Build Magazine May 2016

Timber Rising Popularity / BIM implications in China / Working in Risk / 14,228 New Homes in The UK

Boutique Lawyers is a Melbourne Based Law Firm Who Only Deal with Building and Construction Disputes Olivia Terziovski, the firm’s principle, provides us with an overview of how Boutique Lawyers as a firm of the future aims to revolutionise the building and construction industry.

Also in this month’s issue...

2016 Infrastructure Innovator of the Year - UK We got in touch with Steve Williams, managing director of Road Rail Cranes, to find out more about the company, and how the niche area of work was discovered.

Build Earth Live Announces Dubai Future Foundation & Dubai’s Road & Transport Authority sponsorship of Hyperloop event and date change.

Build Magazine: May 2016

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Editor’s Letter

Welcome to this month’s edition of Build Magazine.

As part of our Special Features, this month we spoke to Steve Williams, the Managing Director of Road Rail Cranes Ltd about their innovative ideas and how they are changing infrastructure within the industry.

We also spoke to Olivia Terziovski, Boutique Lawyers principle about the company’s aims and its strategy to success.

Concept Laser GmbH give us an insight into what makes them the award winners for the 2016 3D PrintingHardware category.

In other features we look at the implications for BIM in China and how the UK Government is set to build 14,228 new homes in the near future. We also take a look into the Real Estate and Construction industry and offer you insight into Eco Building and Architecture. Also providing you an inside look at the industry through conversation with experts.

I hope that you enjoy reading through this issue.

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Contents 4. News Special Features 10. Road Rail Cranes Ltd 12. Boutique Lawyers 14. Concept Laser GmbH 16. CivilGEO, Inc 18. John Anthony Signs 20. Arconn Group Pty Ltd 22. Thomas-Bell-Wright International Consultants 24. Schneider Construction Services Inside the industry 28. The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) 30. Implications for BIM in China Eco Building 34. South Lanarkshire College Goes Low-Carbon with NIBE 36. Timber’s Rising Popularity 38. UK Deal Announced for the Manufacture of Structural Composites from Recycled Plastic Waste Real Estate 42. 14,228 New Homes Registered in April in the UK 44. Chototel Chooses India to Build Its First $2 per Day Hotel 46. Real Estate Fund Manager of the Year - USA Architecture 54. Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts Marks Milestone in Montreal 56. Rye’s Maritime History Fused with Contemporary Design Construction 60. Build Earth Live Announces Dubai Future Foundation & Dubai’s Road & Transport Authority Sponsorship of Hyperloop Event and Date Change 62. Transport Hub Evolution Products & Innovation 66. Murphy Crossrail Work Offers Testbed for the Future

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News New Report Shows Vast Increase in Spend on Projects in the UK Government Construction Pipeline Analysis by KPMG has revealed a £62.6bn jump in the value of the UK Government construction pipeline since August 2015, reflecting inclusion in the pipeline of the full cost of HS2 to Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, and additional spend on education and nuclear decommissioning.

The report, UK Government Construction Pipeline - KPMG Analysis, captures £181 billion of spending on Government funded projects, increased from £119 billion in August 2015, and highlights that the largest changes in the pipeline are due to: • An increase of £32 billion in the transport sector attributable to inclusion of the Spending Review 2015 budget for HS2 Phases 1 & 2 • An additional £15 billion in the education sector, due to an increased balance of spend as identified in ‘Investing in Britain’s Future’ • A £10 billion increase in the value of the energy sector pipeline attributable to additional spend on nuclear decommissioning Of the 15 sectors covered in the report, 84% of the pipeline value comprises projects in Transport (£92.2 billion), Energy (£32.3 billion) and Education (£27.9 billion).

A further 15% comes from Ministry of Defence (MoD) (£6.9 billion), Science and Research (£6.9 billion), Flood (£4.9 billion), Health (£4.3 billion), Justice (£1.8 billion), Housing and Regeneration (£1.4 billion) and Police Forces (£1.3 billion). Waste, Further Education, the Coal Authority, Culture, Media and Sport and Home Office all represent £1 billion or lower per sector in project value.

Projects that benefit the whole of the UK represent the largest spend by geographic split in the pipeline (69%) at £124.5 billion which includes HS2.

The second highest spend is represented by the South at £22.8 billion (13 per cent of the pipeline) followed closely by the North at £20.7 billion.

Richard Threlfall, KPMG’s UK Head of Infrastructure, Building and Construction said: “It is encouraging to see the dramatic increase in forecast spending resulting from the Government including the full budget for HS2 phases 1 and 2 in the pipeline. The focus now needs to be on efficient delivery to ensure that projects are delivered to time and budget.”

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Decorean to Build £27m Residential-To-Office Development in Hook 17th May 2016 - Decorean, one of the fastest growing construction companies in and around London, has won the contract for the £27m office to residential development of Bartley Wood Business Park, Hook.

The development, which represents one of the UK’s largest office to residential developments in a business park to date, will see the 84,000sq ft business park, change from existing commercial usage into 107 modern one and two bedroom apartments, set over three floors. The flats will include oversized windows, high ceilings and will be built to a high standard.

The park had previously attracted a number of major occupiers including Virgin Media and BMW. Shraga Stern, Managing Director of Decorean, said: “The apartments will be built to the company’s usual high and exacting standard, exemplifying our dedication to perfection. The location of this site is particularly exciting for us with London being less than an hour away by train, making it a desirable commuter location. We are committed to creating high quality, affordable housing and proud of this development.”

The construction is expected to be completed in winter 2017. To date, a quarter of the units have been exchanged. The sale price of each unit in Hook is between £200-250K, in line with Decorean’s desire to build affordable and high quality living.

Intro Crowd Launches New Way to Invest in Land Development Intro Crowd today launches an innovative platform that allows investors to invest in land with potential for housing development. Investors have the chance to buy shares in companies owning the land for as little as £1,500.

Gregory Baker, Intro Crowd’s chief executive, says: “There are plenty of ways to invest in property, but our platform allows people to invest in strategic land, which are sites on the edges of towns and villages. The Government has pledged to build one million new homes over the next five years and the challenge is finding the land on which to build them.

We believe our investors can make a contribution to reducing this shortfall.” Intro Crowd identifies promising sites adjacent to existing settlements which are experiencing a high growth in population.

The sites are then listed on the platform with site plans, a report and indication of future land value from chartered surveyors. After the purchase of the site has been funded, investors hold shares in a company which owns the land proportional to the amount they put in.

Intro Crowd then handle the planning application process and when the land is sold to a housing developer the net profits go to investors. There is a transparent and simple fee structure: • An investment fee of 2% plus a one-off management fee which will vary from site to site • A success fee to Intro Crowd of 5% based on the gross proceeds of sale.

Intro Crowd has already purchased its first land site to kick start the launch, a strategic land development at Cam, near Dursley in Gloucestershire. Additional sites to be funded by investors will be added to the platform over time.

Gregory Baker says: “This is an investment for ordinary retail investors as well as sophisticated and high net worth clients. It is an opportunity to diversify their portfolios into an alternative asset class. However because there is no guarantee that the land we purchase will secure planning permission, we make it absolutely clear that this should be considered a high risk, long term investment and that an individual’s capital will be at risk. It should form part of a well-balanced, well diversified portfolio.”

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Metallic Building Company Recognises J.B. Steel, Inc., with 2015 Builder of the Year Award Metallic Building Company (Metallic), a leading custom-engineered metal building systems manufacturer, is proud to announce Medford, Oregon–based J.B. Steel, Inc., as our 2015 Builder of the Year award winner. An Authorized Metallic Builder since 1997, J.B. Steel, Inc., has a solid reputation for innovation and creativity, providing metal building solutions for its customers in the U.S. West Coast region. This award was presented during the Metallic Building Company’s annual National Sales Meeting on March 4, 2016, at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort in Amelia Island, Florida.

“Andy Batzer and his team do very impressive and innovative work in the pre-engineered metal building construction industry, exemplifying what a Metallic Builder of the Year represents: ingenuity, creativity, collaboration and a spirit of community,” said Metallic President Tom Boal.

“The key to success for me has been paved by the creativity and design abilities of the people around me, so this award really is the culmination of a team effort,” said Andy Batzer, owner of J.B. Steel, Inc. Working alongside Batzer is a team comprised of a creative and hardworking family and staff.

Brothers Russ and Bill Batzer, and Andy’s daughter, Tara Fisher, are key to the overall management of the company. The in-house design team consists of two licensed architects, Gary Caperna and Bruce Anderson, both members of the AIA. Mike Thibeault, Larry Rux, and John Williams lead the shop and field staff with combined experience of more than 100 years.

Together, they have been involved in numerous metal building projects that, in Batzer’s words, “really push the limits of what a metal building can do.” Case in point is the Ochoco Hangar at Hillsboro Airport in Hillsboro, Oregon. The project required Batzer and his team to come up with creative solutions to complicated design-build challenges that ultimately resulted in the successful completion of the building.

In addition to delivering a number of successful, high-complexity metal building projects for his clients, Batzer and his team are integral members of their Southern Oregon community. Batzer is personally involved with the Rotary Club of Medford, through which he has participated in the installations of nearly 20 playgrounds at local area schools and parks; Kid Time!, a nonprofit children’s museum; and Kids Unlimited, a provider of youth and community development services to the underprivileged.

The Builder of the Year Award is presented annually to an Authorized Metallic Builder to recognize their consistent contributions to the pre-engineered metal building construction industry and their local community, and the builder’s innovative use of metal building materials.

J.B. Steel, Inc. has previously earned Metallic excellence and merit awards and a spot in the Metallic M-Team (top 25 builders in the nation) on numerous occasions.

Holmen Invests in a Wood Treatment Plant at Braviken Sawmill Holmen is investing in a pressure treatment plant and a distribution warehouse at Braviken Sawmill outside Norrköping, with the investment estimated to amount to SEK 50 million.

Opened in 2011, Braviken Sawmill now manufactures sawn and planed wood products in spruce and pine. Over the years, the mill has expanded in size and gained a new warehouse for its finished products. Having started out only sawing spruce, in summer 2015 a strategic investment began with a view to broadening production to include pine joinery timber, as well as enabling the manufacture of decking and joists for outdoor purposes.

“In autumn 2015, Braviken Sawmill began sawing both spruce and pine. We want to offer our customers a broader range and the wood treatment plant is a natural next step. The plant will be highly automated, with scope for further development in the future,” says Johan Padel, CEO of Holmen Timber.

Making up a large part of what builders’ merchants sell in Sweden, treated wood is used for projects such as terraces, jetties and fencing.

Pressure treatment gives the wood a longer life and minimises the risk of attack from wooddecaying fungi and insects.

“Demand for treated wood products is growing and with Braviken’s central location in a densely populated region, we have excellent opportunities to reach out to builders’ merchants with our expanded product range. The wood treatment plant is scheduled to be up and running from winter 2016/2017, so we expect to be able to deliver decking for next summer’s construction and DIY projects,” relates Henrik Sjölund, President and CEO of Holmen.

Holmen’s bio co-location in Braviken makes full use of the whole tree. Wood chips from the sawmill serve as a raw material in pulp production and by-products such as bark and wood shavings are used as biofuel to produce energy and district heating. The circle is closed when the surplus heat from the paper mill is used in the drying process at the sawmill.

Holmen is a forest industry group that manufactures consumer board, paper and wood products and runs forestry and energy production operations. In 2015 Holmen’s net sales were SEK 16 billion and the group has approx. 3,300 employees. The firm’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Large Cap.

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Special Features

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Special Feature

2016 Infrastructure Innovator of the Year UK

Road Rail Cranes is a unique company who safely deliver rail infrastructure solutions through their fleet of highly innovative mobile cranes. We got in touch with Steve Williams, Managing Director, to find out more, and how they discovered their niche area of work.

Road Rail Cranes was originally set up to fill a gap in the market of railway infrastructure.

When we spoke with Steve it became clear that throughout his career, he had significant experience working on both railway infrastructure and with cranes. It was this experience that helped him to identify a true gap in the market where they could, amongst other things, install signal and overhead line gantries in areas that were difficult to access.

“It became clear that the industry would greatly benefit from a solution for heavy lifting when working on railway infrastructure. So together with my experience with cranes, I came up with the idea of developing a bespoke solution that would allow a crane to work safely on and off track.” Steve teamed up with Derek Hook and Ian Cross, and Road Rail Cranes became a reality.

“What makes RRC unique is that our mobile cranes have adapted rail wheels, which means they can work on road and track. Our range of plant equipment means that we can offer a complete service which is more cost effective.

Jobs can be completed within a short space of time, which is critical in this fast paced industry. ” Steve continued, “To give you an example of how we work, if a company hired a conventional crane, a number of issues would typically arise. Firstly, there would be the issue of access to the surrounding land – which generally incurs fees (from farmers / land owners), and a road way would need to be put in place using aluminium panels to provide access to the track. As you can imagine, this involves significant manpower and additional cost. Our solution is to access the area by using the rail wheels on the crane which has the net result of causing much less disruption, and work can often be carried out in a single shift. For more traditional heavy lifting companies, this process could take days or even weeks to prepare the ground and organise access.”

“We have grown significantly in the last three years and as word gets out about the speed, safety and quality of our service, we are adding more and more cranes to our fleet and growing our customer base. We started out with just one AC40 All Terrain Crane and now have seven Rail Cranes (five AC40’s and two AC55’s) and more than forty full time staff members. We are proud that our client base is so diverse; from working directly with Network Rail to working with individual contractors, each job brings its own challenges. The range of work we can carry out is vast and includes

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installing gantries and footbridges to removing obsolete footbridges and replacing track panels.”

“When it comes to working on projects, planning is paramount. Our initial meeting provides us with an opportunity to meet with our customers and scope the project. We then decide on the most appropriate course of action, plan the work in detail, and ensure that we have the right members of staff working on the project to ensure a satisfactory outcome. We aim to use the same team members on a project from its inception to completion.

We are scrupulous in our planning and project execution, and a post-project review helps us to identify any issues and how we can overcome these on future projects.”

“We employ full time permanent staff, which means that they can see projects through to completion. It also allows staff members to become specialists in recurring projects or when working with specific clients. We have invested in a significant amount of additional plant, including sixteen Rail Trailers, a new Faymonville five axle semi low loader Trailer, and a new Cormach Lorry Crane.

Our ancillaries include a Chieftain Trailer and a Matt Carrying Trailer, which means we can provide an all-encompassing service to our clients. Our latest venture is an AC100-4 (L) all terrain mobile crane, and four rail MEWP’s and two Long Reach Gigarailers which we will take possession of in Autumn 2016.”

“We work all over the country on projects as varied as installing signal gantries in Cardiff, removal of station footbridges in Newport, and installation of a swing bridge in Selby, North Yorkshire. Some of our work can be a little more complex and requires months of planning, as when we worked on the prestigious Flying Arches project in Chorley - we removed temporary steel structure supports and reinstalled listed Stone Arches. We completed this project in 4 x 24 hours night shifts, ahead of schedule under very restrictive circumstances.”

“We are very much looking forward to the future and all the challenges it will bring; our main focus is to make sure that our existing clients are looked after.”

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Company: Road Rail Cranes Ltd Name: Steve Williams Email: info@roadrailcranes.com Web Address: www.roadrailcranes.com Address: 31 Miners Road, Llay Industrial Estate, Llay, Wrexham, LL12 0PJ Telephone: 01978 852254

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Special Feature

“We start with the end in mind and plan from the beginning how to strategically focus on the result rather than on the time and effort it takes to get there.�

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2016 Boutique Building Construction Law Firm of the Year, Australia Company Boutique Lawyers Pty Ltd Name Olivia Terziovski Email olivia@boutiquelawyer.com.au Web Address www.boutiquelawyer.com.au Address Level 14/350 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Telephone +61 1300 556 140

Boutique Lawyers is a Melbourne based law firm who only deal with Building and Construction disputes. We invited the firm’s Principal Olivia Terziovski to provide us with an overview of how Boutique Lawyers as a firm of the future aims to revolutionise the Building and Construction industry.

Here at Boutique Lawyers we are on a mission to change the construction industry and we will do it one case at a time, one letter at a time, one call at a time, one person at a time. We start with the end in mind and plan from the beginning how to strategically focus on the result rather than on the time and effort it takes to get there.

Currently the industry is a challenging place to work, as more disputes are being litigated, more builders are becoming insolvent and more developers are being sued and running at a loss. The industry in Victoria is suffering and becoming increasingly competitive, forcing business owners to cut corners in order to make some kind of profit. It has become common practice for Builders to now under-quote to win a project, as a result, families are ending up with defective homes that they can’t afford to fix and can’t live in or sell. Subcontractors are ending up insolvent by taking on jobs that they aren’t being paid for by Builders because the Builders are under-quoting.

Builders are cutting corners wherever they can to save money because they have under-quoted and it is becoming too costly to build and to buy, and ultimately something has got to change.

To facilitate this, we are one of the few Building and Construction law firms (if any) in Victoria that offer fixed fee services based on results. We get homeowners the houses they paid for and builders paid for their work. We also help developers make more money and protect owner-builders. We do all this for a fixed price, as agreed for value, we don’t waste time and we imagine one day that all law firms will follow our lead, focus on results rather than the effort it costs to get to the result.

I was originally a corporate lawyer and then one day I was involved in my own building dispute, which gave me a first-hand insight into what to expect. I finally experienced how it felt like to be a client. That’s when I realised that something had to change in the legal industry. What worried me most then about my case was receiving my lawyer’s bill for thousands of dollars and nothing had been achieved! After that I decided to strive towards changing the way that the whole legal industry operates with fixed fee billing based on value and results. There is a fair way to go but everything starts with a small change.

“I went through a building dispute which changed the way I thought about Building and Construction law; it enabled me to discover my true passion in life.”

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As a sought after law firm we are selective and will only work with a select few clients that we can get the best results for at any given time based on value. We select the clients who we feel we can give the most care and attention to, who we get along with and whose disputes are cohesive with our expertise. This ensures that we can secure the best possible results for our clients. We wouldn’t put a client in a position where we cannot help due to lack of knowledge as this would be negligent. We really care about all of our clients.

Currently our work involves conducting research on over 700 cases that we have reviewed and where clients have required advice on regarding practices within the building industry. One key project involves the potential action where either the Builders or Engineers may have been incorrectly sued; and in fact, the other party involved in the project may have been at fault causing issues to arise. This is a major concern in the building industry.

Throughout the years practising as a Building and Construction lawyer, I have been amazed at the number of cases that I have come across regarding slabs that have failed in the realm of domestic building works in Victoria. In 2016, with all the technology available, information online and many ways to communicate, it seems incredible to me how such practises are still occurring.

Personally, I find the number of cases that this has occurred in a little strange and it really makes me think about whether there is something more controversial going on or whether it’s just a case of human error.

Another key concern we have is with the number of cases that have currently been decided upon or settled upon concerning slab heave where the rectification works suggested or undertaken have actually rectified the slab or whether the slabs continue to fail, the result being, the wrong party being sued and the wrong works being undertaken and the performance of the slab continuing to fail, creating losses for all involved.

As such, in order to change the industry for the better we are constantly educating our clients. We are part of industry groups that consistently review judicial decisions and developments within the industry. We also research and write articles that are relevant to the industry, in order to enrich the wider community knowledge and understanding.

Ultimately, despite having encountered many other firms within the industry we have yet to come across a firm that runs their cases like Boutique Lawyers. We do not write pointless letters, we do not charge by the hour and we do not make futile calls. Everything we do, every letter we write, every call we make is with purpose and is aimed towards getting the best possible outcome for our client.

The Building and Construction industry is constantly evolving, and in the future we expect a number of developments. New legislation is being passed as we speak which is due to come into effect by 1 July 2017. Our firm will continue to support our clients and work with them to ensure that we obtain the best results for them. We aim to deliver on agreement, regardless of timescale, to ensure the outcome is positive.

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Special Feature

2016 3D Printing Awards - Hardware

Concept Laser GmbH from Lichtenfels, Germany is, unlike almost any other company, one of the real pioneers and key drivers of powder-bed-based laser melting with metals. We profile the firm and explore its history of creating pioneering 3D metal printing processes.

When Frank Herzog founded Concept Laser GmbH back in 2000, a metal laser melting machine was an entirely unknown quantity in the market. How is a 3D geometry created from metal powder using a laser? What does 3D printing mean or a digital process chain for the manufacturing of the future?

The answer was industrial machine technology: Concept Laser unveiled the first machine of this type in 2001 at Euromold in Frankfurt. With more than 50 patents granted today and over 100 patent applications, Frank Herzog and his workforce of more than 170 employees continue to champion and develop the LaserCUSING® process. The company caters for the global market for laser melting machines across all different sectors from sites in Germany, the USA and China and through a network of more than 35 distribution and service partners.

Concept Laser’s high quality standards, expertise in processes, applications and materials deliver reliable and cost-effective solutions which prove their effectiveness in everyday production and are primarily aimed at reducing part costs. In addition to commercial aspects, the process offers a large number of other benefits compared to conventional methods of production: The parts are lighter, the designer has new freedoms, the topology and geometry are optimized, additional functions can be integrated, and less raw material is required. What this means is parts that were previously manufactured using machining processes are now being redesigned to fully exploit the new potential offered by additive manufacturing.

Concept Laser offers a range of small machines (50 x 50 x 80 mm3) right through to the machine with the world’s largest build envelope (800 x 400 x 500 mm3). Machines from Concept Laser that are equipped with multilaser technology are among the fastest, safest and highestquality laser melting machines in the world. More than 550 installed machines and prestigious references and projects of this Franconian “hidden champion” around the globe send out a clear message and symbolize an outstanding technology for the future sealed with the endorsement “Made in Germany”.

For example, today the aerospace industry, automotive industry, medical technology, dental technology, toolmaking and other sectors focus strategically on 3D metal printing as the economical and highquality production strategy of the future that embraces the notion of “Industry 4.0.”

The patented LaserCUSING® process from Concept Laser is used to create high-precision mechanically and thermally resilient metallic components.

The term “LaserCUSING®,” coined from the C in Concept Laser and the word FUSING, describes the technology: The fusing process generates components layer by layer using 3D-CAD data.

In this process, fine metal powder is melted locally by a high-energy fiber laser.

The material solidifies after cooling. The contour of the component is created by redirecting the laser beam using a mirror redirection unit (scanner). The component is built up layer by layer (with a layer thickness of 15 – 500μm) by lowering the bottom of the build chamber, applying more powder and then fusing again.

What makes systems unique is its stochastic control of the slice segments (also referred to as “islands”) which are processed successively. This patented process ensures a significant reduction in stresses when manufacturing very large components.

Ultimately, over the course of the past 15 years LaserCUSING® has evolved the additive manufacturing of 3D components from a rapid technology to the stage of industrial series production, and the firm is looking forward to the invigorating new opportunities that the future will provide.

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Company: Concept Laser GmbH Email: info@concept-laser.de Address: An der Zeil 8, 96215 Lichtenfels, Germany Telephone: +49 (0) 9571 1679 0

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Special Feature

Ones to Watch for 2016: Engineering USA

CivilGEO, Inc CivilGEO develops advanced engineering and environmental modelling software for civil engineers worldwide. We spoke to Chris Maeder, Engineering Director at CivilGEO, to find out more about the company itself and to hear his thoughts on the current state of the engineering industry.

CivilGEO, Inc. was started in 2010 to provide a set of advanced hydraulic modeling tools for civil engineers who place a premium on high performance water modelling software.

At CivilGEO, one of our guiding principles is to build a tool that will be indispensable to the civil engineering community. We regularly consult with practicing engineers to design and implement industry-specific and highly functional software. We strive to help engineers work as efficiently as possible and produce the most accurate results. On-going conversations with professional engineers that depend on our software is key to our success.

Effective water resource management and planning is a cornerstone of our economy and modern culture. GeoHECRAS, CivilGEO’s principal software program, eliminates the frustration civil engineers often experience integrating external data sets and files with comprehensive water modelling software.

The advanced capabilities of our software combined with uncompromised technical support consistently sets CivilGEO apart from the competition.

GeoHECRAS is an AutoCAD, Bentley MicroStation and ESRI ArcGIS compatible interactive 2D/3D graphical user interface data wrapper to U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s HEC-RAS software. GeoHECRAS greatly speeds up HEC-RAS model creation and produces modelling scenarios that are more accurate and ultimately more useful to engineers.

The GeoHECRAS software rapidly constructs HEC-RAS models as it pulls data from a variety of sources. The software computes water surface profiles for steady and unsteady flow conditions, analyzes and designs bridge and culvert roadway crossings, generates floodplain and flood hazard maps, performs river and stream restorations and realignments, computes flood inundation maps for possible dam and levee failures, and much more.

GeoHECRAS is platform-independent and has the capability to integrate multiple data sets into the modelling process. Our software is directly tied into the cloud computing data centres of NASA, USGS, EPA, FEMA and others to draw from their vast storehouses of mapping information. For example, GeoHECRAS can instantly retrieve high-resolution digital elevation terrain data for anywhere in the world for use in a HEC-RAS flood study. Similarly, watershed drainage areas are nearly instantly delineated using a cloud computing server cluster, which use a parallelised algorithm to allow larger and more complex problems to be handled. All of this performance allows the engineer to see things in real-time, making him much more productive and providing the engineer the option to try different solution scenarios more quickly.

Virtual reality technology is poised for growth in the coming years. At CivilGEO we have combined virtual reality technology with HEC-RAS to give the engineer the ability to perform flood modelling, design bridge replacements, analyze dam failures, and create stream realignments within a virtual reality 3D visualisation framework. As multiple data sets are pulled into the model, the engineer can easily switch from 2D to 3D viewing perspectives to examine the data. GeoHECRAS allows the user to interact with the HEC-RAS model, visualise the terrain, cross sections, roadway crossings, levees and other structures, all in a high-resolution 3D virtual reality.

Another aspect that sets CivilGEO apart from other engineering software companies is the quality of our technical support, which has been described by some as “fanatical.” From the first contact, our account managers and

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technical support engineers strive to build and maintain a relationship with each customer. We try to understand the needs and objectives of our clients and the kinds of engineering projects that make up their business. This information allows us to better serve our customers.

We take our technical support very seriously at CivilGEO. In a certain sense, we become an extension of our client’s engineering department, providing the expertise and knowledge to get their engineering projects completed in a timely fashion. We can help the client figure out what is wrong with their engineering project, assist them in moving the analysis along, and then hand the project back to the client to finish.

CivilGEO understands that our customers do not have the time to wait for a response to a question. Our support engineers strive to be as efficient as possible, and in most cases the issue is resolved on the first call.

Details related to each case are entered into our customer support database. This customer profile gives our firm specific information about the customer’s business and gives us the background necessary to help with future support calls.

Our company seriously considers and welcomes client feedback regarding our products. In some instances, a client’s request for additional capabilities within the software has been implemented within 24 hours by our software development team, truly an example of “software on demand.” As a company, we are responsive to our clients’ needs and very proactive in our approach to software design and implementation.

Future trends point to greater automation of the engineering process. Consistent with this trend are expectations that software handle complex scenarios and produce solutions faster. CivilGEO is leading that trend by incorporating cloud computing within the software. Software must be adaptable and responsive to constant flux within the engineering industry. CivilGEO is constantly monitoring the state of the industry and further developing software that integrates the most advanced technology as it reflects current needs in the field of civil engineering. This proven philosophy will chart CivilGEO’s course well into the future.

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Company: CivilGEO, Inc. Contact: Chris Maeder Email: info@civilgeo.com Web Address: www.civilgeo.com Address: 8383 Greenway Blvd, 6th Floor, Middleton, WI 53562,USA Telephone: +1-800-488-4110 or +1-608-709-7101

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Special Feature

Ones to Watch for 2016: Construction UK

John Anthony Signs are a premier UK based sign and graphics manufacturer with over 45 years of industry experience both nationally and internationally. We got in touch with David Fagg, Partner at John Anthony Signs, to find out more about their company and how their innovations have allowed them to remain at the forefront of their industry.

JAS are a manufacturer and installer of world class bespoke signs, whose work can be seen across the globe, having worked in a total of 52 countries. Our process normally involves consulting with a team of designers, specifying what they need, drawing it up and implementing their designs all the way through from manufacturing to installation.

In terms of my background, I have been working at the company since 2001 and became a partner in 2007. In total, I’ve been working in signs for 27 years, and the experience throughout our company is one of its most distinguishing factors.

Throughout the years, we have become known for the quality of our work, and this is something that we always want to live up to.

Our strapline is ‘Expert Knowledge Delivered’, so not only are we good at what we do, but we are also good at delivering it too. As a result, people trust us and in turn come back to us for our expertise time and time again. Furthermore, all of our projects are overseen by a designated project manager, and in this way we can really provide a highly personalised service for our clients.

Alongside our experience, another pivotal part of our success has been our willingness to innovate and push the envelope. We have a reputation for delivering quite challenging structures, and have even been able to execute signs that other companies deemed impossible. So as well as being innovative, we also have the skill and craftsmanship to make these innovations a reality. Moreover, in order to ensure that we remain at the forefront, we spend a great deal of time on research and development and always have our finger on the pulse of everything that is occurring in our industry.

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The ability to innovate and adapt are fundamental as no two projects are the same. One day we could be working in a cathedral, and the next day we could be implementing a stadium. It could be national or international, modern or traditional, an industrial estate or high street. As such, every job needs to be tailored to the specific project and this is something that we always try to deliver.

In the last five years, we have seen a lot of competitors offering unreasonably lower prices. However, what we have found is that the customers have been coming back to us due to the lack of quality and customer care that came as a result of these prices. In our industry, it is extremely important that clients are given a quality service that achieves exactly what they want, and that has a value.

A recent project was our work at Selfridges (Body Studio PICTURED) where we did all of the sculptural signage work, which was technically challenging, and Starbucks Coffee (Pictured below) which involved incorporating nearly 2,000 coffee cups into the sign. These are just some of the many examples of how we are pushing the boundaries with what can be done with signs.

Looking towards the future, we are confident that our company will continue to grow and prosper. We are enjoying quite a successful period at the moment which has been rewarding as, much like any other business, we had to cope with the constraints of the recession. However, coming out of the back end of that, we have been very successful. We want to continue to grow, but at the same time maintain the exemplary standards we have become known for.

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Company: John Anthony Signs Name: David Fagg Web Address: www.johnanthonysigns.com Address: Claydons Lane, Rayleigh SS6 7UU, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 1268 777333

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Special Feature

Ones to Watch for 2016: Construction in Australia

The Arconn Group is an Australian owned global healthcare design, project management and construction fit-out company, which, through its subsidiaries Perfect Practice, Levitch Design Australia and Practiserv Australia, supports the Healthcare industry and ensures that they are able to deliver world class care. We caught up with some of the team to find out more.

The Arconn Group was born after recognising the real diversity in standards within the healthcare practitioner fit-out market. We strongly believe that there is a real need to offer the doctors of tomorrow a complete seamless integration of practice design and fit-out services to ensure that they are able to provide their patients with the very best healthcare practice environments available in the world today.

In order to achieve this, we deliver healthcare practice designs that develop and apply the knowledge and expertise of the best people in the industry. We have hand-picked some of the global thought leaders in high performing healthcare practice environments to work under the Arconn Group of companies. We have applied this vast knowledge base to our design, project management and construction teams to ensure that each practice space is delivering what the patients of tomorrow are expecting.

Over the past 25 years the group has completed over 1000 healthcare projects through our three key brands.

These include Levitch Design Australia, the most highly regarded creative and design focussed interior fit-out business nationally.

The firm works with the most demanding and discerning healthcare professionals to create stunning healthcare practices, combining both the art and science of healthcare design to deliver tangible ROI results for stakeholders as well as better outcomes for their patients.

In addition, we operate Perfect Practice, an industry leading Australian family owned healthcare construction fit-out business.

Through Perfect Practice we offer turnkey solutions which integrate design, budget planning, scheduling and construction to create amazing and timeless practices.

Finally, Practiserv Australia provides a complete holistic solution to healthcare practice professionals who need ongoing repairs and maintenance, offering our clients the support they need to keep their practice environments looking like new every day.

What unites these brands is that they all operate in an industry which is dependent on the doctors, dentists and specialists that operate within it and what importance they put on their practice environments.

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Our challenge is to really educate the practitioners about the correlation that good practice design and a pleasant working environment has on staff morale, patient well-being and practice ROI, as well as encouraging them to treat their practice as not just a service, but a service “business.”

Each brand has a number of aims which help to focus and overcome the challenges they face, but our overall aim is to deliver an outstanding state-of-theart practice environment to our clients.

We achieve this by having the correct systems and processes in place, the right people working in our team and using the best possible products in the market.

From a business perspective, a patient is more likely to agree to a recommended treatment plan in an environment that makes you feel safe and comfortable and clearly and convincingly demonstrates the practitioner’s professionalism and good taste, rather than in a practice environment that is run down and “old.” The value that a new practice environment brings can be highlighted using examples of practice owners’ ROI after 12 month of operation in the new environment. Overall a new practice that looks stunning becomes the marketing tool for the business.

Word gets out, referrals increase and business grows substantially. A recent client has said to us that within 12 months, revenue increased by 40% and in the second 12 months a further 25%.

This statistic is not uncommon for our clients.

Looking to the future, our focus over the next 12 months is to develop and evolve the Arconn Institute, which is our way of giving back to the industry.

The Institute was founded in order to better understand the psychology and science behind good practice design and patient well-being. Its mission is to communicate and educate healthcare practitioners about the science and art behind the highest performing healthcare environments in the world.

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Company: Arconn Group Pty Ltd Email: info@arconngroup.com.au Web Address: www.arconngroup.com.au Other company branded web sites www.levitch.com.au www.perfectpractice.com.au Address: 11 Anvil Road Seven Hills NSW Sydney 2147 AUSTRALIA Telephone: +61 2 9620 9333 Build Magazine

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Special Feature

Ones to Watch for 2016: Construction UAE

Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants is a privately-held Dubai based company providing Testing, Inspection and Certification to the building construction industry under multiple accreditations.

We spoke to Tom Bell-Wright to find out more about the company itself and to hear his thoughts on the construction industry at present.

Please give me an overview of your company and the services/ products you provide.

Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants is a privately-held Dubai based company providing Testing, Inspection and Certification (“TIC”) to the building construction industry under multiple accreditations. We are in our 20th year and employ over 80 people. Our main business lines are Façade Consulting (principally third party design review and inspection of curtain walls), Curtain Wall Mock-Up Testing, and Fire Compliance which comprises fire testing for Resistance-to-Fire, Reaction-to-Fire and Fire Propagation in facades; Passive Fire Protection Inspections and Product Certification.

How long has your company been established for in this industry? What changes have you seen during this time and how have you adapted to them?

We have been in Dubai since before MacDonalds. I myself came to Dubai in 1993 to oversee the installation of the curtain wall on the then tallest tower in the Middle East.

The company was established in 1995. We recognised the need for testing and had the first permanent curtain wall testing equipment in the region. From there, laboratory premises were established to provide the full range of performance mock-up testing. In 2007, it was recognised that there was a need for fire testing, and from that has grown our present Fire Compliance business.

When undertaking a new client or project what approach do you use to ensure the best possible outcome?

For us, the ‘best possible outcome’ is that everyone is happy. For our clients that often means that their product or system passed the testing, but equally, we have to be nice to work with and do a professional job – and they have to appreciate the value that our services have created for them. For us, happiness is seeing our clients happy and not having too much hassle in getting paid. A happy client will speak well of us and will come back: that is the best possible outcome.

Yes. We participate in a half dozen or more industry exhibitions and conferences a year, and are increasing the amount of speaking participation. We also contribute articles on cladding and fire-related topics to industry magazines, some on a regular basis, some occasional.

Please give us an overview of your industry currently? Have you had to overcome any challenges that have strengthened your company values?

Our little corner of the TIC / Building Products industry involves us a lot with the cladding fires which have received so much attention over recent years. I hasten to mention that our company appreciated the danger of the ACP cladding very early on and tried to bring it to general attention in addition to warning our clients. We are now installing the equipment required by the new local codes in order to test materials for new projects, and participating in discussions on how to reduce the potential for fires in the large number of buildings which still have this cladding.

What are your overall aims and what strategies do you employ to achieve these?

We want to provide a range of services contributing to the safety and value of buildings in our adopted home and neighbouring countries. We want to expand into new types of testing where these are extensions of work we are currently doing, and also into new markets besides buildings, such as the oil industry etc.

What sets you apart from other companies in this industry? What marks you out as the best option for your clients?

We strive to be nice to everyone, we think that being nice is extremely important, particularly in business where we interact with so many people and spend so much of our lives in doing so.

What is your most successful project to date and what has been the most important thing you have learnt from working on this?

One project does stand out – the National Museum of Qatar. This was a huge project for us, far exceeding in overall scale anything we had done before – in fact we had to rent new premises in order to accommodate it. There were many challenges, starting with the architectural design which was made to resemble the mineral formation call ‘desert rose’.

However all was successful and the result was high on the happiness scale for everyone.

Within the wider industry, how do you distribute your knowledge and experience (for example, do you speak at industry conferences or write literature on your area of expertise)?

Do you have any new projects/business ventures you would like to share?

We are in the process of relocating to new premises that are 3 times the size of

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23 Qatar National Museum in the city of Doha

our existing. This is a very exciting time for us as we grow into facilities which we have designed to meet our own requirements, and with room to breathe and room to expand.

How do you make sure you create innovative solutions to maintain your success?

You make it sound as though innovative solutions are essential to success. We try to be a nice place to work and we try to provide growth and stimulation to our employees through expanding into new areas of business. Figuring things out along the way would be the innovative solutions.

What aspects would you say are essential to creating success in your industry?

Success means different things to different people.

Success for the shareholders in a publicly listed company, as some of our competitors are, means maximum earnings. I drove past a competitor’s facility recently and I didn’t notice any trees or greenery, and I suppose that if these are not essential to the bottom line you don’t have them, which is a shame. For us, success is being challenged and rewarded by your work, not being too stressed, enjoying the interaction with other employees and making enough money to be comfortable and to expand the business.

What are your future aspirations for your company?

Do you have any plans or projects you would be willing to share with us?

We’re in the process of expanding our capability in small scale fire testing. One other test we are looking at is for the off-shore industry and called the Jet-Fire Test. It will be exciting to be able to offer this test directly to the industry in the Arabian Gulf region.

What does the future have in store for your industry?

How do you see your market changing over the next 12 months?

We see positive things for the region over the next few years as Dubai prepares for Expo 2020 and Doha for the World Cup in 2022.

Company: Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants Name: Tom Bell-Wright Email: tomb-w@bell-wright.com Web Address: www.bell-wright.com Address: #81, 25b St., Al Awir Industrial Area, Ras Al Khor, Dubai, POB26385 Telephone: +971 4 333 2692

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Special Feature

Ones to Watch for 2016: Construction USA

are a family owned, full service general contracting firm, specializing in residential remodel, additions, design-build and historic restoration.

We got in touch with Brad Schneider, Construction Manager at Schneider Construction Services, to find out more about their company and how they accomplish being a small company that produces big results.

Bradley Schneider

The Schneider Family is deeply rooted in the construction industry. My great grandfather Leo owned a millwright operation where he provided materials for the building trades. My grandfather Melvin was a carpenter in the service where he continued to build when he returned. In 1988 my parents Vicki and Mike started V. Schneider Enterprises LTD, DBA Schneider Construction Services.

best way to expand our business. While we do not write literature or speak at industry conferences, our knowledge and experience in this industry is generally spread by word of mouth. As a result, referrals are our largest means of obtaining new clientele.

As the market in our area fluctuated over the years we have branched out into the remodeling industry. This required us to develop a new level of expertise which addresses the details that remodeling requires compared to completely new construction. This involves having an acute awareness of the existing conditions of the home being remodeled, our demolition processes, building professional relationships with remodeling designers and mobilizing in many different areas at any given time. The relationship with the homeowners is a bit different as well as the owners already have a vested and emotional attachment to the home verses the anticipation of a new build.

Every one of our projects exemplifies the level of service, pride and attention to detail Schneider Construction Services has become known for. A most notable recent example is a full house renovation and room addition in the city of Ladue, Missouri which is nearing completion. The client came to us after her initial contractor was unable to fulfil his obligations and there were several facets of the original work that required replacement or repair.

The homeowner was, needless to say, a bit skeptical of anyone in the industry.

Since our inception what has been fundamental to our success is the level of attention to detail we give to each and every project. Ultimately, homeowners not only have a vested interest in their home, but also have an emotional attachment. Offering the homeowner fastidious attention to detail gives them assurances that their needs and wants are being met. As such, our project management protocol is geared towards an organized approach to making sure the details that are important to the client are always front of mind.

Perhaps our biggest selling point is that we are a small firm offering big results. Because of our size each client gets to know each of our staff members personally. Clients appreciate knowing who will be on their project daily and our staff hand selects its subcontractors based on the individual needs of each client.

Furthermore, we have the flexibility to systematically adjust our approach to each portion of a project so the client’s priorities are our priorities. It is not unusual for us to be called in on projects that were started by other contractors and abandoned, left incomplete or not finished to the satisfaction of the client. At our firm we have the experience and resources to bring a higher level of professional service to our projects than most companies our size.

Providing a high quality service is something we take tremendous pride in and, as the growth of our company has proven, it is the

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After walking through the project and listening to the homeowner’s vision for the home we were able to assure them that we could take their vision and bring it to reality. The project is exceeding the homeowner’s expectations and they have fallen in love with their home once again.

We learned that good listening skills are paramount to a successful outcome. From our experience, you can only envision someone else’s dream if you allow them to share that dream with you.

Maintaining the high standards we set for ourselves is an ongoing process and we are constantly adapting to emerging trends and developments in our industry.

We pay particular attention to what is trending in our industry regarding smart design and technological advances in building practices. For instance, in such an environmentally conscious society, we have begun instituting “Sustainability” and “Green Building” best practices in the planning of all of our projects where applicable. Our suggestions have been well received and have led to some very satisfying results for our clients.

In the U.S., the overall economy is recovering, but more and more homeowners are staying in their current homes. Along with the aging Baby Boomer generation, “aging in place” additions and remodels are on the rise. In addition, the lack of available land in our area has led to the ever increasing tear-down and

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rebuild. Having focused on the custom home build in the early years, these changes have led Schneider Construction Services more and more into the remodel industry.

Although branching out into remodeling was a switching of gear that required more time on our part, this new niche has led to increased revenue. For the past three years our gross sales have increased more than 50% year over year. Therefore we manage this facet of our business model ever so carefully. We understand our reputation is the key to our future success. In turn, we have seen a very positive response from our clientele in the form of referrals.

Looking towards the latter half of 2016 and beyond, we are very optimistic about our future. We attribute this to an ever-growing base of satisfied clients who continually refer us to their family, friends and business associates. We see a burgeoning marketplace that is steadily strengthening. Ultimately, we see more and more consumer confidence and feel the industry is in for a positive period of growth and expansion.

Company: Schneider Construction Services Name: Bradley Schneider Email: brad@builtbyschneider.com Web Address: www.builtbyschneider.com Address: 429 North Main, O’Fallon, MO 63366 Telephone: 636-240-0930

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Inside the Industry

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The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) asks its members what working in risk is really like and what hints and tips they’d share with people looking to move into the industry.

inay Shrivastava (right), Fellow and Group Chair of the IRM Infrastructure Portfolio, Programme and Project Risk Sector Interest Group. Director, Turner & Townsend Infrastructure.

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How did you get your job?

I began my career as a civil engineer. A few years later, whilst working as a project manager, I was introduced to the field of risk management. I was intrigued by the high level of technical knowledge and social skills required to deliver an effective risk management role.

I thoroughly enjoyed the balance of skills required and needless to say, I promptly applied for my first risk management role twelve years ago and have not looked back since.

What’s a typical day like as a Risk Management Director?

I don’t have a typical day. I primarily support the development and delivery of a risk management capability for a major UK infrastructure client.

This involves risk framework design and rollout, workshop facilitation and conducting risk interviews to validate the data fed into monthly reporting cycles. I also manage a team of highly capable

consultants across the South UK region which involves supporting our contribution to the thought leadership space. This year members of my team will be invited to speak on risk management topics at over a dozen events across the UK. I also invest considerable time into ensuring that, as a business, we have a consistent, repeatable product and are cognizant of emerging tools and client requirements. I enjoy public speaking and writing and try to speak at a few events and publish at least one risk related article over the course of a year.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

It is quite fulfilling to witness our clients’ successes that have been achieved through the optimal management of risks.

I also enjoy working with some of the brightest minds in our industry today and really appreciate how my team routinely challenges the status quo to introduce new and better ways of doing things.

What are the challenges?

I am continually challenged to source the right people for our available roles. The risk management field is gaining in prominence within the Infrastructure industry, and as a result, clients have developed a very high expectation of the risk management function.

In what way is your IRM qualification relevant?

The IRM qualifications are a necessary quality benchmark in our Industry. I receive dozens of CVs on a weekly basis and candidates who are CIRM/ MIRM qualified (or equivalent) stand out for consideration for our roles as it indicates that these individuals, beyond having a demonstrable core skill set, take professional development seriously and are committed to a career in risk management.

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Inside the Industry

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Implications for BIM in China hina is one of the fastest-growing Building Information Modelling (BIM) countries and has an increasing number of construction projects adopting BIM technology. Although BIM in China is still in its early development, available BIM technology in the past decade has been generating considerable value for enterprises in the construction industry. The BIM technology has also been addressed on a nationwide scale. For instance, China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Application of Building Information Modelling” in 2015. With the occurrence of successful BIM applications in a host of high-profile projects such as the Z15 Tower in Beijing, the Disneyland Resort in Shanghai and the Ping An International Finance Centre in Shenzhen, members of the construction industry are shifting their attention to this hot topic.

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Up to around ten years ago, only 2D design was used by civil designers and a single change in one work sheet could trigger a chain of revisions to a multitude of related drawings. With the introduction of Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, 3D design gained popularity in the civil engineering sector.

However, projects that had already been designed or commenced in the 2D era, complicated and significantly slowed the acceptance of BIM technology which involves modelling in a completely integrated 3D-to-4D environment with intelligent data running through the whole process.

Hence the lack of experience, less mature technology and insufficient funding to support such massive system implementation remains the prevailing obstacles to BIM’s development in China today. Furthermore, in the China construction context where complex multi-level contracting and handshake agreements between contractors are not uncommon, to fully implement an all-in-one project from initial planning to completion, requires a long term, transparent and highly structured view.

On a positive note, a wave of regulatory mandates and industry rules in recent years have helped draw a clearer picture to support BIM in China.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has included BIM into its key research topics in the “Twelfth Five-year Plan.” Also large developed cities are endorsing BIM, such as Shenzhen which has implemented its own standards for BIM management and Shanghai which is establishing a Model Contract for the tendering of consultancy services for BIM technology. The list goes on and BIM’s vigorous expansion throughout all phases in China’s construction is gradually taking shape.

Still, there is an urgent need for cooperation from many parties. Of the greatest importance, corresponding legislative actions are called upon to support BIM’s implementation in construction projects and to ensure information security as well. Apart from the legal environment, technical resources such as advanced databases to manage large amounts of data and platforms to facilitate information sharing are essential foundations to allow BIM projects to operate. Last but not the least is the training of professionals to master BIM software, which is already a well-recognized trend among construction practitioners and engineering students.

A final point worth mentioning is the advanced achievements in BIM made in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Institute of Building Information Modelling (HKIBIM) was established in 2009. Consequently, BIM took off earlier in Hong Kong and benefits from complimentary technological advantages.

The combination of potential business opportunities in Mainland China’s construction sector, the advances already achieved supporting BIM in China along with Hong Kong’s competent personnel and experience in executing BIM points to future success. We do expect that 2016 will be a promising year for BIM in China.

Gilbert Kwok, a partner at Clyde & Co.

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Inside the Industry

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Eco Building

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Eco Building

South Lanarkshire College Goes Low-Carbon with NIBE A newly opened, ‘zero-energy’ teaching block at South Lanarkshire College in Scotland has been fitted with a ground source heat pump system from NIBE – helping it become the first building in the UK to achieve a BREEAM sustainability rating of ‘Outstanding’.

Situated on the college’s East Kilbride campus, the state-of-the-art, £2.6 million building has been specifically designed with first-rate environmental credentials in mind. It boasts a whole host of efficiency-enhancing measures, including highly insulated floors, walls and roofs, triple-glazed windows, low-energy lighting and electrics, rainwater harvesting and solar PV panels on the roof. Partnered with a water-based underfloor heating system, the energy-efficient NIBE F1345 40kW ground source heat pump (GSHP) was specified to meet the heating requirements of the eightclassroom block in the most sustainable, cost-effective and reliable way possible.

Stewart McKillop, principal at South Lanarkshire College (SLC), explains: “We pride ourselves on our forward-thinking approach to sustainability at SLC, and we couldn’t be happier that our new teaching block has been deemed ‘Outstanding’ by BREEAM assessors.

We already have a range of NIBE products in our on-site renewables training centre, which students use for practical sessions – so the ground source heat pump system from NIBE seemed like the natural choice to heat the new block. For even greater efficiency, we opted to pair the heat pump with water-based underfloor heating, which operates at similarly low flow temperatures.

“In fact, the NIBE system is so efficient that it has been awarded a rating of A+++ in line with energy labelling criteria under the ErP Directive. The heat pump system and the solar

PV panels combined generate enough renewable energy to meet the block’s entire heating and power needs, making it a ‘zero-energy’ building. It really is a huge asset to the whole college – not only from a resource point of view, but also as a real-life example of sustainability in action. As well as being a valuable learning space for our construction and energy students, it’s a place for us to bring local businesses and community groups, and showcase the benefits of low-carbon, low-resource buildings first-hand.”

The new SLC facility excelled in all 10 BREEAM assessment categories, which range from energy, waste and water to health and wellbeing. The project was given £1.45 million-worth of support from South Lanarkshire Trust and £700,000 from the European Regional Development Fund. It was also awarded a further subsidy from South Lanarkshire Council’s Renewable Energy Fund.

Robin Adderley, sales and marketing director at NIBE, says: “NIBE has a longstanding relationship with South Lanarkshire College, and we are really pleased to have been a part of what is a truly pioneering project. The new block sets the bar high for sustainable construction in the UK, which is reflected in its outstanding BREEAM assessment.

It’s also a perfect working example of how heat pumps can be the ideal choice for larger-scale applications – helping them to minimise their carbon footprint and keep running costs down in the process.”

NIBE’s MCS-accredited F1345 GSHPs are specially designed for use in larger residential, commercial and industrial settings, and use ground, rock or lake as a heat source. Available in an output range of 24kW-60kW to suit applications of various sizes, the high-efficiency units perform at an industry-leading COP of up to 4.51 at 0/35°C. They also feature an integrated control system for bespoke programming and a multi-colour user display for straightforward and intuitive operation.

For more information on NIBE’s range of ground source heat pumps, or any of the products in its market-leading portfolio of heating, ventilation, cooling and heat recovery solutions, please visit www.nibe.co.uk.

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Timber’s Rising Popularity Gareth Barber, MD of The Stable Company, specialist designers and manufacturers of timber buildings.

Timber is in the middle of a renaissance.

Thanks to a range of ecological, economical and practical perks that many more commonly used building materials simply cannot rival, it finds itself the material of choice for a growing number of domestic and commercial builds.

Wood Awards showcase the very best in timber construction, but importantly the flexibility and beauty of wood to create a million items from homewares to furniture, the possibilities really are endless.

Ecologically, timber is the only carbon-neutral building resource out there. It stores all carbon it takes from the atmosphere (which would otherwise have contributed to the greenhouse effect) and releases it back without surplus when naturally degrading over time. It’s also entirely sustainable, renewable and doesn’t take a lot of energy to create - meeting demands and cutting back on costs to great eco-friendly advantage. This is no small bonus: UK buildings currently account for 40 percent of our total contribution to the greenhouse effect. More than this, the planet has just seen its hottest March - April since records began - therefore, it’s arguably more important than ever that we reduce our carbon footprint in a big way. Only timber can ensure this with every step of your building project.

A huge growth sector for timber is Education. Schools offer a prime example of timber providing an answer to multiple challenges. Schools face pressure to meet place demand, but must juggle pupil needs and stringent budgets, alongside the need to build quickly and efficiently in school breaks.

Timber is a cost effective, aesthetically pleasing alternative to traditional builds, which helps keep costs down and its sustainability means eligibility for grants can be boosted by choosing it as a main build material.

Luckily, it’s very cheap and efficient to be green. Obviously, costs will depend on the size of your building project but you can pretty much be sure, time and time again, that building with timber will be your cheapest option, as it’s incredibly cheap to produce.

Ultimately, this is because little energy is needed to convert wood into timber, bringing your cash outflow down while pushing your green efforts up - an inarguably positive exchange. Not only this, a timber building needs very little maintenance over time, as the material’s maximally durable - further saving on pennies in the long run, as timber foundations make for a quality build. A common misconception is that timber won’t endure for longer term projects, but if properly maintained, you can expect decades of service from a good timber build, if not longer.

A perhaps surprising case in point is York Cathedral. As a national landmark, it has a significant amount of timberwork, testament to the durability and beauty of the material.

Availability of timber is another positive - we currently have more wood grown for timber usage than we’re making the material, so, on pressing GO, you can commence project build pretty much straight away. The material’s additionally produced very quickly (as well as energy efficiently), so even in special cases in which unique parts need making, you shouldn’t be held up. It’ll also meet your vision in terms of flexibility. The annual

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Timber is also incredibly resistant, meaning that nothing should get in the way of your building project in terms of natural elements (whereas brick and cement-based projects would have to be paused if it were to rain or snow, by comparison). For projects with harsh time constraints, then, timber ticks all the boxes. Off-site production means timber builds are rarely stalled and can be delivered to site, constructed relatively quickly and made water-tight in record time.

Post project, a timber building will keep on delivering benefits long after its completion. Its insulative properties, for one, are very good as its embodied energy is very low - keeping you warm all winter long in a natural manner, thereby cutting back on your energy usage and bills. Contrary to popular belief, timber is also brilliant in cases of fire: while wood is, of course, a conductor, the properties of timber don’t change in extreme temperatures, and when timber chars from fire it seals the inside structure, keeping the building aloft.

Even in the most dramatic conditions, timber stands tall. The department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University conducted research at the Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center in Japan to test a seven-storey timber frame building against man made earth tremors, seeing how well it would perform in an earthquake. They found that timber

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Eco Building

stays both structurally sound and aloft, making it a great choice of build for highly seismic regions - not a problem we really suffer from in the UK, but a great testament to the breadth of timber’s protective properties.

On a smaller scale, the material itself is non-toxic, meaning that no extra protective measures have to be put in place pre or postbuild. It doesn’t leak chemical vapours and is totally safe to handle. This makes it especially ideal for builds involving vulnerable people, like children and the elderly, or animals - you can be 100 percent certain that no-one’s at risk, and there will be no need to keep checking your build for decomposite elements over time, as it will decompose naturally without omitting dangerous gases/chemicals of concern such as PVC. Save yourself money, time and stress with the world’s greenest building resource and watch the positives stretch on, not only for you, but for the earth as a whole.

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UK Deal Announced for the Manufacture of Structural Composites from Recycled Plastic Waste, Including Ecotrax® Railway Sleepers

Under the agreement Regain will manufacture all of Sicut’s products for its European customers. Production, starting this summer, will initially be delivered from Regain’s established manufacturing plant in Allerton Bywater, West Yorkshire, but is expected to extend to other parts of the UK or Europe over the next three years. Sicut expects to be converting in excess of 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste per annum into its products by the end of 2018.

The merging of Sicut’s remarkable technology with the advanced manufacturing expertise of Regain will accelerate the European adoption of Sicut’s structural composite materials made from Europe’s growing recycled plastic waste stream. This will help address growing demands for durable materials to replace timber, especially in railway infrastructure, but also in the highway and maritime sectors. It will also provide a local, valuable and recognisable home for considerable volumes of domestic and commercial waste streams, generated daily across Europe. The Sicut/Regain partnership will deliver further practical, economic and environmental benefits to UK and European customers, with reduced lead times, lower prices and reduced carbon footprint.

In particular, the manufacture of Ecotrax® railway sleepers will provide European rail infrastructure owners, such as Network Rail, with a much sought after solution to the European ban on the use of creosote treatment for timber sleepers effective from May 2018.

William Mainwaring, Chief Executive of Sicut, said: “We are delighted that Regain have agreed to become our European Manufacturing partner. As the UK’s leading recycled polymer compounder, Regain understands the importance of quality control and can apply their indepth knowledge of polymers, recycling and extrusion manufacturing to produce consistent high quality products using our unique licensed technology.

The manufacture of our structural composites here in the UK, including our Ecotrax® railway sleeper, will not only offer significant benefits to our European customers but will also be welcomed by the UK plastics recycling industry as it battles to meet ever more challenging UK and European recycling targets.

This partnership will clearly demonstrate how the UK can turn Today’s waste into Tomorrows infrastructure.”

Michael Eidecker, Managing Director of Regain Polymers Limited, said: “Ever since Regain and Sicut started the discussions surrounding this partnership, we felt it was one of the greatest opportunities for Regain in it´s recent history. We are delighted that this partnership has been established and that Regain will be able to contribute to the significant positive change in the use of what is commonly considered to be waste plastic.

With over 25 years of experience in the plastic recycling industry, this partnership enables Regain to develop a brand new sector for its business and to allow Regain to further develop its expertise from which all of our customers, suppliers and shareholders will benefit.

The signing of this exclusive agreement between Regain and Sicut demonstrates the breadth and depth of Regain’s capability as the UK’s leading bespoke compounder of post-use rigid plastics.

We are extremely pleased to be working with Sicut to partner them in this exciting business and it is a real testament to the skill and knowledge of everyone at the Allerton Bywater site. We now look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership with Sicut, delivering this unique structural recycled plastic composite.”

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14,228 New Homes Registered in April in the UK M

ore than 14,000 new homes were registered to be built in the UK in April according to NHBC’s latest registration statistics – an increase of 17% compared to a year ago.

A total of 14,228 new homes (11,258 private sector; 2,970 public sector) were registered in April, compared to 12,201 (8,988 private sector; 3,213 public sector) 12 months ago. Completions were also up 4% for the month compared to last April (10,378 in 2016; 10,005 in 2015).

There were 40,399 new home registrations in the rolling quarter (February 2016 – April 2016), a slight decrease of 1% on last year’s figures (40,877).

During these three months several regions experienced a notable growth in registrations, compared to 2015, including the North East (+47%), South East (+23%) and Yorkshire & Humberside (+18%).

As the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, NHBC’s registration statistics are a lead indicator of UK house-building activity. For 80 years, NHBC has been committed to driving up quality and raising standards in housebuilding and has approximately 80% market share.

Commenting on the latest figures, NHBC Chief Executive Mike Quinton said: “April’s new home figures show that the industry enjoyed a successful month, with registration numbers well ahead of this time last year.

“For the rolling quarter, new home registration volumes are virtually identical, demonstrating further consolidation on last year’s levels.

“During these periods of sustained industry activity and production, NHBC remains committed to ensuring the highest possible quality in the standards of the UK’s new homes.”

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Real Estate

Chototel Chooses India to Build Its First $2 per Day Hotel

Chototel, a London-based technology startup has chosen India to set up its pilot “super-budget” hotel. Hotel tariffs start at US $2 per day and offer uninterrupted electricity, water, gas and social infrastructure including daycare, infirmaries and community kitchen and gardens. Through a diverse array of IOT, closed-loop, real-time cash transfer, digital health and Big Data technologies, the project is able to deliver efficiencies from construction through to hotel operations and maintenance.

The first project has already broken ground and construction is underway in Nagothane, an industrial town, 70 kilometres south of Mumbai and situated on the new Mumbai-Goa expressway.

The 240-room development will cater to 1,000 guests and is spread across 1.5 acres and 75,000 square feet of constructed area. The project cost is GBP 1.75M, translating to a price of approximately GBP 7000 per room size of 290 square feet. The first Chototel location will target its accommodations at the large bank of industrial workers, working within a 15-kilometre radius, and also those travelling on the Mumbai-Goa expressway.

Chototel is currently in the process of acquiring land in Chakan, Goa and Gujarat for its next round of projects in India. The company aims to build 100,000 rooms in the next 5 years in the Mumbai-Pune-Goa corridor. While opportunities exist in India, the company hopes to extend the concept to the UK and globally.

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Chris Phillips, Chototel’s Chairman commented: “India’s diversified economy and robust growth prospects make it the most attractive location globally to set up our first project. We believe that policy-makers will take effective action to enhance the country’s economic strength and, in turn, the financial strength over coming years. With inflation under control and the economy benefiting from lower commodity prices, demand for low-cost service products can only go up.”

Rhea Silva, Managing Director of Chototel adds, “The Chototel project is a technological super machine.

We use innovative technologies to build, operate and manage in a way that encourages sustainable and environmentally responsible behaviour.

We are committed to making India the cornerstone of our market entry strategy.

Subject to the success of our early steps we are planning to build 100,000 rooms in the next few years in India and would welcome support from regional governments.”

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Real Estate

Real Estate Fund Manager of the Year - USA Investing exclusively in apartment properties in the U.S. with laser focus, American Private Equity Group has consistently outperformed with its riskadjusted returns. American’s Senior Principals are nationally recognized as the ‘father of the apartment industry in the U.S.’ with innovations vastly increasing the quality of life for residents throughout the U.S. We had a chance to speak with the firm and hear more what makes their strategy and focus cutting-edge.

Generating wealth preservation, along with superior risk adjusted returns, is American’s strategy. American invests in Core, Core Plus, and Value Add apartment properties.

American’s Senior Partners are experienced fiduciaries having owned and managed over $4.5 billion in apartment properties over the past 40 years.

Ann McSheehy, Senior Principal at American, says, “It’s about how well you did in keeping risk low and generating outsized returns, how well you did in improving people’s lives and neighbourhoods, how successful you were in bringing solid alpha to co-investors, and, across all parts of the economic cycle. This is where we are differentiated, is in the quality of work that we do – we are stable and focused on wealth preservation, while we generate higher alpha for co-investors through our market expertise in deal sourcing and targeted renovations; we keep the investment stable across all economic cycles; and we make a huge positive impact on the lives of residents and neighborhoods – which allows us to bring great returns, even with an investment which has the risk profile of a bond.”

“For several generations, my family has owned and managed apartment properties, with a strong focus on strategic value add,” says Ms. McSheehy. “Through the generations, we have cleaned up and turned around neighbourhoods which were once threatening to fall to crime, but which are now leading communities in the U.S.” Apartment Properties – the Gold Standard Apartment properties are the gold standard of the investment world, performing well in every economic environment. McSheehy explains, “Once in a while over the years, people will ask me, are we in a bubble, and I explain to them that Apartment Properties (Multifamily) is the gold standard of an investment that performs well in every economic environment. Even in the worst or recessions or depressions, when traditional stocks and bonds perform poorly, and even private equity performs poorly, and even when just about all of the other asset classes in real estate perform badly, Apartment Properties do well.”

Over the past 30 years, investment in real estate has yielded a greater return than the S&P 500, the Dow Jones, the NASDAQ, or the Russell indices. Returns on private real estate

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investments in each of these periods, were higher than for publicly traded real estate, and had lower volatility, as measured by the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries’ NCREIF National Property Index. (FTSE NAREIT U.S. Real Estate Index Returns, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, S&P 500, Russell, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, FTSE NAREIT equity REIT index.)

Why is that? “In a recession or a depression, companies do badly, stocks generally do badly and people lose huge percentages of their wealth in stocks and other investments as happens in every cycle; companies lay people off.

Then, companies rent less office space and retail space, so those asset classes in real estate do terribly. And, far fewer numbers of people are able to afford a single family home, so those do terribly, too – they are not buying – they are renting. All of those buyers are forced to become renters – and so especially in the worst times, renter demand is robust and grows, and apartment properties perform well.” American’s principals have owned and managed apartment properties with consistent results throughout all market cycles.

Strong Tailwind Demographics The ‘prime renting age’ in the U.S. is approximately 18-35 years old. Over the coming 10 years , the number of people “ageing out of” prime renting age is far smaller than the number of people “ageing into” this age. The net increase in individuals in prime renting age is set to increase from about 71 million people to about 86 million people.

Additionally, the U.S. Census projects that homeownership will decline 6-8% in the coming decade, leading to a 6.6-8.8 million new renter households.

Over the past decade, the construction of apartment properties declined. New construction is aimed primarily at the urban centres of large primary market cities, and nationally is projected to meet only a small fraction of new demand for apartments. This supply constraint creates strong fundamentals for the asset class, over and above its already strong fundamentals.

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Wealth Preservation “The investment world all agrees that apartment properties are the ultimate in Wealth Preservation,” says McSheehy. Insurance companies and other institutional investors price out the risk in apartment property investment, as having the risk of a bond. But the distinction is that, it also brings good returns. “Housing is a core human need, becoming even more of a need in bad economic times when people cannot buy and must rent.”

Triple Bottom Line – Virtue and Returns American invests with an eye on a triple bottom line: adding value to the lives of residents; adding value the lives of individuals in the neighbourhood around the property; and adding value to co-investors. These three goals and objectives strengthen and reinforce each other, in a circle.

“Neighborhoods are always in a state of change, a state of flux. Nothing in life ever stands still,” says McSheehy. “Neighborhoods are either improving or getting worse. A lot of other groups just suck cash out of properties, which essentially means that they are sucking cash out of neighborhoods, and when they do so, a large anchor property has a huge effect on making the neighborhood around it a much worse place to live.” American, in the Value Add work that it does, differentiates itself by investing capital to positively transform neighborhoods and properties, which results in jobs returning to the neighborhood, and far increased quality of life for the individuals living in these neighborhoods. It also leads to higher returns for the co-investors who have invested in these Apartment Properties.

McSheehy explains, “It is not Value Added by just buying at a low price or using unnecessary risk – rather, it is actual real, physical value which is added to the lives of residents and to the neighbourhood. This is more work than other groups care to do. But it is how we are able to generate significant returns while maintaining the bond-like, Wealth Preservation risk profile of the investment.”

“To put it in perspective: we do Core, Core Plus, and Value Add. This applies just to our active Value Add: for some of our work, we look for properties where we can turn the property around and turn the community around. Generally, we see properties that fall into disrepair, and some crime, and it obviously has a huge destabilizing effect on the entire neighbourhood around it. The ownership there had been sucking cash out of the property and not investing into the property. They haven’t been doing background or crime checks on their residents. They let in some bad apples.

Then all the good people live in fear, which is most of the people. And the property looks bad as well. What we do for our Value Add, is, we buy properties like this, generally 100 apartments to about 500 apartments, and we clean them up. We put in place a top quality

property management company.

We put in a renovations budget, we clean up the property, we make it a beautiful place to live, a place where the residents are proud to live.

“That is just one example, we do all types of value add.”

Significant Value Add Leadership in the Industry American and American’s partners have consistently delivered IRRs above those of the industry. McSheehy explains that it is due to the far higher amount of time, focus, and hard work that the group puts into each property value add renovation.

“This is something that other groups are not able to do, even if they wanted to do, which they don’t want to,” McSheehy says.

“We spend months negotiating materials prices down. We pay far less than market prices for materials, whereas the rest of the industry pays about 120% of the market prices for materials in their renovations because of markups from contractors.”

American does not tie construction management fees to the cost of the renovation, as the rest of the industry does. “We are IRR driven, and when we invest with co-investors, we are compensated from the IRRs and from our portion of the good returns results for co-investors. This is a clear and transparent alignment of interest which is lacking in the rest of the industry.

Our construction management fees are minimal and cover part of the staff cost for that renovation, and are not tied to renovation cost, but to how much we are actually able to increase returns for coinvestors, and we don’t get paid anything significant until after the investor has received very good returns.”

Ms. McSheehy explains how renovations influence the IRR of a property. “When you run a sensitivity analysis, you see that some things do not affect the IRRs very much – actually most things don’t. However, the things that affect the IRRs substantially are, first, the amount spent on that renovation and how far those dollars go – the selection of where those dollars go, and second and most importantly, the rents that residents pay after the renovation.”

Throughout the rest of the industry, the real estate group is paid 5% of whatever they spend on a renovation, which is a direct conflict of interest with their investors. “No one will go out and spend an extra 200 hours searching for better or cheaper or higher quality materials for a renovation, or more innovative ways to make a property really beautiful and ‘breathtaking’ for prospective residents,

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when they are just getting paid more if they spend more,” McSheehy explains. “Even for the groups that would do so, they are directly incentivized to do the exact opposite.”

“We operate from a completely different paradigm” Typically, when a real estate group does value add, says McSheehy, “they call and say, ‘Joe, bring in the new cabinets and the sand colored carpets,’ and make a phone call to a designer if necessary for a common area.

They get tiny rent increases and they call it a success, and say they are a huge success because they have done a huge volume of apartments – with no quality or high results whatsoever, for the co-investors. Or the residents. We have never had a value add renovation like that – we expect to see higher rent increases which translates directly to IRR, and we do beautiful renovations which we put huge amounts of time into. We do everything so differently. We operate from a completely different paradigm. It comes down to diligence and very hard work. There are no shortcuts.”

High IRRs and High Rents - Driven by a Deep Understanding of Human Perception Matt Williamson, Senior Principal with American, says, “It also comes down to the fact that we have a significant advantage, and that is the deep lifetime of renovation experience of Ms. McSheehy. The entire industry is run by men, who have a significant disadvantage when it comes to design.”

Ms. McSheehy is unique, in that she is a Senior Principal and she also leads the Value Add strategies and details. “She leads from the front, like Alexander the Great, not from a phone call from afar once a year. The difference in the product and in the Alpha is immense,” he explains. She has studied at the number one ranking best universities and graduate schools around the world, Oxford, Georgetown, London Business School, Sorbonne, she has done Private Equity around the world and in the U.S., and she is also a cultural and style genius, the likes of which have never been seen in the U.S., Europe, London, or the rest of the world. “I remember the story about how, when she was young in the previous generation of the business, she wanted to prove a point. There was an apartment property in the Chicago area that her family had renovated and already exceeded expectations on rent increases following a renovation a few years before. She made a few inexpensive changes and increased rents by the same amount again, as they had done in the original renovation – which had already exceeded expectations. She has always had this tremendous ‘feel’ for what makes renters want to live in a place, and love to live in a place. It is far more and far different than a design perspective; it is a unique understanding of human perception and feeling and what people visually and emotionally want in a home.”

Bringing Value to Individuals The higher returns American has, compared to its industry peers, are because “we give residents the opportunity to live in an apartment of a far higher quality than they can get in other apartment properties in the area.

“In a way, it fulfils one of the important dreams of people’s lives. We are giving the opportunity to a large number of people, to live in high quality homes that they are proud of. Even if they will one day buy a home, it will never have as high of a design quality as the apartment product that we offer.”

Robust Pipeline Able to source the most attractive deals, both on and off market, the company maintains a robust network of relationships throughout the industry, allowing it to have a strong pipeline of deals. “We typically bid on about 2% to 4% of the deals that we see,” says McSheehy. “This allows us to maintain a very high quality of product.

We are focusing on key geographic locations which are outperforming in our key metrics. Over the past 40 years, these criteria have been extremely successful at winnowing out which markets will provide robust support for outsized returns relative to the very low risk of apartment properties.”

“Rocking Chair Test” McSheehy says that the culture of American is different because it focuses on Triple Bottom Line and purpose. “As a company, we say, ‘this is our Purpose,’ ‘this is our mission, this is our impact on the world, and this is what no one else can do the way we can,’ and every day lead every day with that purpose.

“Does your work pass the ‘rocking chair’ test? Does your work pass the ‘deathbed’ test? Is what you are doing having a positive impact on peoples’ lives? This is what I believe is one of my missions in life, it is work that I have been trained in doing my entire life. Within the apartment property asset class, we do great Core and Core Plus, and Value Add, and for me, really, with all of the asset classes, and especially regarding the Value Add, it is tremendous to see the effects of our work in cleaning up entire neighborhoods, making them far safer places to live, far more beautiful places to live, places for jobs to return to, neighborhoods that flourish, and the lives of families and individuals are able to flourish. This creates actual physical Value for people in their lives, brings stable returns and stable alpha for our coinvestors throughout every economic cycle, thus helping their lives, and doing our part to contributing to making our economy a more stable and healthy one.”

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Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts Marks Milestone in Montreal tarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced that Le Méridien Versailles in Montréal has completed a comprehensive renovation of the intimate 108-guestroom hotel, including two penthouse suites; the debut of the signature Le Méridien Hub™, an innovative reinterpretation of the traditional hotel lobby into a social gathering place; and the unveiling of all new meeting and public spaces within the hotel.

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“Located in a city with deep European ties, Le Méridien Versailles has a strong connection with our brand’s passions for culture, cuisine and the arts,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader for Le Méridien. “The renovation of this hotel brings to life these passions and unlocks the destination for our creative and curious-minded travellers looking for a new way to experience the city of Montréal during their travels.”

Following its complete renovation, the arrival experience at Le Méridien Versailles has been transformed with an engaging and expanded lobby environment. The hotel now features the signature Le Méridien Hub™, with innovative coffee and cocktail programming, transitioning from day to night, and stunning arrival art installations, turning the hotel’s lobby into the newest gathering spot for locals and visitors alike.

“The transformation of our hotel has been an exhilarating journey,” said Massimo Urzillo, General Manager of Le Méridien Versailles. “We are thrilled to unveil our new look and offerings to our guests. The enhancements to the hotel will provide a new perspective to the city of Montréal.”

In staying true to the brand’s commitment to incorporating local coordinates into its mid-century design aesthetic, the refurbishments of the guestrooms and signature penthouse suites at Le Méridien Versailles complement the rich textures and cosmopolitan spirit of the neighbourhood. The rooms feature new Le Méridien beds, furniture, custom-designed wallpaper, comfortable and functional seating, accent lighting, mirrors and plush carpeting. Guestrooms include new flat screen televisions, plug and play docking stations and an enhanced wireless Internet platform. Renovations also include the addition of low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets in the bathrooms, reducing water consumption throughout the building. All public corridors and hallways throughout the hotel feature new flooring and wall finishes.

Le Méridien Versailles is ideally located in the heart of the Golden Square Mile, just steps away from the best shopping, venues and attractions in Montréal, including The Museum District. In a nod to Le Méridien brand’s Parisian roots, the hotel has partnered with Priority Bicycles to deliver a uniquely active way for guests to explore the city. Stylish bicycles are available for rent from the front desk (complimentary to Starwood Preferred Guest [SPG®] members), encouraging guests to discover the gems of Montréal, such as the nearby Montréal Museum of Fine Arts and unlock art partner, The Canadian Center of Architecture.

Le Méridien Versailles is also home to Branzino Restaurant, where executive chef, Alexandre St-Amand-Tremblay offers gourmet Mediterranean-inspired cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The hotel offers more than 2,600 square feet of newly renovated meeting and event space. The meeting rooms feature modern facilities, AirMedia® technology and panoramic windows that provide abundant daylight and fantastic views of downtown Montréal. The newly renovated fitness centre provides guests the opportunity to experience an invigorating workout during their stay.

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Rye’s Maritime History Fused with Contemporary Design Kebony combines beauty with sustainability for redevelopment of protected site

JD Architects (JDA) has recently completed its ambitious redevelopment of Cinque Ports Street, the 1,050 sq. m. former Central Garage site in Rye. Derelict for fourteen years, these buildings have been given a new lease of life with a striking, angular wooden façade made from Kebony. With its clever design and sustainable focus, Cinque Ports Street was announced as a winner at this year’s RIBA Regional South East Award.

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Influenced by imagery of the town’s maritime heritage, the transformed properties combine architectural elements from the nearby shipyard warehouse as well as traditional coastal architecture. The buildings, predominantly for residential use but also containing two retail units at ground floor draw on the town’s history to create a unique aesthetic which delicately balances modern and traditional aspects.

JDA wanted to create a modest design that emphasised the clean lines of traditional maritime architecture and incorporate a large amount of timber cladding, made from beautiful dark-hued Kebony, the sustainable alternative to tropical hardwood. This creates a dramatic outline on the streetscape and the steep pitched roof that angles sharply down at either side ensures the building matches the heights of adjoining buildings. The window placement has also been carefully considered to maximise the views towards Rother Valley, with expansive glass openings to obtain the most light.

The decision to choose Kebony for the cladding was made due to the wood’s aesthetic and environmental credentials, being far more environmentally friendly than comparable construction materials.

Prior to construction, significant archaeological digs Developed in Norway, the Kebony technoland studies were carried out to inform the design ogy is an environmentally friendly, patented parameters and avoid disruption to the remains process, which enhances the properties of of Rye’s medieval town wall which runs through fast growing sustainable softwood with a the site and is protected as a scheduled ancient bio-based liquid. By impregnating the wood monument (SAM). with furfuryl alcohol, the wood’s cell wall is polymerised resulting in greatly improved durability and dimensional stability. This process gives the wood a dark colouration, comparable to woods such as mahogany or teak, which perfectly complement the quiet and restrained colour pallet of Cinque Ports Street.

Jonathan Dunn, lead architect on this project commented: “This was a fascinating project to be involved with as we had to come up with a beautiful design that modernised the site while preserving the medieval town wall. Kebony cladding proved to be a fantastic solution, providing a contemporary look which draws on elements of local history and is a great asset for the town of Rye.” Adrian Pye, International Sales Director at Kebony added: “The architects at JDA have done a fantastic job, taking a derelict site and transforming it with a beautiful contemporary design in keeping with the area’s history. From the Kebony clad frontage to the carefully considered window placement, a great amount of time and thought has gone into the design details and we are delighted with the end result.”

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Build Earth Live Announces Dubai Future Foundation & Dubai’s Road & Transport Authority Sponsorship of Hyperloop Event and Date Change

Since the March 2016 announcement of the 48-hour collaborative BIM competition for the eighth Build Earth Live (BEL) series, the unprecedented popularity of BEL Hyperloop’s global collaborative design competition has reached the attention of Dubai’s Future Foundation and Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority.

Dubai Future Foundation and Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority have joined BEL - Hyperloop as government sponsors. The government is planning to build Hyperloop infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the near future.

The government ministry will host representatives from finalist teams in Dubai for judging and awards, along with Asite, Vectorworks, and Hyperloop One, a company reinventing transportation by developing the world’s first Hyperloop, an elegant, integrated structure to move passengers and cargo between two points immediately, safely, efficiently and sustainably. This new development sees the evolution of the Build Earth live series from BIM educators to leaders in infrastructure and design development.

In order to take full advantage of this exciting development the sponsors, leading teams have agreed to move the start date of the event to Monday, September 26, 2016 at noon GST and the closing of the competition to Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at noon GST. The schedule will also be modified to enable finalist teams to travel to Dubai following the 48-hour competition to participate in the award festivities where winners will be announced.

Asite’s COO Nathan Doughty said, “We are delighted to welcome the Dubai Future Foundation and Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority to the Build Earth Live team. We look forward to working in partnership to deliver exciting design solutions for the future of transport infrastructure and to seeing them take shape in real practice in the UAE.” Created by Asite, and headline sponsored by global design and BIM software developer Vectorworks, Inc., the competition exists to showcase how new technology is revolutionizing construction. Teams are tasked with joining together in collaborative work using building information modeling (BIM) technology. The event will focus in particular on the design of station terminuses within the context of Dubai and Fujairah.

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“This year will hands down be the most exciting Build Earth Live competition with the possibility for participating teams to win work, and we couldn’t be happier to be the headline sponsor,” said Jeremy Powell, product marketing director at Vectorworks. “We wish all of the competing teams the best and can’t wait to see the creative solutions they design for this challenge involving Hyperloop technology.”

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Transport Hub Evolution Leslie Jones Architecture is working with a host of transport operators to deliver innovative commercial solutions in their passenger terminals, stations and lounges. James Cons, their Managing Director, discusses how transport hubs are on course for commercial success.

Worldwide, we are seeing the expansion of uses for land in and around our airports, stations and ports becoming big business and a valuable source of income for occupiers and landlords alike. For successful developments, there is an increasing need to consider retail, offices, leisure, food & beverage and residential in the offer.

To maximise on this, public spaces in transport hubs need to be expertly designed and executed to enhance retailer-consumer engagement, encourage dwell time and increase passenger spend in a terminal or stations’ stores.

This is more challenging in a transport environment compared to, for example, a shopping centre, given that the nature of transport hubs means people are restricted by the amount of time they can spend in a particular area. The team at Leslie Jones boasts both extensive retail and transport experience. As such, we are able to apply our knowledge of consumer and retailer needs alongside the unique requirements of transport hubs to produce successful commercial strategies within these unique environments.

Passengers now have a greater choice than ever before when deciding which transport to use – for example which airports to fly from, fly to and use for transit. Transport architecture for any particular scheme must ensure the scheme can compete with a rapidly growing number of transport hubs. Our design solutions need to meet sophisticated consumer requirements and provide a passenger experience where shopping and leisure are truly integrated, safeguarding a scheme’s commercial competitive advantage.

Leslie Jones has been appointed by the Port of Dover and Bride Hall Real Estate Partners to design and deliver the commercial strategy of the partnership’s Dover waterfront regeneration project.

The significant mixed-use development is expected to include residential, retirement living, catering, retail and leisure facilities to revitalise the town and elevate the area’s tourism offering. Our designs will compliment Dover’s historical context, while bringing a modern mixed-use development to the world’s most iconic international transport hub concepts. We understand how to capture successful elements of mixed-use schemes across the UK, and adapt, then transfer them to the benefit of other developments.

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We have also been working on a visioning process for HS2, identifying opportunities for retail, office and hotel uses on land in and around the station environment, as well as a commercial design strategy for the future Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central (DWC) and other busy international airports around the world.

Airports such as Dubai are able to boast a higher volume of air passengers going through transit for longer periods of time and this drives a need for us to create more innovative design solutions that will capture the audience’s imagination, while supporting the occupier requirements.

Leslie Jones’ commercial design strategy for the future airport will ensure that premium space is effectively planned, and successful airport businesses will be ideally positioned to engage with high volumes of global travellers. A profound understanding of operators’ challenges, within an aviation context, is critical when designing such an environment.

Our design strategy will address this by supporting the creation of an integrated commercial environment that will elevate consumer engagement and optimise space intelligently.

Owners of transport hubs should first approach their commercial design strategy like a shopping centre landlord.

People go shopping for a leisure experience and social interaction as much as the shopping trip. The two are equal motivations and so shopping centres cater for both, which in turn provides tenants with a longer customer dwell time in the vicinity.

For a transport hub’s commercial design solution, we believe it is about capturing what, for example, a shopping centre has achieved and adapting it for the transport environment.

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Products and Innovation

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Murphy Crossrail Work Offers Testbed for the Future How does a challenging tunnel project become a dynamic testbed for future technologies, safety solutions, mechanical innovation and sustainable thinking? This question has been solved by the J. Murphy & Sons Limited (Murphy) team during the ambitious £14.8bn London Crossrail project.

he 3km section running under the Thames from Plumstead to Woolwich, saw Murphy introduce new thinking and innovation. This includes installing pioneering ‘smart infrastructure’ fibre optic sensors, using sustainable ideas such as groundwater rather than potable water, the company designing and creating a new safety mechanism for its telehandler fleet, plus the company showed its surprising approach by using a cherry picker deep underground.

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The project was a joint venture between Hochtief and Murphy (HMJV) and included the construction of a total of 42km of new twin bore tunnels, using two 1000-tonne boring machines. The £260m tunnel project was highly complex with a distinct set of challenges as well as presenting opportunities for Murphy to demonstrate its ability to adapt the best technology for the environment and work with the latest innovations.

Murphy fitted a fibre optics system embedded permanently within the concrete rings supporting the tunnel structure, allowing data collection and providing greater knowledge of how structures behave when in use. The sensors monitor any ground movement, the effect of loading caused by tidal changes and the ongoing integrity of the

structure. The information is invaluable in the long-term for identifying areas that need maintenance and repair, offering remedial possibilities before problems arise.

Another industry first, driven by innovation and sustainability, was boring the tunnel with groundwater rather than potable water. This dewatering process saw the team undertaking a full risk assessment and working closely with the Environmental Agency. This sustainable measure alone saved 2 million litres of potable water per week, reducing carbon emissions by 23 tonnes, saving an estimated £100,000.

The in-house Never Harm cultural development programme encourages the teams at Murphy to develop new approaches for first-rate safety. A new device developed

by Murphy, called the Safe T Zone, was installed on the telehandler fleet used on Crossrail. This bespoke solution minimises any unsafe movement of underslung goods, by limiting the operation of the telehandler, restricting its movement.

A further example of creative thinking, was the idea of transporting a cherry picker into the tunnel, so that operatives could reach the highest points easily and safely.

The light Hybrid Niftylift Height Rider 21 was chosen for its combination of strength and ease of movement and proved ideal for attaching temporary lights the length of the tunnel and allowed operatives inject resin to seal the tunnel watertight. With an eye on safety, this model with its electric motor was chosen as it reduced the release of harmful emissions in enclosed environments, as well as minimising noise wmklithin the tunnel for better working conditions. With lower fuel consumption, running costs and noise emissions, the humble cherry picker ensured the project was completed safely and on time.

Paul Mohan, rail sector director at Murphy, commented: “Our work on Crossrail highlights our approach to projects, thinking creatively as to how far we can push boundaries to get the best results for our clients, integrating the latest technologies into projects and going the extra mile on sustainability.”

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Jensen Underground Utilities, Inc. Serving SW Florida’s underground construction needs Services offered ranges from water, sewer, drainage and firelines to total sitework packages.

www.jensenunderground.com kevin@jensenunderground.com 239.597.0060