UK Construction Journal V17N09

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V17 N09

DESIGN. DEVELOP. DELIVER. DEPEND. All Hydex速 products are designed, produced and assembled to the highest quality standard - Read more on page 6


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NEWS - 8

Editor Gareth Trevor-Jones

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Design. Develop. Deliver. Depend. Here at Hydex®, that’s what we do. Our team’s experience at designing and building onto Cat® power modules is second to none and why our reputation for supporting our customers’ requirements and offering products at the quality you’d expect on a Caterpillar® machine is spreading to all four corners of the globe. Here at Hydex®, we specialise in building derivative products and offering customised solutions primarily on the Cat® ADT chassis. Within the UK, we work alongside the UK Caterpillar® dealer, Finning (UK) Ltd, to offer Hydex® products on new units as well as supplying directly on existing and used machines. Hydex® was formed in 2008 at the request of Caterpillar® to provide their dealer network and customer base with products to extend the standard factory product range. Hydex® run a dedicated design team (based in Leicester) who have have vast experience in not only design but application engineering and analysis meaning that we can rise to any challenge. But with Hydex® it’s not just our products that stand us away from the crowd. With Hydex® you’re dealing with a company who care. Really care. Customer satisfaction and product support are the jewels of our crown and we know from experience that satisfied clients breed more satisfied clients. Our order book is primarily filled with repeat business, both from Caterpillar® dealerships worldwide and end users who come back for more, knowing that they can rely on us.

How Do We Work?

Whatever your market sector and whatever your problem, if you’re running Cat® ADTs but the standard product range isn’t quite hitting the mark, we can help. Our team are problem solvers – we’re here to improve your productivity, reduce your running costs and improve the safety of your operation. With a dedicated sales team for the UK, we have the right people on the ground to visit you on site to work with you to find the best commercial and technical solution for your application. Our team have over 30 years of building onto Cat® power modules (having previously owned Tiger Engineering Pty in Perth, Australia, building and marketing the Tiger Wheel Dozers before these units became the Cat® 844 and 854) so you know you’re in safe hands. Not only can we advise on solutions to solve your problems or increase your productivity but our relationship with Caterpillar® means that the solution you receive will be as integrated as possible; electrics, hydraulics, flexible mounting, in-cab displays… Hydex® are in the business of maximising your return on investment in the shortest amount of time possible; we want you to not only see the Hydex® difference on your site but also to experience it on your month-end balance sheet. Using Cat® componentry whenever possible, a Hydex® solution remains easy to service with spare parts easy to come by. Any parts which can’t be obtained from Caterpillar® are held by Hydex® in the UK, thus promising you a rapid response.

So what is it we offer? First off, we are a custom-design specialist. Although we have a standardised range of products ready to go, we are also able to offer a specific design service. Even if one of our normal range is the most appropriate for your application, all our units can be tweaked to match your site, density, haul, operator or policy requirements. There is no job too large or too small; if your Cat® ADT isn’t quite matching what you need it to do, Hydex® are the people to call. Here’s a taster of projects undertaken to date…

Sideboard Extensions and Tailgates

If you want bang for your buck and need to increase the volumetric capacity of your standard body, Hydex® sideboard extensions are the way to go. An increase in volumetric capacity could be required if you’re carrying lightweight material or if you need to protect your haul road or site from spillage. Hydex® has a bolt-on, bolt-off design which means that your trucks can be modified in next to no time (the support strip means no drilling through the standard body) and returned to factory standard just as quickly. Their four-piece design, complete with headboard infill, means that if a section is damaged, it can be replaced quickly and easily without the hassle of cumbersome weld-on extensions. Hydex® also produce a range of high capacity tailgates to help provide a complete volumetric increase solution. Modelled from the standard range of Caterpillar® tailgates, Hydex® blades are simply taller to work in conjunction with our sideboard extensions. However, should you require to remove the sideboard extensions (change in material for example), the Hydex® tailgate can continue to be used independently. Tailgate kits come complete with standard Cat® side-arms and Cat® componentry and are also available as a ‘blade only’ option. The largest customer to date for Hydex® sideboard extensions and tailgate kits to date was the Brazilian Cat® dealer, Sotreq. Over the course of a few months, Sotreq took over 160 sets of Hydex® sideboard extensions and tailgates for their fleet of 740B machines. When asked ‘Why choose Hydex®?’, this was their response: "Our customer won the bidding for a large earthmoving project that will move 3 times the earth moved on the Panama Channel. Due to local soil characteristics, the trucks needed to be optimized for local soil density by ways of increasing its body volume which would reduce drastically


the number of trucks needed and therefore increasing productivity and reducing cost per ton.

indicates to the loader when payload is being reached meaning that you need never worry.

Hydex® was able to offer a strong proposal to support our tight schedule, while still being able to develop a high-quality product that a Cat® machine is supposed to have, with the great features of being tough on impacts and still be able to be easily removed during rainy season so not to risk overloading the truck's target payload."

Water Trucks

Additional Monitoring Systems – HyTrack TPMS and Payload Monitoring

The Hydex® tyre monitoring system, HyTrack, is more than just an in-cab tyre pressure indicator. Having out-performed every other TPMS system it has been trialled against, this real time system with up-to-the-minute technology is completely customisable to your requirements both in terms of who it alerts, what for and when. HyTrack provides real time machine tyre data (temperature and pressure), speed and braking data and GPS positioning. With the ability to access the data held on our remote server from anywhere in the world, plus email and text alerts, HyTrack ensures everyone knows about the status of your machine’s tyres when they need to. But why bother? If you’ve never used a tyre monitoring system before, why start now? In brief, because you can’t afford not to. Not only does HyTrack dramatically increase site safety by alerting you to any change in pressure or pressure outside of the thresholds you’ve set (be that a small maintenance issue at the end of the shift or a potentially catastrophic change) but HyTrack units running on the ground have been shown to improve tyre life by up to 25% and reduce fuel consumption by 8% just by running tyres within their recommended thresholds. HyTrack isn’t restricted to Cat® ADTs, it can be installed on virtually any machine with up to 6 rubber tyres. Best of all, Hydex® are supporting companies who wish to invest in HyTrack for the rest of this year; available on a rental or outright purchase basis… Hydex® also offer a payload monitoring system for Cat® ADTs. Using strain gauges which measure the deflection within the walking beam, our system is accurate to within +/- 3% and means that you can measure your payload as the truck is loaded thus maximising productivity whilst elevating the potential for overloading. Our traffic light system mounted on the roof of the cab

The WT range is a complete line of water trucks from Hydex®. More than just a water tank, it’s a water truck; an integrated machine designed for dust suppression on the most demanding mining, quarrying and construction sites. Featuring the Hydex® patent pending baffle valves in both transverse and longitudinal directions to offer vastly superior stability helping to eliminate truck rollover, making the Hydex® WT one of the safest water truck on the market today.

Block Hander

The Hydex® BH40 Block Handler has been specifically designed to transport mining blocks around the site easily and safely. Built around the CAT® 740B ADT chassis, the BH40 enables operators to carry single or multiple blocks with a maximum payload of 42 tonnes, thus maximising productivity. By integrating into the main CAT® hoist circuit, operating the main hoist lever in the cab causes the two central block supports to open and close simultaneously through the use of four Caterpillar® hydraulic cylinders which ensure easy, steady movement. These cylinders are located safely within the machine frame to help prevent damage from blocks. The system enables operators to carry single or multiple smaller blocks yet still maintain optimum support when a single, larger block is carried. Having been designed by Hydex® and therefore safety and functionality being at the top of our agenda, both sets of supports move in unison to ensure that the centre of the load is correctly positioned over the centre and rear axles. A fixed frame option is also available for sites where block size is more consistent.

High Capacity Bodies

Hydex® high capacity bodies can be custom designed to suit your application and material density. From a custom designed coal body incorporating dramatically increased volumetric capacity whilst keeping the centre of gravity and loading height low through to high capacity bodies on a long wheel base frame suitable for carrying waste on landfill. If you have a requirement that the standard Caterpillar® offering isn’t able to fulfill, Hydex® can help.

www.hydexuk.com

‘CAT, CATERPILLAR, ACERT, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow” and the POWER EDGE trade dress, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.’


UKC NEWS

Interserve completes work on new £5.9M ‘Central Sixth’ at Sandwell College Interserve, the international support services and construction group, has completed work on a new £5.9M sixth form centre, known as ‘Central Sixth’ at Sandwell College near West Bromwich in the West Midlands. Interserve has handed over the project to Sandwell Futures Ltd on time and under budget, having reduced costs throughout the build programme. Some 70% of the sub contractors used by the Company on the scheme were from the Birmingham area and at one stage of the build programme 11% of the work force were apprentices. Gordon Kew, Interserve Managing Director UK Building, said: “Creating local employment opportunities has been a long

term commitment for Interserve. We have been working for a number of years with Sandwell Council, and we’re proud to deliver Sandwell College’s new flagship building; it is especially pleasing to support the ongoing development of education by providing a great new facility like Central Sixth.” The works consisted of internal demolition of an existing theatre and 100m of cantilevered access ramp to allow for the remodelling of the ground floor entrance and new classroom pods. On the building’s upper four floors, new classrooms, business hubs, IT suites and science and art departments have also been created. In a joint statement, Sandwell College and

Kew Gardens appoints ISG to Temperate House precinct project The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has announced its appointment of ISG to carry out a £24M restoration of the Temperate House at Kew Gardens, as the building phase of a wider £36M project. The Temperate House, dating from 1863, is the largest remaining Victorian Glasshouse in the world. It houses Kew’s important collection of temperate zone plants, including some of the world’s rarest, most useful, interesting and beautiful plants. The expert glasshouse team has spent the last year preparing and moving large mature plants, as well as creating a collection of newly propagated plants. These are now temporarily housed in glasshouses ‘behind the scenes’, to be grown, ready to form a rejuvenated collection for planting into the restored Temperate House. Construction works are due to complete in spring 2017, then follows a year of replanting work, with plans for a formal re-opening in May 2018. The restoration project will not only restore the entire building and its statuary, but repair and replace the support systems integral to the workings of such a large glasshouse,

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including ventilation and irrigation, and will bring much improved facilities and accessibility for visitors and staff. The restored Temperate House will then be used once again to display a world class collection of temperate plants, to inspire, educate, and engage the thousands of visitors to Kew – including families, schools, researchers and community groups. Stuart Deverill, ISG’s Southern Regional Managing Director, commented: “The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew has a global reputation for plant research and conservation and to play a role in supporting that important work through this refurbishment project is a real privilege. The Temperate House is the largest remaining Victorian glasshouse and we are delighted to be working to protect this stunning building, while creating an environment where plants, education and tourism can flourish.” The full restoration and landscaping will take several years to complete, with the Temperate House due to re-open in May 2018.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council said: “We believe that our sympathetic conversion of The Public Building, which was first built as a multi-purpose venue and art gallery, will amaze, appeal to and attract pupils and parents, giving us the opportunity to expand and give students a fantastic, inspiring environment which will help them realise their full potential.” The new Central Sixth not only represents a major investment in education, it will also support a variety of arts-based activities, which will be open to the public from 2015. A newly renovated café and exhibition space are also to be opened.


Property consortium secures funding for new Hilton Hotel in Docklands The new Hilton Hotel will be on the doorstep of London’s third business district – Royal Albert Dock. A consortium comprising The GB Group, Marick Real Estate and two private shareholders has secured funding to develop a 190-bed Hampton by Hilton hotel in Docklands. GB London Dockside has secured private sector funding, including £20M from Topland, for the scheme next door to London City Airport at the Royal Albert Dock, where ambitious plans have been given the go-ahead as part of an extensive business-led regeneration of the area. Brandon Riley, Director of hotels at GB Group, said: “This is an exciting development in one of the capital’s prime regeneration locations, and we’re delighted to be working once again with Hilton Worldwide. “The team has worked hard to deliver this scheme in an area that looks set to become one of the most sought after locations in London. We look forward to working closely with all our partners to create a world-class hotel for business and leisure travellers.” Nick Sinfield, Director of Marick Real Estate, said: “This area is set to become London’s third business district and the addition of such a renowned international brand further demonstrates the growth opportunity in this region. We’re pleased to continue our work with Hilton Worldwide and build on our successful projects with them in Waterloo and Gatwick. We look forward to working alongside GB Group on such an important development.” Last year, GB Group secured a mix of public and private sector funding for the £32M Hilton Leeds Arena, currently under construction by GB Building Solutions and due for completion in 2015. GB retains ownership of the Leeds hotel, which is directly next to Leeds Metropolitan University’s Rose Bowl conferencing facility, and just 300m from the 13,500 capacity Leeds Arena.

Portview adds boutique chic to Diesel Black Gold Northern Ireland business Portview Fit-Out carried out the interior fit-out at luxury brand Diesel Black Gold’s first concept store in central London, which was one of the first globally to feature the bespoke design. Upmarket label Diesel Black Gold, which is the advanced contemporary division of Diesel and part of the wider fashion and accessories brand which has stores worldwide, features men’s and women’s wear in a high fashion style. The ambitious interior fit-out was implemented alongside Diesel’s in-house architect and European design companies specially appointed to ensure the retail outlet, located in London’s designer district off Bond Street, had a sumptuous feel. The modern central London store at Conduit Street was handed over in April this year following the final phase of the fit-out. John McMahon, Portview Fit-Out’s Contracts Manger, said it was one of the first Diesel Black Gold stores to be fitted out to such a high specification: “We stripped out the shop back to shell and core over two floors, which included a basement and ground floor levels, before installing new shop fronts, a ceiling and the mechanical and electrical elements with new external windows to the rear elevation.”

Portview Fit-Out also supported an Italian design company which supplied the furnishings to complete the luxury look at the designer brand’s store. The 2,277sq ft space represents the first global concept store for the line and the only retail location in the UK to exclusively showcase the Diesel Black Gold women’s and men’s collections. To bring the brand’s signature to life, Diesel Black Gold teamed up with acclaimed founders of Architecture and Associés, Pierre Beucler and Jean Christophe Poggioli. Industrial and raw materials were utilised as a backdrop for the collection. Concrete panels draw the eye from wall-to-floor accented with intricate cement patterns and parquet flooring. Concrete runs throughout the surface and is juxtaposed by leather furniture with studded accents. Contrasting leather wall panels with moulded tyre-track patterns are highlighted by delicate lighting. Architectural aluminium wall elements give strength to suspended stainless steel fixtures. The Conduit Street boutique gives luxury an edge, bringing to life the brand’s DNA and allowing customers to become immersed in a complete Diesel Black Gold experience.

Great Ormond Street Hospital marks the start of construction work Tess Daly and Vernon Kay joined young patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital as they helped to launch the construction of the Premier Inn Clinical Building, an ambitious world class facility which will form the second part of the Mittal Children’s Medical Centre. The couple, who are patrons for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, were at the construction site of the new building, being delivered by Skanska, where they met young patients at the breaking ground ceremony. The event marked the beginning of works that will see the top four floors of the hospital’s outdated Cardiac Wing being demolished and redeveloped. As main contractor, Skanska will design, construct and fit-out the building, to provide 116 beds, a new surgery centre and a post-anaesthesia care unit. The state-of-the-art building, which will open in 2017, will also include a respiratory ward and a 16-bed isolation unit for children with dermatology and rheumatology

conditions or infectious diseases. The new facilities will provide much needed space for a parent or carer to stay by their child’s bedside overnight, more room for children to play and eat together, and areas for carers to have a break. The Premier Inn Clinical Building is the second development in the Mittal Children’s Medical Centre and will connect floor by floor with the Morgan Stanley Clinical Building which opened in 2012. Once complete, it is anticipated that the entire hospital will be able to treat up to 20% more children with the most complex, rare and often life-threatening conditions. Great Ormond Street Hospital Chief Executive Julian Nettel said: “We are incredibly grateful to all our supporters who have made this day possible. Thanks to their generosity, we will be able to fulfil our vision of providing world class treatment in more comfortable and appropriate facilities suitable for patients and their families. We will also be able to treat more children from across the UK who need our care.”

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UKC NEWS

Crossrail completes tunnels in Docklands and southeast London Crossrail’s train tunnels in Docklands and southeast London are now structurally complete, following the breakthrough by tunnel machine Ellie at Victoria Dock Portal in east London. Tunnel machine Elizabeth has also started the final push west from Whitechapel that will see her and sister machine Victoria complete Crossrail’s train tunnels at Farringdon next year. Tunnel machine Ellie had one of Crossrail’s shortest but most complex drives, 900m from Limmo Peninsula, near Canning Town, to Victoria Dock Portal. Ellie successfully navigated the Docklands Light Railway, Jubilee line and utilities, all in close proximity to the River Thames and River Lea. She completes a set of Crossrail tunnels in east and southeast

London that stretch from Plumstead to Whitechapel, with an additional spur between Stepney Green and Stratford. It is Ellie’s second drive, having already completed a 2.7km stretch from Pudding Mill Lane to Stepney Green. She will now be dismantled and returned to manufacturer Herrenknecht, with the parts recycled for future projects. Simon Wright, Crossrail’s Programme Director said: “The end is in sight for Crossrail’s tunnelling marathon. Having successfully delivered all bored tunnels west of Farringdon and east of Whitechapel, we now begin the final push to complete tunnelling at Farringdon next year. The next challenge is to fit out the tunnels and stations with systems to run Crossrail trains

through central London in 2018.” Tunnel machine Elizabeth is 60% through Crossrail’s longest drive, a distance of 8.3km from Limmo to Farringdon. She has already successfully negotiated Canary Wharf Crossrail station and Stepney Green cavern, before waiting in Whitechapel ahead of the completion of a shaft beneath Durward Street. The drive to Farringdon will reach the deepest point on the Crossrail route, approximately 40m beneath street level near the Barbican in the City of London. Each of Crossrail’s eight tunnel boring machines weighs 1,000 tonnes, is up to 150m long and 7.1m in diameter. They are staffed by teams of 20 working around the clock. Crossrail’s eastern tunnels are built by Dragados Sisk Joint Venture.

Local MP praises College’s dedication to engineering and construction for the Midlands Lorely Burt MP has praised the engineering, construction and motor vehicle facilities at Solihull College’s Woodlands Campus while visiting the year old Engineering and Construction Centre at the site in Smith’s Wood. The visit came days after it was announced last week that the Solihull will be one of nine further education providers involved in a HS2 college being built in Birmingham, helping to provide apprenticeships and skills training in areas such as rail, engineering, construction and management. The dedicated building at the College, which opened last autumn, cost over £5M to construct and has 12 dedicated teaching rooms for motor vehicle/ motorcycle engineering, carpentry, painting and decorating, bricklaying and plastering. While being shown around the teaching rooms, Lorely spoke to students asking about their experiences at the College and their career ambitions. Ms Burt comments: “With the high

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focus on skills within engineering and construction in the West Midlands it is promising to see the standard of facilities and dedication of teaching at Solihull College. I am delighted to have such a great resource for young people in my constituency. The government’s decision to invest in an HS2 college here shows its commitment to building on the West Midlands’ industrial heritage while equipping our young people with cutting edge skills for the future.” It was recently announced that through the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Growth fund, the government is planning to invest in an Aerospace Centre at the College’s Woodlands Campus, therefore highlighting the need for skills in engineering in the Midlands. In addition to this, and the involvement in Birmingham’s HS2 college, Solihull remains committed to offering apprenticeships through working with local employers. College Principal John Callaghan

comments: “We are always delighted to welcome our local politicians to see what we are offering students as the local and wider economy gets more demanding for young people. The Midlands has always been seen as the industrial capital of the country and through our commitment to apprenticeships as well as further and higher educational qualifications, the College hopes to play a continued vital role in the economy”.


Award winning development second phase snapped up A pioneering development project in East London has celebrated stellar sales success months before its completion. Aurelia, the second phase of the Rathbone Market development in Canning Town, has completely sold off-plan reflecting the soaring demand for high-quality homes in the capital. The multi-tower development contains a mixture of one- and two-bedroom apartments and forms part of the 650 home Rathbone Market development which is being delivered by English Cities Fund (ECf), in partnership with Newham Council. ECf is a joint venture between Muse Developments, Legal and General Property and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). Residential Sales and Marketing Director for Muse, David Caught, said: “With Aurelia’s proximity to the Canning Town Underground and DLR, access to Canary Wharf and the City and its unique finish and facilities, we knew the properties would be popular but we have been astounded with the interest we have had from both existing and new residents alike. “It certainly shows a thirst for well situated homes in London and a broader outlook on upcoming locations like Canning Town which has become a real destination. We look forward to seeing the first occupiers opening their doors in the New Year.” Councillor Lester Hudson, Cabinet Member for Finance, Regeneration and Planning, said: “The Canning Town and Custom House regeneration project over the next 15 years aims to transform the area physically and economically creating a sustainable and cohesive community with up to 10,000 new and refurbished homes as well as a new vibrant town centre, more green spaces and opportunities for both existing and new residents. “I’m pleased that our regeneration project has proven so popular and we look forward to welcoming homeowners to the area.” ECf has now put forward plans for a further 216 dwellings as part of Phase Three of the £180M Rathbone Market scheme. The £3.7Bn programme aims to transform the area physically, socially and economically creating a sustainable and cohesive community. The award-winning Phase I, Vermillion, is now complete and Aurelia, Phase II of the regeneration, is due to complete around Christmas. The third phase plans comprise of 162 privately owned properties and 54 affordable properties and work will begin before the end of the year.

First nuclear analysis laboratory to be built using modular construction handed over The first nuclear facility of its kind to be built using modular construction has been handed over and is now undergoing active commissioning at Dounreay in Scotland. The laboratory for the analysis of radioactive materials was constructed using a Yorkon off-site building solution from the Portakabin Group, and is one of the most complex and remote modular building projects ever undertaken in the UK. 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 manufacturer and main contractor, the Portakabin Group. The 1,300sq m building was manufactured off site at the Portakabin Group production centre in York and was craned into position in only four days to minimise disruption to operations at Dounreay. It provides six laboratories to allow DSRL to comply with its statutory and environmental monitoring requirements until the Dounreay site is closed. The scheme will remain in use for up to 25 years until the site decommissioning process has been completed. It will then be deconstructed – the building modules are inherently easy to disassemble, recycle and re-use elsewhere, making the approach highly sustainable.

The scheme accommodates 36 fume cupboards, glove boxes and a specialised nuclear ventilation system with heavier, more complex ductwork compared to other applications of modular construction. It also incorporates acid and non-acid fume extraction, HEPA filtration, and a discharge stack, and each laboratory has one-hour fire containment to the entire building fabric – a first for the modular industry. Commenting on the project, Maryrose Bailey, Senior Project Manager at Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd, said: “The Yorkon solution is very good and has resulted in a really excellent facility. We are impressed with the finished building which feels spacious and solid and benefits from outstanding thermal insulation. You would definitely never know it was built in a factory. We are looking forward to having the facility fully operational after the active commissioning phase.” Simon Ambler, Director of the Portakabin Group, added: “This was one of the most complex and remote projects that we have undertaken in recent years, and we are pleased to have received such positive feedback about the quality of the building. It successfully demonstrates the huge potential of off-site construction for similar highly specialised industrial facilities.”

Edith Maersk – the largest ever ship on the Thames The largest ship ever to enter the Thames arrived at DP World London Gateway, the UK’s new deepwater container port. The 397m long, 56m wide Edith Maersk has a draught of 16m and carries up to 15,500 TEU (20ft equivalent units). DP World London Gateway operates eight of the UK’s largest quay cranes; their air draft and overreach capabilities mean that the port is well equipped to handle the world’s largest vessels of today and tomorrow. CEO Simon Moore: “The arrival of the Edith Maersk is a historic moment. This is one of the world’s largest ships and the biggest ever to enter the Thames. Our high tech facilities give us the capability to handle ships like Edith Maersk only 30 miles from the centre of London. By bringing the biggest ships in the world closer to UK consumers we are now reducing UK import and export costs. As we approach our first year of opening, we are delighted to see Edith Maersk at DP World London Gateway.”

This month DP World London Gateway will celebrate its first anniversary. Since the first scheduled ship call by the MOL Caledon marked the official opening on November 7th 2013, the port has welcomed a series of new shipping services and continued to develop new berths and facilities. It also provided a sheltered ‘haven’ during last winter’s storms, with a series of large containerships diverting to DP World London Gateway when other ports were forced to close, helping to keep the UK supplied with goods. Over 10,000 people have worked at DP World London Gateway since the project was given the go ahead in 2008. The port has seen a string of firsts, including the first ever female Quay Crane driver to work in a UK container port.

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UKC NEWS

£400M Leeds development gets underway Contractor, I & H Brown, has been appointed to the £400M Kirkstall Forge development in Leeds. Developer Commercial Estates Group (CEG) has already completed a multimillion pound investment into the demolition and remediation of the 23-hectare site. The scheme will deliver a new railway station, access road and service the site by late summer 2015; paving the way for more than 1,000 new homes and 300,000sq ft of office space. MP for Leeds West, Rachel Reeves met CEG, Network Rail and Northern Rail on site. She said: “Kirkstall Forge is unique; the quality of the on-site amenities combined with its stunning riverside and woodland location will undoubtedly make it one of

the most sought after destinations in the north for businesses and residents. Kirkstall Forge is set to stimulate the local economy and will ultimately be a catalyst for major regeneration, much needed housing delivery and job creation on a brownfield site.” Kirkstall Forge will be transformed into a thriving mixed-use community in a wooded riverside setting. Ultimately it will deliver new homes, a high quality office park, shops, restaurants, a gym, crèche and other facilities. The scheme will create in the region of 2,400 new jobs, boosting the local economy by more than £5M per year. CEG will be investing in excess of £10M in affordable housing, education and transport improvements as part of the wider Kirkstall Forge redevelopment. The

Company has recently seen an increase in interest in the commercial space which will be offered on a bespoke lease and design package, allowing tenants to tailor the building and lease terms. Jon Kenny, Director of CEG, commented: “Today kick-starts one of the most ambitious schemes in Leeds’ development pipeline. Working closely with Rachel Reeves MP, Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, we have ensured that something very special and unique can be delivered at Kirkstall Forge; this sustainable travel offer and the quality of the new amenities and stunning riverside location will undoubtedly make it one of the most sought after destinations in the north for both businesses and residents.”

New £56.5M world class building to lead biological sciences research A new £56.5M building to be at the forefront of science research has been unveiled by Sir David Attenborough. The Life Sciences building is the University of Bristol’s biggest construction project to date and will be the focal point for globally leading research, needed to tackle the key challenges of the 21st century such as food security and environmental conservation. Sir Attenborough was shown some of the pioneering research work happening inside the building, and even tried some wasp produce as part of an interactive exhibition. In addition to unveiling a plaque to mark the opening, he also helped to plant a tree in the newly landscaped gardens. Work to construct the 13,500sq m iconic Life Sciences building, which is sited on the corner of Tyndall Avenue and St Michael’s Hill, began in July 2011 and has just welcomed its first intake of students. A total of 2,000 people have worked on the project, including 28 architects from 10 countries. The building, designed by the architects Sheppard Robson and built by VINCI Construction UK, forms a new landmark

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on the Bristol skyline and has a terrace with views across the city. To reflect the research being carried out inside, the exterior of the building is home to a striking vertical garden, called a living wall, which stands over 20 metres above street level. It’s home to 11 different species of plant, plus boxes for birds and bats, and creates the pattern of a microscope image of algal cells. Patrick Finch, Bursar at the University of Bristol, said: “This building and its

surrounding public realm has represented the most ambitious project taken on by the University’s Estates Office to date. “That it has now been successfully handed over to form a wonderful new home for staff and students is a testimony to a strong ethos of team working between staff in Estates and in the School of Biological Sciences, consultants and contractors. I am immensely proud of the team’s achievement, which should set a standard in the sector for many years to come.”


COMMENT UKC

Legionella in schools and colleges Building Monitoring Services (BMS) are a fully independent specialist legionella and indoor air quality consultancy. The company was started in 1994 by dedicated professionals who were already established experts in legionella and air quality. Twenty years on, BMS is a major player in these industries with a reputation for a high quality and professional service. As a consultancy, BMS gives independent, impartial and appropriate advice and therefore avoiding a conflict of interest often present when legionella control is left to maintenance or water treatment contractors. BMS has experience in many sectors and the educational premises present particular challenges. Technical Director Alistair Brown explains: A major issue is that of water stagnation between academic terms. Educational buildings can be largely unoccupied over the Christmas, Easter and summer holiday periods and the resulting reduction in use can create lukewarm and stagnant conditions within the water distribution pipework. These conditions are ideal for legionella proliferation. It is essential that outlets are flushed at least weekly during these times and water heaters are either kept above 60oC or switched off and kept below 20oC. Residual hot water should be run off to void gradual cooling and prolonged lukewarm temperatures. In older schools, particularly those that have been extended, the pipework can be in poor internal condition with a

meandering distribution, laced with dead legs, redundant parts and interrupted return loops. A high quality risk assessment which includes an accurate, detailed schematic drawing of all parts of the water system is an essential starting point for legionella control. Children must be protected against scalding water, however, legionella thrives at temperatures between 20 and 50oC therefore the positioning of blending valves to minimise the amount of lukewarm water is an important design consideration. Other simple considerations at design stage include:

As well as a high quality risk assessment both before and after construction, the key to legionella control is well organised, realistic and prudent management of the control measures. BMS work in partnership with their clients towards this and therefore significant savings are made by avoiding unnecessary water treatment and other remedial costs. www.bms-ltd.co.uk

••Avoiding long pipe runs in shower blocks ••Minimising the use of flexible braided hoses ••Ensuring a frequently used outlet is positioned at the end of a long pipe run ••Considering the legionella risk of rainwater and grey water harvesting systems ••Avoiding filling water systems too early. They could be stagnant by the time of handover ••Avoiding multiple cold water storage tank configurations ••Carrying out a pre-build legionella risk assessment

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UKC COMMENT

BMAP failure exposes flaws in plan making system Those expecting 2014 to be the year for Northern Ireland’s largest, most expensive and most protracted planning policy to finally be adopted would have been sorely disappointed when a legal challenge saw the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan go back to the drawing board. Quite apart from not looking that dissimilar to the first draft published some ten years ago, Michael Gordon wonders if there are any lessons to be learned. Minister Forster’s legal challenge to the Environment Minister’s decision to adopt the long-awaited BMAP without the full consent of the Northern Ireland Executive, has made it somewhat of a lost decade for BMAP. The fact the Minister Durkan was hoping to adopt a plan that had not undergone any significant changes since it was first aired in 2004 illustrates why an overhaul of the plan making system is needed. After all, this is a plan that has emptied from the public coffers around £10M, a figure more than likely matched by the private sector resources that were injected into it at the peak of the boom. And to what end? When the Planning Appeals Commission reports into the 2007/8 public inquiry were published in 2012 it was clear that anyone still interested in a development bonanza would be profoundly disappointed. Having considered all of the arguments presented over countless hours at the Inquiry, the Commission recommended a relatively modest level of change to the draft plan, which in many instances carried through zonings and policies inherited from earlier plans. Careful analysis of the adopted plan indicates that, where housing – a key aspect of growth – is concerned, the Department has adopted even less generous development limits than proposed by the Commission. Clearly,

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the over dense yield from unbuildable planning permissions granted before the market correction impressed them with falsely inflated housing supply figures. Ten years is a long time, especially in terms of housing development. So, the harsh reality is that planning life has gone on without BMAP; from boom to bust, and now to recovery, albeit a tentative one. As such the plan has become irrelevant to many and big planning decisions have been made without a great deal of reference to it. What’s more, development has carried on without, and in spite of, BMAP. Whatever happens, it will be our new planning authorities that will need to decide what they want to do with it. Belfast City Council always had an alternative vision for its future than could be found in the BMAP. Indeed, it is already well beyond it in its thinking. Lisburn City Council (joining with Castlereagh) is on record as being extremely unhappy with what the adopted BMAP says. Sprucefield has attracted all the headlines with the ruling out of a John Lewis site thanks to a bulky goods only rule. But it goes beyond that. There are other aspects of the Council’s long term strategy that BMAP has failed to deliver on, despite significant investment by the Council during the plan making process. Newtownabbey, North Down and Carrickfergus are all partnered with new geographies that extend beyond the boundaries of BMAP, so it won’t be entirely relevant. We have ended up with something that looks very like what we had when the plan was published in draft ten years ago. The investment of time and money since then has been grossly disproportionate to the relatively limited changes evident in the ‘final’ plan. No wonder fundamental changes to the plan making system are one of the signature features of planning reform.

BMAP by the numbers

••Work starts in 2000 ••2014 adopted… and then challenged ••13 years & 9 months later: ••6 districts with 671,559 people ••3,000 objections ••16th April 2007 – 1st May 2008 for Public Inquiry ••1,000 page PAC report ••£10M cost to DoE

Michael Gordon


Third Party Rights and Adjudication The Contracts (rights of Third Parties) Act 1990 (“the Act”) permits a third party who is not a party to a contract to enforce terms in that contract which will bring benefit to it. The Act also allows the parties to a contract to expressly exclude the benefits of the Act such that a third party is unable to rely on the contract to pursue its rights. The Act came into full effect in May 2000 and at the time many commentators speculated that, in relation to construction contracts, collateral warranties would become a thing of the past with contracting parties expressly conferring rights on third parties such as funders, tenants and purchasers, allowing them to bring actions under the Act to recover losses incurred as a result of a breach of contract by one of the parties. In reality, however, many lawyers have continued to use collateral warranties to protect the third party interests of their clients rather than relying on the Act. You may recall that I have previously written about Parkwood Leisure Ltd v Laing O'Rourke Wales and West Ltd, a case heard in the Technology and Construction Court in August 2013. In that case the Court confirmed that an aggrieved beneficiary to a collateral warranty may well be able to adjudicate to recover its damages because the warranty may well be treated as a "construction contract" as defined by the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the Construction Act). The position in relation to third parties using the Act to bring an adjudication has not, however, until now, been tested. In Hurley Palmer Flatt Limited (“HPF”) v Barclays Bank PLC (“Barclays”), Mr Justice Ramsey decided that Barclays Bank, which was a "third party", was not entitled to commence adjudication proceedings. The notice of adjudication and referral notice were therefore ineffective and the adjudicator had no jurisdiction to determine the claims. The judgement affirms that a third party does not have a freestanding right to enforce the adjudication provision in a construction contract to which it is not a party. HPF had commenced proceedings in the Technology and Construction Court seeking declarations that Barclays was not entitled to commence adjudication proceedings against them and that the notice of adjudication and referral notice were ineffective and the adjudicator did not have jurisdiction. The issue before the court was whether or not the rights given to Barclays in the appointment as a third party included the right to have liability under the contract decided by an adjudicator under the provisions of the contract. HPF argued that under the Act the enforcement of Barclays' rights as a third party named in a contract must be by way of court proceedings. Whilst the Act makes express provision in relation to arbitration clauses, so that a third party would be treated for the purpose of the Arbitration Act 1996 as being a party to the arbitration agreement, there is no equivalent provision relating to adjudication. Adjudication, it was asserted, is a contractual dispute resolution procedure between the original contracting parties. Barclays argued that it had a freestanding procedural right to adjudicate as part of the benefit given to it under the parties’ contract asserting that the position was analogous to the position on assignment. Barclays’ overriding argument was that it was entitled to adjudicate under the terms of the contract relying on Section 1(4) of the 1999 Act, which says: "This section does not confer a right on a third party to enforce a term of a contract otherwise than subject to and in accordance with any other relevant terms of the contract". Barclays claimed damages arising from breach of contract by HPF and to the right of adjudication under the contract, as well as the rights of commencing court proceedings, arguing that it could "stand in the shoes" of the Client under the contract and could therefore commence adjudication. Mr Justice Ramsey found that Barclays did not have a freestanding right to enforce the adjudication provision in the contract. This was because the Act does not contain an equivalent of Section 8 relating to arbitration, for adjudication. The court also referred to paragraph 1(1) of Part 1 of the Scheme For Construction Contracts (England & Wales) Regulations (“the Scheme”) which refers to any party to a construction contract being able to give written notice to refer disputes to adjudication and paragraph 1(2) which refers to the notice of adjudication being given to every other party to the contract. Mr Justice Ramsey decided these provisions in the Scheme and the Act confirmed that adjudication was inapplicable to the relationship between Barclays and HPF. From a third party’s perspective, it is now clear that if a third party wants to be able to adjudicate then a collateral warranty is a more attractive proposition than relying on third party rights provided by the Act. Peter Vinden is a practising adjudicator, arbitrator, expert and mediator. He is Managing Director of The Vinden Partnership and can be contacted by email at pvinden@vinden.co.uk. For similar articles please visit www.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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The course is highly interactive and includes presentations, notes, syndicated exercises, delegate discussions; and an examination to ensure learning outcomes.

Shaping and sharing best practice in construction health and safety risk management

Association for Project Safety CDM2007 DESIGN RISK MANAGEMENT 2 DAY COURSE The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM2007) require a cultural change in the management of health and safety by the construction project team, but particular emphasis is placed on the requirements for competence of designers, design co-ordination and communication of design information. The designer is a fundamental member of the project team and has a significant input throughout the lifecycle of the project, from feasibility design through to construction. CDM2007 makes specific demands on the designer to consider health and safety risks associated with the construction, commissioning, use, maintenance, repair, testing, cleaning, de-commissioning and demolition of their designs and attempt to eliminate or reduce those risks by their design decisions. The Association for Project Safety (APS) and Callsafe Services Limited (Callsafe) believe that the full benefit of CDM2007 can only be achieved by meeting the philosophy implied within CDM2007 that requires that Designers are proactive and fully integrated members of the project team. This two-day course is designed to provide Designers and Design Risk Managers with the necessary knowledge and confidence in the performance of the task to ensure compliance with the designers’ duties under CDM2007.

An individual who successfully completes the accredited course in CDM2007 Design Risk Management may claim 3 points (as detailed in the Qualifications and Experience table on the APS website) towards meeting Full Membership of APS. An individual who meets the above criteria will also be exempt from sitting the Examination for admission to the APS Register of Designers for a period of three months from the date on which APS issues a certificate confirming successful completion of an accredited course. This course is also recognised by RIBA as CPD for architects.

Intended For

This course is aimed at design team members and managers who wish to ensure effective design risk management and compliance with the CDM2007 designers’ duties to a professional and benchmarked standard as set by APS. The course will also benefit other construction and health and safety professionals with an interest in the values and philosophies of risk reduction by design.

Entry Requirements

Delegates should have a basic understanding of CDM2007, associated construction related legislation and the ways in which construction projects are procured and managed.

The Tutors

The Callsafe tutors are widely experienced in the understanding and practical application of the regulations and are practicing CDM Co-ordinators. All of the tutors are Registered CDM Co-ordinator Members or Fellows of the APS, RFaPS or RMaPS.

Course Objectives:

On completion of the course, delegates should: • understand the designers’ duties under the CDM regulations 2007; • know how to effectively reduce risk by design; and • be familiar and confident in the supply of information and production of evidence.

Course Content:

• Design Risk Management and Project Risk Management • Construction Related Health and Safety Legislation • Personal Safety & Professional Responsibility • Role of the Designer in Construction • Design Risk Management Services & Systems • Advising the Client • Demonstrating and Assessing Competence and Resources • Hazard Identification and Working within the Team • Contractor Related Issues and Design During Construction • Designer Input into Information (PCI, CPP & HSF) • Examination

Maximum number of course delegates: 16

Public Courses

This course is offered as a public course, for individuals to book and attend. Course Cost: £600.00 per delegate, plus VAT (Discounts for multiple bookings) Currently programmed public courses are: • Wednesday & Thursday, 21 & 22 January 2015 (Staffordshire) (Ref: ADRM150121)

In-house Courses

This course is also offered as an in-house course, where an organisation can book the tutor for the 2 days and the course is presented within the organisation’s own premises. A lump sum price can be provided for in-house courses. Further details of this, and other, courses can be found at: www.callsafe-services.co.uk, or by contacting Gemma Esprey at: gemma.esprey@callsafeservices.co.uk or by phone on: 01889 577701


Course Content:

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health MANAGING SAFELY IN CONSTRUCTION 5 DAY COURSE This is the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Managing Safely course, amended to make the subjects and content more specific to the construction industry, and separately accredited by IOSH. It is highly interactive and is presented by qualified and experienced construction health and safety professionals, who also are appointed to projects as CDM coordinator.

Intended for:

Anyone who supervises or manages designers or contractors in the construction and allied industries. Also relevant for client representatives and CDM coordinators.

Course Aims:

To ensure that managers/ supervisors: • Understand their responsibilities for health and safety as an integral part of their construction and other management/ supervision roles; • Are able to recognise a sound health and safety management system, including effective construction risk management; • Are able to recognise the key risks in the construction industry and understand the precautions to be taken.

Day 1 • Introduction and Setting Course Objectives • Principles of Good Safety Management • Legal Foundation for Health and Safety • Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide • Safety Management on Construction Projects Day 2 • Understanding the Legal Framework for Safety and Health at Work • Accident Causation and Accident Prevention • Applying Management Principles to Health and Safety Day 3 Key Legislation, Commonly Occurring Hazards and Their Controls: • The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 • Working time • First aid • Reporting of accidents • Fire • Safety signs and signals • Electricity • Display screen equipment • Manual handling • Chemicals/Hazardous substances • Personal protective equipment • Work equipment and Machinery • Traffic management Day 4 Construction Related Legislation, Commonly Occurring Hazards and Their Controls: • Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, Part 4 • Lifting operations and equipment • Noise • Vibration • Lead • Asbestos • Confined spaces • Pressure systems • Radiation • Elevated working places • Safety in earthworks • Flammable liquids and gases • The construction working environment Day 5 • Human Behaviour in Accident and Ill-Health Prevention • Effective Communication • Control of Contractors • Training

• Course Assessment (A 30 minute test paper, similar in format to mock assessments performed during the course) • Course Discussion and Completion (Including the introduction to the Course Project, which is an inspection and risk assessment performed by the delegates of their workplace. This is performed subsequent to the course and submitted to the course tutor for marking)

Maximum number of course delegates: 16

Public Courses

This course is offered as a public course, for individuals to book and attend.

Course Cost: £820.00 per delegate, plus VAT (Discounts for multiple bookings) Currently programmed public courses are: • 3, 4, 5, 11 & 12 February 2015 (Staffordshire) (Ref: IMSC150203)

In-house Courses

This course is also offered as an in-house course, where an organisation can book the tutor for the 5 days and the course is presented within the organisation’s own premises. This option can reduce the course cost and the travel/accommodation costs where the organisation has a number of their staff requiring this training. A lump sum price can be provided for in-house courses. Further details of this, and other, courses can be found at: www.callsafe-services.co.uk, or by contacting Gemma Esprey at: gemma.esprey@callsafeservices.co.uk or by phone on: 01889 577701


UKC COMMENT

Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999: Which rights are enforceable? It is rare for the courts to consider issues arising out of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 in the construction context. However, interestingly the Technology and Construction Court was asked to consider the extent to which the rights of a third party enforceable under the Act may be determined by adjudication, under an express term contained within the agreement between the original contracting parties in Hurley Palmer Flatt Ltd v Barclays Bank plc [2014] EWHC 3042 (TCC). Hurley agreed to provide mechanical and electrical services to Barclays PLC in connection with the design and construction of a new data hall at a data centre. The agreement provided for adjudication and contained provisions allowing any affiliate with a direct interest in the project to enforce its terms. Otherwise it expressly limited any other rights conferred by the Act. A dispute arose concerning defects in the chilled water system. Barclays Bank PLC (an affiliate of Barclays PLC) served a notice of adjudication on Hurley, based on its rights as a third party to the agreement. Barclays Bank PLC then served a referral notice. Hurley issued Part 8 proceedings seeking a declaration that Barclays Bank PLC, as a third party was not entitled to commence adjudication proceedings. As a result, the notice of adjudication and referral notice were ineffective and the adjudicator did not have jurisdiction to determine the dispute. In essence the issue was whether the rights given to Barclays Bank PLC (as a third party) included the right to have liability under the

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agreement determined by adjudication. Hurley’s application was successful. The Court’s starting point was to look at the rights under the agreement. Here, when the agreement was read as a whole, it was clear that, subject to an express exception, no rights were conferred on a third party which were enforceable under the Act. Further, only the agreement’s terms concerning Hurley’s liability to its client could be enforced by the third party. It did not include any procedural rights such as the right to enforce the terms of the agreement by adjudication. The Judge then considered that, even if he was wrong in this conclusion, the adjudication provisions in the agreement would not apply to the relationship between Barclays Bank plc and Hurley. Adjudication was a mandatory alternative way which a party to a contract has to enforce its rights. A party to the agreement had a right, but not an obligation, to refer a dispute to adjudication. In contrast an arbitration provision is mandatory and provides that a party’s rights can only be determined by arbitration. The Act expressly ensured that a third party to an agreement providing for arbitration could enforce a term of the agreement via arbitration (Section 8). Without a Section 8 equivalent, the terms of the adjudication provision were not available to Barclays Bank plc. The key message from this case is that clear drafting of third party rights is crucial. If the parties intend to refer a third party with a right to enforce an agreement, ideally this right should be expressly included

in the agreement. However, it is not currently possible to confer the right to adjudicate on a third party. Kasia Dickson, Legal Assistance, Thomas Eggar.

Kasia Dickson


COMMENT UKC

NHBC’S new basements chapter rolled out to industry NHBC’s Head of House-Building Standards Mark Jones gives an overview of Chapter 5.4 ‘Waterproofing of basements and other below ground structures’, aimed at improving the construction quality and robustness of below ground waterproofing, resulting in reduced need for remedial works, costs and disruption to homeowners. In 2013, NHBC, the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, launched a major campaign to raise awareness of issues that were becoming a growing concern in relation to basement construction. With increasing house prices and limited availability of land, it is not surprising that more developers are extending below ground, particularly in London. Recent headlines have included ‘Why Londoners are digging deep’ and basement planning applications have surged in areas such as the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea from just 13 in 2001 to 307 two years ago. Coinciding with this boom in basement construction NHBC last year reported that between 2005 and 2013, waterproofing below ground structure claims cost NHBC in the region of £21M, affecting almost 900 homes. NHBC has been working closely with key industry figures and organisations, such as the Property Care Association, along with builders and developers to help reduce defects and associated risks. Although the NHBC Standards have contained guidance for basements for many years, (Chapter 5.1 ‘Substructure and ground bearing floors’), we believe that now is the right time to expand on this guidance and ensure that the waterproofing of below ground structures is sufficiently robust to meet the high demands placed upon it.

Key areas

Areas covered in the new Chapter include: Scope and Introduction Chapter 5.4 clarifies where waterproofing may be required, and where the new Chapter applies. The range of structures that require waterproofing goes significantly beyond what readers might typically consider as ‘basements’. Below ground constructions that generally require waterproofing, and should take account of the new Chapter, include: ••basements ••semi basements ••below ground parking areas

••lift pits ••cellars ••storage or plant rooms ••service ducts or similar that are connected to the below ground structure •• stepped floor slabs where the step is greater than 150mm.

the manufacturer’s recommendations, waterproofing should only be undertaken: ••by operatives who are suitably trained or qualified ••using proprietary components to form complex changes in direction of the waterproofing and service penetrations.

Near to ground constructions that may require waterproofing include: ••external walls where the lowest finished floor level is less than 150mm higher than the external ground level.

The new Chapter will introduce significant changes in the way the house-building industry considers below ground waterproofing, including an up skilling of designers and installers, and changes to future designs. In order to help facilitate these changes the new Chapter will become effective only when included in the re-launch of NHBC Standards, which is expected to be summer 2015. However, while the Chapter will not become effective immediately, it is strongly recommended that the guidance is adopted at the earliest opportunity.

Design Robust design should be undertaken by suitably qualified experts in the field of waterproofing and be suitable for the specific ground and building conditions. The design should: ••be undertaken by a suitably qualified specialist who has obtained the Property Care Association ‘Certified Surveyor in Structural Waterproofing’ qualification. ••be appropriate to the level of risk; where waterproofing is to a part of the structure forming a space where ‘Grade 3 protection’ is required (ie. habitable accommodation) and more than 600mm of ground is being retained, a combined system comprising two types of waterproofing should be used. ••consider the likely ground conditions; where the waterproofing is to more than 15% of the perimeter of the building or more than 600mm high, an appropriate investigation of the ground conditions should be undertaken.

For further information please see NHBC Technical Extra 16 at http://www.nhbc.co.uk/Builders/ ProductsandServices/TechnicalExtra/

Mark Jones

Materials Only systems, including important ancillary components, which have been assessed and proven to provide suitable performance in a given situation, should be used. Waterproofing should: ••be independently assessed in accordance with Technical Requirement R3. The assessment should consider all critical ancillary components. ••include backup systems where pumps are used. Sitework Recognising the importance of ensuring correct installation in accordance with

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Safe Site Hoardings and Pedestrian Protection A short simplified take on the design, installation and maintenance of construction site hoardings, the protection of the public and site personnel.

“Is the work fenced off from the public?” “Are the public protected from falling material?” “It cannot be over-emphasised that the main aim is to ensure everyone reaches safety if there is a fire”. These are quotes contained in health and safety guidance notes published by the Health and Safety Executive HSG168 Fire safety in construction & HSG150 Health and safety in construction. It’s obvious and very straight forward, segregate construction from the public, provide protection from above and compartmentalise from the risk of fire to form a safe route of escape.

just been built. This will influence the ongoing maintenance of the system installed. Careful provisions need to made in the design for change, e.g., new or revised graphics or artwork, a possible change in height, revised geometry or setting-out, sections need removing and then reinstating often overnight. During this period, it is also important to establish a regime of regular inspection, ensure that damage has not occurred, check for unauthorised attempts at alterations, make sure materials from within the site are not creating additional loads on the structure. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS • Technical standards and specifications behind Fire Separation: This is relatively straight forward, however, when forming temporary partitions/hoardings within heavily occupied buildings, complex design considerations are required. • Temporary lighting or signage and the containment and protection of electrical services.

DESIGN a site hoarding is a temporary structure and therefore should be treated as an element of Temporary Works. Hoarding works need to be co-ordinated with the permanent works and the sequence of construction. The overall design needs to be geometrically planned, assessed for loadings, e.g., material loading, fire separation, wind loading, crowd loading and vehicle loading. The combination of these loads can be enormous and therefore require a significant structure to support.

• Weather or Water Proofing of a gantry or temporary tunnel structures may be a requirement: Likewise, water or slurry may be present or even against the hoarding, therefore a bund or seal will be required to contain the risk of fluids leaving the site.

INSTALLATION the transition from available land or building to construction site occurs in an instant, therefore it is important to simplify the installation process and/or sequence of operations. Modularise where possible, construct off site with easy assembly on site.

• Acoustics treatment: Unavoidably noisy activities on site such as demolition or piling will require a risk assessment and may require attenuation or sound absorption at the boundary to protect the public or absorb sound back into the site. Proprietary blankets are available from specialist hire firms that specifically deal with these hazards. These products are heavy and therefore consideration will be required at the design stage to assess the loads imposed on the temporary structure.

Your hoarding or public segregation proposals have been diligently designed and specified using the information presented, procure your works package using a trade specialist. Numerous companies exist ranging from traditional builders to specialist proprietary product suppliers, all will need to meet the specification. For example, fire and structural performance, the capability to deal with interfaces above and below ground, mindful of the programme/sequence of installation and respectful of the finish and quality required. Of significant risk is below ground services and obstructions. A number of modular hoarding systems come with a simple yet heavy kentledge arrangement which minimise the risk associated with below ground works. MAINTENANCE the construction sequence may change, the unforeseen will happen, quick access is required through what’s

• DDA: Corners need clearly identifying with either a contrasting colour or texture for the visually impaired, changes in height or ramps need either signage and or handrails.

• Environmental constraints and targets: Minimise waste with a propriety reusable system, consider the next phase or even the next job. The above is a simple snapshot of consideration when designing, installing and maintaining a hoarding or a proposed public interface scheme on any construction site. The project conditions will vary, as will the intended scope of the permanent works. All the above will apply in some way, shape or form and if applied properly, will improve safety and reduce cost. A number of issues have not been mentioned due to the simple nature of this article, however, issues commonly encountered include design responsibility, CDM, smoke and toxicity testing, interface with existing services, electrical, cctv, pava, etc, vibration control from train or vehicle movement, assessment of crowd loading, security and robustness of materials, impact or blast resistance, pedestrian flow analysis, local authority requirements, planning conditions and verification of design. However straightforward a painted temporary site hoarding can appear, it’s as serious as the crane 50m in the air and needs designing diligently, planning methodically and implementing safely. Matthew Robinson, Managing Director, Safe Route Facilities Management Ltd. Providers of specialist hoarding and pedestrian protection to the construction industry www.saferoute.co.uk


+44 (0) 207 619 3470 sales@saferoute.co.uk www.saferoute.co.uk


UKC COMMENT

Current Trends in Kitchen Design: By Plain & Simple Kitchens founder Harvey Wilson Kitchen specialist Plain & Simple Kitchens combines superb craftsmanship, cutting-edge design and natural materials from around the world, its kitchens are both charismatic and functional, using only the finest materials including; granite, marble, limestone, corian, stainless steel, nickel and solid timber. Servicing both the trade and the public, Plain & Simple Kitchen’s founder Harvey Wilson provides an overview of current and emerging trends in kitchen design for building contractors, developers and house builders. Kitchen design is very much a personal preference; recently we have seen a rise in interest for the classical shaker style kitchen. Contractors have informed us that customers are now looking for a classical type kitchen but with a modern twist. In regards to kitchen units, a popular option is a spray painted facade in a neutral shade in order to give a clean and seamless look, followed with a wooden walnut interior for a contrasting appearance. Finished with modern handles, streamline taps and sinks, state-of-the-art appliances and light-reflecting mirrored splash backs, a classical kitchen can soon become a contemporary environment. For an ultra modern look, the fitting of glass unit doors, particularly in matte grey, has become a fashionable option for those looking to make a statement. We have designed and manufactured kitchens for many developments over the past 12 months where the brief has incorporated an aspect of the colour grey, be that the units, work surfaces or the walls and flooring. The addition of this shade can transform any kitchen into a sophisticated space. When designing kitchens for our trade clients, the remit usually comprises the inclusion of top of the range appliances from dishwashers to refrigerators and ovens to cooker hoods. The introduction of instant boiling water taps has become a popular addition for family living as they are safer and more energy efficient than a kettle. They also offer a practical element for food preparation and of course you’re

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able to make hot drinks instantly. We recommend to our trade customers ‘fusion taps’, which combine hot and cold as well as on-demand boiling water, offering kitchens a minimalistic feel by freeing up valuable workspace. For added luxury, building contractors request that wine coolers are also integrated within designs. With varying sizes available, dual temperature wine coolers now offer the flexibility to house both red and white wines which appeals more to the self-confessed wine connoisseurs amongst us. Gone are the days of dishwashers with pull down doors, the sleek style of a Fisher and Paykel ‘DishDrawerTM’ is perfect for smaller families and those who struggle with the loading and unloading of crockery. Statement refrigerators are too taking centre stage within the kitchen environment; American-style fridge freezers are practical and aesthetically pleasing, especially when surrounded in cabinetry. Contractors rest particular importance on family living and for them kitchens must be uber practical. When it comes to work surfaces the requirements tend to be ‘easy to clean’ and ‘aesthetically pleasing’. Although popular a few years back, granite has almost been superseded by manmade materials which offer more resilience to everyday life. Environmentally friendly ‘Neolith’ has been described as the future for kitchen worktops. Almost indestructible, they are stain, heat and scratch resistant and boast an impressive range of colour combinations. We have seen an influx of house builders and developers requesting the installation of this particular surface because of the impressive properties it offers. The ergonomics of a kitchen forms the

basis of a usable practical space and the ‘working triangle’ is still very much key. When working with contractors, we express the importance of appliances being installed in the correct areas, for example, the fridge needs to be situated by a large preparation space to off load food, the dishwasher should be located next to the sink for rinsing before loading – by doing so it creates a fluid working environment. By incorporating these key considerations and styles into plans, developers, house builders and contractors can continue to keep up-to-date with trends and consumer demands in kitchen design so that they are offering a desirable space for buyers. For more information visit: www.plainandsimplekitchens.com, or call 01565 650908.

Harvey Wilson



SpeedVision – the next generation of Speed Monitoring Following the success of the SpeedVision versions SV1 and SV2, Speedar Limited has now extended its SpeedVision range. These new models not only meet the requirements of traditional speed monitoring and enforcement, they also provide solutions to the demands of the construction industry. The increasing demand for the Construction industry to improve Health and Safety on sites has created an interest in the monitoring of speed to reduce injury and death from speed related accidents. There is also an increasing requirement on main contractors to be responsible for the actions of their sub-contractors. Traditional methods of handheld or tripod mounted speed equipment does in itself create a risk to ‘road side’

operators of the equipment, particularly in the environment of a construction site where terrain, vehicle size and driver visibility are factors. The use of ‘road side’ portable equipment also has a manpower and cost implication. There is also a need to control speed on large commercial and industrial sites such as processing, oil and gas, power industries and transport depots. Whilst VAS signs (Vehicle Activated Signs) are appropriate in some situations they do not in themselves present a deterrent as they have no record of offenders and are therefore often ignored by drivers.


THE LEADING EUROPEAN MANUFACTURER OF HANDHELD DIRECTION SENSING RADARGUNS ALSO KNOWN AS SPEEDGUNS

SpeedVision SV3R

SpeedVision SV3W

The SV3R is a modified version of the SV2 with the same radar technology and high quality camera, but with the flip up screen removed.

The SV3W is the same camera unit but with wireless transmission of the video up to a distance of 3Km dependant on ‘Line of Sight’ This enables several cameras to relay to a central office where all monitoring can be carried out. This has the benefit of minimizing labour requirements and cost.

Additional is the aluminium housing containing an 8” screen, and Motion JPEG recorder recording to a CF card. The recording software is specific to the recorder thus recordings can only be replayed on a computer having this dedicated software.

On completion of a site, the equipment can be removed and moved to the next location / contract.

The SpeedVision unit can be tripod, wall or post mounted and the screen housing can be handheld or mounted ‘in vehicle’ when tripod mounted or wall or desk mounted in fixed applications.

SpeedVision SV3N

The video contains colour clips of the vehicles violating the speed limit together with the vehicle speed, speed limit, date and time. Vehicle registration plate and other vehicle markings will also be evident. Such information provides the evidence for disciplinary or exclusion measures as is deemed appropriate. Still photographs can be extracted from the video and printed.

Speedar Limited are currently developing a Speedvision version to transfer speed data and video over a network. It is envisaged that this will be beneficial where buildings prevent ‘line of sight’ for the wireless version and where a network may already exist on the site. This will centralise monitoring and recording into one location.

Speedar Limited 45 St Richards Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 3AS Telephone: 01892 655909 Fax: 01892 655909 Email: sales@speedar.co.uk www.speedar.co.uk


UKC PROFILE

The BIM Hub

Empowering BIM professionals to better connect, learn and develop The construction industry is complex, fragmented and rife with problems such as delays, rework, standing time, material waste, poor communication, conflict and being over budget compounded by the global slowdown and the need to address sustainability issues. Professionals across the construction industry, although experts in their fields, often have an incomplete understanding of either how other trades could benefit from their work or why they should share information. The advantages inherent in sharing output or, in other words, the ‘knowledge-sharing culture’, are neither evident nor desired. Sharing knowledge is the driving force of evolution and eventually a point is reached when in order to take the next step, an organisation has to look beyond itself. Sharing information is vital in many aspects Cultural: The key is to get brilliant results from average people managing and improving brilliant processes. Often companies get mediocre results from brilliant people managing around broken processes. When they get in trouble, they try to hire even more brilliant people. For any organisation to adopt new processes, cultural change is necessary. Any short-term risk to the business in sharing its knowledge is limited, as competitors will take time to bring about a change in their processes and work culture, during which the ‘front running’ company continues to advance.

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Technological: If an industry uses common technology, there is a shared interest in seeing that technology advance. If businesses share successful processes and applications, there is an increased likelihood that technology vendors will respond through their development programmes. Skills: It is essential that the industrial training providers and educational establishments are aware of current best practice, so that relevant education and training programmes can be evolved to match the demand for required skills. Kudos: Publicising the fact that you are the best is an excellent way of elevating your business status and raising profitability. Construction has a knowledge-sharing culture, but this is focused on the specific disciplines that make up a project team, rather than the construction process as a whole. Sharing knowledge across trades with BIM, to make the entire process more cohesive and efficient, is the logical next step.

Why The BIM Hub?

With the take up of BIM growing daily the construction industry is going through change, which many construction professionals believe will revolutionise the industry. The use of the different ‘BIM applications’ is slowly but surely

growing including project management and construction sequencing. The full impact of BIM in the construction industry sector is yet to be realised. To help the construction industry have a better understanding of BIM, a number of global and local initiatives have been set up such as BIM events, BIM academies, BIM forums, BIM task groups, BIM training, BIM conferences etc all aimed at construction professionals to help them with information sharing and provide an education around BIM. The greatest challenge in the construction industry is to connect the BIM stakeholders in a single specialised networking service, enabling the BIM community to work together. Today thousands of companies have started to promote their businesses in line with the BIM adoption in a quest to be more competitive and are aiming to get a bigger stake of the construction market. Whilst this enormous amount of BIM information is valuable it is quite unstructured and takes a considerable amount of time to filter down to what the reader is looking for, and quite often the reader ends up spending hours upon hours searching the internet with little or no benefit in return. Social networking, is now blooming in the business world, thanks to new social networks that enable professionals and executives in industries such as advertising and finance to rub virtual elbows with colleagues. Millions of professionals already turn to broad-based networking sites like


LinkedIn to swap job details and contact information, often for recruiting purposes. Business executives also have turned to online forums, email lists and message boards to sound off on information related to their industries. The active use of these social sites has helped the growing use of social networking by business professionals. However these sites are not really suited for meeting the growing need in supporting BIM professionals. The BIM Hub is has been developed specifically with these problems in mind and has already been successful in resolving many of them. The BIM Hub is a highly targeted and focused network for professionals in the construction sector. Many governments around the world are mandating the BIM process such as the UK, USA, Australia, Singapore, Korea, Norway etc as a deliverable on construction projects. These governments can now use The BIM Hub as the first social platform bringing together their local construction industry into a single Hub. The BIM Hub’s goal is to empower the BIM community to better connect, learn, develop and communicate real world data and help people better understand and engage with the places we live, work and play, and together build a more connected, liveable and sustainable world.

Connect

Until now, connecting with others about BIM has been a formidable challenge.

But when the strength and might of the construction sector is harnessed, streamlined and brought together through BIM, the industry as a whole will become more efficient and more effective. The BIM Hub enables everyone in the construction industry to network and connect whether they are government officials, project managers, consultants, architects, engineers, contractors, manufacturers, management operators or educational bodies. This will lead to improved efficiencies and profitability for those that adopt and adapt.

Learn

Learning about BIM requires a great deal of time and effort. Construction companies and organisations are presently working in silos, left to their own devices. Before The BIM Hub there were no online platforms that covered the full spectrum of information required to implement BIM. The BIM Hub is about usefulness and relevance of information today and tomorrow, in a trusted environment. The BIM Hub works to provide professionals with the internet’s best-curated content on BIM.

Hub showcases the work of leading companies involved in BIM, developing and enabling businesses to benefit from interoperable processes and technology.

You’re in the right hands

The BIM Hub mission is to be the ultimate source of inspiration, knowledge and tools for the BIM professional. The BIM Hub is the world’s leading platform for the BIM sector, catering to all parties interested in BIM and construction. If your company is seeking to reach a niche construction audience, The BIM Hub is for you. Join the BIM community free at www.thebimhub.com today and help shape the future of the construction industry.

Develop

The BIM Hub develops the capacity of people to understand and implement improved policies, enhanced processes, and overall a better way of working to shape the evolution of BIM. The BIM

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UKC PROFILE

4Projects by Viewpoint

Company Profile

4Projects by Viewpoint is an award winning provider of collaborative online software for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sectors. Established in 2000, we are a market leading innovator in our field and have a presence throughout the world, either directly or indirectly through our global partner network. The toolkit helps teams increase collaboration and project control at every stage of the construction lifecycle, and each team member be more effectively involved, whatever their role in a project. Our solution coordinates the work of all parties, including the high volume of drawings, documents, emails, contracts, and specifications common in most construction projects. Whether Contractors, Clients, Consultants, or Facility Managers, our customers come back time and time again because our

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collaboration software solution works — delivering tangible cost and time savings. 4Projects by Viewpoint is also your easiest and cheapest route to Level 2 BIM compliance, providing the common data environment needed to satisfy Government BIM requirements from January 2016. Don’t be left behind – call us to find out more about our 4BIM solution that will be at the heart of BIM projects going forward. The clock is ticking and the time to act is now. Our mission is to connect people, information and processes, helping our clients to save time, money and mitigate risk. Our solutions are low cost, easy to use and quick to deploy and help our clients to deliver impressive returns on investment. 4Projects by Viewpoint is the trusted solution by many leading and successful companies. You can have

confidence that our experience will translate to improved collaboration and control for your organisation. Whether you are working on a single project, portfolio of assets or you need a solution to improve and enhance collaboration in your company – we can help. Winner of Collaboration Product of the Year Construction Computing Awards 2013 Winner of Product of the Year Construction Computing Awards 2013 Tel: 0845 330 9007 Email: info@4projects.com www.4projects.com


Arup develops BIM tool for design of a future particle accelerator at CERN Arup has been appointed by CERN to undertake conceptual design studies for both the tunnel engineering and geotechnical aspects in the scope of the Future Circular Collider (FCC) study (cern.ch/fcc). As a response to the recommendation made in the European Strategy for Particle Physics in 2013, CERN Director General, Dr Rolf Heuer, announced the launch of a study in a global context, with an emphasis on next-generation proton-proton and electron-positron highenergy frontier particle accelerators. To provide an efficient and cost effective decision aid for the feasibility assessments of the particle accelerator infrastructure, Arup has been working closely with CERN and project partners Géotechnique Appliquée Dériaz S.A. (GADZ) and Amberg Engineering AG, to deliver the first phase of the conceptual

design study. A key element of this stage has been the development of an early stage BIM tool to inform performance, risk and cost optimized options for a 100 km long, circular particle-accelerator tunnel. Arup has developed a dynamic Web-based GIS application, which integrates numerous existing geological data sources, incorporating the geological, tunnelling and particle collider system constraints in a user-friendly digital environment. Matt Sykes, Project Director, Arup said: “Using BIM this early on in the design process is invaluable. It allows us to make critical decisions using data that can be easily visualised, enabling the team to make decisions with a clear overview of the multiple, highly complex components of this ground breaking project. We’re delighted to be working with such a

far-sighted client and strong project team to help CERN achieve its objective to break new boundaries in particle physics research.” John Osborne, Civil Engineer, CERN said: “Several layouts for this new machine are under consideration, with the tunnel circumference ranging from 80km to 100km. This tool being developed by Arup, will be crucial in the decision making process, to help decide which layout is most feasible” The new accelerator tunnel would be nearly four times the size of the present Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The studied infrastructure would be able to host frontier particle colliders delivering unprecedented intensities and energies to the worldwide particle physics research community throughout the 21st century.

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UKC PROFILE

Moving towards a “digital built Britain” The Government Construction Strategy (GCS) was published by the Cabinet office on 31st May 2011. The report declared the Government’s intention to require: collaborative 3D BIM (with all project and asset information, documentation and data being electronic) on its projects by 2016. Fundamentally the UK Government embarked with industry on a four year programme for sector modernisation with the key objective of: reducing capital cost and the carbon burden from the construction and operation of the built environment by 20%. Central to these ambitions is the adoption of information rich Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies, process and collaborative behaviours that will unlock new more efficient ways of working at all stages of the project life-cycle. So has this ambition been a success so far? Well three years on the combination of UK Government and industry has made abundant progress on several fronts in both the implementation of Level 2 BIM and reimagining the construction sector as more innovative and technologically advanced. The image below from this year’s Government Construction Summit illustrates the savings and value proposition that are being realised from a more lean way of working, with new forms of procurement that focus on early contractor engagement and a soft landings approach to ensure that capital and operational stages are threaded together. Early adopters the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are well on their journey to a digitized approach to procurement and operation of their built assets. Terry Stocks, Head of Programme and Project Delivery / Deputy Director Estate Directorate acknowledged over 20% savings from “Cookham Wood” their pathfinder Level 2 project. The scheme also saw significant stakeholder benefits; Emily Thomas, the Governor at Cookham Wood, described these by saying: “For the first time I could understand a building design, it allowed me to contribute and comment (both positively and negatively) rather than having to look at a flat drawings.” The MoJ has used the strategy and learnings from this early Level 2 project as a spring-board for rolling-out BIM and related Construction Strategy initiatives across its estate, with the ambition to achieve similar levels of savings and improved outcomes. Now with over nine projects worth circa

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£500M using BIM underway in MoJ they are well on the way to embedding it as part of the standard practice of the organisation. The BIM Task Group has been helping transfer the learning’s from Cookham Wood and other projects to new central departments that are coming on-board. We have seen tremendous take-up from other departments adopting BIM into their organisation practices. Additionally, in order to ensure a consistent and collaborative approach to Level 2 BIM the task group has also focused much of their efforts along with the British Standard Institute (BSI) and Construction Industry Council (CIC) to create a suite of documents which have been recognised globally as industry leading in the creation of a process for: creating, exchanging and managing data across the asset life-cycle. The BSI Road Map written by the B/555 team, specified the documents and standards that have been produced to support the BIM requirements for Level 2 maturity. The documents specified will continue to be added to until completion; expected by the Spring of 2015 when BIM Level 2 is completed; these form an extensive body of work. The documents have been defined under a number of headings as set out below: Currently available: 1) PAS 1192-3:2014 Information management for the operational phase of assets. 2) PAS 1192-2:2013 Information management for the capital/delivery phase of assets. 3) BS1192-4:2014 (COBieUK 2012) Organising and exchanging information 4) CIC BIM Protocol 5) Government Soft Landings Available Spring 2015: 6) Digital Plan of Works 7) Classification system Significant progress has also been accomplished in creating and bringing together communities of BIM practice, what we refer to as BIM4 groups such as BIM4SME, BIM4Clients, CIC BIM Regional Hubs. These communities are joined together via a steering group to help knowledge exchange and a commitment to collaborative working through a charter of working: www.ciob. org/campaigns/bim4-communities.

All this foregoing work is helping us forge a “digital built Britain” fit for the second decade of the 21st century. The digital economy is fundamentally transforming the way we live and work and the UK construction industry will not be immune. It is essential therefore that organisations, academia and individuals are prepared to adjust to potentially radical changes of a digitised built environment and seize the opportunity that an innovative and technologically advanced future offers. BIM and digital workflows in the built environment are extremely important to the UK. Economists have estimated that the UK market for BIM-related services will be an annual £30bn by 2020. In a global context, UK-based firms already export £7Bn of architectural and engineering services. Taking a global leadership position in developing BIM capabilities will provide strong potential for further export growth. The UK currently leads a global race to develop both open standards and supporting tools for adopting BIM it is essential we stay at the vanguard of this “switch to digital” David Philp MSc, BSC, FCIOB, FRICS – Head of BIM, UK BIM Task Group

David Philp


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UKC PROFILE

Why is the uptake of MEP BIM perceived to be slower than its sister professions? By Martin Howe, National BIM Manager at Shepherd Engineering Services The adoption of BIM in the construction industry has seen rapid progress over the last 12 months, however, it is often muted that whilst architectural and structural disciplines are making great strides towards Level 2 compliance, MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing) is less advanced and can be sometimes seen as the weak link. This is particularly surprising given that, for many years prior to the publication of the Government BIM Strategy, MEP contractors were using 3D models with embedded data for the production of construction documentation, digital manufacture and improving their business process efficiency. Although much of this good work has laid solid foundations for us, we now need to encompass the greater influence of BIM throughout the whole project lifecycle rather than specific deliverables for one particular project phase. This has presented the MEP industry with a number of challenges: ••Multiple owners and authors of MEP data throughout the project life-cycle has led to difficulties with data exchange. ••The MEP scheme can undergo significant change between ••Stage 3 and Stage 5 leading to wasted modelling. ••There is often little clarity of project BIM expectations and deliverables. ••No single software solution is available that satisfies the needs of designers and contractors whilst giving consistent IFC data output. ••Product data is often unavailable in a consistent, useable format. ••Different workflows and processes need to be adopted rather than trying to make the old fit the new. ••The extended time for preconstruction and BIM workflows needs to be recognised in our construction programmes. ••The changing and emerging project roles coupled with a skill set shortage need addressing. ••Eroding of fees – we need to do ‘more for less’.

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••We need to address the availability of MEP BIM components. Although we don’t have answers to all these challenges, we are definitely moving in the right direction. Potentially, one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is that the MEP design community has yet to see the business efficiency improvements that have been heralded by the architectural discipline (up to 33% reported in some cases) and indeed the MEP contracting sector. This particular issue has many facets but I’m sure a major step in the right direction will come when a single software solution is made available allowing bi-directional transfer of data between calculation and modelling packages. Potential software solutions are now emerging but I believe it will be another 18 - 24 months before fully functional products are ready for use. It’s clear that increased business process efficiency through the use of technology would enable us all to be more competitive and will go some way towards alleviating the issue of fee erosion and will allow us to do ‘more for less’. The vast array of MEP products and the complex data associated with them present further issues for us to address such as; what level of detail do we include at what stage and how do we classify and organise the data into a unified format. Some of these questions will be answered in the forthcoming publication of the remaining Government ‘BIM Pillars’ – the Digital Plan of Work, Uniclass2 and COBie BS1192-4. However I believe it will need the MEP community to resolve much of the finer detail. The development of CIBSE Product Data Templates are a great example of how designers, contractors and manufacturers can pool their resources to provide a solution to a complex issue. Another significant area for improvement is how we streamline the exchange of MEP information between project phases. Quite often there may be several authors involved from concept through to construction and handover including

design consultants, contractors and specialist sub-contractors with the result being a disjointed scheme and potentially significant amounts of rework for one or more of the parties. At SES we are experiencing real success in overcoming these inefficiencies through our early involvement with both the client and their design team enabling the construction strategy to be embedded into the design. Traditional procurement methods have often exacerbated the inefficiencies, but the use of the two stage tender process is leading to greater cooperation and collaboration from an early stage in the project. As may be expected, a programme of change on this scale will take time and is fraught with teething problems however this certainly demonstrates that the muchneeded transition is well under way. I am convinced that, with the continued drive and enthusiasm that we have witnessed over the last two years within our industry, the eagerly anticipated rewards will be available to us all through the adoption of BIM. We should be under no illusions – the future of our industry is digital, we just shouldn’t expect a revolution overnight. Martin Howe


PROFILE UKC

BIM – Defining Better Information Management By Duncan Reed, Digital Construction Process Manager, Tekla BIM, despite being a small acronym, is a big word in construction. While there has been a lot of hype around BIM over the last few years we see the conversation is starting to shift toward companies asking – what’s really in it for me? However, the discussion needs to further evolve to start looking at how BIM can help define and create better business outcomes. Models are important but they aren’t the be all and end of the information revolution – it’s the data that’s important, and for many in the industry that will still be shared in familiar 2D products like MS Word or Excel. BIM allows clients, operators and maintenance teams to have all their data for an asset in one place. It allows for meaningful analysis across a wider selection of business information to be carried out rather than making business decisions based upon anecdotal guesses.

By combining disparate data sets together, linked around a model of the asset, it becomes possible to review infrastructure data in a much more powerful way and as a result manage assets better. Implementing and using shared data sets with feedback of what actually works, proven by hard evidence, will improve design in the future. However, this shift of how we manage information requires more than just using software, it requires a behavioural change. This is the real change that BIM brings to businesses. It breaks down silos and enables for individuals, groups and departments to share information openly and transparently. This doesn’t mean that all information needs to be shared with everyone all the time – BIM provides the opportunity for relevant information to live in the model and only be accessed when needed.

While BIM has and is continuing to help evolve and change the construction industry the next big step will be harnessing remote sensing and telemetry. Real time feedback on the performance of structures such as bridges and tunnels will allow managers to understand how their assets are actually performing. Automating processes so that out of range of figures trigger further analysis or inspections creates the ability for preemptive maintenance to be carried out in a structured way rather than just having reactive or end of life strategies in place. BIM can mean something different to everyone and that’s not a bad thing. But better data sets make for better decision making and help owners, operators, designers and installers work much more efficiently from a position of knowledge rather than ignorance.

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ZNAPZ

Technical competence without compare ZNAPZ is a distributor of the IBM Tivoli Maximo application – a comprehensive enterprise asset management system with the ability to mesh seamlessly into any application landscape or IT infrastructure. But while Maximo offers unparalleled flexibility, the technical expertise needed to install, configure and manage the system is in short supply. ZNAPZ CEO Marcel Van Velthoven identifies the acquisition of MRO Software – the provider of Maximo – by IBM in 2006 as being partially responsible for a technical skills shortage. Unaccustomed to a company of IBM’s immense size, many former-MRO employees left to pursue other avenues, taking with them their experience and technical expertise. And while IBM’s considerable investment in the Maximo application has served to make the tool more robust, the technical requirement has also increased, further compounding the capability shortfall. Enter ZNAPZ, a consulting and support-services Company with technical nouse and know-how enough to plug the widening skills gap. As Marcel states: “Research has shown that only 17% of enterprise asset management system users are really satisfied, with the remaining 83% either less satisfied, not satisfied or very dissatisfied. ZNAPZ specialise in providing those companies with optimal use and

increased value from an investment they have already made.” Knowledge of the IBM Tivoli Maximo application is absolutely critical as inefficient use can result in higher maintenance costs, unnecessary downtime and poor user acceptance – factors that can negatively impact a business’ bottom-line. With this in mind, ZNAPZ is dedicated to delivering the best in technical maintenance services surrounding Maximo on the market. Following a partnership agreement with Vancouver-based Copperleaf Technologies in April 2014, ZNAPZ is also a European distributor of C55 – an asset investment planning and management solution. ZNAPZ’s success in the UK, Nordic, Benelux and Swiss markets has allowed the Company to bring Copperleaf’s C55 software solution to a new marketplace, while providing the necessary implementation services and ongoing support associated. Of the partnership Marcel commented: “ZNAPZ is excited to be working closely with Copperleaf to bring this solution to the European market. Copperleaf C55 is a natural complement to our existing services and solutions and allows us to bring even more value to our customers.” This is one of many such successes for the Eindhoven-based company. Indeed,

in a relatively short space of time ZNAPZ has made significant inroads throughout Europe, particularly in the UK and Irish markets. This is due in part to the Company’s key specialisations – the transport and utilities industries. In the UK alone, hundreds of billions of pounds are being invested in transport infrastructure over the next ten years, all of which need to be managed. To this end, ZNAPZ is working alongside a number of prestigious clients including Crossrail, London Underground and Overground, Network Rail, Irish Rail and VolkerHighways. As this investment in transport infrastructure continues apace, so too does the demand for asset management increase – a trend that ZNAPZ was quick to recognise. Elsewhere, ZNAPZ has established an Eastern European headquarters in Romania, through which the Company has secured its first Middle Eastern contracts. With asset management an increasing priority for many, effective use of the IBM Tivoli Maximo application is paramount. For the concerned, ZNAPZ offer first class consulting and support services to ensure optimal performance and a worthwhile return on your investment. For more information about the Company and the services offered, please visit: www.znapz.com



UKC PROFILE

eight2O

AMP6

In spring 2013 Thames Water embarked on an ambitious new approach to AMP delivery – eight2O, an eight strong alliance of industry leaders working in concert with Thames Water to improve its now ageing infrastructure. With AMP6 on the horizon, UK Construction Excellence spoke exclusively with Graham Keegan – eight2O’s Chief Operating Officer about eight2O and the challenges facing this newly formed alliance. Could you provide a brief overview of your own experience in the water industry? I’ve been in the water industry my entire career. I left Liverpool University with a Civil Engineering degree and joined what was then North West Water, more latterly United Utilities (UU). I was with UU for 31 years and - for a five year period - the engineering team of which I was part was outsourced to Bechtel, an American project management company. On my return to UU I was asked to lead the capital programme in AMP3 from the client side of the organisation – an approximate £3Bn capital programme over five years. During AMP4 I had the opportunity to move to the other side of coin as it were. UU was looking for opportunities to work with other water companies, to bring their expertise of operated a large capital programme to those about to embark

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on their own capital programmes. A joint venture organisation was created, 4Delivery, which was comprised of UU, MWH and Costain and I was the Chief Operating Officer of that organisation. Latterly, UU sold out their interest in the contract and that has been taken over by Veolia. When that happened, UU also sold out their interest in contracts outside their region and I therefore took the opportunity to lead the water team for Costain. I’m one of the few people who have moved from client to contractor and for the last 18 months I’ve been looking after the eight20 alliance as the Chief Operating Officer. What would you identify as being the aims and objectives of the eight20 alliance? In every other contract I have been involved in there has been a clear distinction between client role and contractor role. Here Thames Water is included inside the alliance and so we are treated a little more like a department of Thames Water rather than it being a traditional supplier/client relationship. As a result, we are aligning our goals with the goals of Thames Water itself. Thames Water has just developed a new vision and which we have adopted as our own. The main objective of this is to deliver a safe capital programme with customer benefit. As we are

so closely embedded with Thames Water, operations is our partner and the customer truly is Mr and Mrs Smith. Why has an alliance approach not been adopted previously? A number of companies have tried an alliance to varying degrees. Anglian Water has an alliance that has proven a pretty successful model. The same is also true of Scottish Water. The challenge for some is that you do need a fairly mature organisation and an understanding of the programme before you can open your business to bring an alliance alongside. It can take time for people to get comfortable with that. We are experiencing this now as we try to embed in the business. Thames Water is a huge organisation and there is great leadership and direction and belief in this approach but as you get down into the business people are just beginning to learn about the way the alliance is going to operate and what the advantages might be. It takes time; you have to be brave and preserve. Another challenge for alliances is that they can be seen to be commercially soft once in the delivery period. To that end, we are working alongside Thames Water to put together the business plan, which is a step beyond where water companies would ordinarily go. Here, the contractor is actually embedded into that process.


A simple answer to the question is that an alliance doesn’t suit everybody. There is nervousness. You have to be willing to open up a lot of your business and you have to create an environment of trust but I think if you can get there, there are massive advantages to be had. Thames Water previously embarked on an exhaustive ‘Listening Phase’ to help improve performance. How has this helped to shape delivery of AMP6? Lawrence Gosden, who is now Wastewater Managing Director, thought it was necessary for Thames Water to listen to the supply community and take into account their feedback. To this end, Lawrence went on an exhaustive Listening Phase - he actually took himself and his team to the premises of all of the potential partners he might work with. This enabled Lawrence and his team to get a feel for that culture and environment. Thames Water believe as do I - that the culture and environment that you create is very important. They wanted to see if people could collaborate, as it’s incredibly difficult to get eight companies all aligned in one direction. Has the alliance improved relationships between client and contractor? I think we’re on a journey. Inevitably success will be dictated by our ability to get across that boundary and clear the

muddy water. The relationships have been tested. We’ve had some issues already and I’m pleased to say that the behaviours have stood up. We have looked at issues from each other’s perspective and responded accordingly. We’ve had a really good start and I think the relationships are better that they would be. A lot of us are new to the AMP arena. Many of us have worked with Thames Water before, though not necessarily in the AMP5 phase. As we approach AMP6 there are a lot of relationships to be developed and a whole culture to be created. For this, the two year Early Contractor Involvement phase has been absolutely vital. What factors contributed to the appointment of the chosen alliance partners? The challenges are significantly different from the previous five AMPs. Now we are embarking on the world of totex, a world of outcomes rather than outputs where the customer has an ever increasing voice. Thames Water recognised that they needed to make a radical change. They identified three aspects that needed to be provided; innovation, sustainability and collaboration. Those are our three watchwords and we have tried to engender these principles throughout everything we do. When Thames Water was looking for partners it seemed quite a simple step

to introduce IBM. What we wanted from IBM was analytical data analysis capability. Water companies aren’t short on data – there are masses of data wherever you look – but what you need to be able to do is take data and turn it into management information. You need some strong analytical capability and IBM brings that. You’re looking for companies with a great track record, with size and balance sheets that can cope with the financial demands of this business. You’re looking for companies that can put forward people who can respond to the ISC (Innovation Sustainability Collaboration) challenge and tick the behavioural box. That’s how you pick your eight partners. What is the outlook for the future? We’re all very pleased, though we’re aware that we haven’t done anything yet. But I would say that we’ve made a great start, we’ve laid a great foundation and we’re in a great position to go on and do some good work. I’m quietly confident. Once the Final Determinations are in place we’ll be in good shape to hit the ground running on 1st April 2015.

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UKC PROFILE

The Society of British Water & Wastewater Industries The Society of British Water & Wastewater Industries (SBWWI) is a trade association which looks to represent the best interests of its members to clients, regulators and Government bodies. Martyn Hopkinson – Society Chairman and Managing Director of MH20 – discusses the role of the SBWWI with UK Construction Excellence and spoke about the impact AMP6 may have on the industries’ beleaguered supply chain. What would you describe as being the current aims and objectives of SBWWI? The Society was initially set up to provide a forum for the supply chain to the water and wastewater industry. We have 100+ members and we’ve managed to retain if not increase our membership through some fairly difficult times. Our main objective is to represent the best interests of our membership, to client organisations, regulators and the Government. We meet regularly with Ofwat, Defra, the Environment Agency and other Government and non-Government organisations to hopefully give the supply chain point of view and ensure that we are giving our members a voice in the wider industry. We’re a company limited by guarantee. We have an Executive Director and a small staff in our Leamington Spa head office, but a lot of the work that goes on is voluntary. We have a management committee, which is basically made up of individuals from different member companies. We rely a great deal on our members and their support to keep our subscription price low and ensure that smaller companies – even one man bands like myself – can afford membership. SBWWI has a diverse and wide-ranging membership comprised of many different companies of varying size and skills. Why might a company become a member? What are the benefits of membership? One of the main advantages of membership is networking opportunities.

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We are particularly strong in terms of representing small businesses that wouldn’t necessarily have a voice otherwise. Membership also gives them the opportunity to network, not only with client organisations but also with our larger members. Through our seminars and our regular supply chain forums – we have four of those a year – our members can come and discuss the various topics of the day and, more importantly, network with other members. What are the challenges facing the supply chain during AMP6? There are a number of ongoing challenges, the biggest one being the cyclical nature of the industry. The five year AMP cycle has always been a problem, particularly for the supply chain. What tends to happen is that there is very little work in year one. Things ramp up in years two, three and four, only to then fall off a cliff in year five. In terms of being able to look at a long term investment strategy, it does create some real problems. One of the things that we are involved is the Cyclicality Working Group, which was set up after the Treasury published the ‘Smoothing Investment Cycles’ document, and we have seen some progress on that front. We’re seeing some early release of funds for AMP6, which will predominantly be targeted at getting schemes designed in advance so that we’re ready at the start of AMP6 to hit the ground running. Whether that’s successful or not, only time will tell. There’s also the move to totex and the impact that this is going to have. Clearly, the thinking behind this is good – a more holistic approach and outcome-based solutions to problems. Potentially this could be a very positive move. Are water companies doing enough to foster good relationships and better lines of communication with customers and the supply chain? One of the major problems we have had is that there has been a lack of cooperation

and communication. Things are better but there has been recognition, certainly in some of the conversations that I have had of late, that if we don’t start cooperating we are not going to achieve the kind of outcomes that we are looking for. Another thing that water companies have recognised is that they have customers. I think most water companies would admit that past customer service records have not been great. The regulator has pushed water companies towards a greater recognition that customers are key to all of their activities. Water companies are now investing a lot more to ensure that customer service is at the top of their agenda. How can the strenuous procurement process be improved? The procurement process has become strenuous and increasingly complicated. You have an increasing requirement from the client to provide a high quality service, yet price is ultimately the driver. As a small business, you may look at what is on paper a five year framework but you need to look at that rather closely to see if it is commercially sustainable. In a lot of cases, certainly in previous AMPs, that has proved disastrous for a number of companies. There is also an argument to be made about the whole procurement process and tender documentation, and whether there should be some standardisation in terms of the specifications of the water companies. There is so much time involved in actually submitting tenders. It really is a costly process and I think there are a number of ways that it could be simplified and standardised. More important is ensuring that collaboration and communication between the client and the supply chain is sufficient that the supply chain fully understands the needs of the client so that they can ensure that they are capable of delivering.


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UKC COMMENT

CDM 2015 – HSE

You cannot be serious!

Surely the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) cannot be serious about issuing revised CDM Regulations in 2015 that are seriously flawed and will have a detrimental effect on the number of fatal and serious injuries in the building industry. The HSE issued a draft of the proposed new regulations with a consultation document earlier this year and they have reviewed the submissions that they received. Their latest proposals make little sense and will produce unsatisfactory regulations. The CDM Regulations 2007 are powerful and workable and substantially protect the health and safety of all who work in the construction industry. The only intelligent revision necessary is to include domestic clients as duty holders as required by the EU Directive. The HSE were required to review the CDM Regulations by the incoming coalition government as directed by David Cameron to reduce “red tape” and reduce misused health and safety law. This obsession of the prime minister has resulted in the proposed, but not yet implemented, new CDM Regulations being not fit for purpose. The HSE initially proposed removing all together the Approved Code of Practice and substituting “a suite of guidance” in its place. We believe that regulatory requirements create the motivation for achieving higher standards and continuous improvements in health and safety leading to innovation and best practice.

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Omit regulation and standards will fall and fatalities and serious accidents will increase. Guidance should assist in the understanding of regulations not replace them. Guidance can never have the same impact or standing in law as an Approved Codes of Practice. It would appear that the HSE has seen the stupidity of its original proposal and will now issue a revised Approved Code of Practice. The intentions of including domestic clients as duty holders was initially seen as honourable and progressive but in practice the proposed responsibilities and legally binding requirements are hopelessly inadequate. The HSE state that “two thirds or more of fatalities now occur on small sites – sites where fewer than 15 people work”. The EU Directive requires the UK regulations to include building work for domestic clients much of which constitutes “small sites”. It is totally illogical to change the requirements for notification of a project to one that will have more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project as well as lasting longer than 30 working days. The current requirement of 30 working days or 500 person days is more logical and likely to be more effective in ensuring competent management of smaller projects. In addition there are no specific and expressly defined responsibilities for the domestic client similar to those of the commercial client included in the proposed new regulations. All domestic

client responsibilities are forced on to other duty holders, principally the designers. The requirements of notifying the HSE of a project are so watered down for the domestic client as to make the point of including domestic clients a total waste of time. Domestic clients should have the same legal standing and responsibilities as commercial clients. The most significant and unwelcome proposed change to the regulations is the removal of the CDM Co-ordinator from the list of duty holders and replacing the role with a Principal Designer. The CDM Regulations were originally introduced in 1994 and created the role of Planning Supervisor. The Regulations were then redrafted in 2007 and these changed the Planning Supervisor’s role into the current role of the CDM Co-ordinator that is a familiar part of the construction industry today. The CDM Co-ordinator is a trained and competent health and safety professional and is the principal advisor on health and safety matters to the entire design and construction team. The proposals to remove this role and incorporate the responsibilities in the new role of Principal Designer will mean removing the independent and professional role in health and safety planning and the continuity of responsibility from initial planning to practical completion of the construction process. The costs of instructing an independent CDM Coordinator are grossly overstated in the


consultation document and the benefits are appreciated and acknowledged by architects and clients. This is the most irresponsible proposal that the HSE has made in the consultation document and now appear to be incorporating in the final 2015 Regulations. Only people who are competent and experienced enough to act as CDM Co-ordinators could possibly carry out the role of Principal Designer effectively. However the title indicates that a person who is a designer is capable of performing the proposed duties. The training of an architect does not currently cover fully the duties envisaged in the consultation document. Many architects do not want to take on the role as it would involve additional training and increase their workload for which they may not be able to seek additional payment from clients. The removal of the requirement for a competent duty holder to advise clients on the suitability of the Construction Phase Plan is extremely irresponsible. This requirement was effectively a final preconstruction check that ensured that the principal contractor had considered all of the risks associated with the project. Under the CDM 2007 Regulations, the CDM Co-ordinator often identified omissions in the Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan and therefore the removal of this requirement will undoubtedly lead directly to an increase in accidents and injuries. The HSE said in a statement published a short while ago: “There have been

significant reductions in the number and rate of injury over the last 20 years or more. Nevertheless, construction remains a high risk industry. Although it accounts for only about 5% of the employees in Britain it still accounts for 22% of fatal injuries to employees and 10% of reported major injuries. However it is a fact that the annual rate of fatalities on construction sites has reduced by 62% since the introduction of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994. Over the same period the rate of major injuries on construction sites has reduced by 38%. In the light of these facts, why is the Government about to make fundamental changes to the CDM Regulations? It is undoubtedly a grave error to remove the “competence� requirement from the Regulations. There is overwhelming evidence that the lack of training and experience and pure incompetence is the root cause of the majority of accidents. It is not acceptable for the HSE to refer to the balance between costs and benefits in the competence arena as a reason for omitting a requirement for a high level of competence of all individuals and corporate bodies involved in the construction process. Proof of competence need not be excessively bureaucratic if it is engrained in the policies of corporate structures of any size. It is untrue for the HSE to say that competence is most effectively promoted through cultural change and leadership

in the industry rather than regulation. Anyone involved in small and medium size building projects will have seen evidence of a lack of training and knowledge and simple incompetence resulting in avoidable and unnecessary accidents and injuries. When it comes to the lives and well-being of workers on building sites what should be the criteria of Government represented by the HSE? Should it be to do as much as possible or as little as they can get away with? We hope that the answer is clear. The construction industry has worked hard to reduce the appalling rate of accidents in construction we hope that Government does not accept the current proposals by the HSE and set the construction industry back 30 years in terms of the number of fatal and serious injuries. We owe it to the hard working men and women working on construction sites to do all in our power to keep them from preventable and sometimes fatal accidents. Removing the CDM Co-ordinators role, or the competence requirements will be a disaster and will be seen as throwing the baby out with the bath water. E A Goddard, Executive Director of the Guild of Builders and Contractors and Fellow of the Association for Project Safety. For further information: Telephone: 0208 977 1105 Email: info@buildersguild.co.uk www.buildersguild.co.uk

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THIRD PARTY CERTIFICATION FOR YOUR FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES The tragic events at the Rosepark Nursing Home in Lanarkshire and Lakenal House in London are reminders that constant monitoring and improvement in fire protection is a necessity. National legislation sets out the duties and requirements for all premises’ duty holders. There is also guidance on government websites, which offer detailed requirements and the value of using third party certificated, external expertise. BAFE is the independent registration body for companies that have achieved third party quality certification of their fire protection services through UKAS accredited Certification bodies. Users and specifiers can gain the reassurance that providers of fire alarms, portable extinguishers, emergency lighting and now fire risk assessments meet UK standards and are regularly audited. Over 1150 companies across the UK have now achieved BAFE registration and this is growing rapidly as the requirement becomes a part of many tenders and specifications. BAFE launched the scheme for companies that provide Life Safety Fire Risk Assessments in 2012 and more and more end users are now specifying this requirement. This scheme has been developed to help the building‘s responsible person/duty holder’ meet the requirements for Fire Risk assessments under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, SP205 specifies that Organisations have the required technical and quality management capabilities to deliver competent assessments. The scheme has been designed to ensure the competence of companies large and small, recognising that there are many individuals working as assessors.

If you are looking for the supply and maintenance of portable extinguishers, look for one of the 330 Companies accredited to BAFE Schemes SP101/ST104. Companies are certificated to ISO9001 and all of their technicians are assessed by BAFE for initial and ongoing competence. For installing or maintaining fire alarm systems, Companies should hold BAFE modular SP203-1 scheme approval. This scheme includes design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection systems and also requires that all equipment used is third party certificated. The scheme now has over 700 registered companies. Our Emergency Lighting scheme (SP203-4) sets out the standards and staff competence criteria to be met. It is modular, as with the fire alarm scheme, and is achieving growing recognition from end users. There are a range of other BAFE schemes covering particular sectors of the fire protection industry and details can be found on the BAFE website, along with a complete search facility to find registered companies in your area. Using a BAFE registered company reassures those commissioning fire risk assessments and gives confidence in the quality and relevance of the services being provided. It is essential that the fire risk assessor is a competent person who has a duty of care to the organisation on which legislation imposes the requirement. For more information go to the BAFE website: www.bafe.org.uk or contact us at info@bafe.org.uk

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UKC PROFILE

Setting new standards in education

Priority School Building Programme The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) is a centrally managed programme set up to address the needs of the schools most in need of urgent repair. Through the programme, 261 schools will be rebuilt or have their condition needs met by the Education Funding Agency (EFA). The first school to be rebuilt as part of the Government’s PSBP has opened to its pupils in May 2014. Pupils and teachers at Whitmore Park Primary School in Coventry have had their dilapidated school building completely rebuilt as part of the £2.4Bn programme. In total, 28 schools are now either under construction or open as part of the PSBP, while design work has begun at 234 schools - 90% of the programme. All schools will be delivered by the end of 2017 - two years earlier than originally planned. Given the success of the PSBP, ministers have also announced a second phase of the programme, worth around £2Bn. Schools Minister David Laws said: “The opening of Whitmore Park marks a major milestone in the Priority School Building Programme, which is making great strides in ensuring that vital building work takes place at some of the schools in the worst state across the country. “It is providing much better value

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for money than previous school building schemes, and forms part of the Government’s drive to deliver the best schools for young people in order to help deliver both a stronger economy and a fairer society. “Whitmore Park Primary has become a model for PSBP schools, with procurement taking only 13 weeks and building works complete in just 11 months.” Caroline Kiely, Executive Headteacher at Whitmore Park Primary School, said: “I’m sure the new school environment will make a real difference to the staff and children here at Whitmore Park. “Our previous building was past its best so the new school will mean that less money will have to be spent on repairs and can be spent on better equipment or more staff instead.” The £5M project comprises a new build primary school for 630 pupils with a 39-place nursery. The two wings share a central hub comprising the entrance, studio and hall, making it an efficient and effective design. Stephen Beechey, Managing Director Education and Investment at Wates, the contractor who built the school, said: “The Priority School Building

Programme is proving itself an extremely successful means of ensuring new school facilities result in inspirational learning environments that encourage educational excellence. “This can clearly be seen in the delivery of Whitmore Park. Wates has maintained a close working partnership with the Education Funding Agency throughout the design and build programme to maintain cost and time efficiency, leading to completion of the first school under the programme.” The Government is determined to raise the standard of schools and the education they provide as part of its longterm plan. The PSBP is building on the progress which has already been made in delivering a more efficient, faster, less bureaucratic approach to building schools. Thanks to the decisions taken following the James review to improve efficiency and reduce waste in central school building programmes, this Government is building or improving the condition of almost 900 schools. This includes building almost 300 brand new schools, rebuilding and renovating 200 of the most dilapidated schools in the country, and approving funding for more than 400 projects from previous programmes.


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UKC PROFILE

International Jack-Up Barge Operators Association The International Jack-Up Barge Operators Association (IJUBOA) is an international trade association for operators of Jack-Up barges and liftboats. The main service offered by the association is bringing the worldwide industry together to improve standards of safety and training. In addition, the Association represents the interests, and voices the concerns of, the industry to Clients, Regulatory Authorities and the general public. The Association has developed National Occupational Standards (NOS) for operating Jack-Up barges and these have been formally adopted by the UK Commission of Employment and Skills. Members can use these NOS to develop their staff and source training that is relevant to their job role. Other services include advice, guidance and skills, twice yearly member conferences to share best practice and enhance commercial awareness, and the development and delivery of a training course for people involved in the management and procurement of Jack-Up barges. The Association has three goals, to establish: ••A safe industry – safe for its people, for the environment and society at large ••A learning industry – a skilled and professional workforce essential for the safe and efficient operation of Jack-Up barges ••A well-run industry – responsive to the needs of its customers and committed to continuous improvement. The Association was born out of an absence of regulatory frameworks relevant to the specific operation and management of JackUp barges. John Howard, owner of Howard Marine, who had been an operator of small non-propelled JUB’s for many years, was aware of the problems and potential dangers of an unregulated industry that has no training policy or qualification protocol for its crews or managers; he called a meeting of interested operators and owners in spring 2007, where there was a recognition of the issue and a need for some regulation. Out of the group of companies that attended those early meetings, there were five companies that were clearly committed to training their barge operating crews and to improving standards of safety in every aspect of the barge’s operation. These companies were Red7 Marine based in Wrabness, Fugro Seacore based in Falmouth, Jack Up BV based in Rotterdam, A2Sea based in Fredericia, Denmark and of course Howard Marine, based in Plymouth. All these companies agreed, with the support of other companies present, to become the initial committee

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members that formed the steering group that has driven the Association forward. Currently, there are some 20 full members of the Association who are owners and operators of Jack-Up vessels or lift ships, with a further 20 members who are involved in the marine industry. There are many benefits to being a member of IJUBOA. It is a one-stop-shop for all information concerning small to medium size Self-Elevating Platforms. Clearly international legislation can have impact on how and where the vessels are operated and IJUBOA can advise on these matters and works closely with the British Marine Coastguard Agency, attending workshops to ensure that future legislation that is being brought out recognises the operational issues concerning these vessels. IJUBOA also has close contact with the British Health and Safety Executive discussing all the activities that the barges can be involved in, in order to minimise any perceived hazards. IJUBOA has its own Code of Practice which is similar to an IMO classification but is specific to the barge operator rather than the vessel, ensuring that the management understand fully the requirements of the barge and its crew and provide the necessary support to operate a safe and efficient vessel. IJUBOA also works with the clients who use these vessels in order to bring about both a better understanding between client and contractor. The Client has the assurance that the operator who is IJUBOA CoP approved

meets the highest standards possible and that all aspects of the barges’ operational capabilities have been considered. IJUBOA is now seeking to develop a quality control for the training of crews which will include examinations to ensure that the crews both understand and can execute their duties in a safe and professional manner. IJUBOA is now seeking to enrol companies around the world into the Association to ensure that best practice is adopted on a worldwide basis. Most recently IJUBOA has provided a management course in Liverpool for both clients and owners who are operating SEP’s. This course was delivered in conjunction with Noble Denton, UTEC and managed by IJUBOA. IJUBOA has also provided a single company presentation to one of its members in Singapore. These courses cover the major operational risks associated with jacking a vessel of several thousand tons out of the water. These vessels are usually supported in four legs, with the constant risk of a geotechnical weakness allowing one or more of the legs to penetrate the seabed to a greater depth than the other legs with the consequent stability issues that would arise from such a situation. The course addresses this and many other aspects of operating a working self-elevating platform. More details can be found at: www.ijuboa.com


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UKC PROFILE

Taking Japanese knotweed seriously

Property Care Association Japanese knotweed has become increasingly well known in recent years, and is a growing commercial problem because of the challenges it causes in the urban environment. Native to eastern Asia, the plant was introduced in the early 19th century to adorn gardens of Victorian England. Along with Giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed is one of three non-native plants most commonly encountered in Britain that concern homeowners, landowners and developers. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, it was widely recognised as an invasive species. Where the plant grows on development sites, it can cause damage to hard structures and surfaces. Developers also often need to tackle the plant in order to avoid contravening the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The Property Care Association (PCA) - the trade association representing specialists who can be trusted to resolve problems affecting buildings - offers advice to developers about the impact of Japanese knotweed and the risks posed by this invasive weed, and is continuing to help the UK property and land management sectors take control with a comprehensive training programme designed to normalise the problem. It includes a two-day modular course, control and eradication of Japanese knotweed, which focuses on identification and control measures, but also briefly covers other invasive plants. A training programme for technicians and field operatives working on the control of Japanese knotweed

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has also been devised by PCA. Steve Hodgson, General Manager of the PCA, spoke about the steps to eradicate the problem of Japanese knotweed. He said: “Japanese knotweed is just a plant and we are taking all steps necessary to normalise it, so it is viewed generally as any other type of property problem, in that it can be identified and treated with minimal impact. “The delivery of professional training is a major step forward in that process and this course shares the latest thinking and expertise to enable the UK to take control of Japanese knotweed and give reassurance to lenders that it can be remediated.” It is an important function of the PCA, whose members can investigate and provide solutions that involve damp, condensation, timber decay or insect attack, dampness and water penetration in basements, floodwater recovery and flood protection, structural defects, as well as invasive weed control. The company works with government departments, responds to consultation documents and provides assistance with the department of new guidelines, all with the aim of improving outcomes and promoting best practice. When choosing a member of the PCA, people can be certain that in order to become a member, these companies have undergone rigorous checks to achieve and retain membership. All members are audited and the quality of their work already checked, and regular technical, operational and procedural

checks give consumers the assurance that all members can deliver high quality service and peace of mind, supported by independently insured guarantees. The origins of the company go back to 1930, when the British Wood Preserving Association (BWPA) was founded for the industry with the key aim to ‘spread knowledge of wood preservation with a view to prevent wastage of timber and to standardise specifications for wood preservations and their application; to investigate all possible methods of wood preservation; and to afford members opportunities for the interchange of ideas regarding improvements in wood preservation’. In 1977, the British Chemical Dampcourse Association (BCDA) was formed and 12 years later, the two Associations merged to form the British Wood Preserving and Damp Proofing Association (BWPDA). Members of the BWPDA were instrumental in the formation of Guarantee Protection Trust in 1982, to offer insurancebacked guarantees to customers, which became Guarantee Protection Insurance on achieving FSA approval in 2002. A year later, two divisions were created; the Property Care Association and the Wood Protection Association. In 2006, members of the BWPDA voted for the separation of these two divisions and shortly after, both became individual trade associations in their own right. For more information about the Property Care Association please visit: www.property-care.org


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UKC COMMERCIAL

Charlton Riverside Place

Serving the growing population of Greenwich peninsula Work is well underway to provide shopping facilities in the Charlton area. The development of Charlton Riverside Place on Woolwich Road will comprise the relocation of an existing Sainsbury’s store, along with a new Marks & Spencer’s retail unit and a Costa Coffee. Previously, it was the site of an industrial estate and retail units that have since been demolished and before work could start, foundations had to be taken out as well as various basements from some other smaller residential properties. The Sainsbury’s store will contain a main ground floor sales area, a warehousing area and a goods online space, which is a local delivery service. On the upper floor there will be home wear sales, staff accommodation and a learning centre called Explore Learning. This is a programme that is being rolled out over the major new Sainsbury’s stores to give top-up learning education for children. A plant room will also be situated on the roof. Similarly, the Marks & Spencer’s store will have two floors with a ground floor sales

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area comprising a back-up area at the rear. Upstairs, there are more sales with some staff accommodation and a cafe. Aesthetically, the project will benefit from a continuous canopy along the front of the building that wraps around to the gable elevation onto Woolwich Road, which will become quite a feature. Designed by Ratcliffe Groves Partnership, this feature and the Practice’s work on the project was praised by the Greater London Authority design officer. Sustainability will play a part in the project, with Sainsbury’s using a ground source heat pump as well as solar photovoltaic arrays on the roof too. With the addition of making sure all buildings are highly insulated, the scheme is set to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’, and every building on site is very much on the way to meeting this standard. The sustainability consultant is Envision. Being built by Ellmer Construction, the buildings will be clad in Kingspan insulated wall panels, and both structures will contain subtopics rooflights.

Aluminium frame curtain walling will appear on the Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer’s developments, and externally, Sainsbury’s will be finished in timber thanks to the walling system being Kingspan Benchmark, which has a timber facing. Meanwhile, the Marks & Spencer’s will benefit from a combination of timber and high pressure laminate on the walls. As with all new projects, there will be facilities for the disabled, while security will be guaranteed thanks to CCTV within both stores as well as sprinklers. Landscaping will provide a green wall on the northern boundary and customers will have a 695-space car park complete with disabled and parent/child parking spaces, plus 72 electric car charging points. The development is for LXB Retail Properties Plc - the real estate investment company. Work started in November 2013 and will be complete in February 2015. It is a major new development that will serve the growing population of Greenwich peninsula.


www.ellmers.co.uk


UKC PROFILE

Cambridgeshire County Council

Taking care of education Cambridgeshire County Council is continuing to improve its education facilities with a number of high profile developments. One that is to start soon is based at Dry Drayton Primary School, which will see the demolition of existing mobile classrooms to be replaced with a new three-classroom permanent building complete with link corridor, main entrance, associated welfare facilities, hygiene room and ancillary spaces. This new building will be constructed next to what is already existing and will be connected with a glazed link.

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Internal works will improve the existing facilities too, providing a larger kitchen, a new special educational needs group room for individual and group-based learning, and relocation of staff room facilities. Although the number of pupils in school will remain the same, the project was deemed necessary because the mobile classrooms had reached the end of their life. With any project like this, there are always challenges, given that work will be undertaken while the school is open, temporary accommodation will be set up to ensure that there are no disruptions to classes.

The need to maintain natural light into the existing classrooms was also a challenge which has been overcome by manipulating the form of the building to ensure existing classrooms are provided with a comfortable environment. The remaining building form adopts the architectural language of the existing school which is transposed through site conditions, surroundings and brief requirements. A playful twist has been added with an injection of colour to frame the gables to engage children with the new building. The structure of the building was designed continued on page 62 >


MULTI-DISCIPLINE DESIGN SERVICES FROM INCEPTION THROUGH TO COMPLETION

Proposals for Dry Drayton Primary School, Cambridge due to commence October 2014

Completed works at Histon and Impington junior School, Cambridge

At Templeman Design we specialise in providing a personnel service using our multi disciplinary team of architectural, electrical, mechanical, civil and structural designers to facilitate any type of construction project from conception to completion. Our 25 years experience ranges from supporting individual companies and organisations through to public sector authorities such as education, healthcare, local authorities and the MOD. We thrive on the challenge of meeting our client’s expectations in design, quality and time, from representation to reality.

We provide a range of professional services including: • • • • • • • • • •

Conceptualisation Feasibility Studies Planning Submissions and consultation Architectural, Mechanical, Electrical and Structural Design Cost Control and Value Engineering Procurement Selection and Tender Tender Evaluation and Appointment Contract Administration CDM-Coordinator services Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Completed works at Girton Glebe Primary School, Cambridge

TEMPLEMAN DESIGN 2 North Lynn Business Village, Bergen Way, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 2JG

Tel: 01553 776148

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to reduce fuel consumption and heat loss whilst adopting the principles of passive ventilation. As a result, the building will use less fuel and the least amount of artificial light as possible. LED light fittings will reduce the amount of energy consumed and enhance the longevity of the fittings, reducing energy and maintenance. The main structure of the new primary school building will be steelwork, infilled with a timber frame. The external face will then be clad with brickwork and a metal profile cladding. A steel supporting structure will be used for the roof, which will also have infilled timber rafters and clad with the same metal roof cladding on all walls. The core of the timber frame will be fully filled with insulation to enhance the thermal properties of the building. Templeman Associates, the Architectural Designer for the project, has been integral to the development of this single-storey build. The Practice has provided the Client

by Coulson Building Group, work will with a multi-disciplinary solution and start on site in October 2014 and acted as lead architectural designer, will be completed next summer. planning consultant, mechanical designer, Cambridgeshire County Council has also electrical designer and structural found a sponsor to run and manage a engineer for the development. new education campus in Littleport. Providing Clients with a complete design After a process where potential sponsors solution. Templeman Associates also procured specialist teams such as utility surveys and ecologists to fulfil the Clients’ aspirations while minimising risk to them. As a result of this service, Dry Drayton Primary School has not needed to appoint an array Tel: 01536 721914 of consultants, therefore email: info@hawkesgroup.co.uk minimising www.hawkesgroup.co.uk expense. Being built

JMC Construction (March) LTD Grab Hire ● Van Hire Muckaway ● Aggregates Supplied Plant Hire ● Haulage Halfpenny Toll Stables, Hook Road, Wimblington, Cambridgeshire PE15 0QL

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JMC Construction and Grab Hire are located in Wimblington near March in Cambridgeshire. We serve South East Anglia areas such as Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertforshire and Lincolnshire. Our specialist Grab Lorry Hire service is available with or without a driver, this service is ideal for people requiring muck away, rubbish removal and other non-hazardous waste disposal. You can remove around 3 times more waste by hiring a grab lorry than you can with a skip (based on a standard skip's capacity). This makes removing your waste with our Grab Hire Lorry service much more cost effective and productive, plus there is no need to move your waste into a skip and then have to wait for it to be lifted. Our Grab Hire service will come and clear your waste all in one go.


applied and then were interviewed, Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust was chosen as the preferred sponsor. The site will include a secondary school and a special school which will have facilities to accommodate pupils between two to 19-years-old, opening in September 2016.

The secondary school will provide 120 places for year seven in its first year of opening and will increase in size through the addition of a new year seven intake annually until the school is providing for all five year groups, a total of 600 places. The special school will admit children based

on need, up to its capacity of 110 pupils. There will be the potential to expand the secondary school to accommodate 750 children if required, and projects like this demonstrate the commitment of the Council to improving its education facilities.

Cambridge Flat Roofing was founded by a team of experienced roofing professionals with unrivalled practical and technical knowledge. By placing quality, service and safety at the heart of our organisation, we have built and maintained an unrivalled customer base throughout the UK. Due to the breadth and depth of knowledge held by our employees, we can tailor a roofing package to suit any situation, from routine maintenance to major refurbishment on any type of roof construction.

Flat Roofing • Pitched Roofing • Metal Roofing Felt • Asphalt • Hot Melt • Single Ply • Liquid Tiles/Slates • Green Roofing • Sheeting Cambridge Flat Roofing is committed to reducing our impact on the environment by utilising and promoting the latest roofing designs and materials.

Unit 7, The Dock Business Park, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 4GS

Tel: 01353 664 100 Fax: 01353 663 337 Email: estimating@cambridgeflatroofing.com

www.cambridgeflatroofing.com 61


UKC PROFILE

Tamar Energy

The UK’s leading developer and operator of anaerobic digestion plants In February 2012, the newly established Tamar Energy made an ambitious pledge – to generate 100MW of green electricity by developing a UK network of anaerobic digestion plants. With the third anniversary of the Company’s formation close at hand, Tamar Energy’s plans to deliver on this promise are well underway. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a technology that is still not widely known in the UK. Tamar Energy’s sizable investment in AD infrastructure has gone some way to asserting the technology’s importance in the UK’s energy roadmap. AD is a series of natural biological processes in which organic waste material – known as feedstock – is broken down by micro-organisms and converted into energy, known as biogas. The resulting biogas can be used in a combined heat and power engine to generate electricity for local use or export to the National Grid, or cleansed of carbon dioxide and injected directly into the gas grid. Tamar Energy’s current portfolio consists of four operational AD facilities in Basingstoke, Halstead, Holbeach and Retford, with an additional plant under construction in Hoddesdon and a further three plants with planning consent, in Bromley, Evercreech and Wardley. The operational AD facilities are a mix of solely owned and joint venture projects, showing Tamar Energy has a collaborative approach that may see the Company acquire existing infrastructure or work alongside other AD plant operators in the future. Such consolidation is indicative of the potential for anaerobic digestion in the UK. As the support tariffs from governments in places like Spain, Italy and Germany have diminished, the UK is being viewed as an attractive market by the AD process contractors. This is good

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news for AD developers like Tamar Energy, as there is plenty of competition among technology providers to build good plants. While the majority of Germany’s anaerobic digesters are small scale agricultural plants, it is the number of large-scale food waste plants that is increasing in the UK. Deploying AD plants of this size is a complex and time-consuming undertaking that requires careful management of a number of economic drivers. Only an experienced company – one in a position to leverage economies of scale, put in place the multiple feedstock sourcing agreements necessary and implement comprehensive digestate solutions – can move a project through development to financing and operation. As each project is unique, Tamar Energy has a well-defined methodology for designing, building and operating AD plants. A wide range of factors are taken into account when identifying potential sites, such as transport links, electrical or gas grid connections, potential feedstock supplies and applicable technology. Comprehensive feasibility studies are undertaken, including liaising with the local community and the Local Authority’s planning department. The availability of feedstock is critical to a project’s viability. Typically, an anaerobic digestion plant has an approximate 30 mile radius from which all feedstock

is sourced. As such, the strategic location of plants creates a ‘catchment area’, which naturally deters further AD development in the same location. There is plenty of ‘feedstock’ around the UK for AD plants: UK households alone still throw away around 7.8 million tonnes of food waste a year. As the number of AD plants increases, so does the technology’s potential as a viable alternative to landfill for those with responsibility for the disposal of organic waste. With landfill ‘gate fees’ in the region of £100 per tonne, there is a strong commercial incentive to make use of alternative technologies such as AD, which offer very competitive gate fees. However, many local authorities in England do not offer some form of separate food collection service to domestic households - and the investment needed to segregate food waste is constraining them from making use of AD as a cost-effective and sustainable waste management solution. continued on page 64 >


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Watch your project. Broadcast your project. Anywhere in the world. Tell the complete story of your construction project with above HD time-lapse. Remote monitoring, archive access and live streaming of footage across all digital platforms, creating the ideal tool for collaboration. www.lobsterpictures.tv 0117 370 4217 | LOBSTERPICTURES.TV

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Tamar Energy’s clear-cut ambition and innovation in the field of anaerobic digestion has not gone unnoticed. In June 2014, the Renewable Energy Association declared Tamar Energy its ‘Renewable Energy Company of the Year’. Selected from a highly competitive shortlist that included six other industry-leading organisations, the award acknowledges the Company’s dedication to the advancement of the UK renewable energy industry. Of the award Nina Skorupska, Chief Executive of the Renewable Energy Association, said: “The scale of investment Tamar has made in mainstreaming food waste anaerobic digestion projects

is very impressive. This is not just about the quantity of projects they are developing, but the quality too. Tamar’s commitment to outstanding health and safety practices sets an excellent example for others to follow.” This recent honour is one of a number of such accolades accrued by the Company. In 2013, Cleantech Group – the global clean technology and sustainability intelligence company – presented Tamar Energy with the ‘Standout Fundraising Achievement of the Year’ award for its innovative approach to attracting an astounding £97m in green-tech equity funding. With sustainability at the forefront of so

many agendas, Tamar Energy’s commitment to delivering green energy is all the more commendable. While the Company is making a valuable contribution to the UK’s energy requirement, it is also spearheading the importance of anaerobic digestion in the UK’s waste management strategy. In fact, the trio of environmental and financial benefits offered by AD – organic waste management, clean baseload energy and a natural fertiliser – makes it an obvious choice when it comes to tackling the issue of organic waste in the UK. For more information on Tamar Energy please visit: www.tamar-energy.com

CODED WELDING - PIPEWORK INSTALLATIONS STAINLESS STEEL SPECIALISTS BREAKDOWN & SERVICING CONTRACTS Tel: 01536 628408 Mobile: 07983 109653 Email: dhfabservices@btinternet.com www.dhfabservicesltd.co.uk

SuSilva Ltd: Working in partnership with our developer clients, SuSilva is the predevelopment problem solver nationwide. SuSilva provides vegetation management, ecological compliance and mitigation services.

Susilva Ltd, Your partner for: • Vegetation management • Ecological mitigation • Preparation and enabling works • Subcontract or complete, managed predevelopment service

www.susilva.com 64

site

clearance,

With a solid track record of effective interface with archaeologists, ecologists and other specialists, Susilva will reduce project development timeframes through innovative approaches and fast reaction times. Our professional management team, specifically qualified in their individual roles, such as our own in house, Tech IOSH Health and Safety advisor are there to quickly assist our clients with issues as they arise. UKAS accredited to ISO 9001, with 14001 in process, SuSilva takes great pride in our ever evolving internal systems that underpin our core competencies and ensure an ability to consistently deliver in the most efficient and professional manner.


Fairfield Industrial Estate, Tattershall Way, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 0YZ Telephone: 01507 602491 Fax: 01507 607717 Email: admin@seymour-castle.co.uk www.seymour-castle.co.uk

Seymour and Castle Ltd are pleased to be associated with Tamar Energy. We are a trusted supplier to Xergi A/s for their many high profile Anaerobic Digestion projects. The Company’s strength lies in its ability to offer clients a full electrical design and build facility and our attention to the requirements of our clients with regard to quality and reliability. As NICEIC & ECA specialist installation and maintenance electrical engineers, we are continually investing in the skills necessary to meet the future electrical infrastructure requirements of the industrial and renewables sector including expanding our activities to include high voltage capacity.

Designing Anaerobic Digestion Facilities with Tamar Energy since 2012 Industrial Commercial Hospitality & Leisure Residential Education

01604 211 470 info@jones-ad.co.uk www.jones-ad.co.uk @Jones_AD1

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UKC CIVIL

London Bridge isn’t falling down

Redevelopment to provide more space, better connections and enhanced facilities Network Rail is completely rebuilding London Bridge – the capital’s oldest rail terminal – as part of the £6.5Bn Thameslink Programme, which will increase capacity and reliability on one of Europe’s busiest rail routes. The new London Bridge station will give passengers more space and easier connections to the Tube thanks to a new concourse the size of the pitch at Wembley Stadium, as well as extra tracks and platforms so more trains can run through central London. The work to rebuild the station is being carried out in phases to keep the station open for business and minimise disruption to passengers. September 2014 saw Network Rail open two new platforms, which were successfully completed on time following a nine day closure. During those nine days, over 1,200 engineers

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worked around the clock through one of the wettest and coldest bank holidays on record, to bring the two new platforms into service, lay new track and install a complex, state-of-the-art signalling system. At the same time a triple-track Victorian bridge on the approach to the station has been completely rebuilt, and a new connection to the East Coast Mainline to the north of St Pancras International has been brought a step closer. Speaking at the opening of the platforms, Simon Blanchflower, Network Rail’s Major Programme Director, said: “The huge amount of work we have completed in the last nine days is an essential part of the jigsaw that will eventually give passengers new more spacious trains running at tube like frequency through central London, and connecting them to more destinations that ever before.

“We try our best to minimise the impact on passengers and do most of the work behind the scenes, but there are big pieces of work that can only be completed when the railway is clear of trains and people. “We do this at the quietest times, such as the August bank holiday, but we understand the impact our work has on the daily lives of passengers we’d like to thank them all for bearing with us whilst we got it done.” The team that helped passengers find their way around London during the London 2012 Olympics also helped passengers find alternative routes during the part-closure of London Bridge. Their focus now turns to raising awareness of the next period of service changes on 20th December when another part closure is needed to bring two more platforms into service. In continued on page 70 >


Head Office: Unit 20, Optima Park Thomas Road Crayford Kent DA1 5QX T: 01322 555 085

Our services: Electrical Mechanical Security Systems Energy Solutions Data Services Underground Utilities

E: enquiries@woodlands-­‐ss.co.uk W: www.woodlands-­‐ss.co.uk

Woodlands Site Services Ltd are proud to be associated with Costain and Network Rail on such a prestigious project at London Bridge station re development. Our head office is based in Crayford, Kent, where we direct our team of engineers to provide design and back up facilities. Our approach has always been to get close to our clients, understand and identify with their problems, be aware of their objectives and then develop and carefully plan the right solution to those problems within a team environment. At Woodlands Site Services Ltd we believe this approach has never been more relevant than in the present climate, therefore we continue to be firmly committed to a proactive professional approach to problem solving. We concentrate more on effective management and site productivity, rather than contractual "posturing" – in other words, getting on with the job. The service that we provide is based on professional advice, given by capable and experienced people

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January 2015 work to start the rebuild of the second half of the station begins with longer term service changes commencing. David Scorey, Operations Director at Southern said: “We’d like to thank our passengers for their patience over the last nine days whilst the works continued at London Bridge. We had extra customer service staff and volunteers available throughout to ensure passengers could get to where they needed to.” Rail Minister Claire Perry said: “Thameslink is a key feature of the record levels of investment we are making in our railways as part of our long-term economic plan. “Last week I visited London Bridge and saw for myself how hard everyone in the Thameslink family has worked to reach this major milestone. I know this work has disrupted passengers’ journeys and I would like to thank them all for their patience while this important work was underway. Once the Thameslink project is completed it will transform travel across London and the South East for hundreds of thousands of passengers who travel into the capital every day.” The redevelopment of London Bridge station has also proved to be exciting from an archaeological perspective. Medieval floors, 16th century tobacco pipes and thousand-year-old timbers are just a few of the hundreds of artefacts that have been unearthed and preserved by Network Rail as work to rebuild London’s oldest railway station continues. Archaeological work during construction of the new Borough viaduct uncovered remains from the Roman, Saxon, medieval and more recent periods that provide a fascinating insight into the formation and growth of the ancient settlement at Southwark.

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construct a brand new concourse the size A rare 14th century flagon, thought to have of Wembley Stadium. We are working been used to serve ale in the Abbot of hard to keep London’s oldest station Waverley’s town house, is now on display open whilst completely rebuilding it”. in The Wheatsheaf Pub in Stoney Street, close to where it was excavated during the continued on page 72 > installation of the Borough viaduct. “We believe from its distinctive white clay that it was made in Cheam between 1350 and 1440,” said Jackie Keily, Curator at Sewer cleaning experts on behalf of Costain at the Museum of London Bridge Station. London, which gave permission for the • Leading specialists in confined space entry and rescue jug to be displayed • CCTV condition surveys in The Wheatsheaf. • Jetting and cleaning using recycled waste water Nicky Hughes, Head • Bulk haulage of liquid and liquid sludge waste of Communications • Environmentally friendly waste treatment. for Network Rail, London and South East, said: “As one of London’s oldest stations it’s not surprising that we are unearthing such a range of interesting finds shedding light on London’s development through the ages. “Above us the Station is still Stanley House, Anthonys Way, Medway City Estate, serving 52m Rochester, Kent ME2 4NF passengers a year but underneath Tel: 01634 250326 them we are Email: info@mtscleansing.co.uk unearthing all www.mts-ltd.co.uk this amazing archaeology as we


monica wells photography With experience of both the private and public sectors, working directly for companies or through design agencies, monica wells photography can help you market, project and add value to your product with stylish, striking and contemporary, yet affordable, phototgraphy.

Use monica wells photography for visual communications that convey the right messages about your product or service to customers, clients or the public.

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Office: +44 (0) 20 7713 8277 Mobile: +44 (0) 7831889778 Email: enquiries@monicawellsphotography.co.uk www.monicawellsphotography.co.uk

Originally founded in 2001, GI Energy design and deliver large scale sustainable heating, cooling and power solutions with over 250MW of installed systems across the UK across a broad range of sectors and utilising a number of integrated renewable technologies. Having installed systems within future Crossrail infrastructure and other rail projects, we continue to innovate sustainable methods of implementing renewable energy systems within urban rail developments. In line with our general project philosophy, we consider a holistic approach to energy systems for the built environment. This is always underpinned with an integrated control system that enables long term performance management and system optimisation to maximise energy and CO2 savings. In addition, GI Energy can co-ordinate access to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) where applicable on projects.

London Bridge Modern building methods often mean consideration of cooling as well as heating is key to ensuring the best environment at all times of the year. At London Bridge Station, GI Energy have designed and are installing a closed loop free cooling system utilising Energy Piles©, a system installing closed loop pipework within structural piles. Geothermal systems work by extracting or rejecting heat to the ground where it can be stored or harvested to suit the requirement of the building. GI Energy provide market leading design and delivery of such systems to ensure the most commercially effective bespoke solution is installed for each project. Our project at London Bridge Station offers a cost effective heating and cooling ground array by utilising the building piles as part of an integrated renewable system. We are installing approximately 145 structural piles saving around 80T of CO2 per annum and delivering 200kwT of heat rejection and 100,000 kwh of heat recovery. The design and installation is delivered by GI Energy’s experienced teams and will deliver ‘Free’ renewable cooling for the station via a system of flow and return pipework connecting the closed loop Energy Piles© to a plate frame heat exchanger. We have worked closely with Costain Network Rail to ensure this low maintenance system will provide cooling and heat recovery over many years of the station’s life, improving the station environment and reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption.

For more information please contact +44 (0) 2476 673131 or email enquiries@gienergy.net

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During the excavation of the original brick arches at London Bridge station, hundreds of historic items have been found which give an insight into the first settlement in the area. Timber piles constructed from trees felled between AD59 to AD83 were discovered and may have formed part of a substantial waterfront building on the edge of the settlement

south of the first London Bridge. Fragments of medieval floors and walls have also been found. These could have been part large houses along Tooley Street, known to have belonged to important clerics such as the Prior of Lewes. More recent discoveries, dating from the 16th to 18th centuries, include evidence of industry in the area such as

kilns for making clay tobacco pipes. The results of the work are currently being analysed by archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology and preConstruct Archaeology for future publication. All the finds and records will be deposited with the Museum of London at the completion of the work.

UNIQUE CAPABILITIES FOR UNIQUE CHALLENGES Prater is the UK’s leading specialist contractor, delivering high quality and cost effective design and installation services for the complete building envelope. With expertise and experience from working on high profile rail infrastructure projects, at the London Bridge redevelopment, one of the most complex projects undertaken by Network Rail, Prater is responsible for the design, supply and installation of the building envelope from the track-bed up. At London Bridge, Prater continues to pioneer the latest construction methods working with its partner, Severfield, taking off-site manufacturing to a new level and craning in structural steel roof cassettes complete with all the necessary M&E services such as lighting and security cameras.

Visit www.prater.co.uk or for project updates follow @praterltd

Prater provides innovative and practical solutions for a diverse range of commercial, leisure, retail, aviation, healthcare, industrial, residential and stadia developments. Whatever the building envelope challenge - you can rely on Prater.

London Bridge Station Redevelopment J C White Geomatics Ltd have been providing engineering surveying expertise to Costain at the London Bridge Station Redevelopment Project since Spring 2012. Our first involvement was to provide a very accurate survey control network for the whole project to the strict Network Rail specification.

PROFESSIONAL CHARTERED LAND SURVEYING THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH EAST Topographical Surveys - Measured Building Surveys Structure & Landform Monitoring Boundary Demarcation & Expert Witness - 3D Laser Scanning

We have assisted in setting up movement monitoring systems throughout the project and more recently implemented laser scanning to keep the as-built 3D models of the station up to date. Our company has also carried out 3D laser scanning to enable more detailed analysis of settlement within the railway arches.

Shrine Barn, Sandling Road, Postling, Kent, CT21 4HE Head Office tel : 01303 261212 Email : survey@jcwhite.co.uk Web : www.jcwhite.co.uk FS38944

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PROFILE UKC

Yorkshire Water Investing in infrastructure Yorkshire Water manages the collection, treatment and distribution of water in Yorkshire, supplying around 1.24Bn litres of drinking water each day. At the same time Yorkshire Water also collect, treat and dispose of about one billion litres of waste water safely back into the environment. To do this the Company operate more than 700 water and sewage treatment works and 120 reservoirs. Yorkshire Water look after 62,000 miles of water and sewerage mains - enough pipework to circulate the earth. Yorkshire Water’s job is to keep the pipes in good working order and continually improve them. The Company is currently spending around £750 per household to maintain and upgrade their pipes and works to reduce the risk of bursts, low water pressure, incidents of discolouration, sewer flooding and odour problems. Yorkshire Water uses water from reservoirs, rivers and boreholes and have a unique water grid system which allows the company to move water around Yorkshire to where it’s needed most. But Yorkshire Water is about much more than just water and sewerage services. The Company is one of Yorkshire’s largest landowners and has opened a lot of land for customers to enjoy. As one of Yorkshire’s biggest companies the Company works closely with local communities. Through its latest community

campaign ‘Hands Up’ they’re creating sustainable gardens and allotments in primary schools across Yorkshire. The vision is “Taking responsibility for the water environment for good”. This is to create a common vision that covers all that Yorkshire Water do across the whole of the Kelda Group. Over the next five years, Yorkshire Water is investing in many of its wastewater treatment works to help create more natural river environments so a wider variety of fish and wildlife can thrive. The work will help Yorkshire’s cities and towns rediscover their river heritage and benefit local people and tourists. The Company is investing more than £100M to improve rivers in South and West Yorkshire, on top of the £227M previously invested between 2005-10. The investment is part of the Freshwater Fish Directive which aims to protect or improve the quality of fresh water so that it can support fish life. The work involves upgrading 11 of Yorkshire’s wastewater treatment works, including Blackburn Meadows, Aldwarke, Old Whittington, Caldervale, Sutton, Mexborough and Castleford. Other sites included are Woodhouse Mill, Danesmoor, Darton and Cudworth This work will lead to a reduction in ammonia levels discharged from the works and try to put rivers back at the heart of Yorkshire communities and encourage

people to get out into the great outdoors. Blackburn Meadows Wastewater Treatment Works is one of the largest sewage works in Yorkshire. This huge 78 acre site is located on Alsing Road, next to Meadowhall shopping centre and treats wastewater from a population equivalent to over 800,000 people from the Sheffield area, including a number of key industrial sites. Between 2012 and 2015 Yorkshire Water are investing around £78M in new treatment processes at Blackburn Meadows. Through this investment they will be improving the water quality in the River Don and preparing the site to cope with future predicted increases in Yorkshire’s population. Earlier in 2014 saw the turning on of the new inlet works at Blackburn Meadows waste water treatment works, signalling a significant stage in the investment being made by Yorkshire Water. The second stage, which will significantly reduce ammonia levels in the water, was turned on shortly after The inlet works are the first stage of this sewage treatment and consist of a series of pipe bellmouths where the sewage enters the site and filter screens, which remove any solid material that could potentially cause blockages further in the treatment process. Improvements at the site started in May 2012, will continue until the end of this

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year and include a new inlet works, a new activated sludge plant, improvements to the storm overflow system and a sludge digestion plant, which is a more environmentally beneficial way of recycling the waste end-product. Elsewhere, the water quality of the River Don received another boost as Yorkshire Water completed work on a £6.5M project to upgrade its ageing Mexborough wastewater treatment works. Originally built in 1931, the works had received several upgrades over the years, and this latest investment will ensure that the treated water it discharges into the Don contains even lower levels of ammonia. This will ensure the works meets and exceeds the new EU standards which are set to come into effect next year, as part of the EU Freshwater Fish Directive. New additions to the site include a giant tank where naturally grown good bacteria breaks down the bad bacteria in the waste water. New screens have also been fitted at the site to remove

to cope with future pressures such as the hundreds of tonnes of rags, nappies population growth and climate change, and sanitary products which are wrongly but the quality of water we’re discharging flushed into the works every year. back into the River Don will be of an even Matt Jenkins, Yorkshire Water’s Project higher quality, boosting biodiversity Manager said: “As a water company, we and the environment as a whole.” don’t just provide clean drinking water. “We also treat up to 11.5M litres of waste water per day before returning it back to the environment and we recognise we have a huge role to play in maintaining and enhancing the quality of the region’s water Topographical / Building Measurement Surveys courses. “Following these improvements, Tel: 01226 780070 Mobile: 07801 697470 not only will this Email: mark.landmark@btinternet.com treatment works be better able

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Staptina Engineering Services Ltd. SPECIALIST CONTRACTORS TO THE WATER AND WASTE WATER INDUSTRY FOR OVER 30 YEARS SITE PIPEWORK

Supply and installation of ABS, PVC, Polypropylene and mild steel pipework. DWI Approved stainless steel pipework fabricator & WRAS secondary contained pipe system.

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Fabrication and assembly of water quality instrumentation boards, chemical dosing and service water skids.

FILTRATION

Installation and refurbishment of membrane and gravity filters, including Leopold floors.

MACHINERY

Fabrication, installation and refurbishment of all plant used in the water industry. AutoCAD, 3D and BIM capabilities. For a complete service throughout the UK and Ireland by an experienced specialist contractor contact

Staptina Engineering Services Ltd Tel: 01422 350357 or Fax: 01422 350414 Email: enquiries@staptina.com


UKC LEISURE

New McDonald’s drive-thru opened

St Oswald’s Retail Park, Gloucester Located north of Gloucester City Centre, St Oswald’s Retail Park is the dominant retail park in its catchment, comprising 19,400sq m of predominantly bulky goods retail and leisure space over two terraces, including 1,100sq m of restaurants and 990 parking spaces. Owned and managed by Hammersons, who is renowned for its high-quality retail property, the park attracts some 95,000 customers a week. Hammersons’ vision is to be the best owner-manager and developer of retail property within Europe, creating prime regional shopping centres, convenient retail parks and premium designer outlet villages. The Company is also committed to continually developing these locations to maximise occupancy and footfall, providing exciting brands and high quality catering and leisure facilities. St Oswald’s Retail Park is no exception, with the site under going a refurbishment programme and construction of new units to entice more shoppers to the park. Retailers already inured at the park include B&Q, DW Sports Fitness, mothercare, Argos, Frankie & Benny’s, Domino’s and Subway. A new McDonald’s Drive thru was opened in August this year. Comprising some 3,600sq ft over a single-storey the new restaurant has been designed to fit in with the rest of the park, in particular the barrel-vaulted roofs, which are a significant design statement on the park. Most McDonald’s fit out are to their corporate scheme and design so this was a challenge to Architects JWA Architects & Scurr and Main Contractor Building Solutions; to fit McDonald’s brief into the existing retail park.

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The Drive-thru was created on an in specialist areas. With an extensive underutilised part of the car park with portfolio of projects spanning a long minimal disruption to the live site. Ground history, Building Solutions has experience conditions were reasonably challenging in almost every technically challenging for contractors, with the site used as a situation you could encounter. This waste disposal site for many years; indeed high level of expertise is what sets the the American Army tipped their vehicles Company apart from its competitors. there after the war; therefore some 15m of The Company has traded continuously piling was required to reach solid ground. since 1968, and with over 40 years’ The new Drive-thru can seat more than experience as a Design & Build contractor. 85 customers and boasts power sockets, Building Solutions retains a high proportion free wi-fi and self order kiosks, which allow of directly employed tradesmen. This diners to make their selection, pay by card highly skilled team gives the company and then pick up from the collection point greater control over costs, quality and in minutes. A family area also has mounted programming, and allows an efficient touch screen tablets to help keep children programme with a personal touch on all amused whilst they wait for their food. projects from small to multi-million. Externally, a landscaped area with A genuine commitment to delivering an outdoor seating has been created outstanding level of service means that to the west of the building. Building Solutions is frequently selected A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “We as a preferred partner and has built up are excited about the new restaurant at strong relationships with its clients. Gloucester St Oswald’s which will create 65 jobs locally.” Working with Hammerson on a number of contracts over the years including this development, Pattern Imprinted Concrete is Design & Build Stencilled Concrete Contractor, Building Exposed Aggregate Solutions. Building Solutions Driveways | Patios | Pathways is an award-winning Chartered Building Company providing Troutstream Cottage, Larkhay Road, Hucclecote, Gloucester GL3 3NQ a wide range Telephone: 01452 611522 of construction email: admin@patternconcrete.co.uk services in www.patternconcrete.co.uk new build, refurbishment and


Delivering Quality Construction Services since 1968

Staverton Technology Park, Cheltenham, GL51 6TQ 01452 304490

www.buildingsolutions.co.uk

Building Solutions Ltd has been delivering quality construction services to a wide range of sectors continuously for 46 years. We were delighted to be working again with Hammerson plc, this time on the construction of the new McDonalds restaurant in Gloucester. A Design and Build project that was completed on time, on budget and in a co-operative, team-based environment. The ground works here were always going to be a challenge as this site once formed the main refuse tip for Gloucester. We piled to a depth of 14m to reach solid ground and of course had to install a gas membrane. The remainder of the construction, however, was fairly straightforward and the finished product is an attractive and functional building, a good addition to this successful retail park, a great asset for Hammerson and a bang up-to-date facility for McDonalds who are celebrating 40 years in the UK. As well as undertaking new-build projects such as this, we have an excellent reputation in the refurbishment sector, whether on commercial structures or on historic buildings. We also have a busy Specialist Contracting Division which solves our clients’ problems in the fields of Structural Waterproofing, Preservation and Concrete Repair. Whatever the challenge, our energetic, professional team work hard to produce a successful outcome whilst building great client relationships.


UKC PROFILE

STAC Architecture

Engaging Clients & design STAC (Snaith & Thrush Architect Collaborative) is a London based practice that specialises in Residential & Retail Design. The two founding partners, David Snaith & Paul Thrush, have known each other and worked together over the past decade. The time has now come for them to join forces and bring their individual skill sets together to create a fresh, design led practice that is constantly looking to innovate and find creative design solutions for every project. Paul Thrush BAS, M.Arch, SACAP, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He believes that the art of design requires a hands-on approach and that in order to attain a complete understanding of building, products and materials, one must physically one involved in realising them. This has resulted in several projects that are not only his design but also a physical manifestation of his own hands. This approach results in every project receiving the utmost personal attention and involvement. His aim at STAC is to bring art and architecture together; to awaken the senses, invite debate and most of all allow the uses of his designs to enjoy the texture, colour and life that considered design can bring to every project. David Snaith BA (Hons) Dip Arch, Dip Prac, RIBA, started his architectural career working for small local practices and now has over 25 years of experience in all aspects of the architectural field. David currently lives in London and has had a keen interest in not only design but in the

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historic fabric of buildings and the building process and has managed several of his own residential projects, taking on much of the work himself, which has given first-hand experience of not only different construction techniques bit of the difficulties of working with historic buildings on tight sites. 2013 saw David start his own practice with long-term colleague Paul Thrush, and now concentrates on commercial projects for the likes of the British Transport Police and on high-end residential projects ranging form multiple flats and one-off house designs to tricky and thoughtful residential conversions. A particular highlight is the current work in the field of Conservation and Listed Building work, bringing his knowledge and design to various projects around the country. STAC Architecture Ltd is a company that is driven to produce sitespecific design with an environmental consciousness at heart. With contracts ranging from £30,000 to £1M, the partners pride themselves on each project receiving the utmost attention and the result is a successful design at every scale. The ethos of the

Practice is to produce projects that are shaped by the Clients’ needs, environmental concerns and the context of which they are a part. The end project is therefore a synthesis of the Client’s personality, the conceptual approach and the close collaboration with consultants and contractor to produce a functional work of art that harmonises with its natural environment. Each project, irrespective of size, results in innovative solutions that are beautifully realised with timeless simplicity and elegance. One repeat Client that appreciates the ethos of the Practice is Nando’s, who have worked with STAC on a number of projects now, keen to take on their inspired design solutions. The partnership began


with Paul while he worked at Buckley Gray Yeoman on a Nando’s at Sauciehall Street in Glasgow; with STAC becoming the delivery architect for the project. The project epitomises STAC’s design led creativity; an entire unit was stripped out, exposing the original Scottish Stone walls and industrial steel columns and beams and the reinstatement of what was originally built in the 1920s. Historic analysis of past photos and original drawings has allowed STAC to take inspiration and reinstate the original timber and art deco glass shopfront. Internally a lot of reclaimed, recycled and upcycled materials have been used for the fit out. Acting as delivery architect, with Buckley Gray Yeoman again providing initial designs, Nando’s Loughton is a second completed project with Nando’s. The project converted an old car dealership and designs have been based in the car industry, with car bonnets, roof panels and car doors made into tables, wall cladding and other items, while bespoke lighting is made from car headlamp bulbs. A large rammed-earth wall was created in the middle of the restaurant, creating a circular enclosure that separates the dining area from back-of-house facilities. Bespoke external seating has also been created helping to protect some trees and creating a lively public area that has been embraced by the local community.

The Practice is currently working on a refurbishment for Nando’s in Woking. Rather than stripping out and replacing with new materials, STAC have looked to recycle as many elements as possible; so ceilings have become walls, and floors ceilings, timber table tops have been reworked to become a large feature wall, while granite is being crushed an mixed

into concrete for the new servery counter. Even beer bottles from other Nando’s restaurants (some 5,000) are being used to create an organic bottle ceiling! www.stac-architecture.com info@stac-architecture.com

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UKC LEISURE

Wickford Swim & Fitness Centre

£2.4M transformation completes The revamp of Wickford Swimming Pool was completed at the end of October with a special opening of the centre allowing local residents to enjoy the new facilities with a free open day including a splash party in the pool and free taster fitness classes. James Dennis, Everyone Active General Manager at Wickford Swim & Fitness Centre said: “We are delighted to welcome local residents in Basildon to the centre to try out some of the amazing new facilities and equipment on offer as a result of the £2.4M transformation.” The development of the 1970s pool has been underway since the beginning of the year and has

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been carried out in two phases. The first phase was the refurbishment of the existing pool complex, which completed in March. The existing facility was terribly out-dated and required a renovation of the 25m pool, changing rooms, reception area and viewing facilities. Development of the pool area involved erecting temporary office, changing and shower facilities to enable the centre to remain operational throughout the works. While works included refurbishment of pool hall (tiling, surrounds and ceiling), refurbishment of the foyer and a complete makeover of the reception and wetside changing rooms to create modern facilities that today’s users require.

Basildon Council has developed the facility working with its leisure partner SLM Ltd (Everyone Active). Everyone Active is the UK’s number one activity brand of SLM Ltd and is the longest established leisure contractor in the UK, having been formed in 1987. The Company has seen significant growth over the years and currently manages 93 sports, leisure and cultural facilities in partnership with 34 Local Authorities. SLM Ltd has won numerous awards in recent years, including being the first leisure operator to win the UK Active FLAME Leisure Operator of the Year for three consecutive years. The second phase of the programme was a two-storey extension, designed


to include a 65 station gym on the upper floor, with group exercise studio, group cycling studio, dryside changing facilities and a new reception area on the ground floor. Construction comprises a steel frame with metal decks and concrete floors, which has been rendered along with the existing building in order to create a cohesive and modern new finish to the facility. Work was carried out by Main Contractor, Vincent Stokes, who has worked with SLM for a number of years. The Company was brought in at an early stage, along with Architect Hadfield Cawkwell Davidson, in order to assist with the programme and design development and all parties have been very pleased with the construction programme and development.

Basildon council leader Phil Turner is delighted with the progress. “It is absolutely brilliant,” he said. “This took years of planning and what is really overwhelming is when you start to see the plan coming up in the form of bricks and mortar. “We have said for a long time that we needed to do something for our communities. “I hope it gives people around the borough confidence that we mean what we say. We have delivered on this with a first class facility and the people of Wickford deserve it.” He also hopes that the new facility will encourage Basildon residents to look at a healthier lifestyle. “I think we can all get a little bit complacent about

a healthy lifestyle,” he said. “Here’s the opportunity to get involved. “It does attract people who otherwise wouldn’t necessarily go to the gym and it will provide the benefits of healthy living to the people who use it.” “Wouldn’t it be great to see athletes at a world level that come from here?” he added. “But what I would propose on a more personal level is that it would be nice to see residents make fitness and health a part of their lifestyle. “Compete against yourself, get yourself fit and give yourself a healthy and active lifestyle and that will bring an improvement in your quality of life.”

As an experienced, hands on, professional contractor we have the skills to take projects from conception to completion, working with the team to tackle problems before they arise. We are comfortable assisting in the design and specification process, or just providing competent operatives to undertake specified works.We have a wealth of experience in the leisure, retail and healthcare sectors, as well as in the private and public sector. The Company undertake a large amount of work in operational environments and our operatives are used to these complex and sensitive areas.

The Old Custom House, 1 Church Street, Stourbridge, DY8 1LT Tel: 01384 928 577 Email: megan.jones@phceilings.com

www.phceilings.com

As expected from a reputable contractor, heath and safety takes a priority in all of our works and we implement this with a common sense approach. Method statements, risk assessments, completion information and all other associated documentation is provided as standard on all of our projects. We carry out our works for our clients nationwide and are set up to complete any size project from fitting an access hatch to £100,000+ projects.

Bakalski Building Services Specialising in Ceramic, Porcelain, Marble, Slate, Glass & Mosiac Tile Installations

We are pleased to be associated with the Wickford Swimming Pool extension project and wish all involved continued success

14 Oban Close, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN15 5BL

Tel: 07595 725244 email: bbs@contractor.net 79


UKC HOUSING

Ashchurch Villas

First Base development in Hammersmith underway Work is well underway at First Base’s impressive Ashchurch Villas development in West London. This new 54,000sq ft residential scheme in W12 is just a stone’s throw from Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith, and will offer a unique interpretation of a traditional British townhouse, with 15 spacious 2,500sq ft four-bedroom villas, seven threebedroom mews houses and three one-bedroom apartments making up the development. Two of the properties are fully wheelchair adaptable. Designed by Pollard Thomas Edwards, the homes will seamlessly blend with the surrounding area through sensitive design and mature landscaping and the

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new buildings will be a combination of timber frame and traditional construction, with an external palette of traditionally manufactured London yellow stock brick, bespoke stone cladding, aluminium composite panels and terracotta cladding. Kate Ives, Director at First Base, commented: “This scheme presents a unique opportunity to develop large family homes in a central London location. Through innovative construction techniques and smart design, we’ll deliver premium homes that are built to last, ready to meet the already high demand.” With over ten years developing in London, First Base has partnered with

some of the world’s most celebrated architects and public and private sector organisations, to deliver innovatively design, forward thinking solutions for a range of different spaces and locations. Every First Base project is award winning for design, construction and creation of place, and importantly, has provided a lasting legacy for many years to come. The Ashchurch Villas site was a former Hostel and Sheltered Accommodation, which was demolished before work began on site. The construction is being undertaken by Balfour Beatty and completion is due in Spring 2015..


HOUSING UKC

A safe haven for the northeast Home Group develops affordable housing scheme at Langley Park Formed in 2000, Strategic Team Group is one of the UK’s fastest growing suppliers of building and property services. The Group provides a comprehensive range of construction services to support every stage of the building and property lifecycle, from design and build, refurbishment and fit-out to minor works and long-term maintenance. The Company has developed a unique culture of teamwork and built a strong reputation for delivering service excellence. From its Head Office in West Yorkshire and the north west hub in Manchester, STG provides services to a growing list of public and private sector customers, with around 50% of its current work procured through long-term partnerships and frameworks. One of these partnerships is with The Home Group. Based in the north east, The Home Group is a social enterprise and charity that is one of the UK’s largest

providers of high quality housing and supported housing services and products. Home’s role is to provide general needs housing and supported housing services targeted towards helping some of society’s most vulnerable people tale control of their own lives. In the last couple of years, The Home Group has worked alongside local authorities, councils and partnered with other housing companies to develop a number of housing sites in the UK. One of the best and most highly respected in the industry is Rayners Lane in Harrow, London, where Home’s has provided a mix of market sale, shared ownership and social rent properties to the area. In total, this project will deliver 800 new homes to the local community. Sheffield has also been a key area of new housing development to date for Home

Group, with two large-scale new housing developments undertaken in the last couple of years known as Rise12 and Chase12. These developments have provided the area with much needed affordable housing. A more recent development is currently underway at a former mining village in County Durham. The multi million pound investment will see 34 new homes built on the outskirts of Langley Park, just a few miles from Durham City Centre. The scheme brings a mixture of two- and three-bedroom houses and bungalows built to a brown field site called The Haven. Construction is being undertaken by Strategic Team Group, with designs provided by award winning Teesside based design practice, P+HS Architects. A further 23 homes could be built on site in a second phase of development, subject to funding.

PROFESSIONAL, QUALITY CIVIL ENGINEERING AND DEMOLITION When you have commercial or residential work that needs to be done quickly and with an eye for quality, look no further than Holystone Civil Engineering. We have highly-trained, industry-certified civil engineers and demolition experts with years of experience working for both commercial and residential clients.

Civil Engineering - Road Construction - Drainage - Excavation - Earthworks - Demolition - House Building Plant Hire - Wagon Hire - Haulage - Sweeper Hire - Aggregate Supply

Unit 6, Franklin Industrial Estate, Patterson Street, Blaydon-on-Sea, Tyne and Wear NE21 5TL Phone: 0191 414 0820 Fax: 0191 263 4000 email: info@holystonecivils.co.uk www.holystonecivils.com

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UKC HOUSING

An affinity with social housing Affinity Sutton at St Margaret’s Convent School With over 57,000 homes and a 100 year history, Affinity Sutton is a business for social purpose and one of the largest housing associations in England. Today over 161,000 people call an Affinity Sutton Home ‘their home’. Affinity Sutton is committed to tackling the shortage of affordable housing and plans to build 12,250 homes in the next ten years. As an award winning developer, Affinity Sutton works in a responsible and environmentally sustainable way building well designed, desirable new homes that make a positive contribution to local communities. The Company also invests in its existing communities through a regeneration programme, which seek to enhance not only its residents’ quality of accommodation, but their quality of life too. An innovative and adaptable developer, the Company understands that everyone has different housing needs and aspiration,

so it has developed a range of affordable housing options to make its homes accessible to as many people as possible. Affinity Sutton’s focus on strong finances secures its commitment to building homes, refurbishing existing ones and investing in residents and communities. This year Affinity Sutton announced its highest ever surplus of £75M. The entire surplus was applied to the development of new homes and the maintenance and improvement of existing homes. With some £54M spent on major works and improvements to existing homes and a further £51M spent on routine repairs, Affinity Sutton can be proud of its huge investment into its homes. One of the Company’s current projects is the development of St Margaret’s Covent School in Midhurst, West Sussex. The old school is being converted from an unused and out-of-date school into modern apartments available under

shared ownership and shared equity. The 14 one- and two-bedroom apartments will be housed in the Listed Regency Villa building, together with two-, three- and four-bedroom houses complete with landscaping and public open space. May 2013 saw Southampton-based Drew Smith Group appointed to the contract, which is due to complete in January 2015. A diverse construction and development business, Drew Smith Group has been operating for some 25 years and has become a leader in The South’s Construction and Development sectors. In social housing the Company delivers a wide range of schemes and tenures in partnership with Registered Providers. From small, bespoke projects in difficult rural areas to major city developments, Drew Smith Group has demonstrated an ability to deliver.

The South’s leading electrical contractors, working with commercial and domestic clients throughout the region since 2001.

We pride ourselves on many things: our electrical design skill, from lighting installations to complete data cabling and IT networks; our exacting attention to detail, our in-depth industry knowledge (many of our team have years of invaluable experience), and our ability to take management responsibility for delivering our projects on time – and on budget. If you are looking for a team to bring your project to life, be it a renovation, a bespoke housing development, school, leisure facility or a social housing scheme – talk to us.

Unit 7 Vicarage Farm Business Park, Winchester Road, Fair Oak, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 7HD

t: 023 8060 2550 f: 023 8060 2770 e: email@apolloelec.co.uk w: www.apolloelec.co.uk

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HEALTH UKC

Howard Lodge Care Home completes St Michaels Homes St Michaels Homes Ltd is a family owned and managed company since 1991. Providing quality care for the elderly and those with memory impairments/dementia. The Company has continuously achieved excellent reports and has recently been rated ‘Good’, with a high proportion of sectors receiving scores of four, which denotes excellence. St Michaels Homes are located adjacent to each other, nestling in beautiful park like gardens, surrounded by lovely Essex countryside, with abundant wildlife, including deer, as regular visitors. Work has recently completed at the Howard Lodge Care Home, where a new facility has been constructed by Baxter & King for St Michaels Homes. The new Howard Lodge will provide flexible care to include quality nursing, residential & dementia care in separately designed wings that are adaptable to changing residents’ care needs. With extensive grounds available at the site, the new care home has been constructed away from the existing, which will provide unrivalled facilities for residents. These

include spacious room all with ensuite facilities, gym, café and home cinema facilities, community room and day care centre with a coffee lounge for residents and dining and living rooms on each wing. In addition to the better accommodations, the new care home will provide internet, phone and television access points to all rooms, plus sun terrace or balcony. Designed to suit all residents, the development is wheelchair accessible throughout with two passenger lifts to upper floors. A hairdressers will complement the new facilities. The gardens will also be landscaped with a secure dementia garden, memory villa, sensory and gazebo areas all located within the extensive gardens. The home has been designed to deliver three aspects of care; residential, dementia and nursing. With the home effectively split into four units which are independent of each other so they can specialise in these areas, basically creating four smaller care homes under one roof. These are: Honeysuckle unit – residential care with 18 beds; Poppy Unit – Dementia Care with 16

beds; Primrose Unit – nursing care with 19 beds; Bluebell Unit – Dementia/residential care with 18 bedrooms and a central hub which will provide community services. All rooms are approx 16sq m, with wet room/ensuite facilities. The internal design of the home has focused on quality living conditions. Unlike many other care home providers, St Michaels Homes has decided not just to maximise room numbers, but also to accommodate the best quality of life with smaller independent wings containing their own lounges, dining rooms and specific care. Within the central hub, all general offices and essential amenities such as large hall and cafeteria, hairdressers, training suite and smaller private lounges, are located. St Michaels Director, Sean Watson, commented on the project: “It has taken us over five years in planning and now we are finally at a stage where all our hard work is paying off, we now have a home that not only looks great but will function to all the requirements of any modern day nursing care centre. We would like to thank everyone who has helped us ‘til now and in the future.”

“We believe in building long term working relationships”

Diamond Tiling is a fast growing London based wall & floor tiling company that specialise in high end and time sensitive shopfitting and commercial tiling projects. By drawing on the skills and experience of the management team and professional installers that we employ, we are ideally placed to deliver projects on time and within budget to the clients that we work with on a daily basis.

Our qualified project managers will be on site to supervise our own labour at all times, from project start through to completion, to oversee the installation of all areas of the project that we are directly involved with.

We believe in building long term working relationships with all companies that choose to use our services. Acting predominantly as, a Sub-Contractor, our aim is to work seamlessly alongside our clients’ Estimators, Quantity Surveyors and Project Managers as part of the contracting team from day one.

We believe that this sets Diamond Tiling apart from our competitors and makes us a preferred choice to main contractors.

From initial consultation, through to pricing wall & floor tiling packages, we are able to offer advice on materials and installation which enables us to gain a firm understanding of our clients’ core needs and requirements.

Please feel free to contact us; a member or our team will be happy to help and discuss any specific project requirements that you may have.

Unit 18 Runwell Hall Farm, Hoe Lane, Rettendon, Essex CM3 8DQ

t: 01245 200 542 www.diamondtilingsouth.co.uk

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UKC EDUCATION

Kier ahead of schedule Holly Lodge Girls College Main Contractor, Kier Construction, is completing construction at Holly Lodge Girls College ahead of schedule, with a new building available to the school from January 2015. The project, which has taken approximately one year to complete, is part of Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson’s Mayoral Pledge to develop high quality school environments across the city, including a refurbishment programme and building 12 new, hi-tech, secondary, primary and special needs schools. The Schools Investment Programme will see some £170M spent over the next six years. Holly Lodge Girls’ College Head Teacher, Julia Tinsley, said: “We have been absolutely determined that this scheme addresses the issues while at the same time enhancing the wonderful campus on which the school is built, and maintaining the unique character of Holly Lodge.

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“We are absolutely thrilled and delighted that the girls and staff will be given the accommodation and ICT facilities they deserve, and look forward to being based in a more environmentally friendly school, which will cost us less to heat, maintain and repair.” The scheme will see a new main teaching block comprising new humanities classrooms, new arts, music and drama spaces including an activity hall and a new Sixth Form with a central atrium and café area. A small extension to the existing sports hall, new administrative offices and a new reception area will also be developed. The aim at Holly Lodge is to significantly reduce the number old school buildings, some of which are over 100 years old and unsuited to delivering a modern curriculum. The new building will be built opposite the present newer buildings (Alex, Turner, Rosalind Franklin) to unite the school around

a green courtyard. The sports facilities will also be enhanced, providing community use. Landscaping has involved new site entrances; a range of pedestrian routes and the improvement of the existing sports pitches including a new all weather hockey facility. A green courtyard unites the school buildings and a new pond and landscaped gardens will enhance the school campus. Gary Wintersgill, Managing Director of Speke-based Kier Construction, said: “As a local contractor celebrating 100 years of operations in Liverpool this year, the whole Kier team is delighted to be involved in building new schools for the city’s young people. “Around 85% of the cost of the Holly Lodge project budget will be spent locally using local firms like Hawkspear and HE Simm providing both sustainable employment and training opportunities across the city region.”


COMMERCIAL UKC

TJ Morris extends Headquarters October 2013 saw the announcement that TJ Morris had won planning permission to build a 270,000sq ft unit on a site adjacent to their Liverpool Headquarters at Gazeley’s G Park site. The scheme will provide additional warehouse capacity for TJ Morris to support their continued expansion and will link into the existing facility. G Park is a prominent M57 site extending to 46.31 with immediate access to the regional and national motorway, including the M6 and M62. This established location is home to many large retailers and logistics operators including DHL; QVC; Matalan; Shop Direct; Tesco; Bibby; Wincanton and Eddie Stobart. The new development reflects the appearance and scale of buildings already in use on the site. Finished in pre-finished steel cladding, the building features clean, modern lines and hosts the clear internal heights and volumes this type of

development requires. The warehouse will have a clear internal height of 14m to the underside of the portal haunch, allowing for an overall building height of 17m. Sustainability is an important factor in any new build development and here, rooflights will be provided to the warehouse area to maximise the amount of natural light and therefore minimise the need for artificial light. While all lighting within the offices will be switched using PIR sensors, meaning that only active areas of the office will be lighted, avoiding unnecessary use of power to light unused areas. Typically this may save up to 20% of energy with the offices. To the exterior, all landscaping has been designed to be low maintenance in terms of both general physical maintenance and irrigation requirements. This reduces the use of mechanical equipment for the physical maintenance and the use of water for irrigation.

The Main Contractor on this project is Bowmer & Kirkland and the design was created by AJA Architects Ltd, who were also involved in the original 31,000 sq m building a few years ago. Julien Kenny-Levick, Director of Industrial and Logistics at the north-west office of Colliers International in Manchester, and joint letting gent at G Park Liverpool, said: “Occupiers are beginning to realise that the availability of readily deliverable sites, without lengthy planning and infrastructure issues, is limited in the north-west and where an opportunity exists they should take it. “With no large new distribution units available in the region, a land purchase or a design and build are the only routes to securing new premises. The lack of available land will very soon become an issue in the north-west with supply already depleted in many areas.”

Malin Delivering Floors for the Future!

Malin Delivering Floors for the Future! 0161 998 9161

Malin House, Danefield Road, Sale, M33 7GE

www.malinfloors.co.uk sales@malinfloors.co.uk 85


UKC HOUSING

Lockside Road, Preston September 2013 saw building work commence on a £6M scheme to provide dozens of affordable homes and help first-time buyers in Preston onto the property ladder. Mulbury Homes is building the 56 houses and apartments for social landlord Contour Homes. The first phase of 40 two- and threebedroom houses, on the land off Lockside Road, Ashton-on-Ribble, has taken just over a year to complete. Thirty-six of the properties will be let at affordable rent, with four homes for sale under shared ownership. Greg Mulligan, Managing Director of Mulbury Homes, said: “We’ve worked closely with Contour Homes to ensure these new energy-efficient homes help

to address housing need in the local area and that they fully meet the needs of residents who will live in them. The development will also bring back to life a derelict brownfield site for the benefit of the wider community.” Contour Homes’ Lancashire Regional Manager Janice Thompson said: “These new homes will provide much-needed, high-quality accommodation at affordable prices and we anticipate that there will be great demand. “The development will not only improve the availability of homes for affordable rent in the borough, it will also allow us to help new buyers onto the property ladder, with some of the properties offered for shared ownership. “We are also intending to work closely

with our contractor to make sure that quality training and job opportunities are provided during construction, enabling us to make a real and lasting contribution to the docklands area.” The Main Contractor on the project is Harbur Construction, a leading affordable housing, residential, commercial, retail and leisure developer. The Company help clients throughout the whole construction process from planning to completion. Harbur is built on a foundation of excellence. Every client is guaranteed a hands-on approach, transparency on pricing and a team committed to exceptional standards of workmanship, delivering on budget and on time.

Maintaining one of the largest stockholdings of scaffolding and access equipment in the UK

As scaffolding specialists, Interserve has been providing access services to UK industries for over 60 years across industrial, construction, power, transport, government and media sectors.

bespoke services and resources, from consultation, design and quotation through to delivery, assembly, maintenance and dismantling.

Our ethical approach, exceptionally high standards and unrivalled safety record go some way to explaining why our clients continue to look to Interserve to deliver their access solutions; ranging from hire and sales, temporary roof and support structures and house building to powerline crossings, townwork restoration and major projects.

Our in-house design engineers develop the most cost-efficient and safety focussed design solutions. And with one of the largest stockholdings of scaffolding and access equipment in the UK, there really isn’t a job too big.

Providing clients with the widest spectrum of self-delivered

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For more information call 01772 796 665 or visit www.interserve.com


COMMERCIAL UKC

Fuelling the North East Exelby Services set to open in November Exelby Services are soon to open a brand new filling station services and truck park on JCT 51 of the A1(M) at Leeming Bar, known as Coneygarth. The project includes constructing a truck-stop along with services and a re-fuelling station on the A1 motorway. During construction, the project will generate 70 jobs with Clugston keen to support local employment and suppliers. Once completed, the new facility will create 15 new jobs in the local community. The go-ahead to develop the new facility is a great relief as A1 motorway modifications restricted access to the previous Exelby truck stop site. The new facility will create a specialist service area that will meet the re-fuelling and rest needs of HGVs and their drivers. It will also include 150 secure parking spaces. Steve Waggett, Regional Business Manager for the North East at Main Contractor Clugston Construction commented: “We are really pleased to have been awarded the contract to develop the new facility on the A1 by Exelby Services. Working on the project is a great way for us to kick off 2014. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the Clugston team that has worked on securing the project.” Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony earlier this year, Michael Exelby, Chief Executive of Exelby Services, said: “We have been working for over ten years on this project. It has been a long journey but we are delighted and excited to have finally broken soil on the site. We are very happy that Clugston Construction is building the site for us. I have been very impressed with the quality of their previous projects, which we have seen and I am sure this new site will achieve the highest construction standards.” Mr Exelby went on to say: “The new facility is vital for this stretch of the A1

motorway because over five service areas include retail facilities, a branded food and over 200 HGV parking spaces have outlet and Costa Coffee. It will also provide been lost due to the motorway upgrade. diesel, petrol, AdBlue and gas oil. Our new filling station and truck stop Construction is due to be completed provides top-of-the range facilities for by late October 2014 with a planned HGV drivers, as well other motorists, in opening date of early November. a modern and secure environment.” Exelby Services was established in 1976 Ron Exelby and pioneered fuel bunkering - a contract diesel OUR SERVICE IS refuelling system ‘SOLUTIONS which allows FOCUSED’, haulage companies ADDING VALUE AND to make large ENSURING THE savings on the OPTIMUM OUTCOME cost of diesel. IN EACH PROJECT. It now operates from two sites on the A19 south of Teesside, at junction 42 of the M6 at Carlisle and KEY INTEGRATED SERVICES DELIVER EXCELLENCE IN: a site at junction 31 of the M62 TECHNICAL SERVICES near Castleford. ENGINEERING The Company handles more TECHNICAL SERVICES than 120M litres MAINTENANCE of fuel each year and stores diesel for most of the BUILDING FABRIC major transport, MAINTENANCE distribution and fuel card companies SOLUTIONS BACKED BY A at its sites. WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE Turnover at the Company, which employs 60 people, Burford House, Burford Lane, Lymm, Cheshire, WA13 0SL has grown to £38M and it is expected Tel: 01925 759 948 Fax: 01927 758 400 that the new www.keyis.com site will increase turnover by 30%. The facility will

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UKC EDUCATION

Mascalls School

Building the way to success Main Contractor, WW Martin has built a reputation for providing a quality service with a non-confrontational approach. The Company prides itself on achieving an extremely high proportion of repeat work, from the right attitude and balance of working to the traditions and ethics of a company which was formed in 1877, together with today’s modern construction techniques and ever changing legislation. October 2013 saw the Company awarded a 12 month contract at Mascalls School, Paddock Wood, to construct a new eightclassroom teaching block and atrium to the existing Block A. The multi-million pound project has been completed on a revised programme date due to inclement weather and extra works, but within budget. The school itself had not been redeveloped since it was built in 1957 and was more than ready for an update. With a successful bid to the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund and the Department for Education, funds were made available for the project. Mascalls Head Teacher, Stuart Reeves, said: “We’re particularly pleased to be awarded this money, especially as the competition was so fierce. In partnership with our Architect, Lee Evans, we put together a very compelling case for our refurbishment work and we are delighted to have been successful. “Central Government has very exacting criteria that needs to be met in its bids for projects. “I am delighted that we managed to put together a professional package that convinced the Department of Education to invest further in the school. “This building will improve the environment in which we teach English to our pupils, as well as develop the next generation of teachers using the training suite.” The suite will offer training from experienced, practising teachers, and will often be tailored towards teaching needs from a local perspective.

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Construction of the new two-storey block comprises part steel frame and part traditional brickwork, with precast floor planks. Externally the block is faced with brickwork to match the existing buildings, with the atrium featuring block & render with a large section of curtain walling. Construction Manager at WW Martin, Lawrence Fox, said: “We are delighted to be creating these excellent teaching facilities for the school.” WW Martin has worked closely with the school, deliveries have been carefully managed and while construction has been carried out on a live site, contractors and school have had a great deal of communication between them. WW Martin has even provided the opportunity for some City & Guilds Construction students to work on the building, by helping to lay foundations for the new classroom and working on a section of blockwork. Architect for the project is Lee Evans Partnership LLP, one of the leading architectural studios in the South East and nominated as one of the UK’s Top 100 Architectural Practices

for three years running. The school hopes that further funding for work will be granted to as part of a long-term upgrade of the school, with plans to demolish an existing 1950s classroom block to make way for 24 classrooms, two media suites, a hall and dining area, kitchen and staff area.


HOUSING UKC

Park Primary site transformed MCI Developments breathe new life into Wallasey Work is nearing completion on a project to build 33 new homes and apartments of affordable housing for rent developed by Your Housing Group (YHG) to be managed by Leasowe Community Homes (LCH) as part of YHG. Situated on the site of the former Park Primary School, the land has been made available by Wirral Borough Council and lies in a predominantly residential area which is bordered on three sides by Rostherne Avenue, Alderley Road and Love Lane. The properties range from one-bedroom apartments to three-bedroom homes and the scale of the development is mainly twostorey residential semi-detached houses with pitched roofs, two-storey general needs apartments and three bungalows to Love Lane. The new houses at the corners of Love Lane and the entrance to the new road are designed to provide a corner feature to the development with a distinctive corner window which overlooks the road, and windows on the gable which increases active frontage and reduces rear wall boundaries. The apartments are two-storey which wrap around the corner of the new road. The main entrance is closest to Rothsene Road and this leads to a communal open access and private garden behind. The larger three-bedroom properties are positioned on Rostherne Avenue which creates a stronger elevation visible from distance across Poulton Road and the apartments relate to this main access avenue again maintaining the active frontage. The appearance of the development has been designed to respond to the local housing context, taking the best elements and developing these into a distinctive neighbourhood. The houses are faced in a red multi brick to match the surrounding with feature brickwork at prominent corners and gateways. A smooth red detail brick is used around window and door openings. The prominent corners of the site and the entrance to the new road are marked with mono-pitch roof corner detail in a contrasting brick. These statement

corners are typical of the larger corner Design Quality Standards, the new homes bays on the main roads around the area. are also designed to Lifetime Homes The corners and monopitch detail are Standards and will have level access to repeated in the bungalows and apartments the main entrance level and the property main entrance at different scales. This will allow for adaptation in the future. variety within a common palette of Architect behind the design is Halsall Lloyd materials ensures a level of interest Partnership, with the Main Contractor within each street scene which relates on the project, MCI Developments. A contextually to its position on the site. company with a reputation for building The main area of red / brown multi brickwork attractive and well designed new is contrasted with sections of feature homes in great locations throughout brickwork panels to the main corners and the North West and West Midlands. between windows. This detail mirrors the brickwork details in the surrounding area which give greater emphasis to larger social areas of the house. The cills and heads of doors and windows to the front elevations are in the detail brick. Windows are white UPVC double glazed units and the front and rear doors to Secured by Design specification. While roof tiles are a grey concrete tile We are pleased to be associated with with contrasting red ridge tiles MCI Developments and wish them which again are typical of the local continued success for the future housing. There is a projecting canopy over the front doors to emphasise the main entrance. Boundaries to the back of the footpath 12 Douglas Park, Atherton, will be robust brickwork walls and Greater Manchester M46 9EE the intermediate boundaries between properties a close boarded timber fence with concrete posts and Email:steven.welch2@btinternet.com gravel boards. Designed to HCA

Telephone: 01942 897468 Fax: 01942 896046

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UKC HOUSING

Development to tackle smaller housing shortage Grovehurst, Liverpool November 2014 marks the first anniversary of work starting on a development in Knotty Ash, Liverpool. GB Building Solutions began work last November on the £6.3M affordable housing scheme for Riverside, a leading provider of social housing in the UK. The land was gifted to Riverside by Liverpool City Council as part of the mayoral pledge to deliver 2,078 new homes in Liverpool city by 2015. The pledge is being delivered by Liverpool Housing Consortium (LHC), made up of hosing association Riverside, Plus Dane Group, SLH Group and Symphony Housing Group. The consortium has submitted a proposal to support Liverpool City Council in the delivery of 1,000 new homes over three years on sites identified within the Council’s Strategic Land Disposal Programme. GB Building Solutions was awarded the first contract to develop the site after a competitive tender process. The team is working closely with Riverside to develop its local supply chain and to ensure the local community gets maximum benefit from the opportunities for work and employment created by the development. Shaun Wordsworth, GB Building Solutions Director, said: “We are delighted to be working with Riverside to develop much needed affordable housing in this area. Our approach to delivering real benefits to the local economy impressed both LHC and the planners and we’re looking forward to developing closer working relationships with many suppliers in this area.” The Grovehurst site is the first of the identified sites within Liverpool City Council’s Strategic Land Disposal Programme and work is progressing apace, with a view to completion in January 2015. The development itself comprises 50 two-bedroom houses, two one-bedroom bungalows, three two-bedroom bungalows, four one-bedroom apartments and 16 two-bedroom apartments, all of which will be available for affordable rent. Future offing has been carried out to the design of 11 of the homes which will enable the houses to converted to three-bedroom

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five-person properties if required in the future, via additional space in the loft. The smaller homes are being developed in the wake of the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ and will address the need for smaller properties. Riverside’s Chief Executive, Carol Matthews said: “People in Liverpool are crying out for smaller properties following the introduction of the under-occupying charge. We are delighted to be able to assist this demand whilst also helping Liverpool City Council achieve its pledge. “Through creative design some of the homes will be future proofed so we are able to convert some of the twobedroom homes to three-bedrooms by creating an additional bedroom in the loft as demand changes.” Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Anne O’Byrne, said: “This is an important scheme, which will bring a real boost to Knotty Ash and provide local people with much-needed one and twobedroom homes. “At a time when bedroom tax is having such a huge impact on so many of our residents, it’s more important than ever that we have a good supply of affordable, smaller properties in Liverpool. “I’m delighted that this scheme is now underway. It is a

major investment in the area by Riverside and the latest part of our plans to work with our partners to deliver a diverse mix of housing across the city, which meets the needs of all our communities.” David Croft, a Director of Croft Goode Architects, said: “This development will meet the growing demand for homes with fewer bedrooms without compromising on quality. The modern homes will be constructed to the latest standards of high insulation and energy efficiency and will provide a significant boost to the local area.”


PROFILE UKC

Fawley Construction Specialising in social housing Fawley Construction has established itself as a well respected building contractor focusing predominantly in the social housing sector. Formed in 1982, the Company continues to uphold high standards of workmanship with its traits of open and honest dialogue and pride in the work undertaken. Working as a principle contractor or as an integrated team, Fawley Construction utilises its well managed supply chain to deliver innovative solutions to this ever changing sector. Striving to deliver the needs of clients, clients agents and designers are collaborated and the Company holds its traditional values very dear. With its short management chains and approval routes, Fawley Construction can respond quickly to changing requirements and especially responsive to changes in market conditions. The size of the Company allows it to offer a more personal level of service, developing bespoke products and services or tailoring existing ones to meet specific customer needs. Fawley Construction has been delivering social housing projects since its inception and as such has become a specialist social housing builder. This is because of the inherent understanding of each client’s needs, while specifications and guidance means a perfect fit solution can be delivered to what is a complex net of guidance. Clients in this particular sector include Servite Houses, Sefton MBC, Cosmopolitan, Adactus Housing, Liverpool Housing Action Trust, and Liverpool Housing Trust. The Company is currently working

on a scheme for Liverpool Housing Trust in Liverpool. Based on Skirving Street and Great Homer Street, the site previously housed a three-storey residential block and a pair of two-storey semidetached houses, both of which have been demolished. When complete in 2015, the site will have 12 two-bedroom If you need a staircase you've come to the right place apartments and nine houses, comprising four two-bedroom and five three-bedroom properties. Buildings will be of traditional brick construction and a red-multi brick with areas of detailing will be used as a robust and familiar material. There will be a courtyard for the project, which JTS Staircases are a family owned business, designing Sainsbury’s is and building traditional and contemporary timber also involved in, to help regenerate staircases in the North West. the area. The project is designed by DK Unit 3a, Bolton Textile Mill, Cawdor Street, Architects. Bolton, Greater Manchester BL4 7EA

Phone: 01204 862000 www.jtsstaircases.co.uk

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UKC HEALTH

Sheffield Children’s Hospital extension launched by Deputy PM Balfour Beatty is to deliver a £4.2M extension at Sheffield Children’s Hospital for Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. The Company is in the process of constructing a new two-storey extension including the construction and fit out of an orthopaedic theatre and a neurosurgery theatre, with supporting rooms and space for the installation of an MRI room for the theatres department, which saw 12,000 patients last year. Works include the construction of a plant deck on the floor above the new theatres and a plant room on the top floor, to service the new extension. The scheme has been fully designed and co-ordinated using Building Information Modelling (BIM) enabling close collaboration with the clinical team in the planning of works and to make key design decisions with the 3D visualisations enabling rooms and spaces to be arranged and fitted out efficiently and sustainably. Balfour Beatty will be adhering to high standards of stakeholder engagement throughout the project, liaising with the Trust to ensure that business continuity can be maintained throughout the project. All mechanical and electrical installation works on the new extension will be carried out by Balfour Beatty Engineering Services. David Garrett, Senior Project Manager

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for Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Demand for our services is growing, as our reputation for providing outstanding specialist care grows. We are increasingly delivering healthcare to patients over a wider geographical area. “By working with Balfour Beatty to extend Sheffield Children’s Hospital we hope to keep up with the increased demand for services and continue to provide care and treatment of the highest standard for children and young people.“ Jon Adams, Balfour Beatty Managing Director –Northern Major Projects, said: “Through our use of BIM and our expertise in managing complex projects, we have been able to assemble a programme which will deliver a highly effective and future proofed extension to the Sheffield Children’s Hospital. We will continue to work closely with the Sheffield NHS Children’s Trust to provide an extremely high quality facility. ” Work is underway on the building’s foundations and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg stopped by to see progress for himself. He said: “Everyone in Sheffield and wider region is immensely proud of the great work our Children’s Hospital does. So it is a real honour for me to be asked to launch the start of

work that will help improve one of Sheffield’s most loved institutions. “These improvements will match new world class facilities with the existing world class care provided by a team of outstanding staff, creating the best possible environment for children to get better more quickly. “I want to pay tribute to everyone who has supported the Make It Better appeal so far. They are the ones making this project possible. But there is more to do, so I would urge everyone to find out how they can help and get involved.” Hospital Chairman Nick Jeffrey said: “We are delighted that work is now underway on our wonderful new building. The new wing will be more spacious and welcoming, will make it easier for families to stay with their children and will create an environment that is not only more fun for children but will also aid their recovery. “We know the new wing will benefit children from Sheffield and beyond for generations to come. It is a genuine pleasure to see the progress being made on the ground.” The design was created by Race Cottam Associates and the project is due to complete in March 2015.


CIVIL UKC

EDF opens West Burton gas power station and Teesside Offshore Wind Farm April this year saw EDF demonstrate its commitment to invest to meet Britain’s energy needs by inaugurating two new electricity generating sites. Both projects are examples of the Company’s investment in the diverse energy mix needed to give the UK the reliable, secure, low carbon electricity it needs for the future. The West Burton Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Station and the Teesside Offshore Wind Farm were both officially opened on April 16th by the Energy Minister Michael Fallon MP and the Chairman and CEO of EDF Group, Henri Proglio. EDF Energy Renewables’ Teesside Offshore Wind Farm near Redcar is the first offshore windfarm where the development, engineering and construction have been entirely led by EDF Group companies. Its 27 turbines can produce 62MW of electricity, enough to supply all the homes in Redcar, Marske and Saltburn. EDF Energy Renewables operates wind turbines with a capacity of 462MW and has 1,500MW of projects in development. The power station at West Burton in Nottinghamshire is EDF Group’s largest single capital investment project in the UK so far and has a capacity of 1,300 MW, enough electricity to supply 1.5M homes. West Burton gas power station is designed to be an integral part of a balanced energy mix, which can flexibly generate electricity when needed, in conjunction with low carbon energy generation like nuclear power and renewables. To contribute to this mix, EDF Energy has invested around £3.5Bn in the UK over the past three years. These investments include: ••Extending the lives of its 15 existing nuclear reactors so they can safely continue to produce low carbon electricity for longer ••Preparing for the first new nuclear power station in a generation at Hinkley Point C. ••Building new gas storage facilities Hilltop Farm, Cheshire ••Keeping its two coal power stations in operation to help keep the lights on until new forms of low carbon energy are ready to take their place. Minister for Energy Michael Fallon MP said: “Opening two new energy generating

projects is proof that the UK is a strong become increasingly important for the focus for new energy investment, and country as we move from our existing the best place in the world to invest in generation mix to a low carbon energy offshore wind. These projects will create future. Companies like EDF Energy, hundreds of local jobs in the North East which generate and supply, are best and Nottinghamshire, boosting longplaced to meet customers’ needs for term growth. The home-grown energy clean, reliable power at a fair price. they produce will also help to reduce “EDF Energy is already a major our reliance on expensive imports.” employer in both the North East and Chairman and CEO of EDF Group Henri in Nottinghamshire, at our nuclear Proglio said: “EDF is a major investor in and coal power stations as well as the UK. Teesside and West Burton are our customer service centres. These examples of the scale and diversity of two new investments have created our commitment to Britain, our second many more jobs in both regions and largest market after France. Meanwhile will also develop skills and capabilities the European Commission is continuing crucial to supporting the UK’s energy its process to examine plans for the infrastructure for decades to come.” first new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. These projects, alongside Ondeo Industrial Solutions were awarded the Operations and Maintenance our other plans, contract for the water treatment systems on behalf of EDF in 2013 following final demonstrate commissioning of the water treatment plant. our long term From the beginning, the site had some challenges to overcome including the heat commitment recovery system generators that were consuming more water than originally to investing anticipated which impacted plant performance and water quality. in new, low carbon electricity Two Mobile Reverse Osmosis units were provided by Ondeo Industrial Solutions (Ondeo-IS) to ensure demand could be met whilst EDF rectified the issues with generation in the generators. The Ondeo-IS site team demonstrated great resilience and the UK, and professionalism during this period to maintain water volume and quality output contributing requirements. to a diverse The pre-treatment plant at EDF consists of Sand Filtration, Cation Resin Bed, a energy mix.” common Decarbonator, Anion Resin Bed followed by a Mixed Bed polisher. EDF Energy CEO Vincent de The Sand Filter Media was replaced with an improved three-layer Multi Media Rivaz said: “Our and all resins in each vessel removed to a wash tank and cleaned before being investments in replaced, This work significantly improved the output performance of the plant and took two weeks to complete. West Burton and Teesside have The success of the project was a testament to the ability and commitment of the helped build the Ondeo IS team, responding and adapting to the needs of the customer to provide UK’s industrial effective solutions. strength. They have also had a wider economic and social impact in supporting the UK’s supply chain. Our skilled, expert engineers, who are dedicated to running plants safely and www.ondeo-is.co.uk efficiently, will

Solutions! It’s in our Name

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UKC PROFILE

Quality without compromise

FARO

In a relatively short space of time, the global 3D laser scanning market has become something of a new frontier - a burgeoning industry with a wealth of possibilities. Indeed, wealth is the word. The market is forecast to expand from an approximate $2.06Bn in 2013 to $4.08Bn by 2018. This unprecedented growth can be attributed to competitive hardware and software pricing, increased product efficiency and greater ease in converting point clouds to CAD models. At the forefront of this new wave is FARO – the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement technology. Originally established in 1981 by Greg Fraser and Simon Raab, Fraser and Raab Orthopaedic (FARO) develops and markets computer-aided measurement and imaging devices and software. The applications for such devices are innumerable. Whether inspecting components and assemblies, documenting large volume spaces or structures in 3D, or investigating and reconstructing accident sites or crime scenes, laser scanning has proven an immensely useful modern tool with a potential

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that FARO was quick to recognise. FARO Technologies’ Laser Scanner Account Manager, David Southam explains: “In 2005 FARO acquired a German-based company – iQvolution. The company had previously worked with a number of large automotive manufacturers, mapping their factories and creating 3D representations to be used as layout schemes. When installing a production line, iQvolution would first do everything virtually to ensure it all fit. This was cutting-edge stuff. “Once FARO acquired the company, we invested heavily in the product to get to where we are now – a small, sleek laser scanner that can scan entire areas within a matter of minutes.” FARO’s acquisition of iQvolution and their phase shift laser technology has allowed the company to make inroads into a variety of different sectors, particularly in the construction industry. With BIM (Building Information Modelling) high on the agenda, laser scanning has enabled clients to take three dimensional replicas of spaces and their inner-workings for future reference. Elsewhere, heritage buildings

can be mapped and monitored to provide a reference point for any imperceptible changes in the fabric of the building. FARO’s considerable financial backing, worldwide presence and R&D focus has also allowed the company to become a market leader. The Focus3D X-Series for instance is an industry benchmark, offering a degree of image quality, portability and price unavailable elsewhere. But while FARO’s iterative design approach has brought about a number of hardware refinements, David identifies recent improvements in the software component as being responsible for the major growth seen recently. David states: “The inclusion of point cloud engines has allowed users to bring their raw data directly into their architectural package. It is the market need for data and the software capability to handle that data that has made laser scanning so popular.” Such software improvements are indicative of things to come, and as the software component becomes more sophisticated so too will FARO’s far-reaching capability. For more information about FARO please visit: www.faro.com/home


EDUCATION UKC

Wakefield College Radcliffe Building refurbishment One of Wakefield College’s buildings has benefited from refurbishment and extension work to give it an entirely new look. The Radcliffe Building has been re-clad together with a facade replacement to the perimeter of the five-storey structure, including the construction of a roof top extension to form a new science block. Work has been viable in part thanks to a £1.3M grant from the Skills Funding Agency, which has paid for an additional floor space at the building - which is situated on the Margaret Street Campus - and a new facade. In it, there are state-of-the-art science labs. The College has also spent £2.5M as part of its carbon reduction management plan, on improvements designed to reduce the building’s carbon footprint. It includes insulation, new windows and natural ventilation, which will reduce the need for heating and air conditioning. The Radcliffe Building stands opposite the Harrison Building, which was new and in comparison, the former looked ‘shabby’, according to the college’s Director of Estates, Jon Howard. As such, the development has created an environment that people want to learn in and with excellent teaching and learning previously in place, there is now a building to match. In July 2009, the college had missed out on funding from the Learning and Skills Council for a £75M new build on Margaret Street. That year, a second blow was dealt when a bid for funding for a university centre also failed. However, bosses at the College always vowed to give the city the world class facilities it deserves and last year, announced new plans for a university centre were in the pipeline, which could eventually pave the way for Wakefield to have its very own university. Work to the occupied College involved stripping the full external envelope

to providing modern learning cladding and replacing the external facilities for all our learners.” wall with an SFS walling system, new The Architect for the development curtain walling/windows and a mixture was IBI Taylor Young. Work started of render and trespa board cladding. on site in November 2013 and was The new roof top extension was completed in August 2014, in time constructed with lightweight steelwork for the new academic year. and clad with similar materials, fully The total cost of the fitted out to form science labs. development was £3M. Throughout the development’s duration, the college remained fully operational. The Main Contractor for the project was Bardsley Construction and its Leeds-based regional manager, Adrian Rooney, said: “This valued and prestigious contract with Wakefield College builds upon our expertise in Aire Valley Architectural Aluminium Ltd was founded in 1994, and is a specialist the provision of commercial glazing contractor with a wealth of experience in the design, facilities for the manufacture, and installation of high performance glazed façades. public sector All products are manufactured in house including curtain walling, windows, and in particular, doors, and louvres. Our expertise provides our customers with the confidence school and college and resources they need to create the best possible façade solutions. Aire Valley buildings within has built a reputation with its customers for delivering work, right first time, on Yorkshire.” time, every time. Aire Valley has gained a reputation for service and quality amongst regular clients, which results in a high level of repeat business. College principal, Sam Wright, said: “The additional floor space will provide state-ofthe-art learning spaces including brand new science labs which our sixth form students 1 Parkwood Street, Bridgehouse, will benefit from Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD21 4QH for years to come. Tel:- 01535 683 290 Fax:- 01535 683 299 “These are Email:- enquiries@aire-valley.com exciting times for www.aire-valley.com Wakefield College and we are as committed as ever

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UKC HEALTH

The Mary Stevens Hospice

High quality care for those in need Based in Stourbridge, The Mary Stevens Hospice is a registered charity dedicated to providing free-of-charge specialist care for those living with life-limiting illnesses such as cancer, multiple sclerosis or motor neurone disease. In November 2013, the hospice embarked on a substantial £1.2M redevelopment programme to deliver a state-of-theart extension alongside refurbishment works to the existing facility. The redevelopment will enable the hospice to become one of six ‘innovation centres’ due to roll-out the ‘Macmillan Specialist Care at Home’ model nationwide. Deftly designed by KKE Architects, the two-storey annexe deliberately shirks the aesthetic of the existing building. This contrast in architectural language allows the extension to form a striking focal point that reinstates the importance of the main entrance. A substantial amount of glazing has also been introduced at first floor level to allow for natural lighting in offices without solar gain. The first floor office accommodation will house a 15-strong Palliative Care Support Team, while a double-height Peace Room – in which patients, staff, volunteers and visitors can spend time in quiet contemplation – forms the centrepiece of the annexe. Here, KKE’s sensitive design approach and careful specification of materials has proven integral to the success of the space.

The internal make-up of the once careworn all times. Sympathetic to the nature of In Patient Unit has also undergone the works, Spectus Construction has something of a transformation. With erected hoardings during each phase to patient privacy and dignity in mind, a fourminimised potential noise pollution. bed ward has been converted into three Of the redevelopment, Stevan Jackson, individual rooms with shared bathroom Chief Executive Officer of The Mary facilities. Similar conversions have Stevens Hospice, said: “While this take place elsewhere in the hospice to has required good coordination and improve the patient experience. Specialist communication, as well as careful equipment – such as the patient hoists and planning and good logistics to manage, call systems – has also been enhanced, it has allowed us to continue to provide while patio access has been provided to a desperately needed service for the Rowan, Maple and Beech rooms. those with life-shortening illness.” Owing to the complex nature of the site, The Mary Stevens Hospice will be the redevelopment has been divided complete in November 2014. into three separate phases, each running concurrently. With the hospice in operation throughout, a truly collaborative approach was necessary to keep disruption to an Paul Forward Painting absolute minimum. Contractor have provided To this end, the expert painting services to a hospice has worked tirelessly with range of clients for many years. KKE Architects and Spectus With a vast experience on tap, Construction to ensure a high we cater for both domestic and level of care at commercial customers. Be it

Paul Forward PAINTING CONTRACTOR

interior or exterior painting, our

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BUILDING SERVICES

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www.paulforwardpaintingcontractor.co.uk

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Walsall Arboretum is the premier park within Walsall, located immediately adjacent to the town centre. It is one of the oldest parks in the borough, having been originally developed around two flooded limestone quarries, opening as a public park in 1874. The total area of the Arboretum today is 73.5 hectares. The older Victorian areas of the park are located close to the town centre and are more formal in nature. The core of the park includes some iconic buildings and structures such as the Arboretum Clock Tower, the Boathouse, a 1920s Bandstand and the former Tea Pavilion. More informal features are located in the south eastern areas of the park including children’s play facilities, the waterplay splashpad and a trim trail. A £7.6M restoration scheme is nearing completion, which has been delivered in five phases since Autumn 2010. The park is considered the ‘jewel in Walsall’s Crown’ and the development team are striving to help it reach its full potential as a national and regional visitor destination. The majority of the funding has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund Parks for

People Programme, with match funding from Walsall Council, Growth Point and Landfill Tax. The centrepiece of the restoration programme is a new flagship Visitor Centre adjacent to the Centre Green, which is currently under construction. Work completed to date includes: the restoration of the park’s historic building stock; upgrading of the site fabric; access improvements and significant horticultural improvements. Comprehensive landscape works have also been carried out, with existing park facilities upgraded and new facilities created within the park. Phase I: Provision of a new youth play area (skate park, graffiti wall and multi use games area) Phase II: Tree Management Programme Phase III: Historic Building Restoration (Grade II Listed Boathouse, Bandstand, Ladies Bowls Pavilion and conversion of café to a covered seated area. Phase IV: Park-wide landscape (footpaths, furniture etc) Phase V: The Visitor Centre is the final phase of restoration The Visitor Centre will provide the facilities

LEISURE UKC

Walsall Arboretum restoration and redevelopment

to support the day to day running of the park and a full events and activities programme within the park. All of the toilet & catering facilities which were previously fragmented across the site will be centralised at the core of the park in the new centre, providing a high quality service to park users and the wider community. The Visitor Centre is being built on the site of some existing park buildings, which were not fit for purpose and have been demolished. The oldest building, which predates the park, has been retained and restored and the new visitor centre built around it. The building is constructed from a sympathetic combination of preserving the valuable parts of the old building and incorporating it into the new modern steel framed building. The new singlestorey building features a thermally efficient external envelope composed of a mixture of brick, timber cladding, thermally efficient glazing and rendered blockwork. While the roof has a mix of modern standing seam gull wing, a green sedum are and traditional clay tiles. Construction has been undertaken by Main Contractor Wilmott Dixon, with designs provided by Brownhill Hayward Brown.

Building Foundations ● Earthworks ● Road Building ● Drainage and Pipework Cabling ● Block Paving and Slabbing ● Concreting Block and Beaming ● Mono Blocks ● Tarmac and Reinstatement Kerbing ● Duct Work ● Service Work ● Exensions ● Driveways ● Footpaths Sewer Connections ● Brickwork ● Excavation Services Pile Driving ● Labour Supply 315 Birmingham Road, Great Barr, Birmingham B43 7AP

Phone: 0121 357 3132 Mobile: 07533 668242 Email: enquiries@shemacconstruction.com www.shemacconstruction.co.uk

Midland Floorscreeding are a sole Floor Screeding contractor, our focus is on providing technical expertise, high quality installations and a reliable performance and delivery.

Venture Point, Towers Business Park, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 1UZ

Tel: 01889 580225 Email: info@midlandsfloorscreeding.co.uk www.midlandsfloorscreeding.co.uk

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UKC HOUSING

Cestria builds on its commitment

Primrose Crescent, Chester-le-Street February 2014 saw a sod cutting ceremony take place to mark the start of construction for the much needed development of affordable new homes in a County Durham village. The scheme, at Primrose Crescent in Bournmoor near Chester-le-Street, will see 14 new two-bedroom homes delivered by local housing provider Cestria Community Housing, with funding from the Affordable Homes Guarantees programme. Cestria Community Housing Association Ltd is a not-for-profit independent housing organisation. Established in 2008, following a stock transfer from the former Chester-le-Street District Council, the association owns and manages some 4,200 social housing properties, 968 garages, and nine commercial units within the town of Chester-le-Street and several surrounding rural villages. Cestria Community Housing was set up with the help of the Council to provide better quality housing services for the district. As a well funded organisation, Cestria is looking to have a big impact on the district by investing some £80M in improving and maintaining its homes and estates and providing a better quality of life for tenants. The new scheme at Primrose Crescent is part of a £2M investment programme that Cestria has already made in the

Cestria Apprentice Ryan Vivers has secured a placement with Developer Galliford Try

area, including external improvements such as fencing and the creation of off-street parking to 220 properties. Primrose Crescent is Cestria’s second new build affordable housing project and is the next stage of regeneration for Bournmoor. Each energy efficient home will be designed to the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 and will include energy and environmental features such as rainwater harvesting, improved insulation in walls, windows and the roof and recycling waste management measures. These homes have been designed to provide modern, contemporary living and will also include car parking, private gardens and a courtyard style garden. The scheme received a grant allocation of £210,000 form the Homes and Communities Agency’s Affordable Homes Guarantees Programme and is being developed by construction partner, Galliford Try Partnerships North. Paul Fiddaman, Chief Executive of Cestria Community Housing, said: “We are delighted to see work commencing on site in Bournmoor. This is our second new build development project since the completion of 22 two-bedroom bungalows at Crossleas in Sacriston and our next development of 24 two-bedroom homes at The Green in Nettlesworth.

A AND R GROUNDWORKS LIMITED Road and Sewers Foundations Hard Landscape

In addition to investing in our current properties in the area, this development supports our overall growth strategy and will provide much-needed, high-quality affordable homes for local people that meet their needs now and in the future and I look forward to helping to unveil these exciting new homes in the future.” Karen Anderson, Area Manager at the Homes and Communities Agency, said: “It is great to see the Primrose Crescent development starting on site in Bournmoor; this is one of the first schemes in the North East to get underway under our Affordable Homes Guarantees Programme and once finished I am sure that the tenants will be really happy with their new homes.” Stephen McCoy, Managing Director with Galliford Try Partnerships North, said: “This is a great scheme to which we can bring much experience and we look forward to increasing the availability and choice of affordable homes in the area.” As part of Cestria’s commitment to the community, Cestria is committed to creating and supporting apprenticeships. One of these apprenticeships has been awarded to Ryan Vivers, who has secured a work placement with Galliford Try on this project, plastering and rendering for up to three months as the job progresses.

D TABNER PLASTERERS LIMITED WHATEVER YOUR NEEDS... WE HAVE IT COVERED Plastering - Floor Screeding - Ceramic Wall & Floor Tiling - Dry-lining Metal Stud Walls & Partitions - Suspended Ceilings Specialist Plastering - External Rendering - Consultations Tabner Plastering Contractors are a specialist plastering and flooring contractor. The company was established by David Tabner in 1972 and remains at heart a family business – loyal to a long-serving workforce and embodying the traditional principles of quality workmanship and friendly, reliable service, while also embracing technical advances. Sotherby Road, Skippers Lane Industrial Estate, Middlesbrough TS3 8BT

79 Barras Avenue West, Blyth, Northumberland NE24 3LR

Tel: 01670 361904 Mob: 07944 064197 Email: richard.mann@argroundworksltd.com 98

Tel: 01642 247949 Fax: 01642 228161 Email: reception@tabnerplasterers.co.uk www.tabnerplasterers.co.uk


PROFILE UKC

Nordic Construction

Providing student accommodation in the heart of Liverpool Nordic Construction specialise in turnkey build solutions for high quality, multi-storey residential and mixed use developments. Established in 2009, the Company has bucked the trend and achieved more than a seven-fold increase in turnover in the five years since. Despite forming at the start of the recession, Nordic Construction has been successful and is experienced at fulfilling all stages of a project, including the design, manufacture and supply of the structure, groundworks and all contractor duties to practical completion. A prestigious project that Nordic Construction is currently working on is to provide new student accommodation in Liverpool. The site occupies the former Josephine Butler House and is located on the corner of Myrtle Street and Hope Street with a combination of one-bedroom studios and clusters comprising four- to seven-bedrooms with shared kitchen and living rooms. Designed by Hester Architects, the building will provide 339 student rooms with associate management suite areas for student amenities above six retail units giving the ideal living space for student life and quality residents close to study areas and amenities. Block A will have ground floor retail and four levels of student accommodation, which will be mirrored in Block B. Block C will have the ground floor plant/back of house and eight levels of student accommodation, while the final block will have six levels of student flats and a ground floor retail unit.

The floor area of the ground floor is 1,745sq m, and the floor area of all student accommodation is 9,740sq m. All retail units and community space will be within the centre courtyard of the whole development, and comprise traditional construction. The first floor and above will benefit from timber frame pods. Work has been undertaken in order to provide quality living space within the university areas where there is a need for quality living quarters to meet the demand of the local universities and the increasing intake of new students. A steel frame concrete podium deck has been put in place and modules have been lifted in place and cladded in brick slips to match existing facades. All modules have high insulation values, which make them good for the environment. Work on the project started in January 2014 and will be completed in July 2015. This summer saw a project in Ascot completed by Nordic. Comprising 12 luxury two-bedroom two-bathroom apartments with underground parking for 17 cars, set within private landscaped grounds, Ascot Corner presented an opportunity for Nordic to demonstrate the flexibility of its construction techniques. The development has made use of timber engineering, breaking down the architect’s drawings into modules which can be easily constructed whilst maintaining the structural and architectural integrity of the building. The Ascot development involves a far greater use of offsite manufacturing than might be found on equivalent projects, modules fully kitted out

in terms of plumbing, electrics and decoration, which saves time and guarantees very high quality finishes. This approach has been used in another project in Battersea. The Cubitt is a five-storey building on the south bank of the Thames made up of 29 private and nine affordable units. The building also contains 19 underground parking places an commercial space on the ground floor, as well as a roof top garden that steps down from the fifth and fourth storey. From a construction perspective, the Cubitt is a truly hybrid development, representing just how easily Nordic Construction’s use of modern methods of construction can be married with more traditional forms. The building has a four metre deep concrete box to accommodate the underground parking, as well as a 900sq m, concrete shell at ground floor level to house the commercial space. On top of the first floor slab, however, the building is being constructed using timber modules, albeit with the use of steel beams to provide additional structural strength. The Cubitt may be built using ultraefficient modern methods of construction, but because the development is clad in brickwork local planners are satisfied that its appearance will be in keeping with the local area’s industrial heritage. Nordic Construction T: 01483 233 347 E: info@nordic-construction.co.uk www.nordic-construction.co.uk

Bravejoin Company Limited was honoured to be chosen as the preferred structural steelwork contractor for this prestigious development. Congratulations to Nordic Construction, Bravejoin Company is proud to have been part of this team. Unit 4, Felspar Road, Amington Industrial Estate, Amington, Tamworth, Staffordshire B77 4DF

Tel: (01827) 66663 - Fax: (01827) 312902 e-mail: admin@bravejoin.co.uk

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UKC EDUCATION

Selby Abbey Primary School

UKCCOMMERCIAL

Work is nearing completion on a project which will see additional classroom accommodation and areas of refurbishment at Selby Abbey Primary School. This latest addition comes as a relief for staff and students alike following a number of years of uncertainty. Back in 2006 planning permission was granted for Morrisons to extend their Portholme Road store onto the site and for Selby Abbey to be demolished and rebuilt on the site of the former civic centre. This ultimately fell through, but the need to upgrade the school’s facilities remained. In 2012 North Yorkshire County Council agreed to allocate funds to support improvements at Selby Abbey following the “collapse of a developer-led scheme to replace the school”. Speaking at the time Jo Jennings, Head Teacher at the school said: “It’s a fantastic school, but quite an old building. “The main school site dates back to Victorian times so it’s full of character and fantastic, but with old buildings, you get general wear and tear.”

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a watertight seal. As there were a This latest addition will help address number of protrusions through the roof, these needs and further secure the site of Selby Abbey Primary School. lead detailing has also been utilised. This new facility is destined to improve The Main Contractor on this project is the educational facility at Selby Abbey Simpson (York) Limited who have a wealth Primary School for years to come. of experience in the educational sector. They selected East Yorkshire Roofing Services (EYRS) to tackle the challenge of tiling the curved roof for the structure. EYRS utilised a high quality Welsh Penrhyn slate to Domestic and Commercial Roofers cover the main East Yorkshire Roofing are proud to be associated with Simpson (York) Ltd on the Selby roof. Due to the Abbey project. The roofing works were unusual in that the architect designed a curved curved nature of roof structure and our skilled slaters fixed the Welsh Slates to accentuate the pleasing visual effect of the roof design. the roof, care was taken to ensure It is rare today to see a traditional detail such as this but important on a building of that the battens Selby Abbey Schools status, to maintain the old designs and skills, and the finished structure is one Simpsons and ourselves are justifiably proud of. fixed smoothly around the curve Ivy House, Long Lane, Beverley, HU17 0RN Tel: (01482) 345346 Fax: (01482) 306555 and the bond of Mobile: 07970 901101 email: roofing@eyrsl.co.uk the slate was not www.eastyorkshireroofingservices.co.uk lost, thus ensuring

Anglia Forwarding International freight forwarders invest in future As one of the UK’s most accomplished independent freight forwarding companies, Anglia Forwarding has enjoyed a level of commercial success unfamiliar to many. Founded in 1971, the Rainham based company is an established provider of international logistic solutions by road, ocean or air, and boasts an annual turnover of over £16M. In preparation for the future, Anglia Forwarding recently embarked on a substantial £1.2M extension to the Company’s corporate headquarters – The Anglia Centre. Having opened in 1987, The Anglia Centre remains one of the few purpose-built, customs-approved freight terminals in the UK to be owned and operated independently. While investment in The Anglia Centre is indicative of the Company’s continued success, it is also something of a preemptive measure. With the opening of the nearby DP World London Gateway – the UK’s first 21st Century major deep-sea container port – in November 2013, a raft of new business is anticipated. With this in mind, Anglia Forwarding has opted to extend its Headquarters by an approximate 10,000sq ft in an effort to bolster capacity and improve cargo flow. With congestion

a possible concern, an additional two loading bays have also been provided to alleviate any potential traffic issues brought about by the increase in business. The extension, sympathetically designed by the London-based Ronald Wylde Associates, remains faithful to the form of the existing building, while the durable steel cladding that has served The Anglia Centre so well, has been retained. Elsewhere, in answer to the often claustrophobic nature of industrial buildings, a number of rooflights have been introduced to allow for natural lighting and a reduction in lighting loads. Construction was undertaken by Kirkman & Jourdain, a commercial building contractor based in Essex and commenced in January 2014. While The Anglia Centre remained in operation

throughout, complications arose as the foundations were laid. The discovery of a substantial amount of asbestos – itself a remnant of the sites landfill past – briefly halted construction. Though the removal and proper disposal of the material resulted in an increase in cost, construction continued without further disruption. Now complete, the extension will enable Anglia Forwarding to better meet the needs of new customers across the globe.


Ward Homes has been building quality homes in Kent, East Sussex and the South East since 1935. The Company is proud of its customer-focussed ethos and invests in craftsmanship and quality design to ensure its homes reflect the changing needs and aspirations of the families whose homes we create. Few builders in Britain can match Ward Homes’ skill of building fine new homes. With over 75 years experience, Ward has a reputation of building not just homes of excellence, but real communities for the residents. One of the communities currently being developed in Bromley is Trinity Village, a new neighbourhood of 536 high quality homes on Bromley Common. Already twothirds sold, this Ward Homes development is one of the fastest selling schemes in the Barratt Group, thanks to its generous mix of homes, great location and value for money. The scheme is a joint venture with Asprey Homes who are building a state-of-the-art extra care home and plans for a medical centre for Hanover Housing Association. The development, located on the former

The building encloses create the Blue Circle sports ground just a mile compositions of the streets, reminiscent south of Bromley town centre, features of the regency streets of Great Central an attractive mix of one- and twoLondon. Thus providing an area of bedroom apartments, two-bedroom opulence.” Steve Mitchell Architect coach houses and two-, three- and four for Trinity Village DHA Architecture. bedroom houses. Homes have a distinctive Construction of the first phase of homes and striking regency style façade. commenced in autumn 2010, the final “Trinity Village has been designed to phase is due to complete late 2016. integrate the old and new communities of Bromley. Its design ethos was to create a clear definition between the public and private realm, with an attractive public central core, intersected by axis routes lending to the site peripheries We are pleased to be associated with the and desire lines Blue Circle Ground and wish all beyond. Each involved continued success one of these routes is a high quality pedestrian 35 Tallon Road, Hutton, Brentwood, CM13 1TH friendly route Tel: 01277 263450 Email: enquiries@designercontracts.com where the vehicles www.DesignerContracts.com are second.

PROFILE UKC

Phase III of William Way development nears completion Tungsten Properties Ltd is a dynamic property development and construction company based in Hinckley, Leicestershire. The Company has undertaken development within the commercial and residential sectors, and specialise in the planning, development, and construction of industrial, commercial, and roadside property. One such development is taking shape at William Way, Burgess Hill, where Tungsten Properties were selected as the Main Contractor to design and build three phases of warehouse units. Phase I completed in April 2014 and was a 17,500sq ft production and warehousing headquarters for RF Solutions Ltd. A mezzanine floor has been incorporated to create 7,000sq ft of office space and practical completion was achieved ahead of schedule. This was due in no small part to the efforts of Diamond, Wood & Shaw (DWS) who were appointed as the structural engineers and took on the responsibility of designing the foundations, floor slab, steel frame and drainage for the project. DWS enjoy a long term working

HOUSING UKC

A new community, Trinity Village, Bromley

This unit responds to other units on the site relationship with Tungsten Properties and and features a curved roof and elements were called upon again for Phase II, which of curtain walling to key areas. Practical involved the creation of two buildings. The first was a single-use 15,000sq ft unit completion is expected in November 2014. which was pre-sold to TLC Electrical to Tungsten Properties continue to expand their operation and are destined to create a new 6,500sq ft trade counter. The start Phase II of Hemdale Business second element was a similar style unit, Park, Nuneaton in January 2015. but split into four parts totalling 8,500sq ft. The biggest challenge here was offering the flexibility to alter the configuration to allow clients to take one, two, three or even all four parts dependent on their requirements. The land for Phase Delivering a wide range of services from simple structural inspections & feasibility studies III was acquired to fully designed & detailed structural and infrastructure schemes. from the Driving Standards Agency The Old School, Blaby Road, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 4AR to provide a Telephone: 0116 284 8989 bespoke 10,000sq Email: mail@diamondwoodandshaw.co.uk ft production and www.diamondwoodandshaw.co.uk office facility for GD Rectifiers Ltd.

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UKC CIVIL

Haywards Heath Relief Road opens early The final section of the Haywards Heath Relief Road has opened a year ahead of schedule, reducing town centre traffic by an estimated eight million vehicles per annum. Raymond Brown Construction was awarded a contract in June 2013 by Crest Nicholson for the construction of the Haywards Heath Relief Road Stage V, which is the final section of the scheme. Stage V includes the section from the southern Bolnore Village roundabout, a railway bridge over the London to Brighton main line and Rocky Lane including a new roundabout. Whilst providing improvements for vehicle users, Stage V also provides much improved pedestrian and cycle links between Rocky Lane and Bolnore Village. The entire ÂŁ13M scheme was necessary to open up land for future development for the extensive house building programme in the area and to relieve congestion in Haywards Heath. Due to its highly sensitive location, close liaison had to be maintained with a number of stakeholders and good relationships have been formed with local residents,

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the local authority and ecological groups form backfill for the structures and for as the works also included the relocation landscaping the completed works. Site clearance generated a large quantity of of slow worms, grass snakes and lizards. logs which have been made available The scheme also includes the construction to local community with the resultant of a bridge over the railway, undertaken by chippings used as ground cover in another local contractor. The works were required to be carried out in several phases replacement wildlife habitats. being constructed on either side of the railway line and within the final Our clients benefit from our thirty years’ construction experience and the successful phase the bridge completion of hundreds of civil has been linked in. engineering projects ranging in size and complexity. We have the capability and This has required capacity to undertake design, construction close co-operation and maintenance projects far ranging in nature, from start to completion. between RBC and the other contractor. Working throughout Kent, Sussex and Over 50,000sq m of INCAFORCE is the South Essex and across the whole of the UK, our previous civil engineering and construction East's leading Civil spoil was removed projects showcase a diverse portfolio of Engineering Company from the site, works that include high profile town centre overhauls, supermarket groundwork, whilst the topsoil specialist deep drainage schemes, new Telephone: 01634 290806 and sandstone road construction, lane renewal on Email: inca.force@btinternet.com were reused motorways, large scale road alteration and www.incaforceltd.co.uk many reconditioning schemes. as secondary aggregate to


DEMOLISH SLAVERY IN CONSTRUCTION Most construction workers are employed legitimately. But in 2013, 53 potential victims of modern slavery were identified as coming from the construction industry, though the real number of victims is probably much higher. Through threats, violence or coercion, victims of modern slavery are forced to work for little or no money, live in squalid accommodation and have their identity documents taken from them.

If you employ staff for the construction industry, ensure you are doing so responsibly: √ Check all workers have a written

employment contract and that they have not had to pay any fees to obtain work.

√ Make sure staff are legally able to work in the UK. Can the recruitment agency prove that appropriate checks have been made?

√ Make sure your workers know their

statutory rights, including sick pay and holiday pay.

√ Check the addresses of those working

for you. A number of people listing the same address may indicate high shared occupancy, often a factor for those being exploited.

√ Assess quotations and fees from

agencies charging suspiciously low rates against standard industry pricing.

To find out how to protect your workers visit gov.uk/homeoffice/modern-slavery-information To report any suspicions of slavery visit modernslavery.co.uk or call 0800 0121 700


Callsafe Services Ltd

Call: 01889 577701

CALLSAFE SERVICES LIMITED Q.

Are you sure that you understand the duties and requirements of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and other health and safety requirements?

Q.

Do your policies and procedures reflect the current legislation and practices?

Q.

Are your employees competent to perform their duties?

Q.

Do you select competent organisations to work with you?

Q.

Do you manage your organisation and projects without copious amounts of paper?

If the answer to any of the above questions is no, you need to consider training and advice to achieve legal compliance and develop best practices. Contact the experts David Carr PgD, FIIRSM, DipSM, RFaPS, Managing Director Callsafe Services Limited. Yardley House, 11 Horsefair, Rugeley, Staffordshire. WS15 2EJ Email: enquiries@callsafe-services.co.uk Web: www.callsafe-services.co.uk


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