitness, with Neville Lumb boasting extensive knowledge and experience in all of these areas.

The Company operates from a total of seven offices nationwide, in Acton, Bolton, Bristol, Glasgow, and Rochester, with the northern head office based in Swadlincote and the

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southern head office in Enfield. All offices offer a localised service, while the national service comes from the Swadlincote office.

The 70 employees at Neville Lumb have an average of ten years experience, with many staff members having in excess of 20 years in the industry.

With their extensive knowledge, the Company’s service is second to none and its problem solving abilities means it stands out from the competition. The experienced estimating team is class leading, with their knowledge of products, prices and suppliers from around the world, while the Company’s sales team is always on hand to answer specific queries, visit clients and deliver best practice.

The Company has built excellent working relationships over the years with all leading suppliers. In doing this, Neville Lumb constantly offer its staff both on-site and manufacture-led training, keeping their knowledge and skills at the forefront of the industry. Customers are also offered the chance to receive training direct from suppliers on both product and installation.

Each and every project that Neville Lumb has been involved in brings a source of pride, no matter what the scale is. Some of the larger and prestigious contracts include the Wembley Stadium development, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, the Olympic Village, Waldorf & Hilton Hotels, and the Shard.

Neville Lumb was originally established at

its office in Swadlincote, near Derby, as a single branch. Through acquisitions and the opening of new sites, Neville Lumb now has the seven branches spread across the country.

Over the years, the Company has built an excellent reputation for reliability, knowledge and customer service. Superb working relationships are enjoyed with all of the key manufacturers in the industry, helping the Company offer the best possible service.

Due to the success of the Company, there are future plans to further grow the business to increase accessibility to customers and to improve the already unparalleled service.

In the future, Neville Lumb will look to build on its reputation for the best service by constantly employing new staff to help stay at the forefront of this excellent customer service.

The Company works closely with existing staff on personal development and encourages growth through internal and external training.

As Neville Lumb grows as a business, the Company will look to open more branches to help improve its distribution across the country.

Neville Lumb, Hill Top Works, Church Gresley, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 8EG. Tel: 01283 552525. Website: www.nevillelumb.co.uk