premier construction 16-2

1R O M A P U B L I C A T I O N S

Roma Publications Volume 16 - Issue 2

the expression of time

Fullabrook Wind FarmEngland’s largest onshore wind farm

Greater Manchester MetrolinkFour new Metrolink lines

Bangor Leisure CentreOlympic facility on the way in Bangor

2 P R E M I E R C O N S T R U C T I O N


PREMIER CONSTRUCTION Volume 16 2

Contents

Managing Director: Marcus HowarthEditor: Lesley CowardProduction Manager: Danielle BurgoyneAdvert Co-ordinator: Kelsie Howarth, Nicola Owen Pub Roma Publications Ltd. t: 01706 719 972 f: 0845 458 4446 e: [email protected] w: www.romauk.net

Gra www.marcusmacaulay.co.uk

© Roma Publications Ltd. All contents are copyright. All rights are reserved. No part may be stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the publishers. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies however caused. Contributed material does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. the editorial policy and general layout of this publication are at the discretion of the publisher and no debate will be entered into. No responsibility can be accepted for illustrations, artwork or photographs whilst in transmission with the publishers or their agents unless a commitment is made in writing prior to the receipt of such terms.

HeritageIfA Annual Conference and Training Event 2011 .............................................8English Heritage .................................................................................................9

North WestGreater Manchester Metrolink ........................................................................18Gwynt y Môr Wind Farm ................................................................................. 23

North East & YorkshireDarlington Memorial Hospital .........................................................................28Keepmoat Homes ............................................................................................30

Midlands & East AngliaWaveney District Council’s Decent Homes scheme .....................................38Elm Bank retirement village ............................................................................46

South WestFullabrook Wind farm ......................................................................................48Tarka Housing ..................................................................................................56

London & South EastTottenham Court Road Tube Station upgrade ..............................................58Bond Street Station redevelopment ..............................................................60

WalesPenucheldre extra care housing scheme ......................................................88Arbed ................................................................................................................89

ScotlandPeterhead Port .................................................................................................92Montrose Port ..................................................................................................93

IrelandBangor leisure Centre ....................................................................................108Ballymote Sports and Wellbeing Centre ......................................................113

AssociationsCITB-ConstructionSkills ................................................................................122REA ..................................................................................................................130

Once again, Premier Construction’s monthly round up of big news in the building industry brings you bang up to date with all the latest developments nationwide.Roma Publications Ltd would like to apologise for an error

on pages 38-41 in issue 15.8 of Premier Construction.! The editorial on Tarka Housing Association should have highlighted Westcountry Maintenance Services Ltd as main contractors on this project as well as Pearce Construction (Barnstaple) Ltd.!

Both contractors are equally responsible for carrying out Decent Homes scheme improvements to housing managed by Tarka Housing Association and located in and around Bideford in Devon.! This month’s edition of Premier Construction highlights the works that both Westcountry Maintenance Services Ltd and Pearce Construction (Barnstaple) Ltd have carried out on this project.


Time waits for no man!


Their greatest strength is in their understanding of restoration and conservation work. Skills are passed down from generation to generation, while the company in parallel, has kept pace with technology, material and practice developments. Their Managing Director, Bob Betts proudly says “we care for and have the ability to span over 400 years of timekeeping technology. There is not much our team has not seen or experienced. Safe hands, certainly, for your most important restoration project”.An interesting and core skill of the company is their ability to work in partnership with specialist firms, architects and conservation parties. “This area demands a certain level of care and attention that frankly is above the norm” Betts continues..In liaison with English Heritage, the project at Woolwich Arsenal is a typical example of their work. The Woolwich Arsenal dates back to 1671 when it was established as an ordnance store and grew to employ over 72,000 people. The site gradually declined until the final departments closed in the early 90’s. The project to remove and restore the clock and dials from the former (Gun) Carriage department, was quite ordinary. However, towards the end of the development, an unfortunate and unrelated incident with a digger on site, brought the roof structure, including the clock turret, crashing down. Smith of Derby used their site survey documentation and image library of both the internal and external structure, to enable a faithful reconstruction of the roof to be completed. The project looks splendid today and the company justifiably proud to have been involved.“We recognise that working in partnership with individuals and organisations across the world is a part of our enduring success and those partnerships add skills and experience that can be critical” says Betts.. Important acquisitions through the years have created a

company with the size and economy of scale to endure market fluctuations in their field. The Smith of Derby Group grew with the railways and in even earlier days, grew with the prosperity of faith and the construction of public and civic buildings across the World. “We have always worked internationally and that is a part of our work that we very much enjoy” says Betts. As a part of the continuing process of evolution, we play a role in the integration of ‘Time’ in the built environment. Development and redevelopment of space is asking questions as to how people relate to, work in, live in and remember places.“Our timepieces and creative engineering projects can be highly unusual, large or small. Most of our work here is with developers, architects, designers and town planners. Pieces carry a high design content today as well as creative engineering content. We design, fabricate and install”, says Betts. Smith of Derby restored one of the most famous landmarks on the London skyline; the rotating globe on the roof of the Coliseum, shown on the opposite page.! During a programme of careful restoration and redecoration, inside and outside of this wonderful building, our brief was to work with the client to restore the glove to its former glory.! Through our experience in kinetic engineering, we have ensured the 4 metre diameter steel globe turns elegantly and consistently, casting a sparkle over London’s West End night life.Another feature seen above has been commissioned to celebrate the opening of a new state of the art hospital.! Smith of Derby’s core business within the Ecclesiastical and Heritage sector spans centuries as the images show.We are usually successful in winning these commissions where the client or architect understands our expertise in design innovation, fabrication and problem solving and a cast iron reputation for successful implementation.The Design process is collaborative and can be ‘in-house’ or working with world renowned creatives, interior designers or architects.So, whether traditional public clock skills, conservation and restoration skills, or contemporary timepiece and public art feature work is demanded, Smith of Derby is able to help.

Our timepieces

and creative

engineering

projects can be

highly unusual,

large or small.


Her i tage



Her i tage

The Institute for Archaeologists (IFA) annual conference has become established as the premier archaeological conference in the UK, attracting over 400 participants each year. This year the conference returns to Reading – the IfA’s home

town, to explore the theme of ‘Understanding Signi"cance’. Over the three days from 13-15 April, delegates can attend a stream of topical lectures updating them on current issues, policy and best practice, and new techniques and developments in the profession. All will focus on understanding signi"cance as the key to assessing, managing and explaining the historic!environment.Practical training workshops to develop skills and understanding

in a range of subjects and new!techniques will run in parallel over the course of the conference. Both the lectures and workshops will provide essential CPD opportunities for all practitioners in the!sector.This year’s theme stems from the recent publication of Planning

Policy Statement 5: Planning for the Historic Environment, which places the signi"cance of an asset at the heart of policy to promote and protect our heritage. What the IfA conference will consider are not only the steps for determining and recording signi"cance but also how to further understanding among wider audiences in order to maximise public bene"ts. Although PPS5 may be incorporated into a new overarching

National Planning Policy Statement, the government has indicated to the IfA that it is working hard to ensure that the principles of PPS5 are retained. It is therefore vital for all those working in the historic and built environments to get to grips with developing an understanding of the signi"cance of a heritage asset.

- Kate Geary, Institute for Archaeologists and Kenneth Aitchison, Landward Research Ltd

- Emma Hancox and Adam Mindykowski, Worcestershire County Council

- Taryn Nixon, Museum of London Archaeology and Chair of the Southport Group

- Evelyne Godfrey - Tim

Howard, Institute for Archaeologists

- Paul Stamper, Edmund Lee and Charlotte Winter, English Heritage

- Paul Sharman, Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology and Caroline Wickham-Jones, University of Aberdeen

- Alison Taylor, Institute for Archaeologists

- Tariq Mian, Towergate Risk Solutions

- Susan Casey, RCAHMS and Jeff Sanders, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland

- compliant reports for local authorities - Duncan McCallum, English Heritage and Sandy Kidd, Buckinghamshire County Council

- Andrew Jones, IfA Finds Group and Ian Panter, Principal Conservator, York Archaeological Trust

- Archaeology Training Forum

- Austin Ainsworth - David Jennings,

Oxford Archaeology - Garry Gibbons

For further information about how to book, details about the sessions and workshops, and a detailed timetable for the event can be found at the IfA website at www.archaeologists.net/conferences.

The IfA Annual Conference and Training Event 2011: University of Reading, 13 - 15 April 2011


English Heritage is the government’s statutory adviser on the historic environment. Of"cially known as the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, English Heritage is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The powers and responsibilities of English Heritage are set

out in the National Heritage Act (1983) and today they report to Parliament through the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.Although sponsored by DCMS, English Heritage works with a

range of government departments, notably!CLG and Defra, to help realise the potential of the historic environment.English Heritage is funded in part by the government, and

is also part funded from revenue earned from their historic properties and other services. English Heritage works in partnership with central government

departments, local authorities, voluntary bodies and the private sector to conserve and enhance the historic environment, broaden public access to the heritage and increase people’s understanding of the past.The organisation meets these responsibilities by: acting as

a national and international champion for the heritage; giving grants for the conservation of historic buildings, monuments and landscapes; maintaining registers of England’s most signi"cant historic buildings, monuments and landscapes; and advising on the preservation of the historic environment.English Heritage also encourages!broader public involvement

with the heritage, promotes heritage-related! education and research, cares for Stonehenge and over! 400 other historic properties on behalf of the nation, maintains the! National Monuments Record as the public archive of the heritage and generates income for the bene"t of the historic environment.English Heritage is currently running a "ve-year investment

programme for its properties. Based on an audit of all the

organisation’s properties, £30m is being targeted at those sites with the most commercial potential, in order to make as many sites as possible self-"nancing. In the construction sector, English Heritage has joined forces

with ConstructionSkills to call for concerted action across the construction industry, the built heritage sector, educational establishments, careers organisations, funding bodies and government departments to tackle the continued shortage of heritage building skills. English Heritage has also published research demonstrating

the shortage of craft skills across the country and a Skills Action Plan which they are now implementing. This includes raising the pro"le of vocational training and the built heritage construction sector and attracting more young people to pursue careers within it.The plan is also geared towards encouraging the use

of suitably skilled and quali"ed people, and developing quali"cations to ensure that traditional building knowledge and skills can be attained from GCSE to Master Craft level.Find out more at www.english-heritage.org.uk

Ensuring a bright future for the past



Mike and Gary Simpson, a father and son team, run a specialist conservation "rm called Heritage Consolidation. Their specialities include stonemasonry and lime-based mortars, plastering and render, and recent years have seen them take the decision to focus entirely on heritage restoration work.The duo have done restoration work with both English

Heritage and Natural England, experiences which helped them to come to the conclusion that not only is a conservation-focused business an extremely viable enterprise, but also that their traditional skills are lacking across the UK. Gary told Premier Construction, “I just love restoring old

buildings. I love working with stone and, although the work can be dif"cult and requires a lot of patience, nothing gives me more satisfaction than knowing that, thanks to our work, the buildings will still be around for the foreseeable future for others to enjoy too.Gary and Mike started off doing barn conversions before

moving in to heritage restoration. They bought Blenkinsopp Castle, which is on the Hadrian’s Wall site and dates from the 14th century. As the castle is listed, they became involved with English Heritage, who paid to top up their historic trade skills and advised them on the restoration project. As Gary puts it, “When English Heritage told us the work on

Blenkinsopp needed to be done and that we’d have to get someone in to do it, my father told them he’d do it himself. In the end, we both spent 18 months on the job with funding from English Heritage, who gave us a project on Hadrian’s Wall just after that. That’s when we realised our skills were rare and that there were other offers coming in, so we began doing it full time”.Find out more about Gary and Mike at www.

heritageconsolidation.co.uk


Her i tage

The only entry criteria for the competition is that entrants should be 25 or under by the closing date for entries (which is 31st March 2011) and be employed by a member of the Lead Contractors Association.All entrants will be required to submit photographs of work

they have carried out together with details of the various projects they have worked on and the type of work done.Their work may be directly inspected by an LCA vetting

of"cer, either on site or by attending a convenient regional location where a series of practical tests will be carried out. All practical assessments will be completed by August 2011.Six "nalists will then be selected by a judging panel which will

consist of Members of the LCA Council, LSA technical of"cers and Nigel Johnston, general manager of the LSA. The six "nalists will then attend a "nals day at the Lead Sheet

Association roof training centre in Kent, where they will be set a series of tasks over identical model roof sections, to be completed within a given time limit. On conclusion of the practical side of the "nal, the judges will then discuss design theory and working practices in order to test the knowledge of each "nalistThe judges will examine each model roof section and, taking

account of the responses during the theory discussion, will then determine the overall winner of the ‘Young Leadworker of the Year’ award for 2011.The winner will receive £500 in leadwork tools, a copy of

the Lead Sheet Manual and a training bursary worth £3,500 towards a formal leadwork national vocational quali"cation.Each of the other "nalists will receive a lead sheet manual

and three days personalised leadwork development training from the LSA.In launching the award, LSA Chairman Joss Campbell said

“We want to encourage and promote all young leadworkers that represent the future of our industry and hope this award will provide a signi"cant recognition of the specialist individual skills that we know are being developed within the Lead Contractors Association”

Formed in 1984, the LCA aim to prioritise quality standards in all manors of lead work.The LCA now comprises of over 100 specialist contractors

committed to providing quality craftsmanship for their clients,

supported by 15 associate members supplying materials and ancillary services.The LCA have expanded in recent years, increasing their

of"ces bases throughout the country as well as overseas. The LCA now operate in every region of the UK and have contractors located in Europe.In a statement, chairman of LCA Dave Martin re#ects on the

current status of LCA: “I am proud to look around the current LCA Council and consider the wealth of knowledge and experience available to our members and the industry for the foreseeable future”.For further information regarding the LCA, details can be found

on their website at www.leadcontractorsassociation.com

Young leadworker of the year award

13R O M A P U B L I C A T I O N S 13R O M A P U B L I C A T I O N S


Her i tage


Unique conservation expertise rings true with English HeritageA leading authority on church bell restoration, John Taylor & Co. - owners of the world’s biggest and best equipped bell foundry in Loughborough - offer unique expertise in obtaining the special planning permission required for many church bell restoration projects, working in close consultation with English Heritage, whose consent is required for almost every one.Church of England church bell restoration

and repair projects are subject to special ecclesiastical planning permission procedures under the Church of England Faculty Jurisdiction system - and are not governed by local authorities. Under the Faculty Jurisdiction System, an application for permission to restore church bells will be made by a church to their relevant Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC), who will then pass the application on to a Diocesan Court, whose approval (known as a Faculty), is required in order for work to commence. This process of obtaining planning permission almost always involves consultation with English Heritage - one of the statutory bodies involved in giving consent for bell restoration - and it is here that John Taylor & Company can offer the bene!t of their consultative expertise built up through many past projects.Since 1784 the business of John Taylor & Co.

has been in the hands of the Taylor family. In 1839 the business settled in Loughborough and centuries of experience, together with up-to-the minute advances in technology, has put Taylors at the forefront in the restoration as well as the design and manufacture of bells, their !ttings and frameworks.English Heritage has

recently changed their focus on bell restoration projects, preferring the repair of original bell !xtures and !ttings such as wooden frameworks - rather than the installation of new replacements. John Taylor & Co specialise in this type of conservation, carrying out restoration work which meets English Heritage requirements to make the best of original materials - yet still producing a solution which will have a projected life of over 100 years.Taylors carry out the restoration of wrought

iron !ttings, strapwork and clappers, whilst their well equipped timber and joinery division can expertly restore timber framework.This expertise is much in demand - and is

demonstrated through such projects as one at Charlton Adam in Somerset, where Taylors successfully carried out signi!cant church bell

restoration, including the construction of a new steel bell frame around the original wooden one.In a project involving the restoration of a

historic bell at Molash, Kent, old !ttings were specially sourced in order to make the conservation work as historically authentic as possible.Many old bells have never been scienti!cally

tuned, and Taylors have mastered the art of re-tuning bells scienti!cally on a vertical lathe. In the case of restoring very old bells dating back 300 or 400 years, English Heritage have imposed restrictions on re-tuning. However Taylors have signi!cant experience in successfully making a case to allow for the modest corrective re-tuning of even these bells to create a better sound.

Construction News Call our news team on 01706 719972 www.romauk.net


Her i tage

The use of metal products is very important if a window is going to last. Lead is the most obvious and the ‘H’ sections used for assembling a leaded window can be of various sizes and pro"les, depending on the thickness of the glass and the design of the window. A length of lead is called a ‘calme’ and is derived from the Latin word ‘calamus’, meaning a reed. Lead calmes were originally made by lining up reeds in a shallow box and molten lead poured over them, resulting in lengths of lead with a groove along each side into which the glass would "t. Now, lead is milled or extruded which is both quicker and more precise. This lead is capable of lasting for an average of 150 years depending on weather exposure and support systems such as glazing bars.

Without the support from glazing bars, a leaded window would sag and distort under its own weight. Simple internal glazing bars have replaced much of the external ‘ferramenta’ over the years but this has been halted by the efforts of conservation practices. The external ferramenta is a system of horizontal ‘saddle bars’ which are shaped to slot over vertical ‘stanchions’. Copper tie wires soldered to the glazing are then twisted around these, holding the glazing in place. Made of iron, these external bars are prone to rust within the stone but can be retained by ‘tipping’. This involves cropping off the ends of the bars then welding on a non-ferrous metal of the same sized section.

CASEMENTS &

Again, being made of ferrous metals, these are prone to rusting and require overhauling to keep in working order. Due to our churches being under ventilated, many have had new opening casements installed. These can be made of mild or stainless steel or other non-ferrous metals and painted or powder coated. Various mechanisms and pulley systems can be used to operate them as some will require operation from ground level while the window is 25’ up in the clerestorey.

The rare pieces of mediæval glass found in our churches are now in such poor condition that they need protecting from the elements if they are to survive. The pitting and white spotting usually seen on the outside of this glass are caused by chemicals leaching out of the glass in exchange with chemicals from the atmosphere mixed with water. To prevent this, the glass has to be protected from the rain on the outside and from condensation forming on the inside.To achieve this, the glass has to be removed, protective glazing

"tted in its place and the delicate glass reinstated forward by an inch or so and ventilated to the inside of the building. For entire windows, the ancient glass can be "tted into manganese bronze frames and "xed to the inside of the mullions, leaving the protective glazing (glass, polycarbonate, laminated or toughened glass or simple leaded lights) to bear the brunt of the weather. This can also be carried out for the bene"t of individual pieces of glass which can be "xed proud of its supporting glazing, leaving an air gap between it and its protective glazing.

Stained Glass & Other Starring Roles

Whilst condensation plagues the supporting diamond patterned leaded glazing, the ancient glass roundel remains dry.

Casement made for access to the roof from the Bell Tower "tted with handles and padlocks (designed and made by Kevin Culley nr. Woodbridge, Suffolk)

Stone damage caused by rusting bars

Tipped, painted and ready for installation



Nor th West

The project, geared to delivering a world-class tram system around Greater Manchester, is being undertaken by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), who appointed MPT to design, construct and maintain the new lines. The M-Pact Thales consortium brings together three industry leading companies: Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and Thales UK.The initial contract, to deliver four new Metrolink lines, was

awarded to MPT in 2008. These four lines will bring Manchester’s iconic tram system to a temporary Metrolink stop at Oldham and on to Rochdale Railway Station, to Droylsden in Tameside (to the east of the city), to Chorlton in South Manchester, and to the MediaCityUK development in Salford Quays via a 0.4km spur from the existing Eccles line.In May 2009, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities

(AGMA) and Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA) announced the creation of the Greater Manchester Transport Fund – an investment programme of more than £1.5 billion covering 15 major transport projects.

Part of this programme will see even more new Metrolink lines built: from Droylsden to Ashton-under-Lyne, from Chorlton to East Didsbury, a line to Manchester Airport via Wythenshawe, and extensions into Oldham and Rochdale town centres. In March 2010, MPT signed the design, build and maintain

contract for the additional lines from Droylsden to Ashton (to be completed by winter 2013/14) and from Chorlton to Didsbury (to be completed by summer 2013.)August last year also saw the consortium sign the contract to

provide the new Manchester airport link as well as extensions through Oldham town centre and into Rochdale town centre.Work on all the extensions has begun, with Laing O’Rourke

and VolkerRail delivering the civil and rail infrastructure requirements. Thales UK are providing all the electrical systems and engineering works, including power and overhead line equipment, and the tram management system.Commenting, following the signing of contracts for the

additional extensions to Manchester Airport and the town centre’s of Oldham and Rochdale, David Leather, Chief Executive of GMPTE, said: “Following the approval of funding support from AGMA and GMITA, we concluded negotiations for the delivery of the long-awaited expansion of the Metrolink network. “This milestone in Metrolink history will see the system almost

Massive transport project will nearly treble the size of Manchester’s tram network

The initial contract,

to deliver four new

Metrolink lines, was

awarded to MPT in 2008



treble compared to today’s network.! With the support of our Delivery Partner, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and the experience of MPT we are con"dent of successful delivery of the new lines.”Bryan Diggins, Project Director, MPT said: “It is a great

achievement for the consortium to continue working together on this critical project. This award will allow us to complete the original vision for Manchester, providing the vital link from the urban areas of the city to the airport, and essential town centre links for both Oldham and Rochdale.”It is anticipated that trams will be running to Oldham and

Rochdale town centres during spring 2014 and to Manchester Airport during mid 2016.The new Metrolink routes will make it much easier for people

living and working in the county to use public transport, opening up access to new employment, education, leisure and health opportunities as well as bringing major bene"ts to the regional economy.!

This 14 mile (22.5 km) extension to Oldham and Rochdale will join the Bury Metrolink line just outside Manchester city centre and run along the former railway corridor to Central Park in east Manchester. From here it will follow the route of the Oldham loop rail line between Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale, which is being converted to Metrolink. The Oldham-Rochdale line will open to Central Park during

spring this year, to a temporary Oldham Mumps stop during autumn, Rochdale Railway Station during spring next year and Oldham and Rochdale town centres in 2014. Work began to convert the Oldham Loop heavy rail line after the railway closed for passenger services in October 2009.Converting the line to Metrolink operations involves replacing

nearly all the track along the line, demolishing old railway stations to build new Metrolink stops and upgrading or replacing infrastructure along the route. The works also includes a signi"cant amount of maintenance

and refurbishment to nearly 100 bridges and structures along the route, varying from minor cosmetic work to more extensive refurbishment work.As part of the scheme, a new 52 metre long viaduct was

constructed at Rochdale, to take the tram over the existing Calder Valley heavy rail line, where it will then run along High Level Road to a stop just outside Rochdale Railway Station. This major construction project, which involved 400 tonnes

of steel, over 5000 bolts and a 1000 tonne ‘super lift’, was completed within a three day period in January 2011.Another major project involved removing a former railway

bridge over the roundabout at Oldham Mumps to make way for the new Metrolink line, which will run at ground level through the junction. The bridge was removed in two parts, with the southern

half of the viaduct removed in January this year, following the demolition of the northern half, which was completed over a Bank Holiday weekend in August last year. .


Nor th West

In a historic decision made in summer last year, Greater Manchester’s leaders gave the green light to three Metrolink extensions, which will see Metrolink running to Oldham and Rochdale town centres and via Wythenshawe to Manchester Airport.The Oldham town centre extension is due to open during

spring 2014. It will provide a new 2.4 km (1.5 mile) Metrolink line into the commercial and educational centre of Oldham and will replace the temporary Metrolink route, which will bypass the town centre via the former railway line, en route to Rochdale.The Rochdale town centre extension will provide a new 1.1km

(0.7 miles) Metrolink line into the retail heart of Rochdale town centre, providing access to amenities including health, retail and leisure facilities.

The new 3.9 mile (6.3 km) extension to Droylsden in Tameside will run from Manchester Piccadilly through the heart of east Manchester. The line runs under Great Ancoats Street, through Holt Town and along Ashton New Road.Initial work involved clearing along the route of the new line

and diverting utility pipes and cables (water, wastewater, gas, electricity and telecoms) away from the new line. One of the larger civil engineering projects on this line was

the construction of the underpass that will take the tram under Great Ancoats Street out to East Manchester. Work to build the retaining walls on either side of the street started in 2009 and continued during 2010. !During 2009 work also started on some of the bridges and

other structures along the route. Manchester Road was widened over the Ashton Canal near Droylsden and a new footbridge was installed for pedestrians. By the end of 2009 the "rst sections of track had been laid and

work started on some of the new stops. Construction work is continuing through 2011, as the new line and new stops start to take shape. Following testing, commissioning and driver training, the line

will open to Droylsden in spring 2012 and to Ashton-under-Lyne in winter 2013/2014.

The 1.7 mile (2.7km) extension to St Werburgh’s Road in Chorlton will run south from Trafford Bar, along the disused railway line with three new stops at Firswood, Chorlton and St Werburgh’s Road. A new tram depot is also being constructed at Trafford Bar.In May 2009, funding was identi"ed as part of the Greater

Manchester Transport fund to extend the new line from St Werburgh’s Road to East Didsbury with additional stops at Withington, Burton Road, West Didsbury, Didsbury Village and East Didsbury. The new line to St Werburgh’s Road will open in spring this year

and to East Didsbury in summer 2013.The main construction work on the south Manchester line

began in 2009. This included installing permanent drainage along the length of the disused railway cutting that will form the basis of the new line. The cutting was also widened and retaining walls were installed. Work on the new stops began in late 2009. In 2010 the construction programme included laying new track and installing overhead lines and equipment.The new depot being built at Trafford will provide a

second!facility on the south side of the network, housing many of the trams used daily on the Metrolink network.

An exciting new home for creative, digital and media businesses, MediaCityUK is being developed by Peel Media, together with construction partners Bovis, and public sector partner support from the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company and Salford City Council.The quarter of a mile (0.4 km) Metrolink extension to

MediaCityUK joins the Eccles line near the Broadway stop. It connects the new development in the heart of Salford Quays to Manchester city centre, making it easily accessible from Manchester Piccadilly train station and Manchester airport.

The project is being carried out by Patton Construction.The castle’s roof was removed 50 years ago and the ravages

of the weather have resulted in parts of the structure becoming unstable.The aim of the project is to conserve and consolidate the

full shell of the existing castle structure and rebuild elements which have collapsed. This includes the removal of some of the dressed stone and re-pinning it with stainless steel rods. Where the stone has collapsed relatively recently, it will be cleaned and replaced in its original position, whilst stonework which has shattered will be replaced with new stone.Another element of the project involves the conversion of the

large stone stable courtyard!adjoining the castle to form a new visitor centre complete with shops, a 100-cover cafe/restaurant, kitchens, toilets and a gallery to house the Lowther artworks and historical records. The work includes the restoration of!four rooms which used to be part of the castle itself, which abuts onto the stable courtyard. Elements of the building’s structure and as many of the original windows and doors as possible are being conserved and restored. The roof is being removed and re-laid. Electrical, drainage and!water services are also being installed, together with a biomass boiler

Specialist environmental consultancy Land Use Consultants (LUC) are working on a design to re-open the castle’s once famous vast 17th century historic gardens, focusing on revealing the structure of the original layout, which they have established after carefully assessing ground evidence and consulting extensive archives.The castle gardens have been closed for 70 years and are

inaccessible and buried in vegetation.!The grounds were once brie#y open to visitors, but during the Second World War were

Castle triumphs against the ravages of time


Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm

The wind farm will have an annual power output of 1,950 gigawatt-hours - adequate to supply 400,000 households.Construction of Gwynt y Môr (Welsh for “wind in the sea”) is to

commence later this year, with completion scheduled for 2014. The development is being carried out by a joint venture

comprising RWE Innogy, Stadtwerke München and Siemens. For this project Siemens Energy will carry out the contract not only for supply, erection and maintenance of the wind turbines, but also for electrical connection of the Gwynt y Môr wind farm to the mainland.The wind farm, which has a surface area of 79 square

kilometers, will include 160 Siemens SWT-3.6-107 wind turbines each with a capacity of 3.6 megawatts and an adjustable three-bladed rotor with a diameter of 107 m and a blade length of 52 m. The foundations and wind turbines are to be pre-assembled and then transported out to sea. In addition, the wind farm will incorporate two Siemens

offshore substation platforms, each with two transformers with a rating of 160 MVA. The voltage level will be stepped up from 33 kilovolts (kV) to a transmission voltage of 132 kV, with power transmission to St. Asaph via a high-voltage submarine cable. Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne

said: “This is the "rst, of what I hope will be many, examples of how we can make the most of our island’s huge renewable energy potential. I want to make sure we grab all the opportunities the rapidly expanding renewables industry has to offer, and that wind power can come of age under this government.” Hans Bünting, CFO of RWE Innogy, said: “RWE Innogy is very

open to partnerships for implementing projects in the area of renewables. Green Gecco, our joint venture with 26 municipal utilities is just one example. We are proud that for Gwynt y Môr we have again succeeded in "nding strong partners in SWM and Siemens, with whom we have had good business relationships for many years. We are already looking forward to our continued work together”. To build Gwynt y Môr, RWE Innogy has arranged for another

offshore construction ship to be built by the Korean shipyard Daewoo. The "rst of these offshore construction ships, the largest in the world, was ordered by the company at the end of last year for the erection of the German offshore wind farm Nordsee Ost (North Sea East). The new construction ship is expected at the end of 2011.

Multi-disciplinary environmental consultancy TEP worked with RWE npower and National Grid to identify the grid connection for Gwynt y Môr.! It also co-ordinated the preparation of information required to accompany planning applications to Conwy and Denbighshire Councils and a Section 37 application to the Secretary of State for the wind farm onshore works, for which all permissions were granted in 2009.!TEP co-ordinated the Environmental Impact Assessment

to assess the potential environmental effects of and identify appropriate mitigation measures for: the 11.1km length of underground 132kV HVAC cables; the 400/132kV substation south of!St Asaph Business Park; and the 400kV overhead line, underground cables and cable sealing end compound required to make a connection to the existing high voltage transmission system.! TEP also produced Planning Statements and Design and Access Statements to support the planning applications submitted to Conwy and Denbighshire Councils.TEP is currently actively involved in the discharge of planning

conditions to ensure compliance with the permissions obtained. It is also involved in obtaining secondary and temporary consents (including highways and drainage consents) to allow the works to continue.!

used for a secret weapon testing installation, which was subsequently dismantled and abandoned and much of the garden concreted over.!LUC’s landscape plan takes into

account the whole visitor experience, from initial parking to walking though the site. LUC Landscape Designer Dominic Cole said: “In addition to the weapon testing installation and concreting over, the gardens, which also used to accommodate broiler houses, and for Christmas tree planting in the 1950s we will "rst have to remove all of this. Whilst we

are not going to attempt a full scale restoration as this would

require expensive, intensive maintenance, we are planning to use modern techniques and planting to reveal the original structure, which comprised various levels of terraces.!“These will be revealed using a series of textures - for example

there will be a "ne mown area, a bulb lawn and fruit and vegetable planting. Planting will focus on choosing different species which will bloom at different times throughout the year, and existing ancient yew trees will also be conserved and protected from wind damage.”Where possible, waste materials will be re-used on the

site - for example concrete will be crushed and recycled and contaminated soil will also be re-used after being cleaned.!Works to the stable block are due for completion in spring 2012,

with the refurbishment of the castle expected to be complete in September/October 2012.


During the years 2010 to 2011, Walney (UK) Offshore Wind Farms Ltd. plans to complete phase I and II of the Walney Offshore Wind Farm, located approximately 15km off Walney Island, Cumbria, in the East Irish Sea. The project is being constructed in two phases. Each

consists of 51 turbines with a total capacity of 367.2MW. The development includes foundations, turbines, export and array cables, offshore substations and onshore connection to the power grid.

Towards the end of 2010, the 51 turbines comprising Walney 1 were completed. Weather conditions have been average for the area, a situation which has been planned for and which, from time to time, results in delays. All offshore operations are fully dependant on the weather

conditions and require thorough planning in order to utilise

the weather windows suitable for installation activities. Wind and waves determine the progress in the installation. For wind turbine installation, the operational crane limit is typically a wind speed of 10 m/s, however, only about 8 m/s can be tolerated during installation of the blades.Under average weather conditions, the installation vessel

Kraken is able to install two turbines every week, maintaining a six to seven days’ installation cycle for the two turbine sets it can transport on each tour from the base at Mostyn. Based on the average weather conditions in the area, the expectations are that the installation sequence will be affected throughout the winter period, sometimes reducing the installation process to one turbine a week. DONG site manager Lars Alber told Premier Construction, “The "rst phase of the works went well and we are looking forward to completing the second phase with the same success”.

The Walney 2 onshore cabling work and substation construction

Walney wind workers forge

ahead

Nor th West


have begun at Cleveleys and will proceed for the coming months with expected energisation of the onshore substation on 1 August 2011. This spring, a cable barge docked offshore at Cleveleys is laying the power connection or ‘export cable’ which joins Walney 2 to land. It is being laid in one piece underwater by a plough attached to the barge which places the cable approximately 2m deep into the seabed. Boreholes are being excavated at important locations like the sea defence wall and the other locations where the ducts will be installed by HDD drilling rather than open-cut excavation. Construction of the onshore substation is ongoing.Overall, Walney 2 will follow an almost identical programme

to the "rst phase. However, the installation process will be more intense. The "rst signs of the installation appeared as of February 2011, when the "rst "lter stones were placed on the 51 turbine positions.!

East Coast Charters Ltd completed the secondary works in support of the Jack up Barge Kraken and provided crew transfer services, transferring crew from ship to ship or ship to turbine. The company has continuously provided one vessel since

June 2010 and has provided another as required, employing a workforce of four personnel on this project.East Coast Charters Ltd have had an excellent working

relationship with DONG Energy for three years, having "rst been contracted to work on the Gun#eet Sands project before procuring the Walney project contract, and also have procured contracts for the Walney 2 project.The company’s well maintained #eet of multipurpose vessels

is supported by a team highly experienced in management and operations. East Coast Charters Ltd are justi"ably proud of their hard

earned reputation for completing even the most dif"cult projects on time and to the highest standards, leading to repeat business from many clients.

Architects for the scheme are MPSL Planning & Design LtdThe homes are constructed with external elevations in brick

incorporating PVCu double glazed windows and timber trussed pitched roofs with concrete tiles.The scheme is situated close to several schools at primary /

junior level, and a short bus ride to senior schools and colleges. It is also located close to Blackpool town centre, within easy walking distance and close to bus and rail transport. There are many shops close by in the Layton district, as well as

the major high street stores in Blackpool town centre. Also close tomany local amenities and tourist attractions of Blackpool such as Stanley Park, Blackpool Zoo, the tower and pleasure beach. Construction of the new development commenced in June

2010 and is due for completion in December 2011.Chelford Homes has been developing their own distinctive

approach to building new homes over many years, an ap-proach which includes a desire to give people compelling rea-sons to buy a Chelford Home. This means fully acknowledging the customer’s needs and answering the demand to provide

people with stylish and luxury crafted homes in locations they want to be - and above all, homes that deliver outstanding value for money.This approach, sparing nothing in the pursuit of perfection,

has led to a rapid and sustained growth, whilst simultaneously creating an enviable reputation for excellence.

Exceptional homes in a seaside location


Nor th West

The scheme was originally conceived to carry out improvements to meet the Government’s Decent Homes standard, but was then expanded to include many other wide-ranging improvements geared to completely transforming the homesMain Contractors are Bullock Construction, working with

WPH’s in-house Building Services team, who are carrying out some of the Decent Homes improvements.WPH originally had 15 tower blocks and decided to retain and

improve seven, with the remainder being decommissioned. The seven blocks being improved are: Brackendale, Liscard

House, Sunningdale, The Towers, Vittoria Court, Neston Gardens and Knowseley Court.“More than just an improvement programme, this scheme is

a complete makeover” said Brian Seddon, Project Manager at WPH, adding “The need to achieve the Decent ̀ Homes standard was the initial driver, but now the scheme is going to be much more than that.”The three-year project includes the installation of new kitchens,

bathrooms and showers, re-wiring, central heating upgrades and insulation upgrades which involve "tting external cladding to most of the blocks and internal dry lining to one block. The internal dry lining has been completed and reported to be very effective by tenants who said that the building was very warm in cold weather. Blocks that are not being cladded are being repainted.Corridors, communal areas and lifts are also being improved,

"re alarms are being "tted in some blocks and new CCTV and

secure access systems are being installed on the ground #oors of all of the blocks. Most of the blocks have

some form of communal area on the ground #oor and these areas are being improved, and in some cases, extended, with one of the blocks having a new conservatory. Liscard House in particular is bene"ting from this element of the contract and will have communal facilities occupying the whole of the ground #oor, including a new lounge, dining and IT areas. Other works include the upgrading of balconies and re-roo"ng.

In addition, since many of the blocks have older tenants using mobility scooters, the works will include the provision of storage and recharging areas for these.Further improvements include the upgrading and remodelling

of gardens and car parking areas.The local economy too has been given a boost, as Bullock

Construction is using many Wirral-based sub-contractors. The company are working with WPH, schools and colleges to create employment and training opportunities.“We are very proud of the work we are undertaking across

Wirral, which will improve the homes of hundreds of people” said Brian Seddon.

The high rise Decent Homes scheme that grew....and grew



The project was carried out for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (who also acted as Project Managers), by Main Contractors Laing O’Rourke and was designed by Architects Devereux, with the hospital’s clinical teams being consulted in detail on the design. Mechanical and Electrical Engineers were RPS Gregory; Structural Consultants were Aecom and Cost Consultants were Turner & Townsend.Created through internal reconfiguration and extensive refur-

bishment, the approximately 800 sq m unit is located on the first floor of the hospital close to the high dependency unit and operating theatres. In addition to eight beds, the unit includes a dedicated relatives’ room and waiting area, as well as staff rest rooms, offices and changing rooms and storage facilities. The unit is much more user-friendly for staff, and includes a fully-integrated monitoring system to provide clinical information at each bedside.The unit was formed within what was office and overnight stay

accommodation and major alterations were needed including a complete strip-out, the installation of new internal partitioning and complex building services, together with new fixtures, fit-tings, aluminium framed windows, new finishes and decoration.The unit is highly serviced, with the most important element

of this being the ventilation system designed to the latest standards and providing optimal conditions for patient and staff comfort, as well as infection control. The unit has high quality finishes throughout, including washable walls and a nurse sta-tion equipped with a desk in hard wearing Corrian material.“The construction team did a first class job delivered on time

and well within budget - especially considering that they were working in a live hospital environment” said delighted County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Project Manager Mr James Gallantry, adding: “The unit offers state of the art criti-cal care together with support and ancillary accommodation, as well as facilities for relatives and complies with modern stand-ards of infection control. Four of the eight beds are in airlocked single room accommodation, which helps control infection and offers both privacy and dignity for patients. The unit provides lovely, light, airy, well-lit high quality accommodation with good space around each bed.”

“We have had very positive feedback from the clinical staff working there it really is a major improvement on our old facili-ties” he said.

Dr Richard Hixson, consultant anaesthetist at the County

Young people celebrate the rise of new centreGiving young people in west Hull something to celebrate, a new purpose built youth centre is under construction, replacing an old church hall on a site next to St. John’s Church on St. George’s Road.The £1.3 million project is being carried out

by Main Contractors Hobson & Porter; Architects are Salt Architects.The new facility, which will be known as

‘Network – Young People’s Centre’ (NYPC), is being constructed on the former site of the derelict church hall and council car park and will serve the needs of over 1,500 young people.Local community organisation, Hessle Road

Network, will manage the new facility, which will provide daytime alternative learning services and evening recreational activities for 9 to 21 year olds, as well as providing social facilities for the St John’s church on Sunday mornings.

The facility will comprise a large cafe area with a semi glazed roof, youth training and general activity space including media and arts/craft areas, a sports area, a computer room, of!ces, a kitchen and toilets and a raised external stage/performance space to the front of the building plus new urban allotments. Other external works include the creation of a car park and a small garden to the rear of the building.The building is predominantly single storey

incorporating a small two storey element containing the of!ces. External elevations are in red brick with cedar cladding to the upper levels, incorporating metal framed windows and a shallow pitched roof.Work on the centre commenced on 5th July

2010 with demolition of the old church hall

and site clearance."The “Network – Young People’s Centre” has

been developed by Hessle Road Network in partnership with St. John’s Church, Hull Forward and Hull City Council. Completion of the project is expected in May

2011 and the contractors are reported to “Be doing !ne, despite some adverse weather at Christmas.”


“A first class job” - new critical care unit is just what the doctor ordered

Nor th East & Yorksh i re


Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a modern intensive care unit, built to a high specification which helps us to give the best of care to our most dependent patients. “It provides a much better working environment for staff – it

is roomier, and much more pleasant. A better environment for our staff also means a more therapeutic environment for our patients, which is what this new unit is all about.”Darlington MP Jenny Chapman, who was given a tour of the

new unit said the facilities were very impressive.The new development means the hospital can now provide a

combined capacity of up to 14 critical care beds (critical care and high dependency beds).“We have worked with County Durham and Darlington NHS

Foundation Trust over three years, delivering key aspects of their health estate” said Laing O’Rourke Senior Project Leader, Ian Dawson.! “Successfully handing over the ITU is testament to the enduring relationship that we have formed and we are proud that the latest facility; offering an improved healing environment; has been welcomed by staff and patients.”The project commenced in January 2010 and was completed

in December 2010.

Meta Ltd carried out structural demolition, internal demolition and asbestos removal for both Laing O’Rourke ltd and the Hospital Trust direct.The fully controlled mechanical demolition and licensed as-

bestos removal works were carried out by a highly qualified workforce, working to programme deadlines and project finan-cial budgets.!Meta Ltd is a multidisciplinary service provider carrying out

demolition, soft strip demolition, asbestos removal, contami-nated waste clearance and insulation services.!The company’s management team has vast experience in their field of expertise - over 30 years and their senior management have a long history of working with Laing O’Rourke ltd on numerous major projects throughout the UK.!Meta Ltd was founded in 2008, with a staff and workforce of

12, which has now expanded to over 60. Their clients include construction companies, NHS Trusts, education authorities, local government authorities, major home improvement compa-nies and many others. In the current economic climate, the company intends to sta-

bilise and control its growth and work closely with clients at tender stage to ensure that major bids are more competitive.


-

The new developments include schemes in Hull, Sheffield, Thurscoe and Barnsley.In the Woodcock Street area of Hull, some £5 million of funding

from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) was invested in the Woodcock Street area, where 106 new homes were built under the Gateway regeneration programme in partnership with Keepmoat and housing association Places for People, bringing the total investment in the area to £25 million.The scheme, to replace run down properties with neat new

streets in Hull, has already been a resounding success, accord-ing to residents in some of the recently completed homes.Carl Vickers, 46 and partner Gill Sykes, 42, lived in a street

nearby for 13 years and can hardly believe the changes which have been delivered:! “The area seemed to be in terminal de-cline.! Something radical needed to be done and thankfully it was.! The transformation is unbelievable,” said Carl.Spending cuts mean the programme in Hull will receive signifi-

cantly less public funding in the next few years and so Keepmoat has submitted a bid for up to £8 million of Regional Growth Fund support and expects news on this in the early summer.A further 2,300 new homes are being built in Sheffield by a

private sector partnership known as the Sheffield Housing Company, comprising! Keepmoat, Great Places Housing Group and Sheffield City Council.The new homes will be built over the next 15 years, providing

long term and effective regeneration for neighbourhoods in the city.Councillor Penny Baker, Sheffield City Council’s Cabinet

Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning, said: “Even in the challenging financial climate we’re all facing at the mo-ment, we are coming up with innovative ways to make sure the regeneration of our city goes from strength to strength.“This scheme involves a 50:50 partnership between the coun-

cil and the private sector in order to provide new high quality homes for sale, shared ownership and rent. These homes will be built in areas where regeneration is needed most, and will have the added effect of stimulating the local economies with labour initiatives, training schemes and support for small, medium and community enterprises.! In Thurscoe, the first results of the £90 million Thurnscoe

New homes spring up throughout Yorkshire in massive multi million pound scheme



regeneration programme are now on show after developer Keepmoat Homes opened two new show homes.The developer was selected by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough

Council to develop around 875 new homes over the next 15 to 18 years.!The first phase, of the development known as Springside, will

create 160 properties with 55 being social rented homes includ-ing bungalows and two, three and four bedroom family houses.The show homes now open at the Seasons development

include the three bedroom Ambrose and the two bedroom Normanby house type. !David Ward, Managing Director with Keepmoat Homes

Yorkshire, said: “These new show homes will only give an inkling

of what a fantastic development this will be. All partners have worked extremely hard to get where we are today, it demon-strates the growing confidence in the housing market and in Barnsley.”All homes are designed to code 3 – some to code 4 - sustain-

ability standards meaning they are some of the most energy efficient homes available, helping reduce energy costs and save money.At Keepmoat Homes’ new development at Tanglewood Court

in Kendray, a two metre brick clad, steel pyramid has been relo-cated from the site of a100 year old brickworks.Keepmoat Homes is building 12, two bedroom apartments at

the site in and a further 100 properties at the close by Lesley Road site, also in Kendray.The pyramid was donated by Hansons at Stairfoot Brickworks,

which closed following the downturn in the housing market in 2008.

LSC funding spreads to Yorkshire

In September 2012, Kirklees College will open a brand new, state-of-the-art campus at the ambitiously-named Waterfront Quarter in Hudders"eld. The new multi-million pound building will replace the current centre at New North Road. Preparation on the site began in November 2009 and building work started at Easter 2010.

The development covers 24,000m2, will be 9 storeys high at its tallest and will achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘excellent’ for its low environmental impact. There are three blocks in total: a main block of "ve storeys, a LRC (Learning Resource Centre) block of seven storeys and a multi block of nine storeys.

Externally, the lower three #oors are in forticrete polished fac-ing blockwork in black which forms a plinth to the upper #oors. There are some areas of stone cladding on the south elevations that mirror the stone in Folly Hall Mill which is directly opposite across the River Colne and will also blend with the stone paving stretching across the Waterfront Square when the whole devel-opment is completed. The upper levels are clad in a variety of aluminium architectural cladding panels and a Kalwall translu-cent cladding system.


The Kalwall cladding provides a major feature to both ends of the multi block and smaller areas of the main block on the south elevation. The area between the main block and the multi block will be a glazed ‘street’ which is a public thoroughfare during daytime hours under agreement with the council’s planning department. There is a central atrium within the main block in addition to the ‘street’.Security systems are high on the agenda and an access con-

trol card system using proximity readers will be used to access all areas and individual teaching spaces. All access control, "re, CCTV and smoke detection will be linked through the building management system to ensure safe evacuation can be man-aged. None of the windows will open – a boost to security as well as a barrier against traf"c noise from the nearby road. Vice Principal Melanie Brooke said, “The new campus has been

created with one thing in mind: providing students with 21st century learning facilities and resources. All our decisions have been taken with the best interests of learners at the very heart”.The surrounding area is a mix of residential,

retail and light industrial. It is located close to major transport interchanges within the town centre and on major public transport routes into the town. Ray Sheller, project manager at Kirklees College, told Premier Construction, “A major reason for the choice of site was that the council offered it as part funding and to help the regeneration of the area”.He continued, “The development in-

cludes green roofs but also we are also in the process of obtaining licences from British Waterways to extract water from the Hudders"eld Narrow Canal to use for cooling the building before discharging the

clean "ltered water back into the canal. The development of the computer model to prove this to British Waterways and the Environment Agency has been done in close partnership with Dr. John Fieldhouse at Hudders"eld University who has devel-oped a new computer model for future proving of other systems brought forward by other developments”.Ray added, “So far, this been a true team effort on the part of

all the consultants involved in the design team both pre and post contract. This is continuing with the contractor Allenbuild under the design and build contract. “The practical completion date for the building contract is July

2012 with college occupation in September 2012”.LSC funding for the £74 million project has been topped up by

Yorkshire Forward and Kirklees Council.

Flagship plaza scheme adds new dimension to city centre

The scheme is being built by Downing’s in-house contracting division George Downing Construction and has been designed by Ian Simpson Architects.Once completed, the development, which is located on the

former Scottish and Newcastle Brewery site, opposite St James Park, will act as the gateway to the city’s wider Science Central master plan in Gallowgate.The mixed-use development is transforming the site and kick-

starting the regeneration of Gallowgate.Phase one includes the construction of 100,000 sq ft of new

office space which was entirely pre-let by Newcastle University Business School (NUBS) in a record deal for the city’s property market. The business school building has just been completed.The other element of this phase involves the construction of

student accommodation containing 520 bedrooms, located above an 150 space underground car park. A subsequent phase of construction due to commence in May/June 2011 in-volves the construction of a further 351 student bedroom block.The new Newcastle University Business School incorporates



The project also includes the construction of a Knowledge Transfer Centre to the front of the Nuclear AMRC building.Architects are Bond Bryan Architects; Civil, Mechanical and

Electrical Engineers are Buro Happold, and Silcock Leedham are responsible for the electrical design.Turner and Townsend are Project and Cost ManagersThe Nuclear AMRC will provide a focal point for the bulk of the

UK civil nuclear manufacturing industry supply chain, ensuring that manufacturers in the UK have the capability and capacity required to compete for nuclear new build in the UK and glob-ally, from skills training to research and development.The centre will be led by the ‘University of Sheffield in collabo-

ration with the University of Manchester’ and with Rolls-Royce as the lead industrial partner.The 8,000 sq m building includes almost 6,000 sq m of work-

shop space, with specialised research areas for machining, robotics and assembly, welding, firing and heat treatment, clad-ding technology, and non-destructive evaluation.Workshop equipment will be tailored to meet industry require-

ments, and will include large mill turn and machining centres customised to requirements of the nuclear supply chain; sub-merged arc welding facilities; and a range of robots and ma-nipulators.The building will also feature accommodation over three stories

at the front, including laboratory and technical support space, a VR cave for virtual assembly research and training, plus 2,200 sq m of office space and secure meeting rooms.Structured around a steel frame, the building features exter-

nal elevations in a combination of Kalwall and metal cladding, incorporating aluminium framed windows and a sloping roof

incorporating north lights to the front of the building, with a flat roof to the rear.

External works include the creation of a car park and soft land-scaping.

The 2,100 sq m twostorey Knowledge Transfer Centre will enable the rolling out of knowledge learned from the Nuclear AMRC centre to industry and will contain a workshop and semi-nar rooms.

The building will be structured around a steel frame in similar materials to the Nuclear AMRC, but with addition of elements of terracotta cladding and a flat roof incorporating rooflights. This element of the project is scheduled for completion in March next year.

It is hoped that both buildings will achieve a BREEAM

University rises to the challenge of nuclear research

wide-ranging accommodation, including large and impressive acoustically designed lecture theatres with tiered seating, work-shops, classrooms and staff offices and an open plan ground floor including a reception area and a small restaurant.The nine storey building is structured around a steel frame

incorporating a concrete lift and stair core with external eleva-tions featuring a metal framed inner wall with Rimex rainscreen cladding fitted over, finished in a number of different colours. Roofing is in a series of different shapes and incorporates a roof level building management services unit.Externally, the construction of a landscaped boulevard is

planned in phases two and three of the scheme.The approximately 520 bedroom student accommodation

being built in the current phase is divided into three separate blocks (one of seven storeys and two of 12 storeys), complete with approximately 8,000 sq m of ground floor retail area, ar-ranged around a landscaped courtyard. Students will be accommodated within individual clusters

of four, five and six ensuite bedroom units, each with its own communal lounge and kitchen. The development will also in-corporate a laundry, a management suite and a ground floor communal lounge which all the students can use.The concrete framed building features external elevations in

a lightweight steel inner frame with terracotta style rainscreen cladding fitted over.The 351 bedroom student accommodation being built in the

third phase is contained in one block of seven storeys at the front, rising to two 10 storey towers at the rear. The block will

contain clusters of bedrooms with communal areas, as well as a number of studio apartments, a ground floor common area, a management suite and approximately 7,000 sq ft of retail space. The building will be of concrete framed structure with external elevations in aluminium panelling of various colours and terra-cotta style rainscreen cladding.

A 220 bedroom hotel is being constructed in a later phase.

Ian Orton, director of GDC, said: “Downing Plaza represents a significant investment in the North East. We are delivering a scheme that will have a positive impact on the regional economy during its construction and beyond, by attracting further invest-ment and creating employment opportunities.

“Like any city Newcastle has been challenged by the downturn but the fundamentals remain compelling. It’s a great place to do business and the city needs development on this scale in order for it to compete and grow alongside other UK and European provincial capitals.”

Ian Clarke, Director of Newcastle University Business School, said: “Newcastle is a diverse, friendly and cosmopolitan city that is fast becoming an internationally renowned centre of cul-ture and science. The Downing Plaza development will certainly help confirm this position for Newcastle as a city.

“We are delighted that the new building houses our flagship headquarters. The new premises provide first class facilities for our students and the location next to Science City and high profile office developments allow us to further develop our links with science and businesses within the region.”


School extension ’materialises’ over just one weekend

The project is being carried out for Sheffield City Council by Main Contractors Willmott Dixon.

Being assembled on a former playground, the school’s new classrooms, workspaces and toilets were supplied to site in two-storey modular sections with some of the modules measur-ing up to approximately four metres wide and 14 metres long.

The modules, which were manufactured off site, came complete with external finishes, aluminium framed windows and plaster-board or tiles internally, first fix mechanical installation, and in

some cases, sinks and worktops of varying heights for children of different ages, as well as toilets in the toilet units. Externally, the units have a brick slip finish and a flat single ply roof.

The modules were supplied to site and craned into place on the pre-prepared building foundations over just one weekend using a 250 tonne crane. This required a partial road closure with delivery of each module from the lorry waiting area to the site taking place at hourly intervals.

“The headmistress and pupils could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the change over a weekend - from having just foundations on the Friday to having what looked like a finished school on the Monday” said Mr Sean Brind of Wilmott Dixon.

Once this element of the project has been completed, further works include carrying out minor modifications to the original school, re-locating one of the school’s original accommodation pods to another site and re-creating a small school garden to replace the one that occupied part of the site of the current project.

Mr Brind said that he sees the advantage of modular construc-tionas it is both fast and economical and certainly serves the purpose when speed is needed. However, because the con-struction work is largely carried out off site, it is essential to

‘Excellent’ rating.Currently the construction of the Nuclear AMRC is approxi-

mately half way through and is on programme for completion in September, with the contractors reported to be doing well, despite adverse weather.

BAM engaged specialist geothermal installation contractor Loopmaster Europe Ltd to design and install the ground source energy system. The installation will involve the installation of fifty-two bore-

holes, each drilled to a depth of 140m. Each borehole is equipped with a Thermoloop ground collector and grout sealed. The buildings 830kW of heating and 690kW of cooling demand will be serviced by the ground heat exchanger.

This renewable technology is fast becoming the most desir-able way forward for project development teams to service large commercial development, both in terms of achieving car-bon reduction targets and efficient and cost effective operation. Growth is expected to be accelerated further with the introduc-tion of the eagerly awaited Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) for commercial installations.



have the building design work done in advance, as there is very limited scope for alteration once the units are in place - unlike traditional methods of construction.Currently the units are being bolted together with the joints in

between being infilled.The project is due for completion in August 2011.

The project is part of a £14 million council programme to pro-vide more primary school places for Sheffield’s booming pupil population, creating 255 extra places in time for the academic year beginning in September 2011.The expansion programme should ensure that youngsters will

still be able to find a primary place near their own home.

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The works involve the construction of a waterproof wall around each of the buildings, and the installation of flood gates.

The measures are to protect some of the worst-hit schools of the June 2007 floods. They will also act as emergency evacua-tion centres for the community if the city ends up flooded again.

The schools involved are Bude Primary, Westcott Primary, Thorpepark Primary, St James Primary, Stockwell Primary, Sutton Park, Rokeby Primary and Wansbeck Primary. The pro-ject is being carried out by a four different contractors. Sangwin are carrying out the works at Bude Primary and Stockwell Primary; Strategic Team Group are working at Westcott Primary and Thorpe Park Primary; George Hultons are on site at Sutton Park and Rokeby Primary; Hobson & Porter are at Wansbeck Primary and Lindum Group are undertaking the contract at St James Primary.

Architects and Cost Consultants for the project are NPS

Humber Ltd.The works involve the construction of an approximately 1 mete

high waterproof reinforced concrete retaining wall with tile clad-ding around the base of each building, with steel flood defence doors being installed at existing door openings. These doors will remain open and will only be closed in the event of a flood. In addition, any existing full length ground floor windows are being removed with the existing walls being built up above the height of the new flood walls, and smaller replacement windows then being installed.The construction of the retaining walls requires digging deep

foundations, which in turn frequently involves disturbing exist-ing building services, including drainage, and these have to be accommodated within the structure of the new walls. In some cases, it is also necessary to install non-return valves in drains to prevent water from running back into the building.“It’s not just a case of building a wall - we really have had to

think hard about the ways in which water could get into the buildings and what we can do to stop it, so this scheme is quite complex” said Project Manager Mr John Godfrey of NPS

City-wide flood defence scheme protects primary schools



Humber Ltd, who added: “The project has been a learning curve and is now making satisfactory progress”.He said that the logistics of construction also have to be con-

sidered in relation to working on ‘live’ school sites, so construc-tion has had to be phased and in some cases, the children have been decanted into temporary on site accommodation.Judith Harwood, head of learning leisure and achievement

at Hull City Council, said: “We needed to secure the buildings to prevent flooding in the future and we managed to get some extra cash from the Government to do the preventative work.“Under Building Schools For The Future, every secondary school

will have an appropriate flood defence. With the primary schools, we are targeting those believed to be at risk. The principle is that the engineer will determine the best flood defence system.”One of the schools worst hit by the 2007 floods was St James

Primary in Dorchester Road, Bransholme. They lost virtually everything and for the last month of the summer term pupils were taught in two separate locations across the city.Jane Daniels, who began as headteacher in September 2007,

said: “We welcome any measures that will help prevent a repeat of the devastation caused in 2007.”Professor Tom Coulthard, chairman of the Independent Review

Body set up to examine the causes of the flooding in the city, said the move was a “win-win” situation.He said: “Hopefully this sort of flood won’t happen again, but it

is important we are prepared.”


The project is being carried out for Birmingham University Estate Management Department.The building was originally designed by award winning archi-

tect Sir Phillip Dowson and has a grade 2 listed status. The refurbishment, by Main Contractors Bowmer and Kirkland,

will improve the building’s energy efficiency and bring office, laboratory and welfare facilities up to date. The most striking as-pect of the new work will be the introduction of an open ‘street’ along the length of the building that will make it feel more open and welcoming. During the two-year project, the School of Metallurgy and

Materials is remaining in the building, with the refurbishment work being carried out in phases.The study of metallurgy and materials provides an understand-

ing of how materials behave, and how they can be used and im-proved, which is essential to the development of new products and the practical realisation of new scientific phenomena.Metallurgical studies at Birmingham date back to 1881, when

the first students were registered for an option in chemistry in the Mason Science College in the city. Thirty students regis-tered for the first course.A separate Department of Metallurgy was created out of the

Department of Chemistry in 1887 and this was consolidated when the college became a university in 1900. The department

moved to the Edgbaston site and Thomas Turner became the first Professor of Metallurgy in 1902.Bowmer & Kirkland (B & K Construction) is one of the largest

and most successful privately!owned construction, engineering and development groups in!the countryHowever, turnover and size are only relevant to clients! to

show!that the company is large enough for the task. They never want to be the biggest - only the best.B&K is very much a family company whose aim is to achieve

maximum total client satisfaction in everything they do. The company focus on customers and colleagues and part of their vision is to ensure that they continue to re-invest their resources into the group.Founded in the 1920s the group now consists of 32 subsidi-

ary companies or divisions, offering a wide range of specialist construction services, all of which focus on building long-term effective partnerships.The group’s construction business works in nine key sectors,

including: accommodation, commercial, distribution, educa-tion, health and industrial.B&K now has in excess of 1700 staff operating from their head

office in Derbyshire and regionally throughout the UK. All staff are supported by the company’s career development plans and encouraged to be all they can be.B & K’s business has a well balanced turnover and is not

dependant on one sector or individual client and they have a network of construction business units who are able to adapt to changing markets.

Contractors on their mettle in £30 million listed building refurbishment

Midlands


Midlands

The council’s Decent Homes improvements scheme, involving around 2,200 of their 4,600 homes, commenced in 2002 and was completed in 2010 - to be followed by the current round of additional improvements mainly being carried out by the councilís own retained workforce.Currently the programme is making good progress on

programme and on budget, with all of the improvements intended to have been carried out in the current "nancial year having been completed and the programme ongoing into the next "nancial year, and in some cases future years.The improvements being carried out depend on the age and

condition of components within the tenant’s home. In general, these include kitchen and bathroom improvements, the installation of new heating systems, re-roo"ng,the installation of loft insulation, re-wiring and replacing timber items such as sof"ts and fascia boards with uPVC. Further works include a window and door replacement programme, which has been

completed.All the works are being carried out in consultation with the

tenants through the council’s own housing of"cers and technical staff.The installation of new heating systems is being carried out by

The Dodd Group, the re-roo"ng works are being carried out by A and V roo"ng and loft insulation works are being undertaken

by The Mark Group.The works are being carried out throughout the Waveney area

and so far tenant satisfaction levels for all of the improvements have been very high.Programmes are now in place for the improvements to continue

into the 2011 - 2012 "nancial year.Other improvements being carried out by the council include

those for tenants who do not have gas supplies, with the works including the installation of air source heat pumps and solar panels.In addition, the council installed a photovoltaic system within

Decent homes are not enough for exemplary council


in one of their sheltered housing schemes and are considering further similar schemes. The scheme, at Manor Court sheltered housing scheme in Lowestoft, has not only increased the ef"ciencies of energy usage through the use of renewable technologies, but is also generating revenue from the production of electricity via the Governments Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme.The council, in conjunction with Dodd Group, installed a nine

collector Aurora Solar Thermal System and three 300 litre DuoWave solar cylinders providing approximately 7,740kWh of energy per annum to assist with hot water delivery for residents.This was installed in conjunction with a Grant Solar PV

(Photovoltaic) System comprising 20 GPV 180 modules to generate electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity providing approximately 3,328kWh of energy per annum. This means that Waveney District Council can now not only reduce the amount of electricity it needs to purchase, but also generate income from the production of electricity.Waveney District Council scored highly in an Independent

Status Survey in 2008, which put them in third place nationally for tenant satisfaction with improvements and repairs.Waveney is the most easterly district in Britain. The district is a

mixture of towns, villages and countryside. It has a population of 116,500. The main town is Lowestoft. With a population of 74,280 it is the second largest town in Suffolk. A quarter of residents live in the four market towns of Beccles Bungay, Halesworth and Southwold. People from ethnic minority groups make up less than three per cent of the district’s population. Of these the largest group is other Europeans who represent about one per cent of the population. Most residents feel that people treat each other with respect and generally get on well together.The district is 143 square miles and has a coastline of over 16

miles. Its varied wildlife and plant life, landscape and coastline attract tourists. It is a popular holiday destination with over four million visitors each year. Many are day visitors, but more than 400,000 stay in local holiday accommodation.


Midlands

£8 million Sports injury centre puts college in premier league

Providing exceptional teaching and recreational facilities for students and staff, together with superb clinical facilities to support local, regional and national sports clubs and athletes, an £8 million Sports Injury and Rehabilitation Centre is being built at Moulton College. Being constructed at the college’s Pitsford

Centre near Northampton, the centre will offer unrivalled work experience opportunities for students, and will help establish a National Centre of Excellence in the area.Main Contractors for the project are SDC

Construction; Architects, Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors are GSS Architects.Facilities within the 2,795 m# building will

include: a sports rehabilitation clinic to provide students with clinical experience; a 25 metre swimming pool with moveable $oor; a spa and sauna; thermal and cryotherapy chambers; a hydrotherapy pool; a water therapy suite; a biomechanics suite and a hyperbaric chamber.The mechanical services design was

particularly challenging and had to accommodate large mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery and bulk oxygen and nitrogen storage.The swimming pool

will be used for teaching the 750 full-time sports students currently on site and for recreational purposes by other students and staff. It will also be available for use by the wider community including schools, clubs and local organisations.The new building has been sensitively

designed by GSS Architecture to re$ect the agricultural appearance of many of the college’s other buildings. "GSS project architect Martin Cowling said:

“Outstanding landscaping and external environmental considerations are a fundamental part of the Moulton College sites and the learning process and philosophy.“The landscape uses mixed hedgerows with

trees to provide containment to the spaces created around the new building. Hedges provide effective screening of vehicles and will provide wind shelter for pedestrians. The detailed landscape scheme will be designed and installed by the college itself.”GSS has worked with Moulton College on an

extensive programme of redevelopment over the past few years and the college now boasts many world-class facilities.Completion of the building work is scheduled

for the end of 2011.


The project, which has been highly commended, was carried out for Oxfordshire County Council.The work involved the restoration of stonework of all three span

arches of the bridge, the balustrades above these spans and replacing brickwork with stonework to the south west wing wall. The scheme included replacement of stone arch barrels,

voussoirs, balusters, cutwaters and spandrel walls. Replacement natural stone blocks and ‘piecing-in-stones in lime mortar were "tted to bridge arches, cut waters, spandrel walls and balustrades and natural stone ashlar coping was taken down and relaid.Stonework was raked out and re-pointed with lime mortar and

lime mortar repairs were carried out in small areas. Iron cramps in existing stone were located, removed and made good and stonework was cleaned to remove leachate. During the works, the bridge pontoons were "tted with spud

legs which enabled them to be jacked off the river bed, allowing stones to be propped in place during the repair work. Whilst the works were underway, pedestrians were protected by the

High praise for bridge project


The 15,500 sq ft hotel will boast 73 bedrooms over four floors and has transformed what was once a derelict garage site. Architects for the scheme are Bryant Priest Newman.Combining a unique approach to design and build with op-

erational flair, Bloc Hotels are a ‘first’ of their kind, breaking boundaries in the UK hotel sector and drawing on cutting edge ideas from around the globe to provide guests with the ultimate hotel experience at a highly competitive rate. Taking inspiration from Japanese pod-style hotels, the Bloc

concept involves pod-style beautifully crafted, custom-made boutique bedrooms which, using an innovative build system, allows the rooms to be quickly stacked and wrapped to comple-ment the surrounding environment. The innovative approach to construction allows for greater den-

sity and lower build time – approximately half that of traditional build methods – as well as improved sustainability credentials. Guest experience is the number one priority at Bloc Hotels and

through in-depth and exhaustive consultation with seasoned business and leisure travellers; the company has arrived at the perfect combination of luxury and price.Through international research, the design and build teams

at Boxbuild have created what they believe to be the perfect sleep haven. In consultation with a Scandinavian sleep research centre, they discovered the precise room conditions that should achieve the optimal environment for a good night’s sleep and have implemented these throughout the hotel.Use of significant sound insulation and noise reduction ma-

terials, along with top of the range, environmentally sensitive air conditioning that research suggests should be set at 18-20 degrees and 30-40 percent humidity, should ensure guests the perfect night’s sleep.An Italian tiled wet room and drench shower, which allows

perfect control of temperature settings, adds to the guest expe-rience and achieves a water pressure way in excess of industry standards. The scene is completed by the latest 32” inch LED flat screen

TV, super fast Wi-Fi and soothing Italian ambient lighting.Critically to the Bloc concept, all unnecessary space has

been removed. Responding to research, which shows that people rarely unpack an overnight bag in order to put away

the contents, space-hungry wardrobes have been removed in favour of cleverly designed, integrated bag storage areas. Whilst quality drinks

and snacks are avail-able onsite, Bloc’s prime city centre locations with sur-rounding dining op-portunities, remove the need for expen-sive to maintain and space- consuming formal dining facilities - something travellers have been shown to rarely use within lower priced hotels. Director of Boxbuild, Danny Jones, says: “As frequent travel-

lers, the team at Boxbuild were really frustrated with the over-priced hotel market and felt that many are inefficient and badly designed. Our research showed that guests want high levels of comfort and premium quality finishes at a reasonable price, and so that’s the approach we’ve adopted. “We chose Birmingham because it’s where the majority of the

team hail from and, as a city, it’s totally open to new concepts,” explained Danny. “Ultimately, the plan is to roll out the Bloc concept to other prime urban locations that offer easy access to international airports. London and Manchester are both on our target list.”

erection of steel railings on the bridge’s south west side in front of the existing stone parapets.Main Contractors Fergal Contracting were reported to have

organised the works very well, using their own nominated sub contractors.The stonemasons who carried out work on the scheme have

also been praised for doing an excellent job, and the piling contractors are said to have provided the best equipment that could have been hoped for. Also commended was the immense cooperation from the

management of the Shillingford Bridge Hotel, the owner of the boathouse opposite the hotel and Mr Paul Smith of the Environment Agency.Based in Oxfordshire, Fergal Contracting Co Ltd was established

in 1968, and is recognised throughout the civil engineering and building industries for their quality workmanship and customer service.The company’s continued growth and success is a testament to

the quality of work and the satisfaction of its clients.Fergal Contracting is building upon this reputation for excellence

by aiming to become the preferred choice across a wide range of disciplines throughout the Midlands and the South of England.Employing around 50 highly skilled and loyal employees,

Fergal Contracting offers a broad portfolio of services, from the construction, repair and improvement of roads, bridges and sewers in the civil engineering sector, through to new build, refurbishment and window, door, kitchen and bathroom replacement contracts in the building market.

Innovative design and construction hallmarks cutting-edge hotel development


Midlands

Renamed Sandwell Valley Crematorium, the project was carried out for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council by Main Contractors GF Tomlinson Birmingham Ltd. Architects were Martin Critchell Architects based in Chichester, who praised the work of the contract team.“This was a model project - the contractors were absolutely

marvellous. We had a very good team working on the project - the contractors thought ahead and programmed the work and any problems were dealt with straight away. We would be very pleased to work with them again.” said Mr Martin Critchell of Martin Critchell Architects.The new crematorium has been constructed on the former car

park of the old crematorium which had become outdated, with the former crematorium building having been converted in the same project, and now providing excellent ancillary accommodation complementing the new facility.The project involved three phases - the creation of a new

car park, the construction of the new crematorium and the refurbishment and conversion of the former crematorium building to provide management of"ces.!The new crematorium complies fully with the new Mercury

Abatement requirements issued by DEFRA and affecting all

State-of-the-art crematorium completed in ‘model’ project


crematoria in UK. The building is large enough to cater for very large funerals with capacity for to120 people sitting, plus standing room inside and a TV system which can broadcast the proceedings to additional mourners outside sheltered under the building’s porte cochère.The building’s core! is an octagonal chapel with a vaulted roof

terminating in a glazed cupola. A gallery to the rear helps cater for the larger funerals. Adjacent to the chapel is a waiting room glazed on all three sides allowing mourners to see the cortege arrive. The building also houses the crematory with normal and over-

size cremators, staff of"ces, toilets, showers and kitchen, an ash collection point and a viewing room for mourners who, for religious reasons, wish to see the cof"n transferred to the cremator.External elevations of the new building are in brickwork

incorporating timber framed windows and a combination of tiled and slate roo"ng.

A secure yard for maintenance vehicles is located to the rear of the building and there is also a secure store for gardening equipment used to maintain the grounds.!The refurbishment of the former crematorium building included

removing the roof of the former chapel and lowering the walls to create a memorial courtyard. A tearoom and staff of"ces have also been created within the building, general repairs have been carried out and the chimney and crematory have been demolished so the building no longer has the appearance of a crematorium.A new covered walkway leading from the new crematorium

past the refurbished former crematorium building leads to the memorial gardens, #oral tribute areas and back to the car park. Landscaping around the new building was an important factor and included the laying of around 2,000 square metres of turf and extensive planting.The project was completed around Christmas 2010.

The unit will provide the patients of Herefordshire, Powys and border areas with a modern purpose-built environment designed around the needs of the individual.The project is being carried out for Hereford Hospitals NHS

Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support by Main Contractors Speller Metcalfe.The unit will incorporate outpatient facilities for cancer

patients and will include a day case area for patients requiring chemotherapy treatment. Construction of the new unit commenced at the end of October

2009, and a turf cutting ceremony was held to mark this event. Building works are progressing well, demonstrated by the completion of the roof and associated ‘Topping Out ceremony’ which was held on 22nd November 2010.At the ceremony, Mark Curtis, Chairman of Hereford Hospitals

NHS Trust, said: “This ceremony marks another signi"cant

milestone for the County Hospital and promises to deliver a facility that is much needed. It is a tremendous endeavour that the combined efforts of so many individuals and organisations have achieved and to whom we are deeply grateful.”David Crosby, Regional General Manager, said: “Macmillan

Cancer Support would like to say thank you to everyone who has contributed to us reaching this signi"cant milestone, and in particular the people of Herefordshire, without whose support we would not be here.“We are delighted that this aspect of our partnership with

Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust has come to fruition and look forward to working with them in the future to ensure that the cancer care local people receive is of the highest possible standard.”Hereford Hospitals and Macmillan Cancer Support have

expressed their gratitude for the kind donations made by friends, families and those who have experienced their service, to bene"t future patients of the Macmillan Renton Unit.The Macmillan Renton Unit will be completed in Spring 2011.

New treatment facility will deliver first-class care

The building is geared to delivering new capacity to meet demand for the successful pet care "rm as it scales up its business across Europe.The 38 week build programme also included the approximately

£10 million "t out of the building.The project was carried out for Gazeley Properties Ltd by Main

Contractors Bowmer & Kirkland who were commended for their performance in “Doing a fantastic job” by Mr Bruce Topley Development Director at Gazeley Properties.The new building will be the UK headquarters for Butcher’s

Pet Care’s operations and produces "ve million cans of pet food a week. The building, currently being commissioned, has been

constructed on BPCs existing site adjacent to the company’s older facility. The new building incorporates staff of"ces, a

State-of-the-art manufacturing HQ completed in “a fantastic job”


Midlands

changing area, a canteen and a warehouse, as well as facilities for preparing the pet food including chilling, cold storage, cooking, canning and packing. The production area is a single storey building with a mezzanine level, whilst the of"ce accommodation is on three storeys. Developed with sustainability at the heart of its design, the

building is geared to helping drive down energy costs for BPC whilst helping the environment. It incorporates a number of environmental measures, such as rainwater harvesting and recycling, energy ef"cient lighting, solar panels, low water use appliances and the use of FSC approved timber. External works included extensive landscaping, the diversion of

a brook, footpath diversion, various other environmental works, and the construction of a car park.The building is structured around a steel frame with external

elevations in cladding, and a cladding roof incorporating 15 per cent roo#ights.The company are still operating from their old facility whilst

commissioning and testing of the new building is underway, and further construction works are needed before they can move into the new building. This work includes the partial demolition of an ef#uent treatment works, the construction of a new ef#uent treatment works, the construction of a new access road and the installation of sewer connections.Taken on a 20-year lease by BPC, the project has been forward

funded by investment manager Legal & General Property (LGP) on behalf of its managed pension fund.Bruce Topley comments: “The delivery of this bespoke

manufacturing and distribution facility in the UK is an excellent example of how we provide tailored, high quality, complex projects for our customers within demanding timescales. “We worked in partnership with Butcher’s Pet Care in a

transparent open book manner to procure the bespoke "t-out for their business on time and within budget. Our #exible approach meant that their onsite facility continued operating at its optimum level.” Graham Baker, Founder of Butcher’s Pet Care Ltd. added,

“We are delighted with the new facility which fully meets our expectations. The quality of engineering is exactly what we expected from Gazeley and con"rms our decision to work with them was the right one. From the outset their teams worked closely with us to ensure all our requirements were incorporated into its development. The speed of the construction and the ability to continue our business was essential and Gazeley allowed us to do just that.” Charlie Walker, Senior fund Manager at Legal & General

Property, says, “We saw value in the prelet market during 2009 and the early part of 2010 and we are pleased to have funded this successful development.”Gazeley is a global provider of sustainable logistics space. Since

1987 it has built nearly 70 million sq ft (6.4 million sq m) of quality warehouses and distribution parks worldwide.Gazeley’s vision is: ‘to be a global provider of logistics space

delivered in a sustainable way’. It has a range of logistics sites to offer to its customers across Europe and China.

The plant was built by Adonis Construction. Other major partners in the scheme were BiogenGreen"nch who designed the plant, and utilities company E.ON. The Anaerobic Digester plant, which has just been completed

at the university’s Edgmond campus in Shropshire, produces renewable electricity from food and farm waste and provides a highly effective waste management system. The facility can help businesses in the food industry, from producers to processors, distributors to retailers and caterers to hoteliers - cut costs, avoid land"ll, meet environmental objectives and help keep customers happy. The plant is also available as a demonstration facility, showing

farmers and other business people how they can use by-products of their existing work to generate power and an additional source

of income.In addition, demonstration could bene"t a wider circle of learners

– from Harper Adams students to primary school children, who will be able to see a full, sustainable food cycle in one location, from farm to fork and back to the farm again.Harper Adams is just one of three higher education institutions

in England to have won a share of £10 million set aside for ‘transformational’ projects under the Revolving Green Fund- which was set up by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and Salix Finance. Harper Adams Estates and Facilities Manager Paul Moran

said: “AD is fully supported by Defra as an excellent method of generating renewable energy in rural areas. This waste-to-energy project meets many of the criteria set out in the Government’s 2007 Energy White Paper and has the potential to greatly bene"t both Harper Adams and the wider community.“Instead of being left to degrade in land"ll or elsewhere, leaking

methane into the atmosphere, food and farm waste can be digested in the AD unit and recycled into three useful by-products.

College project is an education in sustainable energy


“The "rst is biogas, which will fuel a unit producing both heat and power. This, when combined with the output from our biomass unit and photovoltaic (solar-power) array, makes the northern half of the campus entirely self-suf"cient for heat and power, meaning we will hopefully be sheltered from #uctuating energy prices for at least the next 10 years.“The other products of the process are a liquid fertiliser and

compost, which can be used for the college’s farm and grounds operations, reducing reliance on manufactured fertilisers. This will, in effect, bring the Harper food chain full circle.“Our calculations show that the project will create ongoing

carbon savings of 11,229 tonnes a year – which is 3.4 times the current emissions from campus buildings, meaning that Harper Adams will become more than three times carbon neutral.”Don Leiper, Managing Director of E.ON’s Energy Services

business, said: “The way we create and use energy is changing and projects like this will help us develop new, sustainable energy solutions for the future.“Smaller, community scale, renewable energy projects such as

this have two bene"ts; they provide a secure, reliable and low carbon energy supply whilst also making use of a valuable waste resource that would otherwise be sent to land"ll.”Founded in 1978, Adonis Construction is a highly successful

privately owned business directly employing nearly 100!people in the region, with!a further 250 to 500 specialists on site at any one time.With a current turnover of approximately £40 million per year, the

company has a vision to be ‘the most respected and sustainable company in the Midlands, at the forefront of client, employee and supplier satisfaction.’Adonis Construction is renowned for being very competitive

generally,!and particularly in their specialist market sectors. This is achieved primarily by engaging specialist sub-contractors from their dedicated supply chain. Furthermore, the company is able to draw upon the many years of market sector experience in-house to deliver innovative solutions and best value.


Midlands

Multi-million pound development heralds a new era of idyllic communitiesThis $agship multi-million pound development at Priors Hall Park in Weldon, Corby, is a scheme comprising the construction of a network of 12 traditional style Northamptonshire villages within 1,000 acres of rolling countryside and complete with a wealth of new facilities.

The development is being carried out for North Northants Development Company and the Bela Partnership, a joint venture between Bee Bee Developments and the Lagan Group.“The vision is to create new villages designed

on traditional lines, yet also modern and sustainable, re$ecting the way that people want to live.” said Daniel Polak of Bela Partnership.The !rst phase of the development including

the construction of 384 homes for private sale (being built by Lagan Homes), an enterprise

centre and a business academy for 11 to 18 year olds, is currently underway. The enterprise centre and the business academy have been completed and so far 170 foundations having been laid for the new homes, with 72 of the new properties having been roofed. Construction of the

new Corby Enterprise Centre began in December 2009 following the appointment of Rushden-based contractors Kier Marriot, who completed the project in September 2010. Architects were DLA Architects. Stuart Hartley, Centre Manager said: “The

Corby Enterprise Centre is one of the most exciting enterprise and innovation buildings that I have seen. It’s a fantastic building and one that will attract and support new and emerging businesses.”The recently completed £30m Corby Business

Academy, designed by Norman Foster & Partners and built by Wates Construction, was described by Daniel Polak as “An absolutely stunning, architecturally striking building and a !rst class training institution”.The academy is organised into !ve faculties

and the building follows suit. It is a long, two-storey street with central-corridor arms each side, separated by linear open-ended

light wells. Lavatories, private study spaces and mini light wells are grouped at the inner end of each wing. There is a big assembly hall at one end and a gym at the other.The building has been designed incorporating

large amounts of glazing, including glazed partitioning, with the canteen and library areas having a complete glazed wall to take advantage of the superb surrounding views. Marc Williams, Sales Manager of Simpson

and Partners, the team marketing Priors Hall Park, said: “We’re getting in excess of 100 visitors to Priors Hall every week, and are delighted with the positive feedback we’re receiving. The project is different to anything about and people are really falling in love with it. The quality is easy to see in the stone walls and tree lined avenues, and now people can explore the show homes and really visualise making Priors Hall Park their home.”


The project is being carried out by Dunelm Property Services for Avery Healthcare. Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors are Goodrich Projects; Architects are DWA Architects; Mechanical and Electrical Engineers are Axis and Structural and Civil Engineers are Cameron and Darroch.

Facilities within the new home will include 105 ensuite bed-rooms, plus bathrooms and shower rooms for assisted bathing, several lounges and dining areas, a hairdressers, a treatment room, staff areas, a catering kitchen and a laundry.

The four storey development is constructed on a sloping site and is divided into four linked blocks set around a landscaped courtyard, with two of the blocks at a different level to the others due to the site gradient.

Designed to complement adjacent grade 11 listed building, Elm Bank Villa, built in 1894 which is part of the care home site, the new care home buildings are of load bearing masonry construction with external elevations in brick with stone detail-

ing and stone gable ends, incorporating uPVC framed Victorian style windows, dormer windows and a pitched, tiled roof.

External works include ground levelling where possible, soft landscaping, the creation of a car parking area, hard landscap-

A constructive approach to a caring environment


ing and paving and the construction of a new access road to the care home.The home will offer residential and dementia care to the local

area on both a long term and shorter term, respite basis and will be run to the exacting standards of all Avery Healthcare homes, with its emphasis on clinical excellence within a thriv-ing communal atmosphere. Residents will have the chance to live out the lifestyle of their choosing, mixing quiet relaxation with shared experiences, such as a varied and daily activities programme or eating in restaurant standard dining rooms.Another element of the project involves the construction of a

steel framed three storey lift shaft extension to Elm Bank Villa. The lift shaft will be clad in curtain walling and Ibstock Fireborn blockwork.Current works on site include landscaping and internal decora-

tion/second fix in the new care home.Completion is due in May 2011.Care homes operated by Avery Healthcare are committed to

providing the highest standards of person-centred residential care and ensuring that residents settle into home life as smooth-ly as possible. Care home staff recognise the need for privacy and independ-

ence, while the homes are designed to enable activity, interac-tion and relaxation. The homes are thriving communities and enjoy strong relationships with the local communities which they serve.Across all Avery care homes, many residents initially come

for short term, respite care, but many choose to make their stays permanent, appreciating as they do the quality of care and unique atmosphere which are a hallmark of all Avery care homes.Dunelm Property Services Ltd was formed in July 2002 when

the Esh Group brought in an experienced social housing team

to set up a new company.! The team, lead by David Halfacre, had over 70 years of combined experience in social housing in the North East and was able to bring to the Esh Group a wealth of contacts in the sector.Their reputation for delivering on! their promises and putting

customer care first soon spread and work was secured with a number of the major housing providers!in the region. From the original team of four has grown a dedicated and motivated team of over 200.! It has won several partnerships with several clients which are a testimony to the company being firmly established in the region.It has also established firm links in the supply chain, again

forming a number of alliances that have benefited clients. A number of traditionally subcontracted trades are being carried out in house in order to give the business more control over the progress of the numerous contracts it has in place.


South West

ESB acquired the project in July 2009 from the Devon based Baker Group, the original developers. Completion of the project is planned for late this year.!

Comprising 22 Vestas V90 wind turbines with an installed ca-pacity of 66MW, Fullabrook will be the largest on-shore wind farm built in England to date. The output from the wind farm will be exported from the new on-site substation via an under-ground high voltage (132kV) cable to a network substation in Barnstaple, approximately 6.3km away. !

All grid connection works including securing wayleave agree-ments were the responsibility of Western Power Distribution (WPD), the local Distribution Network Operator, and construc-tion is now substantially complete with substation energisation planned for early May 2011 and first radial energisation pro-posed for mid-May.!

Fullabrook wind farm is forecast to deliver enough clean, green, indigenous!electricity equivalent to the needs of approximately

30,000 homes.! It is expected that this wind farm will save emis-sions of the order of 75,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. !

The main civil works contract to build the turbine foundations, crane hardstandings, access tracks, boundary fencing, public road upgrades and accommodation works was awarded to John Sisk & Son Ltd (JSSL), who started work on site on 4th October 2010.. !

Shortly after acquiring the project, ESB set about discharg-ing the various conditions attached to the planning consent. Issues that were of particular importance were protection of the ancient ‘Devon Banks’ which characterise the area, as well as developing plans to ensure that noise constraints are adhered to and traffic disruption is minimised.

Good relations have been established with all local authority stakeholders including the planning, environment and transport authorities. In addition, as an experienced wind project devel-oper who works hard to be a ‘good neighbour’, ESB has priori-tised developing a good relationship with the local community and in particular the landowners in the immediate vicinity of the project.

England’s largest onshore wind farm takes shape

Fullabrook wind farm

is forecast to deliver

enough clean, green,

indigenous electricity

equivalent to the needs

of approximately

30,000 homes.


South West

The landowner interface is particularly critical in Fullabrook due to the nature of the site, whereby turbines are co-located with intensive farming activities. To address this issue for the project, ESB appointed a full time landowner and community liaison of-ficer who has built up a very positive working relationship with all affected landowners and the local community. Several pres-entations to interested groups in the area have taken place and as well as a website for the project, several newsletters have issued to interested parties. Indeed, during the bad weather last year that saw North

Devon blanketed in the worst snow people had seen for many years, contractors JSSL helped keep people moving by getting permission from Devon County Council to grit the roads in the vicinity of the project. They also gave a helping hand to drivers who became stranded

on the roads around the site and helped them get moving again. In addition thanks to the positive support of local landowners solutions have been found to some historical localised prob-lems with surface water ponding on minor roads. ESB’s Construction Manager Sean Hegarty stated “We have

been pleased by the support within the community, and we look forward to our continuing involvement at a local level during construction and the operational life of the wind farm.”The civil engineering contract is currently well advanced and

JSSL have now completed construction of all of the concrete foundations for the turbines. For each turbine, this operation included excavation down to rock, construction of a 340 m3 concrete base supporting a 70m3 concrete pedestal, 6.2m di-ameter and incorporating a 4.160m diameter steel ring insert to support the turbine tower. Each turbine!base is octagonal in shape and measures 17m

across.! !Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), a ma-terial recycled from the steel making industry, forms 70% of the cement content used for the wind farm’s foundations. To pro-duce the required quantities of concrete in the short timeframe available, JSSL set up a temporary concrete batching plant close to the site, reducing journey times !for concrete trucks and minimising disruption to local traffic. !The further works being carried out by JSSL include the con-

struction of crane hardstandings at each turbine location, to be used for erection of the turbines, and the construction of 12.5km of access tracks, linking all of the turbines throughout the site. Works to the narrow local roads in the vicinity of the site included the construction of temporary ‘passing bays’ and regular upgrade maintenance to accommodate the importation of the large quantities of crushed rock for the access tracks and hardstands and the delivery of some 10,000m3 of concrete. !The other major contractor currently working on the site is

Gaeltec-KTL Ltd who are undertaking on-site electrical works, construction of visibility splays at wind farm entry points and

construction of a new electricity substation at Knowlwater near Braunton.The contract to supply and install the wind turbines was

awarded to Vestas. The machines selected will have a hub height of 65m and a rotor diameter of 90m, as required by the planning consent.!!A wide range of subcontract work related to construction of

the wind farm has been awarded to local suppliers including accommodation; aggregate supplies; craneage; consultancy services; fencing; haulage; off-site cable installation; plant hire; services diversions; and waste disposal.!!During construction, the company are taking specific meas-

ures to reduce impact of construction on the environment and the local area. For instance a temporary settlement pond was developed at the substation site to ensure no run off to the surrounding rivers & streams during the construction phase. Regular water monitoring occurs on the River Knowle to ensure there is no contamination as a result of construction activities. All wastes generated on site are segregated and where possible recycled. The transformer for the electricity substation on the southern

edge of the site near Knowlwater has now been delivered and installed and the substation is being commissioned.!A very significant consideration has been the protection of the

‘Devon Banks’. In order to minimise the need to remove sec-tions of hedging, cables on the site are being ducted rather than ‘direct buried’ and 93km of cables are being installed in three circuits or radials which operate at 33kV.Traffic management plans have been put in place by the major

contractors and suppliers for Fullabrook wind farm to minimise the impact of construction traffic on local communities.ESB operates as a vertically integrated utility in Ireland, owning

conventional and renewable generation assets, the distribution and transmission networks and a supply business – Electric Ireland.! Earlier this year ESB also completed the acquisition of NIE – Northern Ireland’s electricity networks business.In the Britain, ESB has ownership interests and operates two

gas-fired power plants at Corby in Northamptonshire (350MW) and Marchwood in Hampshire (842MW). In addition, the com-pany has an 85% shareholding in the 860MW Carrington!CCGT plant near Manchester, where enabling works are nearing com-pletion.! Construction of generation plant in both Northern Ireland

and Britain is in line with the company’s view that the Irish and British markets will ultimately be integrated, linked physically by interconnectors, but also operating as one trading market. ESB has a local presence in GB including offices in London and Glasgow.!ESB already operates the West Durham Wind Farm in North


South West

East England – a 12 turbine, 24MW windfarm located near Tow Law, County Durham. The project was developed, financed and constructed by The Banks Group and started generating power in May 2009.

The company’s most recent UK acquisition – the Myndd Y Betws project in south Wales - is presently in the development phase. The project, acquired from Welsh developer Eco2 last summer, is consented for 15 turbines. The company is pres-ently working through the discharge of planning consents and preparing tenders with a view to commencing construction later this year. Commercial operation is planned for early 2013.!

Gaeltec KTL were awarded the Fullabrook Wind Farm electrical balance of plant contract in June 2010.

The project scope consists of the design, procurement, sup-ply, installation and commissioning of the electrical balance of plant, which includes the design and construction of the civil and electrical elements of the on-site power substation 33kv/132kv, including 90km of MV cabling and in excess of 30km of fiberop-tic cabling to the 22 turbines.

Gaeltec KTL put together an experienced team to work on the tender, and having secured such a significant project in the UK was an excellent achievement for the company, and in particu-lar, the team involved.

The Fullabrook 66 MW Wind Farm project in north Devon is the company’s first in the UK and both the company and the team are thrilled to be working on this prestigious project.

Gaeltec KTL bring to this project a highly experienced moti-vated team with an excellent track record in projects of a similar nature. In 2010 the company successfully completed the elec-

trical works for the Garvagh Glebe and Tullynahaw wind farm projects in Ireland.For Gaeltec KTL, the Fullabrook project officially commenced

shortly after the contract award, with the in-house design well underway by midsummer. The works on site commenced in September, with the civil elements of the substation construc-tion, whilst the onsite electrical scope began in January this year.Progress to date is as programmed. Some of the recent mile-

stones include the assembly of a 70 MVA transformer. This is a specialised piece of equipment that is 6 meters in height, weigh-ing more than 90 tonnes. The substation construction civil and electrical works are near

completion and all of the main equipment has been installed, whilst the MV and fiberoptic cabling is ongoing and commis-sioning has just commenced.Despite some disruptions due to adverse weather conditions,

the team has worked well to recover lost time and is on track to! complete the project on time.Gaeltec KTL has integrated well with local businesses, neigh-

bouring residents, and contractors associated with the project. The company’s specialised team of engineers has worked closely with ESB in order to professionally deliver a successful project in accordance with the contract specification ensuring the construction remains incident-free. This project, along with previous contracts, demonstrates

Gaeltec KTL’s knowledge, experience and excellence in en-gineering and such underlines the confidence that customers place in the company and their ability to deliver projects of this size and nature to high standards, on time and most importantly, in a safe environment.Gaeltec KTL are delighted to be contributing to this tremen-

Gaeltec KTL bring to this

project a highly experienced

motivated team with an

excellent track record in

projects of a similar nature.


South West

dous Renewable energy resource and continues to make every effort to assist the client in achieving overall project delivery later this year.

ESB is a strategic key account to Vestas, having a significant fleet of operational assets in Ireland; and as such Vestas was delighted to have been awarded the turbine supply and asset management contracts after comprehensive tendering and pro-ject development phases.

Vestas has been contracted to supply 22 of its proven V90-3.0NW turbines on 65m IEC1A towers. In most respects the scope of supply is standard fare, including manufacture, trans-portation, and erection, commissioning and testing, with the wind power plant being controlled and monitored by the Vestas Online Business SCADA system. However, in support of the

ESB value chain Vestas has actively sought to optimise plant performance and minimise the environmental impact and has been responsible for grid integration and code compliance and also developing a noise optimisation solution.

Vestas Celtic has a track record of successful execution of large scale construction contracts, with proven expertise across all the key functions, and is committed to working closely with ESB and its partners and ensuring that all tasks are performed in the most safe and efficient manner, all risk is effectively man-aged, and ultimately that the wind farm power plant goes into full commercial operation as per programme.

Vestas therefore looks forward to a successful contract com-pletion and towards future opportunities to supply market lead-ing renewable technologies to ESB; and is keen to promote its wider global engineering capabilities, such as full Balance of Plant provision.

The building incorporates biological and medical science edu-cation areas, general teaching labs, administration and seminar spaces.

The project is being carried out for the University of Southampton. Main Contractors are BAM Construction; Architects are NBBJ; Structural Engineers are Adams Kara Taylor; Services Engineers are Arup; Project Managers are Buro Four and Cost Consultants are EC Harris.

The ground and lower levels of the building accommodate the

more open general activities and the research laboratories and staff offices are above, all arranged around a central lightwell and service core.

Organised as three stacks, the upper levels provide special-ist laboratories, general offices and a ‘shared research core’. A fourth stack forms a south-facing prow, housing administration and meeting rooms, which is topped with an external observa-tion deck.

The central lightwell creates further drama in resolving the sec-tional problem of stacking offices, typically with 3.4 metre floor-to-floor heights, next to laboratory spaces with deep ceiling plenums, typically five metres floor-to-floor. The cross section

University building demonstrates the science of innovative design


reveals the ingenious juxtaposition of the differing floor heights such that the vertical stacking arrangement is expressed as a series of mezzanine platforms.Instead of overtly expressing each functional stack, the ar-

chitects have swathed the facade in a delicate curving timber screen of Western Red Cedar. This unifies the building, giving it a strong identity.The facade treatment includes a ribbon of entrance level glaz-

ing above which is a cedar box, with openings expressed ac-cording to the need for prospect and daylight by towering fixed vertical louvres. As the elevation changes direction, sinuous corners have been

employed to reinforce the building’s continuity and avoid stark contrasts in weathering. Nanotechnology is employed in the form of a microporous hydrophobic treatment which coats the timber at a molecular level rather than the conventional sealed film coating.

Weiss Gallenkamp were responsible for the design, manufacture and installation of two suites of controlled environment facilities, on two floors. One of the suites consisted of plant growth rooms and the other rooms for insect research. Installation took between four and five months and commis-

sioning took approximately two months.The design, installation and commissioning were meticulously

carried out, as Weiss Gallenkamp prides itself on the quality of the work, ensuring that the end result matches the expectations of the customer.The insect research rooms are fitted with high frequency light-

ing to avoid stroboscopic stress on the insects. Suite corridors have been modified to be black, with red lighting that insects cannot see. The rooms have been built to DEFRA licensing standards. The plant growth rooms are also fitted with fluorescent lightingOne of the company’s service engineers was based on-site

for the duration of the construction, ensuring the delivery of the project went as smoothly as possible and was on hand in case any difficulties might have arisen.

Weiss Gallenkamp as a company have a multitude of experi-ence of similar projects, including numerous universities and research establishments throughout the UK and worldwide.


South West

Tarka were established to take on the ownership and manage-ment of Torridge District Council’s housing service in 2007 and the current works are being carried out by Pearce Construction and Westcountry Maintenance Services.Jon Gibbons, Project Manager of Pearce Construction

(Barnstaple) Ltd, who are responsible for turning around 40% of Tarka’s Decent Homes commitment into reality by the December 2010 deadline said: “The project has gone very well – feedback surveys carried out by Tarka have shown a satisfaction rate in excess of Tarka’s requirement, so it’s encouraging to know that tenants are appreciating our efforts”. Pearce’s contract with Tarka covers internal works including

the installation of new kitchens, bathrooms, wet rooms, heating systems, re-wiring and loft insulation. In the last three years, around 350 properties have been upgraded, with the majority of properties needing work on kitchens and bathrooms. Pearce have completed contracts worth around £3 million for

Tarka in that period, including adaptation work, property con-versions and extensions. That healthy figure has represented around 10% of the company’s turnover.By the end of Pearce’s penultimate year of their contract

(2011/2012) Pearce plan to have completed works to a further 160 of Tarka’s properties, with 75% of them requiring the mini-mum of a kitchen replacement.Asked what kind of timescale he expected from his site teams,

Jon replied, “To use the example of kitchens, we are allocated ten days per property and have completed some in as little as five days, although the average works out at around seven or eight days. It goes without saying that we always aim to be in and out as quickly as possible without compromising on quality – it benefits both us and the tenant. The variables when it comes to timing are aspects of the job that don’t always show up during surveys – we sometimes find that some properties need unex-pected work where plastering or repairs to water damage are

required, for example”.Jon sees success across Tarka’s estate as a product of co-

operation between the client and contractors such as Pearce. He said: “By working with the client and with the other con-tractor, we have established a system which allows us all to perform better. We get together regularly with the client and the other contractor and despite us being competitors outside of this scheme, we have been able to co-operate and share information, best practice and issues such as increasing quality and cutting costs. Not all the contractors have been involved in this kind of scheme before, either, so the benefits of working together have really shown”.Pearce are on course to achieve ISO 14001 certification by the

summer of this year after successfully gaining ISO 9001 in 2009 and more recently OSHAS 18001 in 2010.Achieving tenant feedback satisfaction ratings of over 97

per cent are Westcountry Maintenance Services Ltd, who are just commencing their third year of a four year contract on the scheme.Currently carrying out around 45 per cent of the work in the

programme, the company will undertake a variety of works to around 150 properties over the coming year, with these works including the installation of new kitchens and bathrooms, wet areas, central heating installation, the installation of new loft insulation and the upgrade of existing insulation, and re-wiring. They have already completed work on around 300 properties so far in the programme.According to Michael Sussex 0f Westcountry Maintenance

Services, the secret of their success on the project lies in having a good relationship with Tarka Housing Association and working as a team to achieve common goals. Also of key importance is the company’s policy of good communication with both clients and tenants right from the start, and, when carrying out the works, ensuring tidiness, courtesy and consideration in making sure that customers’ needs are met. For example, in the case of fitting a new kitchen, the company’s

dedicated tenant liaison officer will initially consult the tenants about the work being carried out, discussing such topics as what the work will involve, how this will fit in with functioning of the

Delivering excellence in decent homes


household concerned, any health and safety issues, and any tenant options available by way of colours and finishes. This liai-son will continue throughout the whole life of the works until the job is handed back to Tarka Housing Association. Westcountry Maintenance Services also provide! a Freephone! to the tenant and a 24/7 emergency support service during the fitting process.

“This is a good project to work on because Tarka have higher standards than many other housing associations which we work with” said Michael.

He added that Tarka include extra finishing touches such as re-decorating, minor repairs and new floorcoverings, which are not always included in other schemes. “This makes it re-

ally rewarding to walk away from the completed job and see everything finished off to a high standard. This has been a nice project to work on in that respect and our customer satisfaction is brilliant”.

The company, who specialise in working for housing associa-tions and social landlords have carried out other projects for Tarka Housing including external decoration and repairs schemes.

In a recent development, Westcountry Maintenance Services Ltd have just become accredited under the MCS accreditation scheme to carry out training in the installation of photovoltaic panels - an increasingly popular option now being adopted by social landlords.


London

The project is being carried out for London Underground as part of Transport for London (TfL).

The existing station is being enlarged to provide much greater capacity than at present, including a ticket hall almost six times the size of the existing one. New station entrances, modernisa-tion of the existing station passageways and platforms and a new concourse with links to Tottenham Court Road station are being provided to reduce congestion. Additional escalators and five lifts will provide step free access throughout the station.

A new Crossrail Eastern ticket hall structure is also included in the scope of the contract (Crossrail is a new railway across London that will help cut journey times with high-frequency, high-capacity services). The redeveloped tube station will eventually connect with the new Crossrail station to form one integrated station.

Externally, improved facilities will be provided for pedestrians, cyclists, bus passengers and other road users, including a new piazza outside Centre Point as part of the contract.

Significant enabling works commenced 2007 and included the realignment of utilities and demolition to create the space to build the station. VINCI BAM Nuttall JV commenced with the main construction in 2010.

£250 million upgrade for Tottenham Court Road Station

Significant enabling works

commenced 2007 and included

the realignment of utilities

and demolition to create the

space to build the station.



London

The new plaza at the entrance to the tube station is scheduled to open in 2013. The first new station entrance is due to open in 2015 and the redeveloped tube station is scheduled for comple-tion in 2016.Tottenham Court Road station, which originally opened in

1900, is currently used by 150,000 passengers each day and that number is expected to rise to over 200,000 when Crossrail services commence in 2018. BAM Nuttall is focused on providing the highest professional

standards in the civil engineering market, with emphasis on building strong, honest and long lasting relationships with satis-fied customers.The company has established an unrivalled reputation for de-

livering complex and challenging civil engineering projects that

have played a significant role in shaping the infrastructure of modern Britain.Vinci Construction UK is a national construction and facilities

company and is part of VinciI, - a world leader in concessions and construction.At local level the company’s regional teams operate through-

out the UK, offering a fully-integrated service – from inception, ground investigation and remediation, through to project com-pletion and beyond to the delivery of operational solutions.

Olympia Test & Crane supplied an overhead travelling crane at the site. The company was chosen from a shortlist due to the experience which they have in bespoke crane systems, enabling them to provide the client with exactly what was required, over and above the major crane suppliers in this field.The work includes an ongoing maintenance agreement with

Olympia carrying out regular service checks as well as any ad hoc breakdown visits.Since completing the project at TCR, Olympia have also pro-

vided bespoke crane solutions to such companies as Dornack International in Essex, Valen Fittings in Aldridge in the Midlands, AG Precision Engineering in Lancashire and Central Networks, Birmingham.Looking to the future, the company is in the final stage of ne-

gotiation with a major UK train manufacturer for the provision of two brand new cranes and installation.The company is also currently manufacturing two cranes for

smaller independent companies in Nottingham and Aberdeen.

The project is being undertaken by Transport for London (TfL).

Bond Street station, used by 155,000 passengers daily, is in the heart of London’s West End, the busiest shopping district in the UK -!serving tourists, residents and businesses in the area. Demand is expected to grow to 225,000 passengers each day over the next few years, so there was an urgent need to improve access and facilities.!The project is geared to reducing conges-tion and delays at the station, and includes many improvements.

The works include the construction of a new Tube station en-trance on Marylebone Lane, on the north side of Oxford Street, leading to a new ticket hall; the provision of new escalators serving the Jubilee line; the creation of an additional access route to the Jubilee line to reduce congestion; the installation of lifts to provide step-free access from street to platform and the creation of an improved interchange between the Central and Jubilee lines.

Before the start of excavation works for the new ticket hall, ar-chaeological investigations were carried out at the Davies Street site to record evidence of historic occupation.

Archaeologists discovered that the now-demolished 65 Davies Street lay above the historic bed of the River Tyburn. There is also some evidence that the area was a settlement from the Roman to Medieval periods.

Speaking of the Bond Street Station upgrade, Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London’s transport advisor, said, “This station

emphasises the need for progress to be maintained on both upgrading the Tube and building Crossrail. Our focus at all times will be on delivering the infrastructure London needs at the best possible value for tax and fare payers.

“London is the heartbeat of the UK and upgrades like this are vital to long-term job creation and economic growth around the whole of the country.

David Waboso, Capital Programmes Director for London Underground said, “By 2017, Bond Street station will be served by both London Underground and Crossrail and will be a key gateway to the West End. This redevelopment is essential to ensure the station can accommodate the large increase in pas-sengers that will use the station. The redevelopment of the Tube station, coupled with the new Crossrail station, will transform the Bond Street area.”

The project is due for completion in 2017.

Costain Group PLC is an engineering and construction com-pany. The company, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in providing engineering and construction services to various sectors including water, rail, highways, health, education, retail, nuclear, oil and gas, marine, property, airports and waste.

Costain principally operates through five reportable segments, namely, civil engineering; building; oil, gas and process; inter-national and property development. The civil engineering, build-ing, oil, gas & process and international segments undertake engineering and construction projects, while the property de-velopment segment develops residential and leisure complexes in Spain.

Joint venture in the driving seat of £130 million Tube station redevelopment



Laing O’Rourke plc is a privately held company that offers a wide range of property and infrastructural development ser-vices.

The services portfolio includes feasibility studies, property in-vestment and development, design and engineering, construc-tion, testing and quality assurance, asset management and decommissioning. The target segments include transportation, social infrastructure, business facilities and lifestyle.

The company also manufactures pre-cast concrete products.

Laing, headquartered in Dartford, is a wholly-owned subsidi-ary of Suffolk Partners Corporation. The company’s operations are spread across Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia.

TfL was created in 2000 and is the integrated body responsible for the London’s transport system. Its main role is to imple-ment the Mayor’s Transport Strategy for London and manage transport services across the capital for which the Mayor has responsibility.

These services!include: London’s buses, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), London Overground, Tramlink, London River Services and Victoria Coach Station.

VVB Engineering are providing all the necessary mechanical and electrical services and systems to enable tunnelling drives and excavations for the installation of the station’s new pas-sageways, lifts and escalators.

In addition, VVB are providing mitigation designs and carrying out associated work for areas where the proposed tunnelling work interfaces with the operational station. A staged migra-tion process is being established to enable inherent systems to be relocated prior to the tunnelling breakthroughs being completed.

The main objective is to preserve the operational status of the station, ensuring that disruption to passengers is kept to a mini-mum and the current freedom of passage maintained.

VVB are responsible for approximately £17M of the overall budget split into tunnelling and enabling works. In order to real-ize the successful delivery of the project, key dates must be met early in the scheme to combine services, civil and architectural activities and ensure that these have adequate timescales to complete the works by 2017.

It is anticipated that the works will be completed with a work-force of approximately 50 staff over the lifecycle of the project. The work will be managed and undertaken ensuring compli-ance with London Underground standards and specifications through to handover of affected areas in accordance with the strict assurance requirements of a section 12 sub surface un-derground station.

In order to successfully undertake migration and alterations to the existing infrastructure, a ‘Lift and Shift’ plan has been implemented, interfacing with London Underground, stakehold-ers and their asset maintainers to ensure the current station ambiance and operational status is sustained throughout the duration of the project.

VVB are also currently working closely with Costain Laing O’Rourke as the MEP contractor in delivering the Farringdon Station Thameslink Project. Farringdon station! is a! London Underground!and!National Rail!station in!Clerkenwell, just north of the!City of London!in the!London Borough of Islington.

The project involves the redevelopment of the existing heritage station!to accommodate longer Thameslink trains, as well as to make other wide-ranging improvements.

VVB provide complete project solutions ranging from mitiga-tion, to design, construction, installation, commissioning and maintenance of all mechanical and electrical systems.

The company currently employs approximately 300 staff and undertake around £50 million worth of work each year.! The company carry out all aspects of the construction, development and infrastructure process - from consultation, through design and construction right through to facilities management, opera-tion and maintenance.

London



Headmaster gives new school top marksEarning resounding praise from a delighted headmaster and pupils, is the new 1,200-place Teddington School, recently completed on time and on budget in a project in Broom Road, Teddington, Richmond on Thames.“We are delighted to be in the new school - it

has resulted in a much improved attitude to learning amongst the pupils who enjoy working in a really nice learning environment. The new school is just wonderful and the pupils are treating it with a lot of respect” said Mr Richard Weeks, Headmaster. Main Contractors were Mace and Architects

were BDP, who took into account building design ideas submitted by students of the school.Designed as a bright, airy building with lots

of open space, light and internal glazing, the new school replaces an older building on the school site, which was demolished in August 2010, with the site being converted into an

astroturf sports pitch. Facilities within the

new building include a theatre space/drama room/assembly hall and a main atrium area which is a central space with all the classrooms leading off, with each curriculum area having a designated ‘break out’ space within the atrium. This provides an area where children can work individually or in small groups. Other facilities include a large sports hall, an activity studio, art, technology, IT and science facilities, a library and staff of!ces. Internal !nishes include wood, glass, exposed concrete and circular metal pillars.External works include the creation of two

Astroturf pitches, a multi use games area, soft landscaped areas, hardstanding social space

and a car park.The school is constructed on three storeys on

one side of the atrium and two storeys on the other, with external elevations in render. The atrium has a wooden roof incorporating 24 panels which $ood the interior with natural light. A ‘grey’ water harvesting system has been installed on the roof.


The practice undertakes projects ranging from small scale de-signs such as house extensions to complete rebuilds and new house projects.!

Established for over 15 years, the practice offers services tailored to each client’s unique personal requirements, offering expert guidance and assistance throughout each project! - from the decision process through to building regulations and

construction. From first steps to finishing touches, the Brooks Practice provides a comprehensive service, delivering quality architectural and interior design solutions with commitment and a personal approach.

When working on existing houses, the practice respects the existing design and uses either the best traditional methods or, where appropriate, contrasts the design with innovative modern materials.

Using both the latest technology in computer aided design, as well as hand-drawn sketches to enable the client to visualize the design proposals, The Brooks Practice aims to bring clarity to the procedure of building.

Specialist architects home in on inspirational design

London



Examples of recent projects carried out by the practice include schemes in Putney, Wimbledon Common, Surrey and Thames Ditton.

An imaginatively designed curved two storey extension with separate garage was created for a post-war house In Putney. The extension incorporates a ground floor living/dining room and first floor bathroom. An innovative engineering solution was used to carrying the first floor bathroom pod, with the engineers designing a curved beam to provide a column-free interior space. The external elevations of the extension incorporate large areas of glazing, with curved sliding doors providing ac-cess to the garden. Main Contractors for the project were Oriole Constructors.

A structurally glazed ‘L’ shaped single storey extension to a Victorian house in Wimbledon Common was designed to form a courtyard garden. Specialist glaziers on the project were Cantifix Ltd, who worked with the architects to create an in-novative design using an externally mounted sliding door. Main Contractors on the scheme were Woodland Commercial; Main Electrical Contractors were SPE Engineers and all of the lead roofing was carried out by ABC Roofing.

Woodland Commercial also acted as main contractors in a pro-ject to refurbish and extend a 1930s-built residence in Surrey. The house was!extended at the side, rear and at roof level, with the extension being designed in keeping with the local modern-ist style as required by the local authority. The extension incor-porates a new living room, kitchen and master bedroom suite, and incorporates sliding//folding doors by Sun Paradise, which open up onto ground floor decking running the full length of the

house. Kitchen Co-ordination, the kitchen designers, worked closely with the architects to fulfill the clients brief and arrive at an elegant design solution.

The complete renovation and extension of an Edwardian house in Thames Ditton involved the construction of a single storey rear extension designed in keeping with the period features of the house and providing new living, dining and kitchen space. A first floor extension was also constructed to house a new dressing room and en-suite for the master bedroom. The building works were carried out by Main Contractors Landway Construction.

With!nearly 20 years experience in commercial and residential building and construction, Woodland Commercial has a proven track record and an enviable reputation.

With offices in Isleworth West London, most of their projects take place in West London and the Home Counties.

The company has the resources and the expertise to take on projects worth up to £1.5 million and the versatility to tackle anything from an insurance repair through to a complete refur-bishment or new build.

Landway Construction is an established and fast growing busi-ness with the capacity and the expertise to run multiple projects ranging between £50K and £1M.

The company provides complete management services, in-corporating new build, extensions, structural and refurbishment works.

As a premier building contractor Landway aim to deliver high specification projects within the commercial and domestic mar-kets, regardless of scale and complexity.

The project is being carried out for Thames Water by Black & Veatch. As principal contractor, Black & Veatch is responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction of the ex-tended works.Mogden Sewage Treatment Works was originally constructed

in the 1930s and is one of Thames Water’s largest treatment works covering an area of 120 acres. The Mogden plant was built for the West Middlesex drainage district to replace 28 small sewage treatment works and over the years has been expanded, still within the original site boundaries.The upgrades will enable Mogden to treat over 50 per cent

more sewage, so it can cope with heavy rainfall and will ensure Mogden continues to meet effluent discharge consents set by the Environment Agency.This will significantly reduce the amount of storm sewage that

overflows into the tidal stretches of the River Thames when the site becomes overloaded during heavy rainfall. The improve-ments will also help Thames Water to meet tighter quality stand-ards for the effluent they discharge.The scheme includes upgrades and augmentation of the exist-

ing sludge plant and construction of a completely new effluent stream that includes a new covered inlet works, covered pri-mary tanks and new aeration lanes. To make space for this, the western embankment, which is within the existing site bound-ary, was reshaped. The landscape to the west of the site will be enhanced once complete, benefiting local wildlife.The Mogden Sewage Treatment Works upgrade project will

increase flow to full treatment at the sewage works by 34 per cent from 790 to 1,064 million litres per day. This will enable

the facility to reduce its use of storm tanks and greatly reduce

potential for storm sewage discharge into the River Thames.

Work is due for completion in 2013.

Sewage works gets the full treatment in £140 million upgrade

London



Mixertech are proud to be supplying agitators for the Mogden Sewage Treatment Works project.Mixertech Limited, established over 20 years ago as part of

a global group of companies, specialises in the design and manufacture of top and side entry agitators for the chemical, pharmaceutical, water and process industries.All Mixertech agitators are custom designed for each individual

application ensuring the client receives the optimum perfor-mance and process results for their particular application.Mixertech have worked on several occasions with Black &

Veatch, supplying agitators for the Water Treatment Industry. The 2000 series agitators supplied incorporate a mounting ar-rangement specifically relevant to open tank mixing, allowing easy maintenance whilst incorporating an integral oil drip tray.Impeller technology and materials of construction are at the

forefront of Mixertech’s success in the water industry. High ef-ficiency axial flow impellers ensure maximum agitation for mini-mum input of power whilst maintaining shear sensitive polymer chemicals.

To provide for population growth and relatively low rainfall, com-pared to other parts of the UK,Thames Water commissioned the Beckton Desalination Plant. Designed to supply water up to 150 megalitres per day,it will safeguard the supply for Thames Gateway future demand.The principal contractor appointed for the design and con-

struct project was Interserve Project Services Ltd (IPSL) in a joint venture with Acciona Aqua.Part of the scope was the supply of the Intake Pump

Manifold,which IPSL purchased from Freeflow Pipesystems in fusion bonded epoxy(Scotchkote 206N) carbon steel.

The coating system was an important factor since it was nec-essary to protect against corrosion from harsh saline brackish river conditions, whilst also providing the safeguard to drinking water standards by being DWI approved.

The carbon steel Manifold is 42metres in length,1800nb one end reducing to 1000nb at the other end, and complete with 1400nb and 900nb branches, throughout its length. Five tied distmantling joints were designed into the Manifold to provide up to 150mm flexibility in two directions.

Hydro International are designing, supplying, installing and commissioning Zickert bottom sludge scrapers and surface scum skimmers for the primary settlement tanks at Mogden, Beckton and Crossness STWs

The Zickert scrapers and skimmers are unique products with lower maintenance requirements than traditional scraper tech-nologies. The two top and bottom systems are independent allowing optimal operational procedures to be adopted. The design allows for close fitting covers to be installed minimising the amount of air enclosed and thus reducing odour treatment requirements. The Zickert’s unique features lead to lower whole life costs whilst giving optimal plant performance.

Hydro International have supplied Zickert scrapers to the Mogden, Becktion and other sites on previous projects which has led to Thames Water’s confidence in the product for these major extensions to the sites. Zickert scrapers have also been successfully installed in many plants around the world.

Hydro International (Wastewater) Ltd is now part of the Hydro International group, which has a turnover of around £30 mil-lion from operating divisions in the UK and USA. The company provides solutions to the stormwater, wastewater and drinking water markets.

London


Upgrade helps works go with the flow towards new, higher standards

The project is being carried out by Tamesis – a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke and Imtech Process Ltd.The work is in response to new Environment Agency stand-

ards, which will demand increased capacity and effluent quality by March 2014. The investment will aim to minimise smells as well as increase capacity to cope with heavier and more intense rainfall and meet new climate change needs.The earliest part of Crossness was built in 1865, as part of

Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s pioneering plan to manage London’s sewage. Situated on the south bank of the Thames in Abbey Wood in the London Borough of Bexley, it serves Richmond Upon Thames, Wandsworth, Merton, Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich and parts of Sutton and Bromley.The improvements will enable the site to treat 44 per cent more

sewage than it did previously, significantly reducing the amount of storm sewage that overflows into the River Thames during heavy rainfall when the site becomes overloaded.The project will also include the installation of a wind turbine

that will help generate up to half the energy needed to power the site when combined with the energy generated from processing sewage sludge. This wind turbine – which will be capable of powering 1,000 homes – will be the first ever to power a major British sewage works.In addition, the upgrade will include the installation of new

odour-controlled treatment processes and environmental en-hancements.

Crossness currently serves two million Londoners. The project is due for completion in 2014, and allows for a six per cent popu-lation increase until 2021.

Ecosulis undertook vegetation clearance works at 15 ha site adjacent to Crossness to enable the extension of the sewage treatment works. The area consisted of semi-mature trees, scrub and ruderal grassland.The company undertook all works within this sensitive environ-

ment including tree felling (100 trees), scrub clearance (approx 11ha), grass mowing, Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed demarcation and control, removal of vegetation from lagoons, erection of a water vole fence, closure of water vole burrows and translocation of reptiles.Ecosulis has been providing high quality environmental

services throughout the UK since 1990. The company is an employee-owned environmental and ecological consultancy and contracting company, with experience of designing and implementing practical consultancy solutions.The consultancy differs from other companies by providing

expert ecologists and environmental planners in combination with resourcing other technical requirements to suit the hugely varying specifications of projects on a case-by-case basis.The company’s trained IEEM Ecologists offer services such as

wildlife surveys for species including bats, great crested newts, badgers and water voles, together with phase 1 habit surveys, BREEAM assessments, ecological site checks, ecological miti-gation schemes and planning advice; through to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and environmental permit applica-tions.Ecosulis also offers the complete range of ecological contract-

ing and landscaping services, such as wildlife fencing, great crested newt and reptile translocations and mitigation, ecologi-cal clerk of works, vegetation clearance, wetland creation and landscape planting.


£40 million upgrade will help clean up the Thames

Being carried out as part of a major scheme to help improve water quality in the River Thames, a £40 million upgrade is underway at Long Reach Sewage Works in Dartford.The project is being undertaken for Thames

Water by a Galliford Try Infrastructure and Biwater Treatment 50 – 50 joint venture with staff coming from both companies. Designers for the project are Mott MacDonald. The upgrade at Long Reach will help improve

water quality in the Thames and oxygen levels will also be increased, improving conditions for !sh. The improvements will enable the site to deal with increased sewage resulting from population growth until 2021.The works include the installation of three

new secondary treatment units which use deep aeration tanks !tted with diffused air distribution pipework. A new blower house complete with standby generation is also being installed to supply air for the aeration process and a new power supply intake substation will

facilitate a new EDF supply to the site."The works also include

the installation of two new PFT tanks; two new odour control units; new SAS thickening plant; the refurbishment of six existing treatment units and an associated blower house and the refurbishment of 12 existing FST tanks.In addition, the

site-wide SCADA system is being upgraded"and roads, landscaping, and paving are being improved."Due to ground conditions adjacent to the

Thames, all structures including pipelines are constructed on piled foundations, with approximately 2000 piles of various sizes having been installed, using a combination of driven cast-insitu and CFA piles.To avoid environmental impacts, all

excavated material from the new tanks is being retained on site and re-used as part of the site landscaping works.Challenges facing the contract team include

interfacing on a day to day basis on all aspects of the existing process stream in one of Thames Water largest treatment works.Works commenced in May 2010, with the

project due for completion in September 2012.


Working closely with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Barking Riverside Ltd is spearheading the creation of a major extension to the borough based on strong environ-mental principles, with a high proportion of larger homes featur-ing three or more bedrooms. In July last 2010, Barking Riverside scooped a prestigious Housing Design Award for Buzzards Mouth Court, one of the first two phases which includes houses built specifically with families in mind.!David Lunts, London director for the HCA, said, “This scheme

is massively important to the borough and our investment is maintaining delivery and ensuring the right mix of homes. The quality of the community facilities and housing, together with the carefully considered public realm and landscaping, will make Barking Riverside an exciting place to live, work and visit”.Cllr Mick McCarthy, Barking and Dagenham Council’s cabinet

member for regeneration, said, “Things are really moving at Barking Riverside. It’s great to see that building work is start-ing on the first houses. With the Rivergate Community Centre progressing well, 2011 promises to be an exciting year for the whole development”.The joint venture has also entered into a £10m contract with

Foundation Developments Limited to deliver major! roads and drainage networks for the first four housing plots and Rivergate Community Centre, which includes the new primary school.Gavin Hunt, Barking Riverside regeneration manager for

Latest Barking development on the way

London


The terminal reconfiguration was managed by Atkins Global, an engineering and design consultancy responsible for several major infrastructure projects at City Airport.The changes to the terminal building include a £2 million spend

on security equipment and a new security lane setup, partly in response to the shift towards online check-in. With business and leisure passengers now frequently checking in from their office PCs or even their web-enabled mobile phones en-route to the airport, London City’s management team have identified the need for a new style of airport.Extra space has had to be created on the first floor in order to

accommodate the new additions to the airport. The project has been completed over a number of phases to include a floor infill, new stairs and a first floor fit out.The renovation works, consisting of three phases, commenced

in early spring 2010 with phase one seeing the fitting of piles, steel columns and beams spanning across the concourse all in preparation for the installation of the new floor. The second and third phases of the project include the installation of a new staircase and new security search lanes.Melanie Burnley, director of terminal services at London City,

is responsible for security, facilities management and customer service. She told Premier Construction, “Work has been going on 24/7, and it’s amazing how much has been achieved without our passengers being disrupted. The contractors have been excellent – you sense the work is going on but there has been no major effect on our everyday services.“Once the work is complete, we will have achieved a 50%

increase in our security handling capacity to match the growth in demand – a large proportion of our passengers are travelling on business, but we are seeing more and more leisure travellers. They will all benefit, not only from faster security lanes, but also from improved space and decor, seating and retail – the all-round passenger experience is what we have in mind”.She added, “There is scope for a further two security lanes to

be installed when this main phase of improvements is complete, so I envisage us continuing to improve what we can offer to passengers”.Stuart Lovegrove, managing director at main contractor AA

Lovegrove, said:“We handed over the ground floor improvements smoothly at

the end of last October, the scaffolding came down, and we

then progressed to the first floor fit-out. Although we had some minor issues with deliveries during snowy weather, we are on track to meet our overall deadline. We have had up to 50 people on site during the day and up to 25 at night, so we’re moving along swiftly”.Asked what kind of challenges his site teams had had to

overcome, Stuart said, “The initial groundworks and 20m piling were the major challenge – we had to complete a lot of those

Foundation Developments Limited, said, “Phase one of the infrastructure works are now well underway with the major-ity of the bulk earthworks, bridge abutment piling and ground stabilisation completed before Christmas. We are on target to deliver the infrastructure in support of the school opening and first occupations. This has been achieved by fully embracing the partnership approach with Barking Riverside Ltd”.The Rivergate Centre is also on track to open in time for the

start of the new school year in September.!The centre, which includes a community church, healthcare services, social en-terprise units and a public square, will ensure future residents of the new development have essential facilities on their doorstep from day one.It will be open to all members of the local community and the

use of sustainable materials during its construction is in keeping with the high environmental standards set for Barking Riverside as a whole.! The new school will have 630 places for pupils aged 4-11 and 78 part-time nursery places.!

Continuing a successful ten-year relationship with Bellway Homes, DF Clark has carried out landscape design and ecologi-cal surveys with a permanent ecologist on site. The contractor is also responsible for both hard and soft landscaping to both public areas and roadsides and has established a sub-base on site to reflect the size of the contract.Founded in 1968, the Essex-based firm operates across south-

ern England and offers a wide range of services. These include: tree surgery; landscape construction; fencing design and con-struction; garden design; tree advice and care; maintenance; and woodland planting.Sister company DF Clark Bionomique builds on this expertise,

specialising in protected species surveys, EcoHomes / Code for Sustainability compliance, BS5837:2005 tree survey regula-tions, tree hazard assessment, method statements, site super-vision, TPO applications and landscape design.Visit www.dfclark.co.uk to find out more

Makeover almost complete at London City Airport


works at night given their scale and employ a lot of ‘critical management’, as I call it. Since the early stages, the ongoing challenge has been to reduce noise and other disruption to passengers.“Having worked at other airports, we were already well aware

of the demands an airport places on contractors. Luckily, at London City, a smaller airport leads to the management and staff there being a closer-knit community than you’d find at a larger facility. That has made it easier for us all to get through any minor problems that crop up”.The main works were completed in mid-February, while a

follow-up phase to add in extra security lanes is to be completed by mid-May.

London City Airport’s security and fire alarm maintenance company, Prelude Alarms Ltd, have supplied, installed and commissioned a fire alarm extension at the airport and are also in the process of installing a door alarm system throughout the airport.In addition, Prelude Alarms provide an ongoing 24 hour

monitoring service for all of the airports fire and security alarm systems.

The project, being carried under the direction of managing agents Arab Investments, is under construction by Brookfield Europe and designed by the international architects KPF (Kohn Pederson Fox Architects). As of January 2011, the building is beginning to rise out of the ‘hole in the ground’ on Bishopsgate (an alternative name for the building is ‘Bishopsgate Tower’), and has reached its ninth floor.According to the plans, the 947,000 sq ft! office building

spirals from its base to a height of 288 metres. Its geometry is composed of simple sheared cones filleting to tapered planes.!The development makes a substantial contribution to the

public realm, by opening the ground level to pedestrians and linking a number of important urban spaces along Bishopsgate and St. Mary Axe.!A canopy is formed by pulling the snakeskin glazing away from

the building, marking the passage entrance from Bishopsgate and ‘grounding’ the tall form, relating in scale to the smaller buildings opposite. Its shape was extensively tested and reconfigured to mitigate wind for pedestrian comfort. The twisting design of the roof, and the curling patterns in the facade, are based on various twisty things in nature - such as armadillos, mushrooms and seashells.Sustainable systems are integral to the architectural design.

The aerodynamic shape improves the performance of the naturally ventilating façade with its snakeskin design. The outer layer of glass protects the sun-shading which reduces heat gain. The glass façade allows ample natural light, reducing the amount of artificial light required. Photovoltaic cells along the spiral collar further reduce energy consumption. A BREEAM prediction assessment!indicates that The Pinnacle will achieve an ‘excellent’ rating.!

The Pinnacle will contain more solar panelling than any other building in the UK, with 2,000!square metres (21,500!sq! ft) of photovoltaic solar cells, generating up to 200 kilowatts of electricity. The building’s double-layered skin will allow it to respond dynamically to climatic changes and to utilise effective climate control with low energy consumption.

In late May 2008, a mobile crane and piling rig were on site, preparing the site for construction. Steel rebar cages inserted into the ground, form part of the piles that hold the weight of the tower.

In November 2008 another piling rig came into use on the site, as well as huge steel plates for the piles. On 30 March 2009, the

New heights in construction with London’s tallest building

London



largest ever piles in the UK to date had been laid. The piles are sunk 48.5m below sea level, and 65.5m below the site.In the summer of 2009, piling had been completed and workers

began excavating deep down, ready to begin constructing the basements.Some of the upper floors of the building have already been

leased to The Wolseley, one of London’s most successful restaurants. Rex Restaurants Associates Limited (“RexRA”) has agreed to take 13,000 sq feet of space for a new restaurant and cocktail bar. The restaurant will be open to the general public, as well as the office tenants in The Pinnacle, with access via the main ground floor reception area.!RexRA is owned and managed by restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King and includes The Wolseley in Piccadilly and St Alban in Regent Street.!Corbin and King were the former proprietors of Le Caprice, The Ivy and J. Sheekey.At the top,!the public will have free and direct access to a public

viewing gallery where they will have unrivaled and unobstructed 360º views of London and beyond.! Khalid Affara, managing director of Arab Investments, said, “I

am delighted to have reached agreement with Rex Restaurants Associates to provide the sort of high quality restaurant which The Pinnacle and its tenants expect and deserve.!Corbin and King and their advisor, David Coffer of Davis Coffer Lyons, have been working with us and our advisers, Savills, over the last six months to come up with a brand new concept which will work well with the offices below and with full public access. We look forward to them creating what will be one of the best restaurants in Europe as part of a truly iconic addition to the London skyline”.A spokesperson for RexRA said, “The Pinnacle provides

the most spectacular, ground-breaking setting for a London restaurant and we are delighted to be the restaurant operator for this exceptional building”.

The project is being carried out for the Highways Agency by Main Contractors Balfour Beatty. Designers are Mott MacDonald and Employers Representatives are Atkins. AJ Wilcock Holeformers carried out all the concrete drilling and cutting and Actiform Group designed, manufactured and sup-plied the site accommodation for Balfour Beatty on this project, including office facilities, welfare facilities, a laboratory and security units.The scheme budget, which includes the costs of prepara-

tion, design, construction, acquiring land, VAT and inflation, is £370m.The new road will be 4 miles (6.5km) long and includes 1.2miles

(1.8km) twin bored tunnels under the Devil’s Punch Bowl Site of Special Scientific Interest.The project will deliver quicker, more reliable journeys on a

safer road, and remove much of the present peak time ‘rat-running’ traffic from unsuitable country roads around Hindhead as well as cutting congestion around the particularly busy A3/A287 traffic signal controlled crossroads. The scheme includes the closure of the existing A3 around the

Devil’s Punch Bowl, bringing considerable environmental ben-efits to an internationally prized area. The centre of Hindhead will be freed from the daily gridlock that blights the area, with

the result that the project will bring benefits to road users, local residents, and the highly prized environment.The new dual two lane carriageway starts about 984 yards

(900m) south of the end of the original dual carriageway at Hammer Lane. South of Hammer Lane the southbound car-riageway is being moved into the existing central reserve and the old southbound carriageway retained as a two way service road. The northbound carriageway will remain on its present line.

North of Hammer Lane, the new A3 will swing across the line of the existing A3 to run on its southeast side. Hammer Lane

£370 million road scheme completes vital link

London


will pass under the new A3 and connect with the existing single carriageway A3, which will be retained for local access. There will be a new local road on the southeast side of the new A3 connecting High Pitfold to Hammer Lane and an under-pass at High Pitfold for walkers, cyclists and horseriders.The main grade-

separated junction will be located at Hazel Grove and will cater for all move-ments, with the new A3 in cutting.!

Beyond Hazel Grove the new A3 will swing eastwards through woodland in cutting up to 19 yards 1(8m) deep before crossing part of Tyndall’s Wood on embankment up to 10m high.The road will then pass under the east side of Tyndall’s Wood,

the A287 and the Devil’s Punch Bowl SSSI in a 1.2miles (1.9 km) long twin bored tunnel to emerge in Boundless Valley. The portals will be the only visible parts of the tunnel.The new A3 will head northwards in Boundless Valley, mostly

on shallow embankment, climbing gradually to join the existing road about 400m north of the existing end of the dual carriage-way.Boundless Road will be taken under the new A3!and continue

as the new Boundless to Thursley link road, which will be a nar-row single carriageway. This will run just to the west of the trunk road northwards to Thursley Junction.The existing A3 between the National Trust car park and the

Youth Hostel access will be closed and the Punch Bowl land-scape reinstated. The existing byway (BOAT 500, Old Portsmouth Road) will

have a 32 yards (3m) wide paved cycleway. South of Thursley, a new underpass will cater for users of the

Greensand Way and provide local access. This will enable the two existing minor road junctions and the associated central reserve gaps to be closed.The tunnel is 1.2 miles (1.83km) long comprising about 1 mile

(1.77km) of bored tunnel and approximately 98 ft (30 metres) of cut and cover at either end. The maximum depth of tunnel below ground is about 200 ft (65m ) at Gibbet Hill, (measured to the top of the tunnel).The tunnel will have two separate bores. Each bore will include

a 23 ft (7.3m) wide 2 lane carriageway with 3.9 ft (1.2m) wide verges on each side. Each bore will have a maintained head-room of 17 ft (5.03m), together with a further clearance of 9.8 inches (250mm) to the underside of any plant suspended above the vehicle gauge as a safeguard against flapping tarpaulins and ropes. The tunnel bores will be approximately parallel and linked by pedestrian cross-passages at approximately every 328 ft (100m) throughout the tunnel. Work started in January!2007, with the main tunneling works

commencing in February 2008 and both tunnel bores breaking through on 26 February 2009. The!tunnel is planned to be open for traffic in mid 2011.


London

New Sure Start centre proves popular

Proving highly popular is a new Sure Start childrens centre which has been constructed adjacent to Hamstel School in Hamstel Road, Southend-on-Sea, in a completed project which also included the construction of two classroom extensions to the school.The project was carried out for Southend-on-

Sea Borough Council by Main Contractors Higgins Construction. The scheme was project managed by the council and designed by Camm Architects.The new centre incorporates a training room,

a breast feeding room, of!ces, a drop in centre, a small kitchen and toilets. The new centre was constructed on the site of

a 1960s-built extension to the school, with part of the extension being demolished as part of the contract.The new building is of load bearing

construction with external elevations in a

combination of brick and render, with polyester powder coated aluminium framed windows and a feature steelwork canopy over the front entrance. Roo!ng is a combination of $at single ply membrane and standing seam monopitch. External works included

planting to the front of the building, the provision of a ramp and steps to the building entrance and the extension and re-surfacing of an existing car park.The other element of the project included the

construction of two single storey extensions to Hamstel School. The extensions, which together contain !ve

class bases, were constructed with external

elevations in brick with aluminium framed windows and a combination of $at single membrane and aluminium standing seam roo!ng.External works included the creation of two

new play areas.The project was completed last summer.


The project was born in 2001, when a series of environmental studies in the outer Thames Estuary confirmed the area is a suitable wind farm site. Two years later, the Crown Estate gave London Array Ltd a 50 year lease for the site and cable route to shore.

Planning consent for a 1GW offshore wind farm was granted in 2006, and permission was granted for the onshore works in

2007. Work on Phase 1 started in July 2009 when contractors began building the onshore substation at Cleve Hill in Kent.

Phase 1 of the project covers an offshore area of 100km2 – room enough for 175 wind turbines, two offshore substations and nearly 450km of offshore cabling, all of which generates 630MW of electricity through an onshore substation which channels enough power for around 480,000 homes a year or two thirds of the homes in Kent.

Phase 1 will cost $2.2 billion to build and install, and should be

Offshore works beginning on London Array project



London

complete in 2012, when it will begin to provide estimated CO2 savings of 925,000 tonnes a year.Offshore construction activities will be managed from a tem-

porary construction base at the Port of Ramsgate. Work began on the base in summer 2010 and the construction team moved into the building in September 2010. Developers are expecting the base to remain until 2013, when Phase 1 construction is completed.Array cables will connect the wind turbines to each other and

to the offshore substations. They will each measure between 650m and 1,200m in length. For Phase 1, contractors will lay 209km of array cabling in total. The export cables will run from the offshore substations to the

onshore substation at Cleve Hill, where the power will be flowed into the national electricity network. The cables will be buried in trenches dug into the seabed using the special cable installa-tion barge and plough, ‘Stemat Spirit’. As well as transporting electricity, the export cables will hold vital fibre optic wires that will be used to communicate remotely with the wind turbines.Two of four huge transformers needed for the station have

been transported to site in a huge yet precise logistical opera-tion. Each transformer is 8.5 metres long and 2.5 metres wide and weighs approximately 130 tonnes. Construction on Cleve Hill’s main architectural feature, the

North Wall, is nearly complete. The concrete base and 2.4m stem for the wall was completed in August 2010 and the 7m high concrete panels were installed during September and October Most of the steel fins (31 of 37) have now been installed; the last 6 fins will be installed once the electrical commissioning works have been completed towards the end of the summer 2011. The North Wall consists of 33 concrete panels and 37 aluminium fins placed in a 160m long line.Work is beginning on the turbine element of Phase 1, with 177

piles – one for each of the 175 wind turbines and two more for the offshore substations. A purpose-built vessel, the ‘MPI Adventure’ will install the foundations in deep water. In shallower areas, contractors will use the ‘Sea Worker’ vessel. These vessels have four extendable legs that lift the deck out of the water to create a stable platform from which to hammer in the piles.London Array Limited is a consortium of three world-leading

renewable energy companies, DONG Energy, E.ON Group and Masdar who together with a team of expert sub-contractors are combining their experience and expertise to develop and build the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

The first company to design an offshore wind farm, COWI’s off-shore wind consultancy is renowned for its innovative solutions, as well as for setting the industry standard for wind turbine grav-ity foundations. The firm, previously successful at sites such as Thornton Bank in Belgium, Nysted and Rødsand II in Denmark, is continuing a framework relationship with the contractor and has teamed up with IMS GmbH, the German market leaders in

design of marine steel structures, to form COWI-IMS JV. The JV is responsible for carrying out the detailed design of the steel foundations.

On the London Array, water depths - varying between 0 and 25 metres - and unstable sea bed are among the challenges facing the 20-strong design team. Jan Rønberg, COWI’s market director for wind developments:

“It’s a highly diverse area with a wide range of water depths and differing soil conditions. We are dealing with sand profiles, stiff London clay profiles and mixtures including gravel layers. We also have layers prone to liquefaction. Our designs have in-cluded a new conical grout connection as a response to recent experience of problems with the cylindrical connection from other wind farms. There the cylindrical grout connections have not offered the desired level of stability.

“In order to be successful, we are drawing on our extensive experience of monopile, jacket and gravity-based structures and making the most of our ability to follow the contractor’s lead and respond quickly and precisely to any requests for modifications”.

On the London Array, the scale of the project by means of struc-ture size and combined total of a 175 foundations has meant that every potential optimization in the design has been given the greatest possible attention. From revisiting and improving the fundamental expressions of the geotechnical formulations applied in the calculations of soil-structure interaction through the use of advanced numerical modelling for the detailed as-sessment of stresses in the structural welds. Every aspect has been looked into leading to significant cost savings on the structures. Also potential savings in the installation process has been considered in the design, as a very close collaboration between the contractor, ABJV, and the designer has been main-tained throughout the project. This close collaboration has been key to ensuring timely and efficient delivery of an optimized and innovative design. “We emphasise the establishment of a sound and trustful collaboration with the contractor as a means to secure an optimized design and a timely delivery. Our success in this is reflected in the design we deliver to our clients” says Jan Rønberg.

The design team has been working out of offices in Copenhagen, Hamburg and London, where COWI has recently taken office through the acquisition of the London based design firm Flint&Neill. Flint & Neill is an internationally highly renowned design company within signature bridge design. COWI expects the UK offices to contribute significantly to the design projects within upcoming UK Offshore Wind Farm foundation designs. As we approach UK round 3 we expect our UK offices to take responsibility for design projects in the British waters. The im-portance of proximity to the British clients and authorities can be accommodated in this way.

The expert input of Jan and his colleagues is behind some of the largest foundations ever built, with a length of up to 85m. Find out more about this and other projects at www.cowi.com.


The scheme, delivered in partnership with the London Borough of Lewisham, will deliver a brand new civic leisure centre to-gether with 788 mixed tenure new homes, commercial units and a new cultural quarter. Barratt Homes were selected as the preferred developer for

the landmark regeneration scheme following an extensive de-sign competition, and appointed two award-winning architects to help design the scheme. These are Assael Architecture, who have masterplanned and designed residential parts of the de-velopment, and LA Architects, a specialist practice with client expertise in designing leisure facilities, who have designed the leisure centre. The site is located within the heart of Lewisham town centre,

and is close to both Lewisham mainline and Docklands Light Railway Stations, both of which are being improved to improve public capacity. It is also highly accessible by bus and car, be-ing located on the A20. Assael Architects have designed the 777 apartments and 11

town houses to Sustainable Homes Code Level 4, meeting the highest environmental standards for residential accommoda-tion. The state-of-the-art leisure centre with a stunning illuminated

coloured glass façade, will incorporate a 25-metre swimming pool, gym, café, crèche, health spa and indoor climbing wall, and will achieve BREEM ‘excellent’ Standard. Completion of the leisure centre is anticipated in early 2013. The creation of a cultural quarter and the integration of art are

both central to the regeneration of Lewisham town centre. The scheme provides commercial space for creative industries, lo-cated around a new public piazza, to create a lively and vibrant community. Managing Director of Barratt London, Alastair Baird said: ‘We

are delighted commence work on this important project, which will bring huge benefits to Lewisham.” As part of the project, Rock & Alluvium have received an or-

der to install over 900 bearing piles at diameters of 400mm, 500mm and 600mm to depths up to 19m. The piling value is initially for nearly £600k and is to have a piling duration of just under 15 weeks. The site is made up of medium dense sand overlying the White

Chalk formation, with all piles founding into this chalk layer to support various building loads up to 2550kN.Barratt Group is expected to build 11,500 homes in the current

financial year, making it the biggest housebuilder by volume in Britain. The group was the only major housebuilder to be given a four star rating – its highest ever score – in 2009’s HBF Survey. In 2009 site managers working for Barratt Group won the

highest number of NHBC Pride in the Job Quality Awards for a record fifth consecutive year. In addition, Barratt Homes is officially the highest quality major

national housebuilder having been awarded an exclusive ‘5 Star Housebuilder Award*’ by the!Homebuilders Federation. This recognises that, in terms of positive recommendation by

customers and superior build quality, Barratt! is the only major national housebuilder! ever to be awarded this exemplary ac-creditation.The first Barratt company was established in 1958 in Newcastle

upon Tyne and then grew steadily, establishing the roots that were to support its future growth.

The company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1968 and in 1972 a programme of rapid expansion was launched through a series of acquisitions and the creation of new companies.During the 1990s the group grew organically, establishing an

unrivalled track record of consistent growth. In April 2007 Barratt acquired Wilson Bowden PLC and today has a network of 25 housebuilding divisions throughout Britain, selling new homes under the Barratt, David Wilson and Ward Homes brands.

Major regeneration scheme will transform central Lewisham


The project is being carried out for Hammersmith and Fulham Council by Main Contractors Vinci. Architects are Chris Blandford Associates and Mechanical Services Contractors are Boostfine.Fulham Palace is one of the most important buildings in

London. Dating from 1495, its medieval Great Hall has played host to many royal banquets over the centuries. It also boasts an important botanical history and, today, is open to the public as Bishops Park, which runs alongside the River Thames.The project is being carried out within a conservation area,

and Bishops Park, created in 1892, is a registered 2* historic landscape. In addition, Fulham Palace walled garden within the grounds is a listed building and a scheduled monument.The works involve the restoration of the park’s landscape and

buildings, with the landscape being restored to its original late-19th century layout. Estate buildings which are located through-out the grounds and have not been refurbished for over half a century are also being restored.

As well as the restoration of the historic urban beach in the park, the project includes the restoration of the ornamental lake and picturesque bridge that leads to the original picnic area overlooking the lake. In addition, three major play areas are being created and the

historic cafe building is being restored.!Further works comprise the restoration of the famous Fulham Palace grounds, includ-ing the walled garden, the historic! vinery and bothy, and the conversion of the old stables into an! education centre. The Fulham Palace moat, thought to be the longest medieval moat in England, is being partially excavated at the Gothic Lodge - which is also being repaired.Works to the estate buildings include the refurbishment of

roofs, which are being re-slated and/or recovered in clay tile, and the re-pointing of walls using lime mortar.! Electricity and drainage systems are being extended to the potting sheds with-in the park’s walled garden. Three small buildings constructed in the 1960s have been demolished.The project has received £3.5M funding from the Heritage

Lottery and £2.5M from Hammersmith and Fulham Council.The works commenced in September 2010, with the project

due for completion in September 2011.

Historic park project will create one of London’s finest public spaces

London


Fulcrum, one of the UK’s leading utility connections providers, was awarded the gas infrastructure works for the regeneration of Fulham Palace and surrounding Bishops Park. Fulham Palace has been hailed as one of the most important

buildings in London and Fulcrum will be disconnecting the ex-isting gas services to allow regeneration of the site to continue. Fulcrum will then install over 170 metres of new gas service

pipe to supply the newly regenerated club house, ground stable block, café, palace adventure playground, old rainbow play hut and gothic lodge. Fulcrum’s Head of Sales, Eric Greaves, commented “We are

delighted to have been awarded works for such a prestigious regeneration project and are pleased to be able to add the Fulham Palace and Bishops Park regeneration to our portfolio of significant developments”. Fulcrum is a leading utility infrastructure provider operating

throughout mainland UK and across all residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

Vinci Construction UK is a national construction and facilities company and is part of Vinci, a world leader in concessions and construction.At local level the company’s regional teams operate through-

out the UK, offering a fully-integrated service – from inception, ground investigation and remediation, through to project com-pletion and beyond to the delivery of operational solutions.Vinci Construction offer customers unparalleled breadth and

depth of expertise through having strong working relationships with other Vinci companies and subsidiaries in the UK, all of which are leaders in their field. As a result, they can leverage ideas, skills and entrepreneurial flair to deliver top-quality work in all sectors.

The works are being carried out for for Thurrock Council, who have a stock of 10,000 homes. Mr Geoff Brown of Thurrock Council said: “The programme is progressing very well with no delays and is achieving high levels of tenant satisfaction.”The programme, which commenced in 2006, is open-ended

and is being carried out under a framework agreement with the council by three Main Contractors - CG Interiors, HW Wilson and Breyer, working with numerous other contractors on homes throughout the borough.Internally, the works include the installation of replacement

kitchens (in a choice of five different colour schemes) new bathroom fittings, new central heating systems and re-wiring. External works include the installation of new doors and win-dows, re-roofing and rendering.Generally, the fitting of new kitchens takes around three weeks,

with bathroom and re-wiring! work taking about a week.So far, 500 properties have been improved in the programme,

Successful programme delivers decent homes


with the works progressing at the rate of around 100 properties per year.!All the works are being carried out in close liaison with the ten-

ants via the contractor’s own tenant liaison officers and council representatives, with all the improvements being undertaken with the tenants in residence.CG Interiors is a leading and fully approved multi-disciplined

builder operating throughout London and the Home Counties of England. The company specialises in housing regeneration, refurbishment, Decent Home programmes, demolition and multi-trade packages.Their clientele includes local authorities, housing associations,

NHS trusts, schools and government bodies.HW Wilson was established in 1928 by Henry Wilson and was

incorporated as a limited company in 1930.!Major clients have included Port of Tilbury and Royal & Sun Alliance, as well as Roomes Stores.Due to the retirement of Mr. Peter Wilson, the company has

been divided into two separate companies. The older parent company H.W.W. Ltd. has taken a back seat and the new com-pany H.W.Wilson!Ltd. was created in January 2001.!The company has steadily increased their customer base,

turnover, and profit whilst continuing to offer the same high quality and service.Breyer Group is a forward thinking construction and specialist

roofing contractor who are continuing to establish themselves as industry leaders.!Operating from headquarters in Romford, Essex and a network

of regional offices, Breyer offer a full range of design, refurbish-ment and construction services, which actively improve the fabric of local communities.Recent diversification into emerging markets has included the

incorporation of responsive repairs, renewable energy, retrofit

technology and client focused ICT Integration within the com-pany’s projectsOriginally founded as an asphalt roofing contractor in East

London by Fred Breyer in 1956, The Breyer Group is now owned and managed by his son Tim Breyer.The group’s annual turnover has now exceeded £150 million

and they employ more than 400 people.The company has developed a broad spectrum of in-house

construction expertise and their partnering culture means they engage collaboratively with stakeholders early in a project. These comprise dedicated design, cost management and construction teams; specialist supply chain partners, client and community groups. Breyer works collaboratively to manage risk and value, deliver-

ing innovative, high quality yet cost-effective solutions, using a whole life approach.Breyer has an impressive track record of working with local

authorities and RSLs in partnering and framework agreements. They have been involved in a large number of these initia-tives that have delivered a workload in excess of £400 million. Projects have ranged from small street property refurbishment schemes through to comprehensive, multi-phase estate regen-eration programmes.

London


The five year £98 million programme of improvements, now in its fourth year, is being carried out for social landlords Greenfields Community Housing by Higgins Construction and Apollo.In addition to running well ahead of schedule, the programme

is also achieving high levels of tenant satisfaction, consistently exceeding 95 per cent.“The whole ethos of working together under a PPC 2000

Partnering Contract has held us in good stead. To get us where we are today, it’s working pretty well” said Mr Martin Norgett of Greenfields Community Housing.Both of the contractors are carrying out the same type of work,

in different locations, with Higgins Construction working in Halstead Town and surrounding villages and Apollo working in Braintree town.The works include kitchen and bathroom replacements, re-

wiring, central heating improvements, insulation, re- pointing, re-rendering, roofing improvements, and the installation of new windows and doors. Properties with low SAT ratings are also being cladded externally.The improvements are being carried out to the ‘Greenfields

Standard’, which is higher than the Government’s Decent Homes Standard. For example, with the installation of new kitchens and bathrooms, Greenfields Community Housing have reduced the age criteria set by the Government to be applied to decide whether the improvements should be carried out. Where the Government stipulates that kitchens and bathrooms over 35 years old and in a state of disrepair should be upgraded, the ‘Greenfields Standard’ stipulates that kitchens and bathrooms over 25 years old are eligible for improvement whatever state of repair they are in.The properties being improved range from those built in the

1920s to homes constructed in the 1990s and include post-war ‘no fines’ built on homes.Greenfields Community Housing took over Braintree District

Council’s homes in November 2007, following a tenant and leaseholder ballot for transfer in December 2006. Greenfields has approximately 8100 homes, spread all over the district, which covers Braintree, Witham and Halstead and many sur-rounding towns and villages.!They also have around 450 lease-hold properties.Both contractors have their own teams of resident liaison offic-

ers, as have Greenfields Community Housing.So far, around 5,500 properties have been completed. The

project commenced in January 2008 and is due to be com-pleted by November 2012.

Housing improvements run a full year ahead of schedule


‘Impressive’ performance on social housing contractA development comprising 14 two-bedroom apartments for social rent is under construction at Friars Lane, Maldon, Essex, for the Chelmer Housing Partnership (CHP), who have been impressed with the contractor’s performance. The scheme is being built by Main

Contractors Park!eld House Developments Ltd, who were selected as they work under a partnering agreement with CHP to bring forward small in-!ll sites for affordable housing. CHP has been particularly impressed by Park!eld House Developments Ltd’s ability to co-ordinate and deliver 14 units on such a small development site.While site ground conditions are very good,

the development has limited space - therefore the construction programme is integral to the delivery of the scheme. Initial works on the development included the

demolition of a number of 1960s constructed of!ce buildings. Due to the size of the

development, all site deliveries are organised by a strict, well organised timetable. The development

features two three storey buildings and has an overall $oor area of 881 square metres. The buildings are of traditional construction with external elevations in red brick and timber boarding with white rendering, with pitched, tiled roofs !tted with solar panels.The properties have

been built to meet a Code three standard, under the Communities and Local Governments Code for Sustainable Homes, as well as the Considerate Contractor scheme. External works include the creation of a car

park and soft landscaping.The development has received grant funding

of £700,000"from the Homes and Communities Agency and Maldon District Council which provided a further £126,000.

CHP will work with the local authority (Maldon District Council) to allocate the properties, which – when occupied – will be managed and maintained by the company.The project is due for completion in May

2011.CHP is an Essex based non-pro!t housing

association providing high-quality affordable family homes and apartments to rent and buy.


The project is being carried under a Design and Build Contract by Main Contractors Orien Contracts Ltd employing Architects Hampson Williams & Kimble and Structural Engineers Elliot Wood. Services Engineers are Crisell Consulting and Cost Consultants are WT Partnership.Replacing the existing clubhouse, the new two storey club-

house will incorporate a bar and restaurant, changing facilities, a pro- shop and offices.!The new clubhouse has been designed to take advantage of

the natural sloping topography of the greenfield site. A bridge link from the car park will provide direct access into the hospi-tality facilities and terrace at the upper level, which will benefit

from sweeping pan-oramic views across the 18th green and the golf course be-yond. The top floor will accommodate a full catering facility for functions of up to 120 people, with the option to sub-divide the space into a spike bar, lounge bar and restaurant. Modern changing facilities, pro-shop and offices will be located at the lower

level, together with storage and charging facilities for golf trol-leys and buggys. The building is responsibly designed as an elegant, modern

two-storey pavilion that responds sensitively to its greenfield context. The key feature of the building is its dramatic aluminium clad monopitch roof which will soar above the clubhouse open-ing up amazing views across the course and providing shelter to the generous terrace that will extend along the building’s front-age. The facetted underside of the roof will be uplit at night to provide an iconic focal point for the golf course. The façade de-sign includes sustainably sourced timber cladding and glazed curtain walling.The project also involves the refurbishment of the existing 30-

bay driving range, including the installation of new aluminium roof and timber façade cladding providing a complementary

Project brings stylish new golf facilities to the fore

London


theme to the clubhouse finishes. Also planned is the installation of a pro-fit facility and new range floodlighting. In addition, the existing car park is being remodelled, including the provision of controlled access, new lighting, security systems, planting, and expansive pedestrian access to the clubhouse.Other improvements include remodelling of the existing course

to provide a new 18th green and 11th tee adjacent to the club-house, and the enlargement of the existing lake.The development was commissioned to revitalise the golf club

and provide the club with exemplary facilities for its members that seeks to set a new standard for buildings of this type.!The project is on programme for completion during June 2011.

Winning team constructs premier class sports training centre

Designed as an iconic world-class facility, a new £45 million sports training centre at Bulls Cross in En!eld, Middlesex, is under construction for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.The centre is being built by Maclaren

Construction and has been designed by Architect KSS Design Group, The centre will be the new home for the

club’s First Team and Youth Academy training, and provide an additional base for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, the club’s charity, engaged in sport-related community work.The training centre covers 67 acres and

includes 11 outdoor pitches - one arti!cial pitch and ten natural grass. Only one of the grass pitches has the potential to be $oodlit, while the arti!cial pitch will be lit at night, until 8.30pm. The main pitch of the professional squad area is designed to the same quality

and design as the pitch proposed for the New Spurs Stadium, complete with undersoil heating.The development will

also incorporate a two storey training centre, which also has a basement, and has been designed to be an integral part of the landscape. The building has been designed around a 70 x 50m indoor arti!cial pitch which features a transparent ETFE roof similar to the EDEN project in Cornwall.The building also incorporates a learning

centre for the Academy and educational space, medical facilities, a hydrotherapy / swimming pool, !tness centre/gym, changing rooms, a canteen and media centre.The scheme also includes two further small

buildings - a security building near the Whitewebbs Lane entrance and another small, single storey groundsman’s lodge in the far south west corner, for storage of pitch maintenance equipment and changing rooms for grounds staff.In addition, there will be Parking for 98 cars,

!ve coaches and a number of cycle spaces.



London

The development was carried out for Central Bedfordshire Council by Main Contractors Smith Construction.Replacing a facility which had become dilapidated and was

demolished as part of the contract, the new centre will be home to Dunstable Town Football Club, AFC Dunstable and will link the Brewers Hill Middle School site with Peppercorn Park to provide additional community pitches in the area.The facility will not only provide a chance for young people to

develop their footballing skills, it will also deliver programmes that will offer health improvement to the community and help keep young people involved in positive activities, reducing anti social behaviour.The development includes the construction of a new purpose-

built pavilion with community facilities and changing rooms linked to sporting use. The steel framed building features external elevations in cedar boarding and metal cladding incorporating wood and aluminium framed doors and windows, curtain walling, and a sheet cladding pitched, overhanging roof. Externally, the scheme includes: one full size football pitch

with perimeter barrier and spectator stand; one adult and under 18 eleven-aside pitch; three junior pitches; three mini soccer pitches; a full size 3rd generation arti"cial turf grass pitch and a relocated BMX track.Dunstable Town Council will manage the facility from April

2011.Darren Croft (Chairman) from Dunstable Town Football Club

said: “Dunstable has a long football history and we are proud to be a part of this project. George Best once played for our team and the new Creasey Park Football Development will encourage local players to try and reach those heights.”Cllr David McVicar, Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities and

Healthier Lifestyles at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “The FA is committed to bringing the World Cup to England in 2018 and this project shows Central Bedfordshire Council is playing its part in supporting a successful bid. We could even see youngsters who train and develop skills at Dunstable’s Creasey Park playing for their national team”.

OZ-UK Steel Buildings designed, supplied and erected the

bespoke grounds equipment storage facility for this project.This building was bought using the company’s unique BONDED

ordering process through the Royal Bank of Scotland, that gives both client and supplier peace of mind by ensuring that the building, as ordered, is supplied or their money refunded - which in this economic climate takes away any "nancial risk.OZ-UK Steel Buildings can quickly provide a quote and scale

drawings to customers requirements, and their cold rolled system, which is produced in a high technology factory, allows the company to supply and erect steel structures quickly, accurately and ef"ciently on site with very little waste. This means that site time is reduced to an absolute minimum, as in this case - which took only "ve days from start to "nish.

With a wealth of prestigious project experience and chosen as Smith Construction’s preferred fencing contractor, B & L Fencing Services Ltd have expertly delivered a mix of sports ball stop fencing to a new synthetic turf pitch, spectator barrier and timber enclosure to the showcase pitch, and secured the entire site with an anti-intruder surround.! Working closely with Smiths and the local authority, B & L have

helped to create a safe, practical and "nancially viable fencing environment for the Creasy Park project to be enjoyed for years to come.

New football centre ready for kick-off


The scheme is being carried our for Hexagon Housing Association by Main Contractors Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd. Architects are Alan Camp Architects; Structural Engineers are Colin Toms & Partners and Quantity Surveyors are Survey and Design Partnership.The #ats comprise one, two, three and four bedroom

properties, including some maisonettes, and the houses are all three bedroom, with all of the homes having balconies.The development is being built on the former site of an old

warehouse which was demolished to make way for the new scheme.The #ats are being constructed in a combination of three and

six storey elements on a podium deck, which incorporates a landscaped courtyard, with a car park situated at ground #oor level below the podium. This level also includes four retail units and the ground #oors of the three-storey houses, the "rst and second #oors of which rise from the podium level. Communal areas within the #at blocks include a lobby area and lifts.External elevations of the properties are in brick and zinc with

curtain walling elements to the #ats and windows are in polyester powder coated aluminium and timber frames. The development is generally structured around a concrete frame, although the houses are timber framed from the "rst #oor upwards.All of the properties are constructed to Lifetime Homes and

Design and Quality Standards.The project is due for completion in around a year’s time.

Utilising the latest technologies in both electro-magnetic detection and ground penetrating radar CUBE can accurately locate, trace and map the depths and positions of all types of buried utilities and services on your site, including "bre optics, plastic and non metallic services.For further information, please visit the company’s web site or

contact them on the details below.

Innovative design distinguishes social housing scheme

OverseasWales

The vision behind the development is to provide Independence; Community and Support - and mixed tenure opportunities for older people living in the area. This will be the "rst Extra Care development on the Isle of Anglesey.The three-storey development, for charitable housing

association Cymdeithas Tai Eryri, is being carried out by UNDOD Framework Contractors K & C Group. They have also secured the work of upgrading accommodation within a nearby 25-#at block of sheltered housing also owned by the association. Architects are O’Connell East.The work on the new complex has had to be split into 2

Phases in order to provide accommodation for some of the 30 Cymdeithas Tai Eryri tenants who have had to be relocated from the present sheltered housing scheme on the same site. A small section of the original block, including a laundry and a guest room, was demolished to make way for the recently completed "rst phase of the extra care home construction, which includes 16 #ats and informal seating areas built on additional land acquired from the local council. The remaining part of the original building is being demolished in the second phase of the contract in order to complete the scheme.Accommodation includes 35 two-bedroom and 19 one-

bedroom spacious #ats with a combined kitchen/lounge, ensuite level access shower, and a balcony or patio area. Communal facilities will be located in a central hub within the new building and will include: a restaurant; lounge; tenants’ cafe/bar; "tness room; two hobby rooms; a laundry; a hair salon; a therapy/treatment room and assisted bathing rooms. Other communal accommodation includes informal sitting areas; two guest rooms for tenants’ relatives and friends, and a buggy storage/charging room.The building is being constructed with external elevations

in blockwork incorporating large areas of aluminium framed glazing and composite wooden and aluminium framed windows, with a pitched roof. The works will include the installation of a 30kw photovoltaic array and a rainwater harvesting system.External works on the contract include the expansion of an

existing car park and landscaping of the whole site, including around the association’s other 25 #at block nearby, with the intention being to create a ‘campus’ linked by footpaths (as the communal areas in the new block will also be available for the

use of all tenants).The extra care development is due for completion in summer

2012.“The contractors have worked well with the residents -

particularly in dealing with the delicate issue of the demolition of the old housing and the new construction. This has been addressed by holding regular meetings attended by both representatives from the contractors and the tenants, to address any site issues” said Project Manager Eleri Llewelyn.An important consideration for the project has been the

inclusion of Targeted Recruitment and Training clauses within the building contract which has meant that the contractors were expected to: hire 5 trainees/ apprentices to work on the site; monitor the use of local labour and supplies and provide a £17k Community Fund to be distributed by Cymdeithas Tai Eryri in the Holyhead area. Four groups/ organizations have already bene"ted: Holyhead Hotspurs FC, Plas Cybi Partnership (Gardening Club) Kingsland Primary School and Age Concern Gwynedd and Mon.Cymdeithas Tai Eryri is a charitable housing association and

registered social landlord, governed by a management board consisting of 15 members.

Showcasing excellence in extra care

The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) is investing £30m into the "rst phase of Arbed. This involves working with social housing providers to make communities in deprived areas of Wales more energy ef"cient. This is being achieved by retro-"tting homes with innovative measures including solid wall insulation and renewable technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps.Over the next decade, investment into the sector in Wales will

also come from: the Home Energy Ef"ciency Scheme; the Welsh Housing Quality Standard; Feed In Tariffs; and energy supplier obligations.In total, around £350m over the next three years, or £1bn over the

next decade, is likely to be invested into the energy performance of Welsh homes. The sector is highly labour intensive, creating skilled local jobs for local people.In March 2010, it was announced that up to £34 million of

European funding is being allocated to support energy ef"ciency

and renewable energy generation measures in existing housing. The WAG is in discussions with the Welsh European Funding Of"ce regarding the use of this funding in the second phase of the programme.

Eco-friendly installations contribute to Welsh economic recovery


Wales

Gwynedd Electrical Contractors have just completed the installation of PV Solar panels on 44 properties, with the works including erecting scaffolding, carrying out associated roofwork and wiring, and completing all the paperwork required under the Micro Generation Certi"cation Scheme (the internationally recognised quality assurance scheme for PV Solar Panel installers), to which the company is fully accredited. Of the 44 installations carried out on the contract, 14 were

awarded as additional work, as the company completed the originally contracted 30 properties ahead of schedule.Installations were carried out at 40 properties in Llangefni,

Anglesey and four in Llanberis, Gwynedd. These properties were Anglesey County Council and Cymdeithas Tai Eryri properties and funded through the ARBED Scheme.In addition, under the requirements of the contract, the company

took on an unemployed person receiving Jobseekers Allowance in order to provide work experience. The trainee is working as a secretary and will be employed for six months, with the option to stay on at the end of that period.

In November 2010 DLR Electrical Contractor was allocated 30 Solar Photovoltaic (Solar PV) installations to carry out on properties owned by Tai Eryri housing Association & Isle of Anglesey County Council. Work on phase 1 commenced mid November and all 30 installations were successfully completed ahead of schedule by mid February 2011.Staff were trained by specialist company Dulas Ltd (Renewable

Energy Company of the Year 2009). Each property has been "tted with 1.48kWp Kyocera PV modules ( single system encompassing 8 panels "tted onto the roof) which are then connected to either Fronius / SunnyBoy inverters situated in the loft space. Each system has the capacity to generate approximately 1200+ units of electricity per year.

Each installation took the crew no more than a day and a half to install and there was minimal disruption to householders. Operating throughout North Wales, Anglesey-based DLR

Electrical was established in 2005 and now employs 5 full time electricians / apprentices. The company are NICEIC Approved and NICEIC MCS Approved Contractors. They are also members of the REAL Assurance Scheme. Their services include all aspects of electrical installations including domestic, commercial, industrial and also Solar PV installations.



Scot land

The Smith Embankment took 18 months to construct and was built in order to allow Peterhead Port Authority (PPA) – which is responsible for managing and developing the port – to attract new business and target previously untapped markets.The embankment development incorporates a 200 metre long

berth, breakwater, dredging and land reclamation works.Boasting an adjacent working area of 16,000 sq metres and

a water depth of 10 metres, the embankment has significantly expanded the range of projects that can be completed and handled on site.For example, the deepwater berth is ideal for the subsea indus-

try as it can accommodate the new generation of larger diving support vessels that are now coming onstream.Also, the vast adjacent working area provides companies op-

erating within the offshore wind sector with the capacity to as-semble or manufacture components for wind and wave devices.Smith Embankment’s 10-metre depth and impressive heavy-

lift capabilities are also expected to attract business from the growing oil and gas decommissioning sector. Lifts of over 500 tonnes are possible from the quay’s heavy lift pad, while mod-ules of up to 2,500 tonnes can be skidded ashore.A high-capacity electrical connection point allows vessels to

connect to a 350Kva supply and turn off their main engines, so

saving on fuel costs and reducing emissions.Whilst the facility will play a key role in attracting fresh sectors,

it will also provide much needed space and discharging berths for the pelagic fishing industry, which in turn will help cement Peterhead’s position as the UK’s premier fishing port.The Smith Embankment was constructed by a joint venture

between contractors RJ McLeod and Westminster Dredging.RJ McLeod took care primarily of the shore side works includ-

ing piling and concrete works. Fugro Seacore Ltd, a large ma-rine drilling contractor, drilled the rock sockets for the nineteen piles and grouted using their jack up barge Deep Diver and their Teredo 8 pile top drill. Westminster Dredging’s role in the pro-ject was to oversee marine works including blasting and land reclamation.Project engineer Gavin Noble of Peter Fraenkel & Partners

told Premier Construction, “There were two particular con-cerns during the project which you might not find elsewhere. The first was environmental: it was vital to protect the marine life around the port, the most vulnerable of which included porpoises and the common harbour seal. As the seal’s name suggests, it lives in numbers around areas such as this and can be particularly threatened if proper care is not taken dur-ing operations like blasting.“Secondly, this is the biggest white fish port in Europe and at

no point could our work interfere with the fisheries, which are the backbone of the local economy. The boats featured in the TV series ‘Trawlermen’ work out of this area, so anyone who

£30 million new deepwater berth officially opened


has seen it will know the volume of traffic involved, as well as the way fishermen can suffer if anything gets in the way of their livelihood”.Weather, however, presented only minor and infrequent prob-

lems to the construction team. Gavin added, “There were only one or two occasions on which we had to down tools. We know what the weather can be like in the area and we were prepared for it. Luckily, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The only incident we suffered was the loss of some piles which were swept away by waves, but we were able to replace them and carry on as normal”.Peterhead Port Authority chief executive John Wallace said,

“The completion of Smith Embankment is an exciting de-velopment for the port of Peterhead and allows us to further strengthen our ties with existing clients while also targeting new markets. “I congratulate my team and board, the contractors and the

engineers for their dedication and workmanship in delivering this legacy development for Peterhead.“Smith Embankment represents a state-of-the-art facility for

the pelagic fishing industry and commercial interests. The deep water, all-weather berths with supporting infrastructure elevates

Peterhead to a prime position to capitalise on the opportunities that lie ahead”.Work on the project began in April 2009 and was completed by

the beginning of October 2010. A follow-up project to carry out onshore paving was completed by Christmas 2010.

R O M A P U B L I C A T I O N S

The project has been praised by John Paterson of the Montrose Port Authority who said: “We are very pleased with the efforts of all those involved.”Currently the tubular and sheet piling operations have just been

completed on the berth face and the works are progressing with

concrete piling onshore, which will be followed by completion of the quay itself. The deep water dredging is just commencing and this is a particularly challenging element of the project.The project’s backers envisage a considerable carbon saving

as transport in the region switches from land to water.A £3.2 million Freight Facilities Grant had been allocated to

the port authority from the Scottish government, along with a further £5 million loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland. The £8.2 million will enable additional shipping services to be operated between Scotland, England and mainland Europe.

Port project on course for completion


Speaking on a visit to Montrose Harbour, former Transport, infrastructure and climate change minister Stewart Stevenson said, “This signi"cant investment will enable the Port Authority to upgrade the facility and allow local businesses to switch freight from road to water. “In taking more than one million lorry miles off our roads every year – equivalent to almost 130 lorry journeys a week – this project will cut emissions and noise and boost local tourism by removing lorries from scenic routes. This project will generate more than £6.6m of environmental bene"ts over eight years. “We are committed to getting more freight off Scotland’s roads and onto water and rail. Initiatives such as this can make an important contribution towards achieving our 2020 target to reduce emissions by 42 per cent and I would encourage more Scottish businesses to think about their freight priorities and how these impact upon the environment. “The freight industry can play its part by taking advantage of our grant schemes and moving more freight away from the roads”. He said, “I think it’s important to send the message out that Montrose is very much open for business, and looking for new business”. John Paterson, chief executive of the Montrose Port Authority, said: “This is the major building block for further improvements to the port in the future, particularly with the onslaught of the offshore wind and offshore oil and gas decommissioning opportunities”.He added, “The grant was welcome but it was awarded for a

reason – it’s an environmental grant. Once the work is complete, the impact on the environment will be signi"cant and positive”.Agriculture and-oil related businesses already committed to

using the new facilities. For example, in another separate project taking place alongside the Montrose Port development a new grain drying, storage and handling depot is being constructed for Angus Cereals Ltd, who will be future users of the new berth.!

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Contractors catching up on harbour works

Orkney Islands Council has been awarded ERDF funding of £1.19 million towards its programme to prepare the Golden Wharf and West Pier facility at Lyness on the island of Hoy in Orkney for use as a marine renewables service base. The funds will be used to support Phase 1 works including development of the quay frontage for additional hard standing, storage and fendering and measures to cope with increased vessel movements.Works are now well under way at this former

naval base on Hoy, which has remained more or less unused since 1957. An international crew of sub-contractors has been recruited, including Danish marine construction experts Peter Madsen Rederi, who were awarded the harbour dredging contract. The council’s convener, Stephen Hagan, said,

“The works at Lyness are absolutely necessary if we are to stake our place as a centre for marine renewables in Europe and it’s very pleasing to see Orkney’s potential supported

by the ERDF.“There is keen

renewable technology developer interest to utilise the refurbished site as soon as it is available. The marine renewable industry currently employs around 200 people in Orkney, and this !gure is expected to increase dramatically, with this sector described as having the potential to generate the “greatest economic bene!t to Orkney since the birth of the oil industry in the 1970s”.The project, which is 40% ERDF grant funded

and has a contract value in excess of £3 million, commenced in mid October 2010 and is scheduled for completion in May 2011. The main contractor for the works is Currie Brothers Ltd, a local construction company. Additional dredging to ensure adequate depths on approaches to the new berths has been ordered as a variation to the contract. Also added as a variation are the hardstanding works to the service base, some 10,000m#.John Orr, head of marine services, told

Premier Construction in early February, “Currently, the sheet piling and the stone service base are complete and work is ongoing on tubular piling, the suspended deck, services and concrete works, while dredging can commence soon now that

surveys have been completed”.He continued, “It is considered that overall

the contractor is some !ve weeks behind programme. Much of this delay is directly attributable to the extreme weather in December 2010. Currie Brothers Ltd have stated that they will attempt to return to programme by engaging extra resources and working extended hours”. Orkney Islands Council transport and

infrastructure committee chairman Councillor Jim Foubister visited the site along with fellow councillors in January 2011. He was impressed with the catch-up and progress being made by the contractors:“It is the dawning of a new era for Lyness

– already there are a number of companies showing interest in using it as a base for marine renewables. We hope that it is an industry which is going to grow and grow”, he said.



The warehouse was constructed on a gently sloping site on land o the south-west of the M8 Junction 6, where initial works included ground and mine works remediation and levelling.Owing to a programme of network development, the Co-

Operative Group Food Supply Chain Logistics built the new 503,000ft2 composite warehouse to handle distribution to serve their Scotland region. The building is set in a high-quality landscaped environment, complete with a car park.John Sisk & Son Ltd fully "tted out this development over a 20

week programme, project managed by Goodrich Projects.Sisk’s "t out work included the installation of mechanical and

electrical services, frozen and chilled refrigeration, internal racking and a sprinkler system. The supporting of"ce areas were also "tted by Sisk to a high standard. Externally, the work included a vehicle maintenance, wash and a refuelling bay.Chris Dyer, Director of Sisk commented: “This contract win

was great news for Sisk and for our new Glasgow regional of"ce. We opened the new of"ce recognising that clients like the Co-Operative Group seek our skills and expertise throughout the UK, but at a local level. We have enjoyed working with our

partners to present a high quality "nish to this project.”Chris Roberts, Director, Goodrich Projects added: “Goodrich

has built an excellent working relationship with Sisk through our work together on a number of projects. We work to the same ethos of on time and budget completion to the best quality as Sisk, which is why we work together as a great delivery team.”Tim Ellis, Project Manager at Co-Operative Group Supply

Chain, said: “Serving our entire Scotland region, we needed reassurance that the installation would be delivered 100 per cent right "rst time.” The Co-Operative Pharmacy selected Sisk for the full "t out of its national distribution centre last year in Stoke-on-Trent. The Meir Park facility now supports the Pharmacy’s network of 800 outlets.The Co-operative Group stands apart from other major

retailers in the UK as a business which is owned, not by a small group of shareholders, but by more than "ve million consumers. With core interests in food, "nancial services, travel, pharmacy, funerals and farms, it has an annual turnover of £14 billion and operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets, serving more than 20 million customers per week.Sisk Group - Sicon Limited is a diversi"ed building business

involved in construction , specialist stone, architectural glazing, distribution and healthcare in Ireland, the UK and Europe The Sisk Group, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, is a family owned business which has its origins in Cork in 1859.

£13.8 million Co-op fit out completed


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The group is one of the largest privately owned companies in Ireland. In 2007, turnover exceeded $1.6 billion with 2,800 people employed across all of its operations. The Sisk name is best known for its successful construction businesses, which is not surprising since the leading company in the Irish construction market – John Sisk & Son Ltd – is part of the group. In recent years, the group has diversi"ed its interests to include a growing

number of other businesses, a strategy it will continue to follow.

Sitewatch Fire and Surveillance Ltd have provided a fully integrated security system including, full electric security, CCTV, "re, access control gates and barriers.

The project is being carried out by Main Contractors Marshall Construction.Waitrose Newton Mearns will be the retailer’s fourth and largest

store in Scotland and construction of the 36,000 sq ft building, which has a sales area of 25,000 sq ft and a 180 space car park,

represents an expansion by Waitrose in Scotland as part of a UK-wide growth strategy by the supermarket.More than 200 new jobs will be created at Waitrose Newton

Mearns. All new employees will become Partners (as all Waitrose employees are known) in the John Lewis Partnership.Waitrose’s local and regional sourcing team is currently

meeting a wide range of local producers, tasting products from

A Scottish ‘first’ for Waitrose


around Scotland to complement the 300 or so Scottish lines already introduced to the stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh.Tracey Marshall, local and regional product manager for

Waitrose, said: “We’re hoping to "nd some more innovative companies in Glasgow and the West of Scotland that epitomise the qualities we look for in new suppliers: delicious tasting products that are made using the highest quality ingredients.“We already have many long-established suppliers in Scotland,

such as our beef farmers, and are proud to work with fantastic companies who supply Waitrose UK-wide, such as Gigha Island Halibut and West Brewery.”The store forms the second phase of the new Greenlaw

Neighbourhood Centre, a £30 million mixed-use development in the heart of Newton Mearns. When Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor opened

their "rst small grocery shop at 263 Acton Hill, West London in 1904, little did they know that within a century the company would have become one of the country’s leading food retailers employing over 37,000 people.The John Lewis Partnership acquired the business in 1937,

opening the "rst Waitrose supermarket in 1955. Today there are 243 branches, dedicated to offering quality, value and customer service.There are Waitrose shops throughout England, Scotland

and Wales. Locations range from high streets to edge of town sites and vary in size from just 7,000 square feet to approximately 56,000 feet. The John Lewis Partnership as a whole employs nearly 68,000 Partners and has a turnover in excess of £6 billion. As well as Waitrose, it runs 26 John Lewis department stores throughout the UK, several manufacturing concerns and a farm.Astute business policy, top quality workmanship,

competitive tendering and reliability are the foundations on which Marshall Construction has built a reputation as one of Scotland’s foremost independent building contractors.For over 20 years, the company’s success in

the industrial, commercial and residential new build, maintenance and refurbishment markets has been achieved through the commitment, knowledge and expertise of their directly employed multi-skilled workforce, together with a corporate philosophy dedicated to customer care and quality of product.The company’s General Building Services

division maintains a directly employed, experienced and multi-skilled workforce, dealing directly in builder work, joiner work, plumbing, plastering, slating, felt roo"ng, sheeting/cladding, roughcasting, painting and decorating, electrical and drainage work.Reliability is of paramount importance to all

Marshall Construction services, who provide a comprehensive guarantee on work undertaken. No project is considered too large or too small

and the same dedication to quality and commitment to detail goes into every one.


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£2.5 million renaissance for Grade A listed church

One of Lanarks’s largest and most impressive buildings, the 100-year old Grade A listed St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Bannatyne Street, is undergoing an extensive £2.5 million renovation in a project including internal upgrading and modernisation, as well as external restoration and landscaping improvements.Main Contractors for the project are SIM

Building, who too over the project after the original main contractors, Glasgow stonemasons Hunter & Clark Ltd entered

administration and ceased work.Architects Wylie

Shanks have been lending their expertise to work on the church, which was built in 1859, before being burnt down in 1907 and subsequently reconstructed to designs by Ashlin and Coleman of Dublin. Wylie Shanks has provided full design team services for St. Mary’s, as well as assisting in obtaining grants.The scheme includes upgrades to the church’s

roof and masonry, as well as its associated buildings, including the priest house and clubrooms.The works comprise the installation of

internal glazed screens and $oor restoration within the church, rearrangement of the presbytery to improve the priest`s living accommodation and meeting rooms, and alteration and modernisation of the club rooms to create a function suite. A full mechanical and electrical upgrade was also carried out throughout the campus, bar and kitchen and clubrooms.

Building fabric repairs include roof and stonework remediation, including the repair of the church tower and restoration of the stone !nials. In addition, a porch is being rebuilt as a garden room, and the church and its steeple will be $oodlit. The courtyard is to be re-laid out to facilitate

parking, disability access, and pedestrian circulation, although the courtyard works are still to commence due to extreme weather experienced in Dec 2010, which delayed completing the external fabric works, which in turn has delayed dropping of the scaffolds.The works are due for completion at the end

of April 2011.


The development comprises just six, detached new villas and four sympathetic conversions set against the backdrop of the scenic Scottish borders, within commuting distance of the capital city. Carefully set amidst the exhilarating rural scenery is a beautifully

kept, 18 hole golf course. The manicured greens and rolling fairways were lovingly laid out here just ten years ago by a local landowner, whose dream it was to have a golf course on

his doorstep. Beside the course, tucked discreetly away at the end of a tree-lined lane sits this magni"cent development each luxurious home as spacious as one would expect in such an expansive landscape.The magni"cent new Diplomat style showhome has been

expertly designed by interior designer Eileen Kesson with bold yet inviting colours to create a house which any buyer would be proud to call home.The Diplomat’s fabulous entrance hallway is spacious and bright

with a feature staircase leading to the upper “minstrel” style gallery landing.

Manor Kingdom opens doors to the Diplomat in West Linton


The generous kitchen, with separate utility room and boot room, is designed in a striking red with a separate free standing unit, with space for an informal dining area, and incorporates a range cooker, American style fridge freezer and wine cooler. The formal dining room has a bold feature wall with dark brocade

wallpaper, a fabulous mirror and stunning chandelier over an elegant, eight seater dining table. Upstairs, four double bedrooms, three of which enjoy the privacy

of their own ensuite, and a luxury family bathroom are designed around the landing with another unique chandelier positioned above the handcrafted staircase. The master suite is the epitome of luxury with steps leading

down to the opulently designed room, which features an ensuite bathroom with free standing bath and a separate dressing room incorporating "tted wardrobes. A fabulous chaise longue sits in the window with a Juliet balcony offering a beautiful design feature for buyers to enjoy. The three further bedrooms are each bright and airy with

individual designs. One boasts a classic black and white Audrey Hepburn design, another has French style cream furniture, and the third bedroom is designed with trendy denim highlights. An upstairs drawing room on the "rst #oor incorporates a feature

"replace and two balconies which offer commanding views over the Diplomat’s landscaped back garden. The back garden offers plenty of space for enjoying the surrounding countryside and entertaining family and friends in the summer. Estelle Dougan, sales manager for Manor Kingdom, said: “The

Diplomat is an extremely impressive house style, particularly the new showhome at Rutherford Castle as the interior design gives each room the wow factor. The striking combinations of colours highlight the generous space and unique features of the property while creating a fabulous family home. “Visitors to the showhome can’t fail to be impressed by the

house style which offers an enviable amount of space for all the family in a wonderful semi-rural location.”

Contract team rises to the challenge of demanding project

A development comprising apartments, shops and car parking is under construction at 160 - 170 Queen Margaret Drive and 80 Oban Drive in Glasgow, in a challenging project being carried out for Windex Ltd.The scheme, to be known as Queen Margaret

Apartments, is being constructed by J and A Construction (Scotland) Ltd and has been designed by S J Convery Architects, who are also acting as Contract Administrators on the project.The seven storey 5000sq m development

incorporates three retail units on the ground $oor, a 26 space car park at !rst $oor level and 33 apartments for sale on the upper !ve

$oors.The sloping site,

comprised of Drumlin sands/clays and made ground, site sits at the northern side of Glasgow’s West End and adjacent to a conservation area.The building is of a

hybrid structure comprising steel frame, reinforced composite decks and structural timber frame. External elevations are in a combination of conservation style buff and red facing brick and forticrete medici polished facing block, incorporating double glazed uPVC windows, with shop front systems to the retail element and a hybrid roof with slate effect concrete tiling to the front elevations and a single ply $at roo!ng system to the rear. With assistance from RSPB Scotland, Windex Ltd have incorporated Swift nesting bricks into the building, to provide a helping hand for this declining species. The building interior incorporates fully !tted

out communal areas and elevators and the building is being !tted with a !re and smoke detection system and a secure access system

throughout common areas. The car park has fully automated gates.Both soft and hard landscaping will be

incorporated in the rear raised podium deck of the building at second $oor level.Challenges overcome by collaborative

working with the contractor and the design team include budgetary constraints, the constricted property market, rising raw material prices, the existing topography of the site and neighbouring structures, planning restrictions and various additional unforeseeable technical issues.Handover of the building to the !rst tenant is

due in June 2011.



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The DBFO contract is between the Scottish ministers and the appointed consortium, HMC (Highway Management Construction), which is a joint venture between John Graham ltd, Farrans ltd, and Bil"nger Berger AG civil. The company has employed BEAR to take on the operation and maintenance; the project is currently being site managed by Jacobs Engineering.The upgrade will see approximately 8km of new motorway

through green "eld sites and 10km of upgrade work on the existing A80. The Stepps and Haggs route will connect via the Auchenkilns grade separated junction, an existing section of road that was built prior to the new contract and opened in 2006. The junction was designed under a separate design and build contract and has served to mitigate the traf"c disruption caused by the current work. Isis Total Cleaning Solutions are pleased to be involved on the M80 upgrade project, cleaning all the of"ces, houses, portacabins and welfare cabins for the workers on site .The M80 contract is valued at approximately £320 million, which

includes a 30 year road maintenance plan.

Development of the A80 road upgrades has made signi"cant progress in the past three months with a spokesperson from

Transport Scotland stating, “The scheme is progressing well and works are on target to be completed on time”. The Hornshill Junction (Stepps) to Mollinsburn was completed in November 2010. Following suit in completion are the new Hornshill Junction over-bridge, Lindsaybeg road over-bridge, the Auchengeich road over-bridge, the Mollinsburn to Gartferry link road over-bridge and the North road over-bridge to name a few. All have been completed in the second half of 2010, meeting their assessed schedules, and are now open to traf"c.Still in progress is the Mollinsburn Interchange, the Dullatar road

under-bridge, Forest Road under-bridge and Kilsyth road under-bridge will all be due to be completed this month and open to traf"c shortly after. Overall, work is being approached in phases, of#ine and online, which are being completed simultaneously. An existing section of the A80 must be de-trunked once the of#ine phase has been complete.

Scotland taking Stepps to connect its roads


Good performance by contractors delivers much-needed new homes

Completed on programme and within budget is a scheme to construct 48 new homes including apartments and houses, at Beardmore Place, Dalmuir, in a scheme carried out for Link Group.Main Contractors were JB Bennett (Contracts)

Ltd, who were commended on their performance in the contract. “We were pleased with the performance of the contractors and have received some positive feedback from tenants of the new properties too” said Mr John McDowell, Development Manager at Link Group.The site was identi!ed as a potential location

to re-house existing Link tenants from properties that were due to be demolished in nearby Castle Street and Dumbarton Road.The site was acquired by Link Group in March

2008. Link followed OJEU procedures to select the contractor for the project, and pre quali!cation questionnaires were issued and assessed by Link staff and members of the

design team. Tender documents were issued to six contractors resulting in the appointment of the lowest tenderer. Project Architects were Anderson Bell Christie.Work commenced

in June 2009, with !nal handover of the properties in November 2010.40 of the new

properties are re-housing Link Group tenants from nearby homes being demolished, with the remaining eight being for shared equity purchase.The 40 homes for rent include: 16 two-person

tenement $ats; 12 four-person tenement $ats; seven four person houses and !ve !ve-person houses.The remaining eight properties are for shared

equity and comprise: four four-person tenement $ats; one four-person house and three !ve-person houses.

The housing mix was been tailored both to meet the needs of existing tenants from Link’s main regeneration site on Dumbarton Road, and to be sustainable in the future.The works included the installation of a SUDS

drainage system, which comprised a large diameter drain along the line of a disused railway and discharging to the Duntocher Burn to the west. The project received grant funding from the

Scottish Government of £2.9 million Housing Association Grant (HAG).


CEEQUAL is the assessment and awards scheme for improving sustainability in civil engineering and aims to demonstrate the commitment within the civil engineering industry to put environmental quality and community support at the heart of a project.Since the CEEQUAL scheme

was launched in 2003, more than 60 "nal and 20 interim CEEQUAL Awards have been given. Glencorse is clearly among the upper echelons of such projects, having been awarded a rating of 84% - well above the minimum for the top banding.

Minister for the environment Roseanna Cunningham recently checked up on the progress of the works as it prepares to enter into its "nal construction phase.

Ms Cunningham was delighted to view the massive strides being made in this important project:“I am delighted that the residents of Edinburgh and visitors to

the city will soon be enjoying some of the highest quality drinking water in Scotland from this state of the art treatment works at Glencorse. The new works uses the latest technology and will be more resilient and better able to cope with changes in the quality of the source water. “I have been impressed by the efforts made by Scottish Water to

minimise disruption to local residents during construction. Great care has also been taken to ensure the works will blend in with its

Glencorse project continues to impress


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surroundings and have as small a carbon footprint as possible. This is truly a treatment works for the 21st Century.”

When completed in 2011, the Glencorse WTW will supply good, safe drinking water to around 450,000 consumers in Edinburgh and parts of Midlothian.The works have been carefully designed to have minimal impact

on the landscape. The construction has been sunk into the ground such that the highest point of the building will be just 7 metres above ground level. Furthermore, green roof technology will be used to cover the tops of the buildings. This ‘living’ roof means that the works will blend into the countryside and the "nal landscaping bunds will make the works almost invisible from surrounding properties and the main road.As part of the project, Scottish Water is installing 15km of new

pipelines. The twin pipeline will take the clear, fresh drinking water from Glencorse into the existing water supply network in Edinburgh. Instead of having the pipes produced elsewhere and transporting them to the site, a mobile pipe production plant was set up adjacent to the pipeline working area. This unique approach meant that the pipes could be manufactured signi"cantly longer; at lengths of up to 22 metres rather than the normal maximum that can be transported on a standard lorry of 13.5 metres. Longer pipes equal fewer joins and a signi"cant reduction in the construction period.The location of the plant also meant a reduction in lorry journeys

to and from the site of up to 75 percent. This has helped to minimise the carbon footprint of the project. The majority of the work will take place in agricultural "elds but the pipeline does need to cross public roads at some points. Scottish Water has been working closely with the local communities in order to minimise disruption.The route of the pipeline has taken account of several important

issues such as:

The hydraulic model - water #ows through the pipes using gravity, avoiding the need for expensive pumping. Disruption to the public – this has been minimised by sighting

the pipeline in farm land. The pipeline will be tunnelled under the City of Edinburgh Bypass to avoid disruption of this major road.Nature and archaeology – the route has been designed to avoid

sites of archaeological interest and the habitats of protected species such as badgers. Also, Scottish Water is minimising tree-felling and damage to hedgerows by taking the pipeline through existing gaps or areas of sparse vegetation where possible.Find out more about the project by visiting www.scottishwater.

co.uk/glencorse


Hydropower scheme makes excellent progress

Construction of a new 807 kW hydropower station is progressing on programme and on budget in an approximately £1.8 million contract at Roroyere, Glen Lyon, Scotland for Green Highland Renewables.The !rst of three small run-of-river

hydropower schemes in Glen Lyon to be developed by Green Highland Renewables, this nine month scheme is being constructed under an option and lease agreement.Mr Alastair Riddell, Managing Director at

Green Highland Renewables, said: “The project is making excellent progress and we have not had any major problems. We will be proceeding to commissioning at the end of

May 2011 and should be generating by the beginning of June.”Main Contractors

for the civils works are Tam Shilliday. Project Managers are Green Highland Renewables.Works completed

include the construction of a small concrete weir complete with a !sh pass, plunge pools and Corander wash-over screens to remove debris from the water. Underground plastic and ductile pipework has also been installed, the concrete walls of the turbine house have been poured and the roof is being !tted, ready for the imminent delivery of the New Mills turbine and the Hitzinger generator. Following this, the mechanical and electrical

works, including the installation of the main grid transformer and the grid connection, will be carried out by Scottish Electrical Contracting and SHEPD. This will be undertaken in line with the energization programme, which will take place in the latter two weeks of April and the !rst two weeks of May 2011.

The Roroyere Hydro Scheme is part of the Glen Lyon Partnership hydro project which is a series of seven planned hydropower developments that has also required investment in 20 km of 33 kV underground cabling in the Glen to enable connection to the National Grid.Alastair Riddell says “Scotland is absolutely

ripe for more hydropower. We have been successfully using the technology here for more than 100 years. Our terrain and our climate are ideally suited to it, with many suitable sites in the Highlands for small and medium sized schemes.


Main Contractors for the project are Bellway Homes (West Scotland) Ltd. Employers Agents are Martin Aitken Associates and Architects are The Homes Partnership.The new homes were constructed on a brownfield site. The

scheme included the construction of 54 properties, including 30 two and three bedroom flats in several two storey blocks and 24 two, three, four and five bedroom houses, including semi

New Glasgow homes bring new horizons


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detached and terraced properties.All of the homes will have fitted kitchens and central heating,

with the houses having front and rear gardens and the flats hav-ing plotted gardens to the rear of the blocks.The development includes the development of communal

landscaped areas and will include both in curtilage and com-munal car parking.The project commenced in March last year and completion,

which was scheduled for May 2011, is now imminent.Horizon Housing Association is a Registered Scottish Charity

which owns more than 700 properties in 11 local authority areas from North Ayrshire in the west of Scotland to Fife in the east.! It also provides factoring services to 18 owner occupiers.All of Horizon’s properties are designed to Housing for Varying

Needs standards, with approximately 25% designed to meet the specific needs of wheelchair users. The organisation!is based in a!purpose designed barrier-free office in Livingston.Horizon is the managing agent of the highly successful Care

and Repair service in West Lothian, which has assisted well over 1,000 older and disabled home owners with essential adapta-tions or repairs to their homes.Geared to creating inclusive, sustainable communities where

people’s particular housing needs are met, Horizon continues to pursue new development opportunities in Central Scotland with the overall aim of increasing the supply of affordable housing, particularly fully wheelchair accessible accommodation.Horizon is committed to achieving their vision through ensur-

ing: the provision of a top quality, effective and efficient service to all customers; staff who are are adequately trained and professional in the service that they deliver; all customers are treated with courtesy, respect and consideration at all times; services which are fair and free from discrimination, and that all information is treated confidentially. The association also ensures that that the views of customers

are sought on a regular basis, listened to and where appropriate

and acted upon, and aims to be responsive to the needs of their customers at all times.The Bellway Group has provided more than 100,000 homes

since it was formed In1946 and is one of the largest housebuild-ers in the country with operations spanning the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.The group employs around 1,400 people with expertise cover-

ing a range of development disciplines. Key activities include: land acquisition, finance, planning, architecture, design, build management, marketing and customer service.Bellway’s homes are designed and built by local teams operat-

ing from regional offices managed and staffed by local people. This allows the company to stay close to its customers and to take key decisions about design, build, materials and planning in response to local and not national demands.Designers and other consultants tend to be local, which makes

for house designs with a strong regional identity in tune with the local vernacular.Bellway plc is the 4th largest house builder in the UK.! It is

listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:BWY) and is a FTSE 250 listed company. The company has enjoyed sustained growth, and is recognised

throughout the industry for its regeneration capabilities. In 2010 it sold 4595 homes.

KleerKut Ltd identified Japanese Knotweed at the Eastfields development. In order to minimise the effect on the build programme, infested soils were relocated within the site and then eradicated using accelerated treatment methods. Once treatment is complete, these soils will be inert and can then be re-introduced to the works. This site specific solution allowed remediation to be carried out with minimal environmental im-pact and ensured compliance with current legislation and the Code of Practice.


The WISP scheme will see the development of five schools over five sites. This is the first hybrid PPP procurement project in Scotland, which aims to provide all the best aspects of PPP without the perceived drawbacks. Funding is in the form of a government grant rather than a private investor. The contract, in essence, is a standard Design & Build project, tendered at Stage D, but with the added requirement for FM and building lifecycle expertise.Construction of all the schools is being undertaken by an FMP

Joint Venture involving Farrans (Construction) Limited, H&J Martin Limited and David Patton and Sons (NI) Limited, with 3DReid carrying out the design contract. The private sector development partner is Faithful & Gould.3DReid have also taken the positive step of employing the

whole consultant team to offer the client a one-stop service.An SPV (called Sgoiltean Ura) was set up as a legally separate

arms length (but Council owned) entity to deliver the project and operate the buildings on their behalf. The SPV is acting as the contracting party throughout the entire construction contract and into the FM/LCM stages.The new Point Primary School is being constructed on the for-

mer site of Bayble Primary School, and will amalgamate three primary schools - Bayble, Knock and Aird Primary Schools.The old Bayble primary school has been demolished in an

earlier enabling contract, with the pupils being decanted into another block on the site which was previously used for second-ary education, with this block too being demolished once the new school has been completed.The new single strorey school will include general teach-

ing classrooms with breakout areas, a dining room, catering kitchen, library ICT areas, and a secure external courtyard in the centre of the building, which will also be used for teaching.External works include the creation of a synthetic all-weather

football pitch, MUGA and hard and soft landscaped play areas, an environmental garden, a car park and a bus turning area.The building is of steel frame structure with external elevations

in rendered blockwork, incorporating aluminium framed win-

Schools take shape in Scotland’s first hybrid PPP project


dows and a monopitch aluminium standing seam roof.Currently, the new school building is largely wind and water-

tight, with the internal fit-out underway and the services being installed.The project commenced in July last year and the main school

building is due for completion in July 2011.The other four schools involved in the PPP contract are:

The Nicolson institute: Stornoway, Lewis; Sir E Scott School: Tarbert, Harris; West Side Primary School: Barvas, Lewis and Balivanich Primary School: Balivanich, Benbecula.The project at The Nicolson Institute involves the construction

of a new high school for 1,100 pupils, including the refurbish-ment and remodelling of existing listed buildingsThe existing Sir E Scott Secondary School is being refurbished,

remodelled and extended to form an all through school which will now also include a new primary school for 75 pupils and a nursery for 20 pupils, in addition to the creation of new second-ary school accommodation and centralised catering and gym facilities.West Side Primary School is a new primary school being con-

structed to accommodate 100 pupils, together with a nursery for 23 pupils.Another new primary school is Balivanich Primary School,

which will accommodate 150 pupils and is being constructed together with a 0-5 Nursery for 60 pupils.In addition, the Council has recently taken the decision to in-

clude a sixth school as part of the contract which will be located in Daliburgh, South Uist and which will comprise a new primary school designed to accommodate a pupil roll of 100.Alex Donaldson, Partnerships Director at 3DReid said:“Our key aspiration for these community focused schools is

to!create innovative, sustainable and environmental design!so-lutions and we are working closely with the rest of the team and the local community to achieve this.”!!

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Glasgow’s newest £74 million attraction set to open

Glasgow’s £74 million new attraction, the Riverside Museum - home for Glasgow’s collection of transport and technology - will be opened by Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson in June 2011.Construction of the museum is being carried

out for Glasgow City Council by Main Contractors BAM Construction. The project has been commended as one of the most responsible construction sites in Britain.The museum, at 100 Pointhouse Place, will

have 7,500 square metres of public space - mostly on the ground $oor.The Zaha Hadid-designed building will house

around 3,000 exhibits in around 150 displays. It is the third home for the transport museum since Glasgow !rst opened it in the 1960s. Riverside Museum is the !rst purpose built transport museum in Glasgow and is the !rst major museum Glasgow has built since The Burrell Collection opened in 1983.The new museum

has a deep wall and roof makeup and triple thickness glass that help to stabilise the environment within the building and conserve heat."The glazing is heavy !ltered to contain solar-gain, particularly on the south-facing façade."Because high light levels damage some

materials such as textiles, wood and paper, light levels will be set low enough to reduce damage, but high enough to make it easy for visitors to get around."The cold cathode lighting chosen is energy ef!cient and has very long life.""

Much of the display lighting uses innovative low-power LED technology to reduce power consumption and further stabilise the environment inside the building."" In January 2010, the project was given a 5

out of 5 inspection by the independent Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS)."The CCS’s report highlighted Riverside Museum’s considerate use of building materials."This included recycling wood rather than sending it to land!ll."The CCS grading, which also looked at cleanliness and safety, means that Riverside Museum"was one of the most responsible construction sites in Britain.



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The bold design, courtesy of architects McAdam Design, uses large simple areas of a palette of high quality materials. The centre’s cross section responds to the pro"le of the site, integrating a large building effectively into the natural topography of the site. The design includes feature areas of natural stone as a reference to walls and structures which were previously on site. It integrates the historical demesne, the adjacent, recently restored Victorian Walled Garden, and the leisure centre, allowing each to compliment the other in function and layout.Selected as a sustainability demonstration project by

Constructing Excellence Northern Ireland, the building is on target for achieving BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating, which is extremely rare for wet leisure facilities. CHP units will locally generate all heat requirements and 65% of the building’s own electricity. Rainwater harvesting will store 75,000 litres of water for reuse in the building, while the 70m glulam beams which form the roof structure are sourced from sustainably managed forests.The project represents an investment of £38 million in new

leisure facilities, including a grant of up to £15 million for the pool from the Northern Ireland Executive administered by!Sport NI.! !The new leisure centre will provide state-of-the art sports

facilities for the local community as well as training, strength and conditioning facilities for elite swimmers and athletes. On site since August 2010, the project is due for completion in

summer 2012.Sports minister Nelson McCausland said, “This will be Northern

Ireland’s "rst Olympic-sized swimming pool. As a regional centre of excellence, it will be a state-of-the-art facility to be enjoyed by all the people of Northern Ireland. Sport is essential for our young people, and DCAL’s (Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure) investment in elite sports facilities is not just about the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is about creating a sporting legacy for our young people so they feel inspired to play sport,” the Minister continued. !The project represents an investment of £38 million, including

up to £15 million investment from the Northern Ireland Executive.

It is anticipated that employment opportunities for around 200 tradesmen will be created during the course of the build. ! Commenting on the project, the mayor of North Down,

Councillor John Montgomery, said, “This facility will be a tremendous local legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and deliver long-term economic and sporting bene"ts to the people of North Down and the wider Northern Ireland community. I would like to offer my congratulations to Farrans”.Chief executive of Sport Northern Ireland, Eamonn McCartan,

added, “As the lead agency for the development of sport in Northern Ireland, we are excited about supporting the creation of sports facilities such as these which will both drive up participation and develop high performance in sport”.!

Farrans design manager Felim Blaney has been involved in the project from the start, bridging the gap between design and construction and assisting in the ‘buildability’, technical feasibility, and the integration of specialist designers on the project. He spoke to Premier Construction:

Olympic facility on the way in Bangor



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“The site is developing well”, he said, “despite challenges we’ve encountered with unforeseen ground conditions. As a team we have pooled signi"cant effort to redesign and reschedule the works and mitigate delay to the build programme”.“Challenges have been a driving force for innovation. Our "rst

operation on site involved stripping back the existing topsoil for reuse in the soft landscaping. This was formed into a large temporary bank on the east of the site shading the nearby residence from the construction activities. This was particularly bene"cial when large areas of rock were encountered absorbing and protecting local residents from the noise and vibration of rock breaking activities. Over 7,000 cubic meters was then crushed on site for re-use in roads and car parks and avoiding the recent hike in the aggregate tax. We also reviewed landscaping levels with RPS and are currently reusing over 30,000 cubic meters of spoil to enhance the undulating parkland pro"le of the scheme. This saved 3,333 lorries of waste ground to land"ll and reduced the carbon footprint of the scheme by 159 tonnes. Innovation is not reserved for times of crisis, however, as

Felim explains: “The rainwater harvesting on site is something that has bene"ted from some clever design. This has been further enhanced by proposing a siphonic rainwater system that reduces the number of downpipes from over 40 to 4, enhancing the clean lines of the façade and reducing over 500m of underground drainage”.As things stand, the building is to be handed over in late

summer 2012.

A key element of the project involving the design, procurement, supply and commissioning of all "ltration and water plant for the centre’s new 50 metre Olympic size swimming pool, as well as the diving and leisure pools, is being carried out by Barr & Wray - the UK’s largest and longest established swimming pool specialist contractor.In addition, Barr and Wray supplied and installed the moveable

#oors designed to vary the depth of the water for the 50 metre

pool and the diving pool, as well as a submersible boom allowing the 50 metre pool to be divided into two 25 metre pools. They also supplied and installed a bubbler system for the diving pool. The system agitates the surface of the water providing a visual reference point for the diver, and also forms an air cushion to soften the surface impact of the dive.Barr & Wray has designed, installed and commissioned

equipment for many 50 metre pools in the UK, including those at Liverpool Aquatic Centre, Uxbridge Lido and the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth.Barr & Wray is a truly global company, carrying out pool and

spa projects both throughout the UK and worldwide, having installed pools in over 40 countries. The company, which has its headquarters in Glasgow and of"ces nationwide in the UK, as well as in Dubai and Hong Kong, recently won their "rst two contracts to carry out projects in China. They plan to derive 50 per cent of their turnover from overseas markets by 2014.The company, which has been established for over 50 years,

had a turnover of £15 million in the "nancial year just ended, with a projected income of £17 million for the current "nancial year.



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The 5000 sq metre building is located adjacent to Belfast

Metropolitan College’s Millennium Community Outreach Centre on the Spring"eld Road, and will accommodate approximately 400 users per day, drawn from higher education students, school pupils, start up companies, local businesses and community organisations. Construction is being carried out by a Bowen Mascott joint

venture, with WYG acting as Project Managers, Structural, Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, CDMC Consultants on the scheme, along with Austic Williams Architects.e3 will create a vibrant partnership between the college

and businesses across the city and help to drive economic regeneration and stimulate enterprise. Activities delivered at the campus will underpin the needs of small to medium businesses in industry sectors which have been identi"ed as having growth potential.

Students will be encouraged to use their learning and project experiences to identify new business opportunities and will be supported to progress into e3’s business incubation and hatchery units. These #edgling businesses will be able to utilise specialised equipment to help grow their business.The building will be owned and operated by Belfast Metropolitan

College and will provide industry standard facilities including: an animation and digital editing suite; fully equipped and sound insulated TV and radio production studios; a technology game production facility; a hospitality training department including a teaching kitchen, and manufacturing and engineering facilities

Innovative new building will promote both training and business


for product innovation. There will also be a facility designed for the innovative use

of new and emerging technologies, with resources for the testing and demonstration of renewable energies. This area will incorporate a mock house equipped with a range of renewable energy equipment, which will complement e3’s integrated sustainable technologies including solar panels, a biomass boiler and wind turbine.!Other facilities include a canteen and servery for the students,

meeting rooms, training rooms, and business incubation pods, which can be used both by the college or leased out as independent of"ce suites; Additional facilities within the building include ancillary spaces such as toilets and storage areas.The centrepiece of the building will be a fully glazed full height

atrium with a mezzanine #oor project based learning space. This area will provide a more informal learning and breakout area, where smaller groups of students and lecturers can work on, and discuss projects outside the classroom. This #exible area will be serviced with multiple power & data points as well as mobile interactive white boards.The steel framed building is constructed on lower ground,

ground and "rst #oor levels, with external elevations a combination of blockwork, render and cladding, incorporating large areas of glazing, aluminium framed windows and a #at roof over.External works include the creation of lower and upper service

yards to the rear of the building, where a generator, a wind turbine and various services plant are housed. Other external works comprise hard and soft landscaping, together with tree planting and the installation of new bollards and seating to the front of the building, the construction of a section of access road and the extension of an existing car park.Speaking after touring the construction site of the new building,

Finance Minister Sammy Wilson said: “This modern building will provide the facilities and the basis for the development of a strong working partnership between Belfast Metropolitan College and the local business community.

“This project, the "rst of its kind, will assist the development of that partnership, providing a contemporary business environment with activities underpinning the needs of small to medium size businesses which have been identi"ed as having growth potential.“The economic downturn has had a severe impact on Northern

Ireland’s private sector and it is critical that we start to explore new opportunities. “Belfast Metropolitan College is to be congratulated for its

vision in bringing forward this project and I would like to take this opportunity to wish it every success in the future.”The college’s Director and Chief Executive, Marie Therese

McGivern, said the building is an “imaginative initiative” designed to support the economic and social regeneration of North and West Belfast.”Currently construction is progressing well and on programme.

The works commenced in September 2010, with the building scheduled to open in Spring 2012.

The project to construct the new centre was led by Down County Council and the Ballymote Project Board. Main Contractors were Bowen Mascott.Designed by Architects Kennedy Fitzgerald, the new centre

boasts a range of modern facilities including a dedicated centre of excellence for boxing, a four court badminton facility and championship netball court, state-of-the-art "tness suite and SEELB youth facility which will deliver a wide range of youth work programmes to the local community.When "rst envisaged some eight years ago, the Ballymote

Project was earmarked for £1.2 million, but through a combination of people power and joined up government, the project managed to secure some £4.2 million from a range of sources including: Sport Northern Ireland, Department for Social Development, the International Fund for Ireland, Department of Health and the South Eastern Education and Library Board Youth Services.The completion of this project sees the realisation of the

futuristic Neighbourhood Action Plan, drawn up by the Flying Horse Estates Area Neighbourhood Committee and

taken forward by community groups such as the Ballymote Community Project Ltd, the Flying Horse Community Forum and the Downpatrick Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership. The Chairman of Down District Council, Councillor Eamonn

ONeill welcomed the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Nelson McCausland and the Minister for Social Development, Alex Attwood, along with dignitaries, funders and community

Multi-million pound new sports centre will benefit the whole community


representatives to the of"cial opening of the centre.Speaking at the of"cial opening, Councillor ONeill said “Down

District Council is very pleased to be a leading partner in this exciting project, which represents in reality the ethos of joined up government; partners and communities working together with collective ownership and responsibility. “The completion of the Ballymote Sports and Wellbeing Centre

comes on the heels of the extension and refurbishment of the Ballymote retail complex and community hall. Together these facilities will not only provide essential services and improve the social fabric of the area, but open up a whole range of opportunities for the local community which will play a major role in contributing positively to the health and wellbeing of local people” “This really is a signi"cant development for Downpatrick, and

the completion of this visionary project marks the beginning of a new, brighter era for the people in the greater Ballymote area.”Minister McCausland added, “The centre will provide

opportunities for people of all ages and levels of ability, to participle in sport and physical recreation. It is a well known

fact that sport improves health and well being and the location of this centre will also help to enhance a sense of community pride and belonging.”

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The project will deliver housing in an environment where support is available 24 hours a day, to allow residents to live as independently as possible.The new accommodation, which will be for older people with

mild to moderate dementia, is being built in partnership between South Eastern Trust (SET), Trinity Housing Association and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. The main contractors for the project are O’Hanlon & Farrell.Incorporating 12 two bedroom apartments for frail elderly

people and 10, one bedded and 2, two bedroom apartments for people with dementia, the development has been designed to allow residents to live independently in their own apartments comprising a living room, kitchen, one or two bedrooms, and bathroom.The apartments for dementia clients are arranged around

secure courtyard gardens with internal communal spaces to cater for organised leisure and recreational activities. The building has been designed with wide corridors and low level glazing to maximise sky visibility and daylight. Subtle signage and assistive technology to maintain residents’ safety will enhance a sense of well being and create maximum choice for those living in the scheme.Minister for Social Development Margaret Ritchie, who cut the

"rst sod for the new facility said: “The Alzheimer’s Research Trust has highlighted the need for more focus on dementia sufferers. The launch of this new scheme is a reminder of what can be achieved when the Social Development, the Health Department, the Housing Executive and the voluntary sector work in unison to come up with innovative and much needed housing solutions for some of our most vulnerable citizens.“When I launched the New Housing Agenda I envisaged

housing opportunity and choice for all members of society. I want to ensure that everyone has a home that is suited to their own speci"c needs. This new facility has been very much designed around what will make residents lives better. It will be person centred and will create maximum choice for all who will live here”, she addedSarah Browne from the South Eastern Trust said the core

emphasis of the design and the planning for the provision of care was a response to the voice of the older person in the 2004 Audit Commission Report, Older People – Independence and Well-being. They said the new facility was offering older people the independence, empowerment and the choice they wanted.“We need a fundamental shift in the way we think about

older people, from dependency towards independence and well-being,” said Sarah Brown “When they are asked, older people are clear about what independence means for them and what factors help them to maintain it. Older people value having a choice and control over how they live their lives.

£3 million scheme at the leading edge of Supported housing provision


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Interdependence is a central component of older people’s well-being; to contribute to the life of the community and for that contribution to be valued and recognised.“They require comfortable, secure homes, safe

neighbourhoods, friendships and opportunities for learning and leisure, the ability to get out and about, an adequate income, good, relevant information and the ability to keep active and healthy. The service will assess and provide a continuum of care, meeting people’s needs in partnership with them and their families.“With well trained staff and the use of assistive technologies,

the service will be designed to promote independence, and facilitate empowerment and choice. This approach will not only enable people to remain at ‘home’, lead healthier and more active lives within their community.”Trinity Housing is a registered housing association with the

Department for Social Development (DSD) R53 and a member of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations.It was formed in 2007 following an amalgamation of Choice

Housing Association and Corinthian Housing Association. Its area of operation is Northern Ireland and its key area of activity is the provision of social housing and support services for elderly people, including non- sheltered grouped dwellings, sheltered housing and housing for people with dementia. In addition, the association provides supported housing for a range of needs including mental illness and learning disability, as well as general family housing.Trinity is a founder member and shareholder of Apex

Procurement NI Ltd, a company formed in 2009 for the purposes of the delivery of social housing in NI in accordance with the DSD Procurement Strategy.Trinity, as a registered social landlord, works in partnership

with other statutory agencies and voluntary organisations including Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) and all recently formed Health & Social Care Trusts for the provision of specialist care and support.Since its development as a building contractor over 15 years

ago, O’Hanlon & Farrell has undertaken extensive public and private sector contracts in all areas of construction, ranging in value from £250,000 to £14,000,000The company has developed a high level of expertise in the

new build and refurbishment of social housing and associated premises through their contracts with Northern Ireland

Housing Executive, Trinity Housing Association, Fold Housing Association, Fingal County Council, Louth County Council and numerous others.The building is due to be completed in March 2012 and will be

operational in April 2012.


The building complex is almost one million square feet in area and is located on a 60-acre site overlooking Wolf Lough on the Omagh road out of Enniskillen.The Northern Ireland Health Group (NIHG) consortium were

appointed as Preferred Bidder by the Western Health and Social Care Trust to design, construct, "nance and manage the new acute hospital. The consortium has four stakeholders - FCC Construction SA, Allied Irish Bank Plc, Interserve Investments and P. Elliott & Co.Construction is being carried out by P. Elliott & Co in their

largest ever contract and they are working in unison with FCC Construction from Spain.The new 312 bed hospital will provide essential health and

social care for the people living in the Western Trust Area and will offer services including acute medicine, accident and emergency, day and elective surgery, children’s and older people care services, critical care, imagining, diagnostics and consultant-led maternity services.Geotechnically, the site is very challenging.! The adjacent

Wolf Lough and woodlands area is prone to land slip, and the foundation condition resembled tooth paste. The bulk of the site is built up from over 3,500 double auger drive piles onto which a 400mm thick transfer slab is constructed and the site up"lled. With a policy of ‘ No excavated material to be taken off site,’ the earthworks were a complex exercise of identifying and using existing competent material for up"ll, and lime stabilizing other material to the required CBR’s for piling mats.!

£270 million hospital will redefine the provision of healthcare


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The new hospital campus is a three-storey complex for the most part, with some areas having four stories. The entrance to the hospital will run through a wet land area and will feature a bridge. The hospital will include bright spacious single private bedrooms and a hospital street, which essentially is an internal courtyard running right through the building. The single patient rooms all bene"t from striking views of either the adjacent Wolf Lough and woodlands, or the beautiful internal ‘ linear garden‘. The hospital will also incorporate a full restaurant, cafe, shop and hairdressers and there will even be an ATM machine and crèche.The hospital comprises a series of well designed and

considered departments and public spaces that are animated by sunshine and daylight with continuous views of landscape and rural surroundings. The environment will be reassuringly un-institutional and yet provide an exemplary and #exible clinical facility. Organic in form, the buildings sit naturally in their landscape,

nestling the contours and breaking the skyline with their shallow sloping roof planes.Northern Ireland Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said:

“The new hospital will offer a wide range of invaluable services including 24/7 A&E, inpatient services including medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, day case surgery and day procedures. It will also offer a comprehensive range of diagnostics, including radiology and laboratory tests and a wide range of outpatient services.“This new state of the art health care facility for the people of

Enniskillen and the surrounding areas represents a signi"cant investment by my department. Despite forced budget cuts and huge "nancial pressures, this new hospital remains on course for completion and will be a vital facility for the South West region.”The project is due for completion by 2012 and has over 650

construction operatives and 65 staff on site.


DON’T GET BITTEN BY THE GREED OF OTHERS

As the cost of metal sores due to demand by foreign markets, so does the risk of theft and where better to !nd that pot of gold than on the construction sites dotted up and down the country.By their very nature construction sites are

temporary and whilst every effort is made to secure the perimeter, security arrangements are often weak leaving the contractor and the client vulnerable.Unfortunately this vulnerability does not

always stop at the appointment of a security contractor and in fact the risk may increase due to the greed of unscrupulous security contractors who often are associated with the criminal fraternity or are incompetent, so what can you do?Firstly the private security industry is now

regulated under the “Private Security Industry Act 2001” and it is now a statutory

requirement that all persons working in the industry (and this includes contract guards working on construction sites), must hold an SIA licence issued by the regulator – the Security Industry Authority (SIA), failure to comply can result in prosecution not only for the employee i.e. the security of!cer but also his employer and his employers client i.e. you! So always ask for the SIA licence details of all staff working on your site.Secondly, how do you ensure that the security

dog handler and dog are trained and competent?Since 2009 the security dog sector has had a

British Standard for which the NASDU Code of Practice was used as the basis of this !rst ever standard which is published as: -BS 8517-1:2009 Code of Practice for the Use

of General Purpose Security DogsThis standard which takes the form of

guidance and recommendations covers all aspects associated with the provision of security dogs.

As you can see, we now have a tool for which you, the client, can assess any potential security contractor providing security dog services. Ask the question “are you aware of BS 8517”

and “are you compliant, if not why not” and if not satis!ed then don’t employ.The National Association of Security Dog

Users (NASDU) is a non-pro!t making organisation founded in 1994 and opened in 1996 at Surrey Police HQ Mount Browne by the Right Honourable Bruce George MP who currently is Patron of NASDU.For further information on NASDU please

contact Head Of!ce on 01483 888588 or visit www.nasdu.co.uk


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With several large players in the industry already reaping the bene"ts of such programmes, CITB-ConstructionSkills is continuing to bolster support for the quali"cation during 2011. The Diploma in C&BE which has been overseen and developed

by CITB-ConstructionSkills in its capacity as a Sector Skills Council, and has been taught in schools and colleges since September 2008, has provided the perfect quali"cation to help the UK’s construction industry prepare for the future and to keep it at the cutting edge. In August 2010, more than 350 bright, young students achieved

the diploma. This "rst cohort of diploma students would achieve a quali"cation which has equipped them with the knowledge and practical ability to do great things in an industry which demands continual evolution and innovation. Indeed, many leading construction companies are seeing the

bene"ts and continuing to support the quali"cation. One such diploma devotee is industry stalwart GJ Seddon, who have already backed around 60 diploma students throughout the North West. Along with Seddon’s, giants such as Wates and Balfour Beatty are also supporting the diploma to help develop skills that bene"t both their own organisations, and the industry as a whole. Offering a quali"cation equivalent to GCSEs and A Levels,

the diploma has proved to be a sophisticated and modern quali"cation, with a mix of academic and practical learning, capable of producing students who are ready to meet the challenges of today’s construction and the built environment sector.

In addition to the 350 diploma achievers, 1,100 extra students have also successfully completed the Principle Learning Quali"cation, which is a component of the diploma and is, in itself, equivalent to "ve GCSEs at the higher level and two A Levels at advanced level. All of these young people have picked up skills that mean they can ‘hit the ground running’, this being an obvious advantage for any construction employer.Importantly, the diploma has also allowed knowledge to

be imparted to the next generation of workers. With new construction methods and technologies being developed at a rapid rate, it is crucial for individuals to learn these skills at an early stage of their careers. The government’s emphasis on sustainability and low-carbon technology are two areas that the UK’s construction and the built environment industry needs to be at the forefront of over the next few years. The diploma certainly provides the opportunities to give 14-19 year olds a solid grounding in these "elds.In order to build on the promising results so far, CITB-

ConstructionSkills is urging industry as a whole to become more involved in helping to deliver the quali"cation. Nick Gooderson, head of education, training and quali"cations at CITB-ConstructionSkills, says,“The Diploma in C&BE was developed for the industry, by the

industry, and is capable of helping to deliver a very bright future, but needs the support of everybody to continue its success in 2011 and beyond. The future of the industry is very much in our own hands. “We should not see the Diploma as the preserve of the large

industry players: it also needs the involvement of smaller "rms. By increasing the number of employers getting involved, we can ensure that recognition of the quali"cation is increased among the entire industry. Without this broad support, it will be harder for us all to avoid the skill shortages that plagued the industry

The Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment continues to build for the future



after the 1990’s recession”.Although times may be tough for the industry now, it will be

vital for the industry to have the right new, young talent going forwards in order to make the most of the recovery. With the right industry support, the diploma is ideally placed to be able to do this – continuing to inspire young people about a future in construction.

Cutting CarbonChief executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills, Mark Farrar, explains how the Cut the Carbon campaign will support business growth opportunities for small and medium sized employers, as well as helping them to comply with carbon reduction legislation…

Small and medium sized construction businesses must act now to up-skill if they want to take advantage of the growing demand for low carbon construction. Forward thinking SME contractors have already adapted their business models to the drive for a low carbon built environment, and are winning work as a result. But not everyone is prepared for the industry’s low carbon future and ready to translate awareness into action.The government’s ‘Green Deal’ in England could create 100,000

jobs by funding the improvement of insulation and air-tightness across 26 million homes in the UK. Small and medium-sized (SME) contractors must not miss out on this crucial opportunity to win work. At a time when!many small businesses across the UK are battling with the impact of the recession, the prospect of new work in the construction sector couldn’t come at a better time.

It is not just the Green Deal that is generating opportunities for contractors, but also the changing expectations of their clients, from the public sector to private organisations and homeowners. For clients, the recession has not halted the drive to cut carbon emissions – not least because there are real cost and business bene"ts to be secured. During our research into the attitudes of SME contractors’

clients towards carbon reduction, 95% of the clients we asked expected carbon reduction to become ‘essential and

business critical’, ‘very important’ or ‘quite important’ for their organisation within the next "ve years. We also found that 57% of homeowners have undertaken work, or are planning to undertake work over the next "ve years, to improve the carbon ef"ciency of their homes. For contractors willing to engage

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with this potential client base and deliver on their low carbon requirements, the opportunities are huge.SME contractors can support clients in all sectors by identifying

the most cost effective ways of providing them with low carbon solutions (and the resulting cost savings). And with the majority of the clients we surveyed also stating that low carbon skills have a direct in#uence upon their procurement decisions, it is clear that contractors with the skills to deliver low carbon solutions will have a strong competitive advantage over those without them.

However, it is not just the opportunity to win work that means SME contractors should be prepared for the industry’s low carbon future. The carbon reduction targets set by government, industry and clients are ambitious and achieving them will require a collaborative effort from industry and it is crucial that SME contractors have the knowledge and skills to play their part. Take for example the changes to Part L in October 2010: without understanding how to achieve the new energy ef"ciency requirements, contractors are exposed to the danger of hefty "nes and their ability to win work is crippled.

The new Cut the Carbon campaign was launched in October 2010 to support SME contractors in accessing the business opportunities on offer by acquiring low carbon expertise. A partnership between CITB-ConstructionSkills, the Federation of Master Builders and the National Specialist Contractors Council, the campaign focuses!speci"cally on the skills needed for delivering the low-carbon future that clients want and that legislation demands. It will build on the work of other industry bodies that are supporting the low carbon drive such as the Carbon Trust and the Zero Carbon Hub. The campaign will directly support SMEs, helping them

understand what the new carbon legislation will mean for them

and equipping them with a tangible mix of knowledge and skills to respond to increased client demand. The Cut the Carbon campaign points to a number of upskilling

options for SME businesses looking to improve their employees’ carbon reduction knowledge and skills. Investing in training is one of these options, and CITB-ConstructionSkills supports this process through the training grants it makes available to the industry.The construction industry accounts for almost half of the UK’s

carbon emissions – our sector, therefore, has a responsibility to reduce energy consumption and help tackle climate change. Increasingly prominent in legislation and clients’ contracts, the drive to cut carbon is set to grow and grow and it is clear that there are crucial opportunities to win work on the back of this growth. The support is in place through the Cut the Carbon campaign – it is now up to the contractors to ensure they secure the bene"ts that are on offer.For further information about the Cut the Carbon campaign,

visit www.cskills.org/cutcarbon


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Working at height? You can count on the ATLAS safety net

ATLAS was formed to promote the common interests of steeplejacking and lightning conductor engineering companies. By working to maintain a high standard of conduct, combat unfair practices and encourage safety and ef"ciency, it offers its members access to the best industry knowledge and advice available.ATLAS is governed by a council elected annually by the

membership which meets four times a year. Meetings are open to all ATLAS members to participate in discussions on industry topics, to pose questions and to meet with other member companies to further both their own development and that of the industry. Outside the quarterly meetings, work continues throughout

the year in the form of committee activity, ensuring that ATLAS remains at the forefront of all industry developments, in#uencing decisions, improving standards and reporting back to its members.Membership of ATLAS is carefully monitored and all companies

are obliged to abide by the association’s constitution and code of conduct.

To ensure high standards of safety, both for management and operatives, through a comprehensive range of training and quali"cation

To protect others who may be affected by their operationsTo maintain a high standard of professional conduct and ensure members comply with current regulationsTo represent to clients a hallmark of quality and ef"ciencyTo secure equitable forms of contract with clients and to discourage unfair and unsafe work practises

ATLAS is fronted by "gures who have built up years, if not decades, of industry experience, and who all share a belief and willingness to work for the bene"t and betterment of the industry. The association’s presidency is currently held by Graeme Fisher.

Graeme joined the established steeplejack and lightning protection company A.W. Elliott in 1974, and through the years held positions as contracts supervisor, contracts manager, contracts director, managing director, and company chairman until 2004, when the business assets were sold to Omega Red Group.Graeme has been an active member of

ATLAS since the 1980s, becoming heavily involved in lightning protection matters and representing ATLAS on BSI technical committees for lightning protection and earthing for over 20 years.

To "nd out how your company or organisation can bene"t from ATLAS membership, visit www.atlas.org.uk


For some time clients have been demanding that their project teams consider, reduce and manage site waste, sometimes to reduce costs of waste to land"ll and sometimes to secure ratings or compliance with schemes that necessitate consideration of Site Waste Management – indeed there are now consultants who have made this arena their specialisation. But now the new regulations in England (and Best Practice Guidance in other parts of the United Kingdom) have made it necessary for many more clients, who may have differing perspectives on sustainability and Site Waste Management, to grapple with demands made of them by these regulations and Best Practice Guidance. The Site Waste Management Regulations 2008 do not, however, offer any guidance or assistance for clients. Clients are therefore asking their project consultants to tell them what is required of them – and asking for help in dealing with the regulations.Whilst there is no requirement in the regulations for anyone to

advise clients, (or anybody else involved in a project), about Site Waste Management, there is clearly a need for this to happen and a clear business opportunity for someone to provide such a service.A consultant’s guide to the provision of services relating to

the Site Waste Management Plans Regulations 2008 and Best Practice Guidance has now been published by the Association for Project Safety and is available for those who wish to offer the additional service of ‘Site Waste Management Plan Client Adviser’ to their clients or who wish to know more about the whole subject of Site Waste Management.“Advising clients about Site Waste Management” provides

consultants with information and procedures that they can use to help clients and design teams meet the challenges of effective site waste management on projects. The guide:

Gives a concise background to Site Waste ManagementOutlines the costs of site waste and the environmental bene"ts of Site Waste Management Plans and planning to increase recovery, recycling, and re-use of materials and to reduce site wasteProvides an overview of the Site Waste Management Plans Regulations 2008 and Best Practice GuidanceExplains the implications of the Regulations and Best Practice GuidanceOutlines “who does what” in different parts of the United KingdomSuggests services that consultants can provide to help clients and design teams deal with their Site WasteManagement obligationsDemonstrates the synergies between these services and CDM processes and requirementsProvides a step-by-step guide to working as a client adviser dealing with Site Waste Management Plan issues

This ‘Advise and Assist’ process often parallels the duties of the CDM co-ordinator under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. The Association for Project Safety, which has in-depth knowledge and experience of CDM co-ordination practice, has used its experience to help develop this ‘step-by-step’ guide so that this additional service to clients can be offered by CDM co-ordinators, as well as other consultants. They will then be acting as an adviser to clients

on Site Waste Management - a ‘Site Waste Management Plan Client Adviser’ - a clumsy term but it says exactly what is in the tin! Because the Site Waste Management Plans Regulations and

Best Practice Guidance also directly, or indirectly, require clients to make sure that others carry out certain duties, clients will expect assistance from designers and certainly designers will need to consider their obligations in supplying the information required in the Regulations. It is clear that in many instances clients will need a speci"c adviser to ensure that their duties are properly discharged and that all parties work together to comply with these new Regulations (in England) or the Best Practice recommended in other parts of the United Kingdom. The CDM co-ordinator, who, for most construction projects valued at £300,000 or more will already have been appointed, is in an admirable position to provide ef"cient and targeted advice to the client on all of these matters and this is the basic premise upon which this guidance is based. On the other hand consultants who wish to provide a separate advice service to clients will also "nd that this guide helps them deliver that service consistently and effectively.“Advising Clients about Site Waste Management” shows

that there are simple ways of harnessing the bene"ts of the Site Waste Management Plans Regulations 2008 (and Site Waste Management Best Practice) that will help clients with their obligations and duties, assist them in reducing the costs of project waste and enable them to maximise environmental gains – all of which can be compelling concerns in contemporary project realisation.Copies of the Guide, priced at £34.00 incl P&P for members

and £44.00 incl P&P for non-members, can be obtained by contacting the Association for Project Safety, Stanhope House, 12 Stanhope Place, Edinburgh, EH12 5HH, T: 08456 121 290, E: [email protected], www.aps.org.uk

Advising clients about Site Waste Management


Assoc iat ions

The Renewable Energy Association represents the UK’s renewable energy industry, covering all renewable sectors across power, heat, transport and renewable gas. The REA is a not-for-pro"t industry association established in 2001 and has grown rapidly to become the largest renewables industry association with over 600 corporate members, uniquely representing all forms and scales of renewable technologies. We have a proven track record of acting on behalf of all our

members to achieve breakthroughs in UK renewables policy and legislation. REA prides itself on its ‘one member one vote’ ethos, its co-operative approach and its coherent perspective across the whole "eld of renewable energy. Our members comprise a wide variety of organisations including generators, project developers, fuel and power suppliers, equipment producers and service providers. Members range in size from major multinationals to small installation companies.The REA’s mission is to bring renewables into the

mainstream. We seek to do that with the urgency necessary to safeguard!national energy security, and to help ensure global climate stability. REA’s immediate objective is to ensure the UK meets its 15% renewable energy target by 2020. Our work is therefore about securing the best legislative and regulatory framework for expanding renewable energy production in the UK.Bene"ts of membership and our activities include:

Policy development: The sheer quantity of new renewables policy means it can be almost impossible to keep on top of it all. REA policy specialists, who are often UK leaders in their "eld, provide advice to members on a daily basis to save our members time and money. The REA regularly lobbies Government, its Departments, their agencies and Parliamentarians, through policy development and pro-active campaigns. Securing Action:! We work collaboratively with Parliamentarians, NGOs, think-tanks, and others to secure Government and EU action on renewable technologies.Communications: The REA runs REA News, a bi-annual magazine which features industry news, topical articles and interviews. Every week the REA emails out a member newsletter, containing must-know information, key diary dates and a table detailing the status various consultations. Members receive an individual! listing on our website - www.r-e-a.net, and in the winter edition of REA News.Events: We run a number of set-piece events throughout the year, including the REA’s Annual Renewable Energy Awards and Gala Dinner, Bioenergy Conference and WATTs (our wave and tidal energy conference).Training: We also run a programme of tailored workshops, covering the Renewables Obligation, Renewable Heat Incentive and Feed-in Tariffs

The British Renewable Energy Awards, organised by the Renewable Energy Association, were inaugurated in 2006 to celebrate outstanding achievements in the British renewable energy sector across all technologies and resources. Over the past "ve years, the Awards have become one of the most prestigious events in the industry’s calendar.This year, the Awards will be presented at a gala dinner at the

Jumeirah Carlton Tower in Kensington on Thursday, 16th June 2011. There will be an extremely exciting top panel of judges this year, with Peter Ainsworth as Chair of the Judges.! Peter himself

was winner of both the PRASEG and the CIWM Parliamentarian of the Year Award, 2009. The 2011 judging panel includes;

TV presenter and geologist, Professor Iain StewartBBC broadcaster, Tom HeapMet Of"ce’s Head of Climate Change Advice, Dr Vicky PopeGuardian Environment Editor, Damian Carrington!

The creativity and ingenuity of the UK renewables industry ensures there are a wealth of companies and individuals who have achieved something outstanding during 2010. Pre-nominations for the Awards are now open. REA’s Chief Executive, Gaynor Hartnell, commented;“These Awards recognise outstanding achievement in the

British renewable energy sector. They are a tribute to innovation and excellence. The exceptional quality of all those that are short listed serves to demonstrate the exacting standards, talent and originality within this industry.”Awards categories include the Champion Award, which could

be an organisation or an individual that has helped advance renewable energy through a campaign, a highly in#uential report or other means.! And, this year, it includes a Community Award - The REA hope that there are going to be many exciting community schemes nominated, especially given the Feed–in Tariffs scheme and forthcoming Renewable Heat Incentive.For more information of what’s in store, please visit - www.r-

e-a.net

REA – The United Voice of the Renewables Industry



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