Premier Construction Magazine 15-7

Roma Publications

Harrogate’s Farndale Ward gets the specialist treatment

100-year-old park restored to original splendour

Poundbury project brought together by new centrepiece

Southend airport upgraded for 2012 Olympics

Historic Scotland rescues ecclesiastical buildings

Volume 15 - Issue 7

Contents PREMIER CONSTRUCTION

Volume 15 • Issue 7

Dear readers, Welcome to the wintriest issue of Premier Construction since... this time last year!

In the North West this issue, developers are behind a huge mixed development on the site of the former Macclesfield General Hospital. In the North East, meanwhile, Harrogate Hospital’s intelligent new extension has just been completed.

In the Midlands, one architect takes us through a range of his practice’s stunning designs, including an extension to the Forum in Norwich.

In the South East, we bring you the latest from Poundbury, the Duchy of Cornwall’s urban planning experiment, where Queen Mother Square will act as the town’s centrepiece.

In London and the South East, developers are finishing off work on Southend airport in advance of the busy 2010 Olympics.

Welsh news includes further work by Newydd Housing Association to integrate housing developments with training for the local populace. Meanwhile, two important churches are being restored thanks to Historic Scotland. In Ireland, consortia continue to contend for the right to build the DART extension.

As usual, we finish with a look at the associations and an overview of the ten golden rules when determining the quality of mortar.

We’ll still be here in 2011, no matter what the weatherman says, so there’s plenty to look forward to in Premier Construction.

For now, though, enjoy our last issue of 2010.

Graham Schulz, Editor

North West The Blue Zone.......................................................................................................4 Knowsley Housing Trust......................................................................................6

North East & Yorkshire Barnes Park.........................................................................................................14 SOAR...................................................................................................................21

Midlands LSI Architects......................................................................................................24 Cambridge LMB.................................................................................................30

South West Queen Mother Square, Poundbury..................................................................36 Shaw Farm regeneration, Swindon..................................................................38

South East & London Southend Airport................................................................................................42 Portsmouth Port Passenger Terminal.............................................................51

Wales St. Dunstan’s.......................................................................................................74 Newydd Housing Association...........................................................................75

Managing Director:

Marcus Howarth

Editor:

Graham Schulz

Contributors:

Lesley Coward

Production Manager: Danielle Burgoyne Advert Co-ordinator: Kelsie Howarth Published by:

Roma Publications Ltd. t: 01706 719 972 f: 0845 458 4446 e: admin@romauk.net w: www.romauk.net

Graphic Design by:

www.marcusmacaulay.co.uk

Scotland Scottish Water waste water projects...............................................................76 Loch Ryan Port...................................................................................................81

Ireland DART Underground..........................................................................................114 Ballycoolin – Cappagh road improvements...................................................116

Associations Golden rules of mortar......................................................................................118 Constructionskills............................................................................................126

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N o r th We s t

£30 million scheme defies challenging economy Powering ahead despite the recession, a £30 million mixed development is taking shape on 6.5 acres of land previously known as “The Blue Zone” and formerly part of Macclesfield General Hospital in Cheshire.

Keyworker Homes (NW) are behind the project which includes the construction of: a 75 bed care home; 542 sq m of retail space in three ground floor units with 16 apartments (eight one bedroom and eight two bedroom) on the upper two floors; a three-storey office building of 3,599 sq m; 15 townhouses in seven blocks; a coffee shop; a gymnasium; commercial access and estate roads and multi storey and underground car parks (including additional parking for the hospital). The development will result in an overall footprint of 67253 sq ft and 168,070 sq ft of overall floor space.

Main Contractors are J & S Seddon (Building); Architects are Baldwin Design.

The works include the demolition of original buildings on the site which were

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in a poor state, with the building materials being reclaimed to be used throughout the new scheme.

Keyworker are selling and leasing part of the development. A listed building, known as the Clock Tower, has been sold to Dane Housing for a 36-property affordable housing scheme. Keyworker are also constructing offices to be leased to East Cheshire NHS Trust and to the Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT. Part of the site has also been sold to Cannon Capital Partnership for the construction of a care home and Kids Allowed will also lease a nursery built by Keyworker.

The nursery, apartments and commercial units are expected to be completed by mid 2011. The further development of retail, open-market housing, a coffee shop and gymnasium is expected to be ready by autumn 2012.

Eian Bailey, managing director of Keyworker Homes, said: “I am very proud of my company, my team and all our consultants for delivering a flagship scheme not only for ourselves but also for the residents of Macclesfield, especially

during one of the worst financial climates in recent memory.

“At no time has design been compromised due to financial constraints, and the listed and historic buildings on site are to be given long lasting and sustainable futures restored to their former glory.

“The people of Macclesfield will particularly benefit from having more affordable housing as well as child and elderly care.

Nicola Phelps of Haworth & Nuttall who are advising on the scheme, said: “It’s great to see Keyworker Homes committed to such a large and complex project in what are challenging times. The community of Macclesfield will benefit enormously from the scheme.

J & S Seddon (Building) is a whollyowned subsidiary of Seddon (Stoke) Limited, a company noted throughout the construction and maintenance industry for its expertise, commitment to excellence and well-trained staff.

Seddon (Stoke) also includes J & S Seddon (Painting) and 4m Flooring UK Ltd - both companies being noted for their

high standards within their respective industries.

J & S Seddon (Building) teams operate from offices across the North, Midlands and South West of England, as well as North and South Wales. From these offices the company delivers a level of service expected from a local contractor, with the backing and support of a major national group.

The company was one of the first in the construction and maintenance industry to achieve the quality standard ISO9001:2000. Their quality procedures are regularly monitored and audited to ensure that the requirements of this standard are maintained, which helps provides peace of mind to clients that their projects are in expert hands.

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N o r th We s t Billy and Eve Middleton outside their new bungalow

Strengthening communities, transforming lives Residents on two formerly run down estates in Huyton are enjoying a new lease of life in brand new homes thanks to two housing regeneration schemes carried out

by Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT).

Residents at Moss Green Close (formerly known as Huyton Close) in Huyton had something to celebrate after their lives were transformed following the construction of 25 new, safe and energy efficient homes in a project by Cruden Construction.

Architects were Triangle Architects.

The new homes were built on the site of old sub standard properties, which were demolished.

The layout of the development comprises a cul de sac with two wings - one of which is completely surrounded with houses, while the other is open ended to facilitate a future second phase of development.

The new properties comprise 23 three bedroom houses and two bedroom bungalows - one of which has been specially adapted for wheelchair use. All of the homes have solar panel hot water systems and rainwater harvesting systems, and all are of timber frame construction, externally finished in coloured Trespa panelling ranging from bright yellow though to green, giving a contemporary look and incorporating double glazed windows in grey coloured uPVC frames. Roofing is in grey Marley Modern concrete roof tiles at a 30 degree pitch and canopies are covered

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by Kalzip Falzinc.

The palette of materials used was kept low key to complement the clean elegance of the design and was chosen to be robust to graffiti and abuse. The homes also have front and rear gardens, with the rear gardens having been planted with shrubs and trees and featuring landscaped areas. Hard landscaping is provided at the front of each property to serve as a parking area Internally, the layout of the properties is spacious and bright, with high quality finishes and fully fitted kitchens and bathrooms.

In addition, all of the homes have been built to Secure by Design standards, a police accreditation recognising built-in security features such as security lighting, secure door and window locks and fencing.

The properties also meet Lifetime Homes standards. Level access thresholds are provided and all homes have been designed to accommodate future stair lifts and lifts.

Ecological features of the scheme include the provision of eight bat boxes, six bird boxes and two log piles.

Cruden Construction earned praise for their performance on the scheme from Angela Edwards of Knowsley Housing Trust, who said: Cruden Construction were great, they worked well with us, especially with regard to resident liaison, dealing promptly with any problems. They also employed four local people as apprentices and completed the project with cost savings.”

Becky Labon and her three children have moved into a threebedroom house on the new estate. She said they now have more space to spend time together as a family. “I am so pleased with the new house. We have a dining room now, which we didn’t have before, so we can sit down and eat together.

“The people on the estate have all moved in together and although it is very new, it already feels like a great community.

Maggi Howard, Executive Director of Regeneration from KHT, said: “The old estate was very run down. This is a fresh start with a new name and new homes.

“We are making significant headway with regeneration across Knowsley. This is the second new estate to open in Huyton this year. We are building better communities brick by brick.”

“These new homes are a symbol of the changing face of Huyton.

They will help improve the environment and address the area’s urgent need for improved affordable housing.”

Another £3.4 million project at The Gate, on Princess Drive in the Finch House estate, involves the construction of 25 new ecofriendly homes, fully equipped with features such as solar panels and rain water harvesting, with all of the properties meeting the Code Level 3 for Sustainable Homes.

The new properties, being constructed on a brown field site

by Keepmoat Homes, are a mix of four bedroom detached and semi detached houses, three and two bedroom houses and bungalows. The homes are for residents living within the North Huyton area whose homes are scheduled for demolition.

The phased handover of the properties commenced in September this year and will continue until February 2011.

“Keepmoat are working hard to ensure the new homes are handed over as quickly as possible,” said Angela Edwards, adding “There should be a lot of happy tenants this year.”

Tenant Billy Middleton, who moved into a new bungalow with his wife Eve, said: “The new house is brilliant. It is better than we could have hoped for. It has been a long time coming, but it has been worth the wait. There is a very strong community here and it has moved with us to the new estate.”

Maggi Howard said: “This project would not have happened without the Finch House Residents’ Association, the work of all partners and the developer Keepmoat.

“The residents have worked hard to help us create a new estate to be proud of for years to come. It is a result of true partnership working. KHT are working up more new schemes to regenerate our neighbourhoods and provide the homes that are needed into the future.”

About Knowsley Housing Trust Knowsley Housing Trust is a charity based in a vibrant and dynamic area of Merseyside and is one of the largest housing associations in the country, with a portfolio of around 13,000 homes.

The trust’s regeneration team is currently delivering a £300million improvement programme, developing new homes and improving neighbourhoods in order to make a lasting and positive contribution towards the regeneration of Knowsley.

KHT offers a wide range of services: small repairs, gas servicing and garden improvements are just some of the diverse contributions at hand for residents of KHT homes.

Working in conjunction with its residents and the local community, KHT have set up a ‘menu of opportunity’ – a service that welcomes feedback with an end product report entitled ‘you say we did’, a quarterly report showcasing improvements to the community based on said feedback.

Area Boards in Kirkby, Huyton, Halewood and Prescot, Whiston and Knowsley village share a budget of £500,000 per annum to support initiatives which contribute to addressing the issues and problems identified by local communities as a well as a bonus £100,000 to share throughout the entire borough.

KHT have in excess of 650 houses designed to meet the needs of the elderly and vulnerable, as well as disability access for each building.

Heritage site landmark spring cleaned Liverpool’s iconic Cunard building, part of Liverpool’s UNESCO designated World Heritage Maritime Mercantile City, is undergoing a makeover thanks to main contractors ISG and Jennor.

The work involves improvements to communal areas and bathrooms, but the more significant part of the contract is external. The external work comprises of five main elements:

Cleaning and repair of the stonework Although the cleaning of the stone is cosmetic, the repairs are intended to reverse existing damage and to replace missing details. The most significant element of this work is the repairs to the balcony where rusting of the steel supports has caused substantial damage to the stone floor slabs. As for the trial balcony on the Strand elevation is being dismantled in order to replace the damaged stone and steel supports.

The majority of cleaning work will be undertaken using a very low pressure water mist spray; it is no more than heavy rain to avoid the risk of water getting into the building.

The sensitive and environmentally sustainable cleaning system is being used to remove the pollution build up on the external façade.

The nebulous stone cleaning system removes the need for chemicals and instead uses atomised water vapour to draw out dirt and carbon deposits, which are then washed away using low pressure cold water, returning the stone to its original colour.

Minor repairs and redecoration of the windows Windows are being checked, eased and lubricated to ensure opening lights operate properly. Any rot to the timber sub-frames is being made good and the external surfaces are being redecorated.

Asphalt surfaces on external light wells The existing asphalt is generally sound but there are many damaged and cracked areas that are having to be repaired locally. The complete surface is then being over-coated to provide a uniform surface with a guaranteed lifespan.

Repairs to light well walls to arrest corrosion of concrete frame Rusting of reinforcement has, for a number of years, caused ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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N o r th We s t damage to the glazed brickwork which is clearly evident above the window heads. The repair includes removing the brick work, scabbling off the poor quality concrete and treating the steel reinforcement, before patching the concrete and replacing the brickwork.

About the building The Cunard Building in Liverpool was built in the first quarter of the 20th century as the headquarters for the Cunard Steamship Company, which later merged with the White Star Line. The building acted as the central headquarters for the shipping line and provided office accommodation, administration accommodation and ship designing facilities on the upper floors The Cunard Line vacated the building in the 1960’s, relocating to new headquarters in Southampton.

Acquired by the Merseyside Pension Fund in 2001, the building now provides high specification commercial office accommodation for a range of public and private sector organisations.

OBG Working with Jennor, OBG Ltd supplied and installed a number of fire screens and doors plus frameless glass partitions to this iconic landmark building for Cunard.

From site survey to working drawings, the supply and installation of many interior products are part of the wide range of services from OBG Ltd.

Lindapter transforms architectural vision from concept to reality Lindapter’s new Hollo-Bolt® Flush Fit was specified as a structural steelwork connection in HafenCity’s Brooktorkai quarter, securing a wide spanning glass roof and multi story windowed front without the fixings being visible. The revolutionary Hollo-Bolt creates immense opportunity for architectural design as the unique fixing is concealed within the steelwork with no protruding bolt head or nut.

Architect GMP (Gerkan, Marg and Partners) designed the Brooktorkai quarter utilising clinker-brick facades as a reference to nearby historic buildings, while marrying with clean, modern lines of large glass enclosed open spaces. The prominent glazed feature of the Germanischer Lloyd building guarantees expansive views over the old warehouse district and creates a striking entranceway to the company’s new head office.

The Lindapter M12 Hollo-Bolt Flush Fit was used to construct the glazing support frame with a connection design that included splice joints inside the adjoining pre-drilled SHS sections, allowing the fixings to be simply inserted and tightened with a torque wrench for a rapid installation. The cost effective solution required no specialist equipment or labour and dramatically less work at height in comparison to traditional welding or throughbolting methods. The resulting steelwork is not only structurally sound, but aesthetically pleasing, presenting a clean symmetrical appearance.

Lindapter’s latest innovation merges the technical advantages of their distinguished Hollo-Bolt with the aesthetic benefits of a discreet fixing. The Hollo-Bolt is independently approved as a primary structural connection and is the only cavity fixing

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to feature in the SCI/BCSA joint publication ‘Joints in Steel Construction – Simple Connections’. Typical applications include: primary & secondary steelwork, cladding, balconies & staircases.

Lindapter International operates from its UK headquarters in Bradford, an ISO9001 registered design and manufacturing centre, servicing customers through its worldwide distribution network. Established in 1934, Lindapter has invented and pioneered innovative steel fixing solutions for over 75 years.

Initially recognised as the manufacturer of the Lindapter malleable iron hook-bolt adapter, the company has diversified to cover all aspects of fixing to or suspending from structural steelwork. The Lindapter range of fixings includes steelwork, cavity, decking, support and floor fixings. Key markets include structural engineering, civil engineering, building services, plant engineering, offshore, materials handling and transportation.

For further information please call 01274 521 444 or visit www. lindapter.com.

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N o r th We s t Construction News

Call our news team on 01706 719972

Countess counts on refurbishment to meet dignity requirements

Contractor Interserve has been at the centre of a project designed to improve theatre admissions facilities at Countess of Chester Hospital. Under new NHS guidelines, hospitals across Britain are re-organising their wards to reflect the need for patient privacy and dignity.

At Countess of Chester, project manager Kevin Higham and his team have used the requirement as an opportunity to implement a series of improvements.

He told Premier Construction, “We have been very active around the hospital over the last few years, really getting stuck in to issues such as clinical standards and the patient

environment and making sure we offer the very best we can.

Interserve, for example, have already carried out similar works for us on ward refurbishments as part of a P21 framework contract”.

Work on the existing theatre admissions facility, completed at the end of October 2010, involved installing a new reception area, an entrance area with a full lounge which offers TV and comfortable seating, upgraded consultation and examination rooms and refurbished toilets. The project was completed at the modest cost of £550,000. Separate sex facilities are included throughout, as part of the drive across the NHS trust to improve privacy and dignity for patients.

Paragraph 3 should reflect the refurbishment included “separate sex facilities, as part of the drive across the Trust to improving privacy & dignity for patients” Mr. Higham added, “The trust has been working hard to improve what we call the ‘patient pathway’ across the hospital, in order to help patients to move around as smoothly

Hands-on involvement pays off for Associated Security Services Associated Security Services, one of the UK’s major suppliers and installers of security equipment, is taking a hands-on approach to a project which will soon see the company’s Manchester centre completely made over.

Acting as main contractor and sub-contracting work to complete a design schedule by Makin Architects, Associated Security is overseeing a £750k investment in a new showroom with associated offices. The facility is situated a short distance from Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The building will be known as ‘Security House’ Associated Security’s site foreman, Howard Bailey, spoke to Premier Construction as his team battled the first snows of the year in late November. He said, “At the moment, brick work is

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www.romauk.net

as possible. Our preparation for this project involved consulting our patient liaison team, who made it clear that although services at the hospital had been attracting praise, a refurbishment was welcome. The trust agreed, and so we have taken that into account and upgraded staff areas during the works.

“There is a feedback evaluation system that we have in place and we will use that to find out how staff and patients have reacted to the new look of the building. We use these initiatives to help us plan work as well as evaluate completed work. Having seen the work done, I’m quietly confident that everyone using the building will be impressed”

going up and the first floor offices have been started. With the weather like it is, we’re finding that it’s only possible to get work done between 10am and 3pm. Another thing we’ve found is that suppliers are holding a lot less stock than previously as a result of the recession, so it’s been important to focus on organisation when it comes to deliveries. Despite all that, things have gone quite well so far!

“Both supplies and sub-contractors have been sourced in the local area as a priority – we put a lot of effort into that. There are a lot of familiar faces on site as a result”.

Planning permission for the project was hard-won, as the local authority is keen to maintain the industrial brick feel of the area.

Plans were eventually approved with a solution which marries the old and the new.

Howard said, “We’re using Kingspan Micro-rib cladding. It’s a nice, sleek design and it’s a mix of traditional and contemporary in the way it looks.

About Associated Security Services Associated Security Services began trading in 1945 as Sproston’s in Manchester. John Stanley Sproston became a well trusted local locksmith; his customer base grew and he began working with government bodies and banks as well as the general public.

The group’s branches are Adamant Safe & Lock Co. in Yorkshire, Associated Security Services in Manchester, Blackburn Security Centre in Lancashire, Ken Durose Lock & Safe Co in Staffordshire and T O’Connor Security Services in London.

The company’s services include: removal and relocation of safes; data and fire cabinets; supply and installation of time locks; air tube systems; retro fitting of digital locks; access control; bollards and shutters.

Find out more at www.associated-security.co.uk

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N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re

Modular extension completed at Harrogate hospital Harrogate District Hospital’s Farndale Ward has been refurbished in line with NHS privacy and dignity requirements. Main contractor Interserve led efforts on site on behalf of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, whose members took advantage of the works to add in a series of modular offices on the roof of the ward.

Off-site construction specialist and Portakabin subsidiary Yorkon was responsible for the off-site fit-out of the modules. The ProCure21 project is Yorkon’s fourth healthcare contract for main contractor Interserve Project Services.

The £5 million project adds a 26-bed bespoke treatment facility to the hospital and replaces outmoded 4- and 6-bed groupings which did not benefit from en-suite facilities. There is now also room for 2 or 3 critical care beds on the ward.

The scheme, which was completed in early December 2010, is designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘very good’ rating to minimise impact on the environment, and the ward is brick-clad to blend in with other buildings on the hospital site.

Shaun Paramor is the commercial manager at Interserve Project Services who oversees the company’s P21 healthcare work. He told Premier

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Construction, “This is one of around 20 privacy and dignity projects we have worked on in the North-East alone. We have also recently completed a similar modular project at University Hospital of North Tees, again working with Yorkon under the same contract type, so it’s fair to say we’re experienced and that has shown on this project. The site team did a very committed job on a tight site, battling in to work in bad weather under the pressure of needing the job to be done to the highest standards before the busier winter period at the hospital.

“It made sense to use a modular style for the offices, as the plan was always to have a central corridor with rooms branching off to each side. That’s a perfect candidate for a modular build. On top of that, with such a tight site it’s a lot easier and quicker to be able to crane modules in over a two day period than to build on site”.

Asked what kind of feedback he expected from staff at the hospital, Shaun said, “The NHS trust has been heavily involved all along the way. That involved sourcing

opinions from staff members as to how they would like their ward to be improved. The feedback we’ve had on the designs is that it will be a nicer place to work – with brighter light and more open spaces – as well as an excellent care facility. Once staff and patients have been in the building for a while, I’m positive the work we’ve done will be appreciated.

Again, that’s credit to the site team”.

Concluding with a bold yet well-founded statement, Shaun said, “There’s a high standard of finish in the ward and there’s everything patients need to be comfortable and well cared for. It’s a home from home. If I were to need it, I’d be happy to be treated there myself!”

N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re

Barnes Park spruced up after 100 years Sunderland City Council marked the centenary of its prized Barnes Park last year with a £3.6 million commitment to restore the popular facility to its original glory and more. The funding for the project has included a contribution of £2.4 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund Parks for People fund. The rest of the funding is made up of contributions of £800,000 from Sunderland City Council, £150,000 from CDENT, £200,000 from Play Pathfinder and £100,000 from the Local Transport Plan.

A programme of works which has left no stone unturned is now nearing completion. Work at the park has involved vegetation management, water management around the lake, improvements to access and security, re-surfacing of pathways and addition of a number of features, both aesthetic and practical. Among newcomers to the park are sensory and formal gardens, fountains, stone and timber artwork, new car parks, new toilets and changing rooms, steel and timber bridges over the lake and the park’s centrepiece bandstand, which will once more be used for public concerts.

Main contractor Brambledown Landscapes, a company based in the North-East which specialises in both contracting and retail, has been leading the construction. Brambledown’s development manager, Paul Curry, spoke to Premier Construction: “Of the 20 or so projects we’re involved in at the moment, this is one of the largest. We typically do between one and three of this kind every year, and we like to be heavily involved so we’ve had up to 20 of our people on site at the busier times. Add in a few specialist sub-contractors and we’re all set to complete in early 2011”.

Discussing the extensive preparation that had been put into the project, Paul added, “The works are extensive: it’s a complete makeover for the park. Some areas have been almost stripped bare and reconstructed from scratch. Sunderland City Councils landscape design team lead by Phil Dorian took their inspiration from the historic images/plans and the unique topography of the site, as well as working closely with the local community and the Friends of Barnes Park”.

He concluded, “By the time work is finished, it will be like a brand new park. It will be open permanently with excellent

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security and with everything we’ve been adding to it, there will be something for everyone to enjoy”.

The park’s history The land for Barnes Park, set in a beautiful valley through which the Bishopwearmouth Burn flows, was originally bought for just £8,500 in 1904.

Three years later in 1907, the laying out of the park was started.

The project became a source of employment for a number of practical gardeners from the area, with a total of 2,798 men being employed. The park was opened in August 1909.

Many of the site’s established trees were retained, with oak, ash, beech and elm trees constituting its main wooded growth.

Paths meandered throughout the park in all directions and two bowling greens, tennis courts, and a cafe were established.

The park has since been home to a wide range of wildlife and, since nesting boxes have been provided, breeding birds have regularly returned to the park Water hens, starlings, linnets, snipes, tits, diving ducks, and chaffinches can be frequently observed and have been provided for as part of the recent redevelopment.

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N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re

Sports centre’s innovative architecture is a national ‘first’ A striking and innovatively designed new sports academy to be known as The Pods - and believed to be the first sports centre of this design in the country - is being constructed as part of the regeneration of Scunthorpe’s Central Park, in a project which also includes the creation of a variety of other new park facilities.

The project, which is geared to establishing the town as a first class leisure destination, is being carried out through an agreement between North Lincolnshire Council, the Scunthorpe Town Team and Yorkshire Forward. Main Contractors are Bowmer & Kirkland; Architects are S & P Architects (working to a RIBA competition-winning concept design by Andrew Wright Associates); Structural, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers are Buro Happold and Quantity Surveyors are Gardiner & Theobold.

“The Pods utilises a unique, pioneering method of construction. Even five years ago, the technology was not available to create this building, so the technology used is very much cutting edge” said Ron Wallwork of S & P architects. He added that construction is going “very well indeed and according to plan” with completion expected next May. The Pods comprises five interlocking free-form geodesic pods with timber frames and steel nodes. The entrance dome is glazed, two of the other domes feature timber shingle finishes, one has with a green sedum roof and one has a plastic finish.

The Pods is being built to the highest environmental standards and is bordering on achieving an ‘excellent’ BREAAM environmental rating. The building will use grey water recycling and a bio-mass boiler.

The glulam timber triangular format frames for the domes were pre-manufactured by B & K Structures and then brought onto site where they were re-assembled. A cassette with an acoustic underside was then fitted onto the top of each dome to reduce sound reverberation within the building and the assembled domes were then craned into position in sections and covered with a single ply membrane for waterproofing beneath the final finish.

Facilities within the new sports academy will include: a reception area, cafe and crèche; a 95 station gymnasium on two levels; a six-court sports hall; a 25 metre competition swimming pool, a learner pool and changing facilities.

In addition to the construction of The Pods, the regeneration of the park includes the construction of a new park entrance (where the new sports academy is located together with a new lake and a car park); the construction of a boulevard leading from the sports academy right through the park; the creation of a new £450,000 children’s play area; the addition of a pavilion shaped like a seed pod with external fins constructed in a special weathered steel material; the refurbishment of a fountain and the creation of an events area with open air amphitheatre to hold low key music and theatrical events. The amphitheatre was built using excavated soil from The Pods project.

Cllr Mark Kirk, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “The Pods and nearby Central Park improvements will not only regenerate Scunthorpe, but will provide a lasting landmark with its unique design - for future generations to enjoy. And the creation of much needed jobs will have a knock-on effect on the local supply chain - bringing a welcome boost to the local economy.”

Terry Hodgkinson, Chair of Yorkshire Forward, said: “This is a huge step forward in the regeneration of Scunthorpe and is an incredible example of our ongoing work to build sustainable

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buildings, businesses and communities, throughout Yorkshire and Humber.”The Pods and Central Park provide state of the art sports facilities for the whole community and a wonderful space for everyone to experience and enjoy.”

Anne Boyd, Sport England’s Regional Lead for Yorkshire, said: “The Pods will soon be a flagship sports centre for people in North Lincolnshire, offering them the opportunity to play and enjoy sport in a modern and welcoming environment. Sport England is pleased to support North Lincolnshire Council in providing more high-quality sporting opportunities for the local community.”

Mike Cooney, chair, Scunthorpe Town Team, said: “The Scunthorpe Town Team has supported this project from the outset and to finally see work starting on site is fantastic. The Town Team has worked with North Lincolnshire Council and Yorkshire Forward to make The Pods sport and leisure complex, with its unique design, the cornerstone of the town’s renaissance. This, together with the reinvigoration of Central Park, will provide excellent facilities for sport and leisure for people across North Lincolnshire and beyond.”

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Ambitious plans for Selby College become reality Selby College now boasts an ultra-modern campus located on the southern edge of Selby town centre on a state-of-the-art, 19 acre site.

Recent work on the site has been completed

by BAM.

The college campus has been substantially redeveloped even prior to recent project, with earlier phases including the £4m sixth form academy, which was quickly followed by the £2.5m Renaissance Building. In August 2008, the college’s £27m capital bid was successful and went towards completing the remainder of the campus redevelopment. Work began in October 2008 to build the first of the new facilities - a massive new hub building named the Jubilee Building, which opened for the first time to students in January 2010.

In October 2010, the college opened a new extension to the Renaissance Building and

a specialist construction and engineering building.

The state-of-theart Jubilee Building incorporates more subject specific teaching rooms (equipped with the very latest whiteboards, visual and ICT technologies), a new reception area, a refectory, a teaching kitchen for catering students, a restaurant and the new ‘Aspire Gym’ and hair and beauty salon. The two storey building also provides science laboratories, recreational sports facilities and more social facilities for students.

The construction and engineering building comprises a two storey, purpose-built construction, engineering and media studies facility and has been built to be a flexible space and designed to accommodate changes in the numbers of learners and the types of courses they will want now and in future.

College Estates Manager Mark Gent told Premier Construction, “Not only have we built some of the most modern facilities around and introduced the ‘wow factor’ to the campus, but we’ve also improved the educational

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opportunities on offer.

“In the past, trade skills learnt on sites like these would be confined to a single workshop with a bit of bricklaying here and a bit of carpentry there. Now, however, we have specially-designed areas for each of the trade skills we teach, and our students benefit from the latest technology, CAD support and the rest”.

Mark concluded, “In all, we’ve spent around £35m on the campus and all the work has been completed on schedule with no ‘overspend”. I feel we’ve achieved a lot for our money and that will hopefully show in the quality of education that people take out of the investment”.

South Shields school takes shape Secondary school pupils are seeing their new learning environment rise from the ground as work continues on the building of a £21 million super school in South Tyneside. The school is the latest to be built in South Tyneside under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Over summer 2010, the foundations and steel framework were put in place for the new South Shields Community School, which is being built on the site of the former King George V School in Nevinson Avenue. And now that the first bricks have been laid, the school is beginning to take form.

Councillor Jim Foreman, lead member for children and young people, said, “At a time when Building Schools for the Future projects across the country are suffering setbacks, we are determined to press ahead with our programme, which is continuing unaffected.

We are committed to providing our children and young people with the best education possible by investing in their future.

Under the programme, we are spending £139 million replacing, remodelling and transforming all our secondary schools so that we can provide pupils with truly excellent facilities and give them the education they deserve”.

Councillor Ernest Gibson, whose title is ‘chairman of the select committee for children and young people, independent and healthy lives’, said, “It’s fantastic to see the new school building ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Councillors Jim Foreman and Ernest Gibson with head teacher John Frain and the BSF student team at the new South Shields Community School site

starting to take shape, not just for the council, but for the pupils, teachers and the local community which will benefit enormously.

“The building works bring us a step closer to providing South Shields Community School with a wonderful new state-of-the-

art environment for learning and teaching for many years to come. We’re really looking forward to its opening”.

King George V School closed in 2007 when it merged with the former Brinkburn Comprehensive School to create South Shields Community School. The school is currently based on the old Brinkburn site in McAnany Avenue, and will remain there until the Nevinson Avenue premises are completed. The new school will cater for up to 1,000 pupils.

The school is being delivered by a unique partnership between South Tyneside and Gateshead (STaG) Local Education Partnership with Carillion as the main contractor.

South Shields Community School pupils helped to design the building’s interior layout. The BSF school student team includes Emily Ferguson, Hannah Blain, Jake Harley, Andrew Walker, Kerry Dennett and Renae Black (pictured).

Dr John Frain, head teacher at South Shields Community School, said, “It seems as if we have been planning the new building for a long time so it is very exciting to see the different parts of the building start to appear in just the way we had imagined it”.

Speaking in summer 2010, he said, “We are still working on the colours of floors and walls and each stage we go through increases the anticipation. I think the worst part of it is that although the building work is right on schedule, it is still more than a year before we get to move in and we all wish it would be this September, and not next”.

LSC funding spreads to Yorkshire Thanks to funds made available by the Learning and Skills Council, a Yorkshire college is to move into a brand new campus which is currently under construction.

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

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

Externaqlly, the lower three floors are in forticrete polished facing blockwork in black which forms a plinth to the upper floors. There are some areas of stone cladding on the south elevations that mirror the stone in Folly Hall Mill which is directly opposite across the River Colne and will also blend with the stone paving stretching across the Waterfront Square when the whole development is completed. The upper levels are clad in a variety of aluminium architectural cladding panels and a Kalwall translucent cladding system.

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

Security systems are high on the agenda and an access control card system using proximity readers will be used to access all areas and individual teaching spaces. All access control, fire, CCTV and smoke detection will be linked through the building management system to ensure safe evacuation can be managed.

None of the windows will open – a boost to security as well as a barrier against traffic noise from the nearby road.

Vice principal Melanie Brooke said, “The new campus has been

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

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

He continued, “The development includes green roofs but also we are also in the process of obtaining licences from British Waterways to extract water from the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to use for cooling the building before discharging the clean filtered water back into the canal. The development of the computer model to prove this to British Waterways and the Environment Agency has been done in close partnership with Dr.

John Fieldhouse at Huddersfield University who has developed a new computer model for future proving of other systems brought forward by other developments”.

Ray added, “So far, this been a true team effort on the part of all the consultants involved in the design team both pre and post contract. This is continuing with the contractor [Allenbuild] under the design and build contract.

“The practical completion date for the building contract is July

2012 with college occupation in September 2012. So far the contractor is ahead of programme but acknowledges that a bad winter could wipe out any betterment of the programme already achieved. Getting through this winter is the critical part as it will then be weathertight for the following winter”.

LSC funding for the £74 million project has been topped up by Yorkshire Forward and Kirklees Council.

Essential bridge strengthening completed Dewsbury’s Cleggford Bridge has been strengthened at the cost of £2.1 million as part of a scheme designed to protect nine bridges managed by Kirklees Council.

Main contractor CR Reynolds undertook the contract.

The scheme consisted of excavating the highway and installing mini-piles to underpin the bridge foundations. The arches were then strengthened before a new reinforced concrete cantilever deck was installed on top of the bridge to widen the lanes and provide footways to improve safety for the large ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re number of school children who use the bridge daily.

Service pipes and cables were diverted to new service bays beneath the footways before highway and street furniture was.

Site works continued seven days a week to minimise the length of the works. That shortened the total programme from 11 months to around 37 weeks.

The last stages of the work involved re-diverting the utility services back to the widened bridge, and during this phase the road was re-opened to traffic, with some traffic control during off-peak periods, at night and at weekends. Therefore, the road closure was reduced to only 5½ months from the originally programmed 11 months.

The Cleggford Bridge improvement scheme was funded through the £15million major structures bid Kirklees Council won from the Department for Transport to repair walls and bridges across Kirklees.

The grade II listed bridge has a long history and was originally built to replace the old Roman ford in 1778. It is a five span arch bridge originally built using stone masonry ashlar dressings. It was widened in 1889, at which point a cast iron parapet was fitted. Continued upgrades reflect its importance as a crossing point over the River Calder. It was officially re-opened by the mayor of Kirklees, Cllr Andrew Palfreeman, on 30th September 2010.

ASF’s Metallurgy Metalwork on the bridge had rusted and decayed to the point of ugliness, but the refurbishment project allowed for specialist sub-contractor ASF to restore and replace it to its original, shining glory.

Surveys and test excavations preceded a decision that the bridge’s parapet needed to be delicately uplifted. This required the smelting out of Victorian leaded fixings and careful removal of hot rivets. Under ASF, careful attention was paid to numbering

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and ordering of over 100 bridge sections to ensure that they could be replaced in exactly the same order.

The whole bridge parapet was then taken to ASF’s factory site in Brighouse for refurbishment. Firstly, a full metallurgist’s report was completed, giving the chemical analysis of the Victorian iron.

The report meant that replacement parts could be manufactured to match as near as possible the original product.

The refurbishment began with shot blasting, the whole parapet before rescuing the original panels. This was done by manufacturing individual cast iron sections and spindles to retro fit into the Victorian panels. A number of the older, weaker, and damaged spindles were also saved by the internal fixing of bright bar in a machined hole through the centre of the spindles.

ASF saved around 50% of the posts using similar methods and employing a modular system for post sections, so that only those parts of the bridge parapet that were absolutely beyond rescue needed to be fully replaced.

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Major sports centre’s £5.25 million refurbishment Major work to refurbish Batley Sports and Tennis Centre, in a £4.6 million project led by main contractor Clugston Construction, was completed in late October 2010.

The previous summer, the swimming pool, fitness suite and sports hall were closed as part of the exciting redevelopment. The sports hall then reopened in the following October with new flooring. The fitness suite was completely remodelled with brand new Technogym equipment.

The reception has been redesigned and remodelled, and both the swimming and the dry side changing rooms have been totally refurbished.

The pool hall has benefited from an upgrade of poolside facilities, including interactive water features for children to play on involving water cannons, slide and tipping buckets, which has been enhanced by new poolside lighting.

Centre manager Jaime Nalson said as the work was announced: “We are all very excited about this fantastic opportunity for re-development and investment in the facilities here at Batley Sports and Tennis Centre.

“The water features in particular will be great for children and include interactive lighting which we can change to suit the mood of the session. For example, low and soft for relaxing swims, or flashing and multi-coloured for lively fun swims”.

Investment for the project has come from a £1.75m grant from the Government, a £2.75 contribution from Kirklees Council and £140,000 from Kirklees Active Leisure. Sport England and the Amateur Swimming Association were actively involved in the design process for the entire scheme.

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The Batley Swimming Initiative builds on the already substantial investment of £11.1 million invested by the council and Kirklees Active Leisure over the last seven years into improving and modernising sports centres and swimming pools across Kirklees.

Batley Girls’ High School will share the facilities; the phasing of the construction work was designed to reflect the needs of the centre’s various users and was co-ordinated by performance and liaison officer Eira Halliwell, who said, “The biggest challenge of the project was to phase the works so that we could get maximum use out of the buildings and avoid disruption to both contractors and the building’s users”.

Business impetus centre moves closer to completion Southey and Owlerton Area Regeneration (SOAR), a community-led regeneration partnership in north Sheffield, is proudly overseeing the development of the £4 million SOAR Works project alongside main contractor Quarmby Construction. The new building occupies the site of a former council works depot on Knutton Road.

It will create space for local start-ups and small businesses, with offices, workshops and artists’ studios. An important aim of the development is to help local people to start new businesses

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N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re by providing affordable accommodation as well as business support and advice.

Individual units are clustered in two wings around an internal courtyard which will act as a social hub and provide space for a drop-in centre, where support services will be available for businesses not based in the building.

Sarah Larssen, SOAR’s development manager, told Premier Construction, “The project is on track and the building is developing rapidly. Currently, the steel frame is up and the roof of one wing is on. Internal block work has started beneath it. The priority is to have the whole complex roofed as soon as possible so that work can go on during winter.

“The building is designed to meet BREEAM ‘excellent’ criteria with high insulation and a biomass boiler. The light industrial units are designed to appeal to a wide range of professions – double height spaces are important for storage, for example, or for people like mechanics who need room for their equipment.

“There has been a lot of positive interest so far, and we have had support from organisations such as the local chamber of

commerce. This investment definitely comes at the right time for the area”.

The construction industry is one of the first to benefit from the scheme, as a decorating sub-contractor and a fence post manufacturer are lined up to benefit from the premises once they are completed in July 2011.

About SOAR SOAR receives funding from councils and other organisations, such as the ERDF, LEGI and HCA, to engage in projects which benefit the residents of Southey and Owlerton. It covers six neighbourhoods: Foxhill, Longley, Parson Cross, Shirecliffe, Southey and Hillsborough/Winn Gardens. SOAR is a registered charity and a community organisation which means it is managed by a board of residents and local agencies which oversee its activities. The trading arm, SOAR Enterprises, is responsible for projects such as the Knutton road centre. Find out more at www. soaregen.org.uk

Excellence in exemplary design and construction A new primary care centre under construction at Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, has been identified by the DoH as one of the first healthcare buildings in the country to aim for a BREEAM Outstanding rating.

The new 7,500 sq m centre incorporates an existing sports and leisure facility, with the new build element dramatically extending the original to three times its size, and bringing together sports, leisure and wellness facilities on one site.

Main Contractors Wilmott Dixon and P+HS Architects are working with Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust and Sunderland City Council to develop the £18 million scheme.

The project has been designed in collaboration with both CABE and Cambridge University’s ‘Breathing Buildings’ consultants to ensure exemplary design quality and a highly sustainable solution.

The project was procured under a local authority SCAPE framework contract, which allowed Wilmott Dixon to tender for the scheme.

Healthcare facilities in the new two storey centre will include a minor injuries walk-in centre, diagnostics facilities including x-ray and ultrasound, planned care clinical accommodation, a 24 bed rehabilitation unit and supporting accommodation, a community café and meeting rooms.

Alongside, but integral to the healthcare centre, will be new and refurbished sports and leisure facilities with accommodation for wellness classes, physiotherapy, and a child play area.

Aiming for the highest BREEAM rating of Outstanding, the

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development incorporates sustainable technologies to reduce the carbon load as far as possible. The building’s orientation has been purposely designed to minimise excessive solar gain in summer, but to maximise sunlight during the winter months and exposed glazing is protected by solar shading.

The building is naturally ventilated using an innovative system designed by Breathing Buildings. Based on the principles of thermal mass and the stack effect, tempered air is delivered from an underground plenum via 49 chimneys to ventilate and condition the interior of the building. Ground source heat pumps are used to provide space heating which required 160 bore holes to be drilled on the site. Rain water harvesting is used to reduce water consumption and a sedum roof will not only encourage biodiversity but also attenuate rain overflow reducing the drainage load. Solar thermal panels are installed to preheat domestic hot water for the building and renewable energy sources such as a vertical axis wind turbine and 350 sq m PV panels further contribute to the facility’s energy requirements.

The two principal elements of the scheme, the primary care centre and the leisure/sports facilities are positioned either side of the main entrances. Because of the sloping site, the sports centre entrance is one floor level above that of the primary care centre, which requires two entrances to be linked by a main stairway within the two storey atrium.

This atrium allows light to flood into the central parts of the building where the main reception points are located together with the café, self help area and principal reception lounges.

A 24 bed rehabilitation ward is located on the first floor level

to provide privacy for patients and visitors. All bedrooms have glazed sliding screens opening onto Juliet balconies.

The new building is structured around a steel frame with external elevations in a combination of natural stone, render and Trespa panelling.

External works involve the creation of additional sporting and leisure facilities, including a multi use games area, a crown green bowling area and a car park, as well as landscaping. The works also include the re-design of an existing skateboard park.

In addition, a public transport drop off area is being created to ensure easy bus access right to the door of the new facility.

“Wilmott Dixon are doing extremely well on the project - they have been on site for 12 months and are on schedule for completion in May 201l. This is the fourth building of this type that we have designed for Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust and benefits greatly from our design experience gained working on its predecessors. We feel that we have achieved a very accomplished design which represents the culmination of six years of work”, said Joe Biggs of P & HS Architects.

Middlesbrough schools welcomed into Primary Capital Programme Schools under the governance of Middlesbrough Borough Council are being revitalised as investment potentially totalling £50 million begins to work its magic.

2007 saw the launch of the government’s Primary Capital Programme, inviting local authorities to draw up strategic plans for renewing primary school accommodation across the country.

The offer from the government is a 14-year programme of capital investment with the aim of improving the learning environment in up to 50% of schools nationwide. The programme could bring up to £50 million of funding to Middlesbrough over its lifetime.

The Primary Strategy for Change is Middlesbrough’s approach to this investment, delivering millions of pounds of funding to deliver change in the town’s primary schools. The council intends to use the investment offered as a catalyst for embedding change across all schools so that every young person can achieve to their full potential. In taking forward the strategy, the council intends to work positively with schools, parents, pupils and the wider community to make its vision for better education in Middlesbrough a reality.

Schools included in the latest phase of funding are: Archibald Primary School; Beech Grove Primary School; Berwick Hills Primary School; Brambles Primary School; Caldicotes Primary School; Thorntree Primary School; and Green Lane Primary School.

standards. By locating both primary schools onto a single site, 420 surplus places will be removed. New classrooms will be added with others refurbished. A new school entrance will be built and an all-weather sports pitch provided.

The schools federated under a single governing in April 2010 and in September 2010 both schools changed their names to Beech Grove Primary School. The final stage is to discontinue one of the school’s two registrations with the Department for Education. Following discussions with the governing body, Middlesbrough Council has recently undertaken a period of consultation on draft proposals to ‘discontinue’ the registration that belonged to Beechwood Primary School on 31 August 2011.

At this point the school accommodation on Lambton Grove, formerly the home of Marton Grove, would no longer be used.

The steps needed to bring the schools together are well under way. Construction works are due to be completed in time for pupils and staff to relocate to the Beechwood Avenue site in September 2011. A concurrent programme of works is being completed at Berwick Hills.

Beech Grove – a case study Main contractor Clugston is currently on site at the new Beech Grove Primary School, which is being formed by combining the former Marton Grove and Beechwood schools on the site of the latter on Beechwood Avenue. The site has benefitted from the scientific input of Teesside University, where academics have helped to develop the fall arrest solutions implemented by Netting Services.

The two schools are in the first phase of the Primary Strategy for Change. Under the plans, a single 420-place school will be created to cater for pupils from Beechwood and Marton Grove Primary Schools by expanding the current accommodation on Beechwood Avenue and refurbishing the buildings to modern

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2009-10: a successful period for LSI Award winning architects at LSI have recently added a diverse range of striking designs to their collective portfolio. LSI’s David Andrews talked Premier Construction through some of his and his colleagues’ latest achievements.

The Forum, Norwich

A programme of internal refurbishments and the redevelopment of the south wing of The Forum over three floors provided a tourist information office and shop, a reception for the BBC, an interactive digital gallery and accessible BBC recording studio. The latter two are fully available to the public.

Materials were chosen to relate to the existing building’s concrete, timber and carpet floors with the integration of new acoustic ceilings and floor construction to conceal new service installations and provide acoustic separation between floors. A glassed extension completes the ground floor.

The forum was originally designed by the celebrated Sir Michael Hopkins. The cultural hub sits on the site of the old Norwich Central Library, which was devastated by fire in 1994, destroying many books and precious documents and forcing its closure. Now, the Forum is home to BBC East, a new library, a theatre, an auditorium, restaurants and more.

David said, “We made only minimal alterations to structure of the building.

Materials and suppliers were sourced locally or within the UK. The building now

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features VRV air-sourced heat pumps, a heat recovery system, and energy efficient lighting controlled by movement sensors”.

Southend Framework

LSI experts have been working for Southend Borough Council’s under a framework agreement, taking on several projects across a broad range of contract values. At Southend University Hospital, three projects in particular stand out.

The Bereavement Suite, although a small contract value of around £56,000, illustrates the importance of adapting the design to the end users. The interior is fitted out with high quality materials and light fittings, and special attention has been paid to the inclusion of art within the hospital environment with large, calming landscapes dominating the space.

The hospital’s new Education Centre is a concrete framed addition to the site with exposed soffits to provide thermal mass, in conjunction with stack effect natural ventilation system to enable nigh-time cooling in the summer. Special attention has been paid to the window and glazing specification, including solar shading to the south elevation.

Also recently completed at the hospital is a tower block refurbishment. LSI focused on the window and glazing specification to provide suitable opening configurations for natural ventilation, with the requirement to comply with restricted openings for health and safety reasons.

Internal finishes were selected for infection control and ease of maintenance, but

avoiding an institutional feel.

According to David, designs for the hospital are “inspired by sustainable principles” and aimed at “allowing staff to deliver the best clinical outcomes”.

Jubilee 3, Norfolk Jubilee 3 is Easton College’s stylish new mixed-use building. The £7 million project was designed to BREEAM ‘excellent’ standards and handed over in early 2010.

Students and staff are now taking advantage of a mix of 25 classrooms, 2 laboratories, an open-plan learning resource centre, a 70-seat lecture theatre, a café and ancillary rooms.

Brickwork is designed to match previous building phases; a Trespa grid pattern façade with integral natural ventilation louvers are coloured to match windows installed in existing phases. The sedum moss roof enhances the building’s ecological credentials, mitigates rain water run-off and reduces the structure’s visibility. Elsewhere, abundant eco-friendly features range from rainwater harvesting to passive solar gain and from natural ventilation to special cables designed to train vines.

David notes, “Seasonal brise-soleils and cor-ten landscape features reinforce the connection between this agricultural college and its agricultural context”.

LSI maintain a detailed website highlighting these and other recent successes at www.lsiarchitects.co.uk

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Prime Life expands with Leicestershire care village Peaker Park is a twelve acre site off Rockingham Road in Market Harborough. The site was purchased in 2007, and since then outline and full planning consent has been gained for a range of uses across the site. Since that time, two developments have appeared on site, one being a petrol station with a Tesco Express store and a Domino’s Pizza to the front of the site.

The second development to commence on site is the care village. This development sits within three acres of Peaker Park, purchased by Prime Life Ltd. The planning permission gives consent to build accommodation that includes: an 89 bed specialist elderly care, nursing and dementia care unit; two 24 bed specialist care homes; and 32 apartments (a mixture of one and two bed) of extra care housing to cater for people over 55.

The 89-bed building is of traditional block and wet plaster construction. External materials and features include a mix of Webber through colour render with brick features and Cedaral cladding. The roof covering is predominantly Sandtoft Cassius tiles, with feature sections covered with coloured Rhephanol lead effect roofing. External lighting includes low energy L.E.Ds, and up-lighting near main entrance areas, all controlled via P.I.R sensors. Permacrib retaining walls are used at the entrance to the site with attractive overhanging plants and lighting, and Gabion walls have been used at the rear of the site. Large grey-coloured windows are used throughout the development, and two of the buildings have dormer roof sections for first floor windows.

For staff, there are carer stations located throughout the building, a manager’s office, reception and meeting room, a staff room with washing and changing facilities, full commercial laundry and kitchen, plenty of storage, sleepover rooms and more. There is also a dedicated clinic for visiting professionals to use.

The external gardens will offer a mix of hard landscaping including buff slabs, block paving and tarmac, leading through sensory gardens and past various seating areas, and points of interest such as wooden carvings. The planting will offer a mix of flowers, plants and trees, all mature to give the whole area an instant appeal, and the use of green screen fencing will make designated areas secure by design, without giving an institutional feel.

The block of 32 apartments is part of the second phase of the development, which will commence at a later date. The apartments’ design gives a mix of two and one bedroom units, all self contained with kitchen, lounge and separate bathrooms, along with storage areas. The design allows for communal areas within the building for residents to socialise, a kitchen, a cafe, a laundry, and staff office and accommodation that ensures someone is available 24/7.

The two 24 bed units have many of the same benefits of the larger units for the clients and staff, but there are some differences. The personal accommodation in each room is around 24m2, with full en suite, fitted furniture, telephone and internet connection, flat screen wall mounted televisions, double beds, and breakfast bar areas with sinks, fridges, tea making facilities and microwaves.

The contract period is 70 weeks, is due to be complete in June 2011, and once commissioned and complete the total cost will be in the region of £ 11 million for the first phase. It will also create around 150 new jobs locally. As for the rest of the site, developers are hopeful that a total of £25 will be invested in time.

According to Prime Life’s director of new developments, Simon van Herrewege, “The development offers optional care and ancillary services on a round the clock basis; it is true extra care housing, not sheltered housing. All our new facilities are built in excess of national standards and are fit for purpose and future proofed to make sure they meet the aspirations of our stakeholders for years to come. This development will provide a home for life that offers a range of services that can be taken to individuals in their own accommodation to meet their personal needs, without having to move them to the service”.

About the contractor The main contractor at Peaker Park is S & S Contracting, a Leicestershire-based firm founded over 20 years ago which has been working on care facilities with Prime Life for over 10 years.

The company also specialises in new-build, renovation projects as well as all types of residential development.

According to Sue Taylor of S & S, the secret to the company’s successful relationship with Prime Life is communication: “We go out of our way to maintain good relationships with both clients, subcontractors and suppliers, and our site teams are excellent at anticipating problems before they occur. It’s ingrained into the way we work. What’s more, while we’re large enough to take on main contractor roles, we’re small enough to put in a personalised approach to every contract”.

Corporate Architecture Corporate Architecture Ltd are retained by Prime Life Limited as architects, providing a full service for all Prime Life s projects.

The two are now undertaking their seventeenth and eighteenth projects together since their first collaboration in 2000. Notable recent projects completed include the £7 million Overfields Care Village project in Scunthorpe and the £14 million Rutland Care Village.

The practice was founded by Malcolm V Foulkes-Arnold in 1986 as the Foulkes Arnold Weston Partnership and has evolved into its present form as Corporate Architecture Ltd in 1994. Over the years, the practice has established a prestigious client base, including organisations such as The Crown Estate, Highland Homes, Alliance & Leicester Building Society, Burrough Court Estates and Rutland Country Homes.

The practice takes on a huge range of projects, from private extensions to large scale developments and from the restoration of period buildings such as the prestigious, award winning Kilworth House Hotel to state of the art modern structures such as the award-winning Kilworth Outdoor Theatre.

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Midlands Construction News

Call our news team on 01706 719972

Eyre Electrical Ltd In the new Angiography Suite project at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Eyre Electrical carried out works comprising the refurbishment of areas to Level 3 and roof to form the new suite. These works were carried out in two phases, whilst keeping the existing services operational within the adjacent live hospital areas.

Phase 1 included the offices and ancillary rooms, and Phase 2 the new procedures room and ancillary rooms, including the installation of a new double-stacked supply and extract air-handling unit with recuperator and two chillers on the roof of the angiography area.

Generally, the works consisted of removal and co-ordinating new services with existing services to facilitate: above ground cast iron and plastic drainage and cast iron RWP installation; domestic hot and cold water services; sanitary ware and specialist stainless steel sink installations; low pressure hot water installations; chilled water installation from

new air-cooled scroll roof mounted chillers; general ductwork and ventilation from the new AHU on the roof and special medical gas installation.

Further services facilitated by these works included: monodraught windcatcher and sun tube installation; thermal insulation to all duct and pipework services; air, water and specialist commissioning services; specialist ductwork cleaning services; chemical cleaning of chilled and LPHW installations; chlorination of domestic pipework services and controls and building management installation.

3 St James Court, Norwich Eyre Electrical also carried out extensive works in a separate project involving a three-storey premium multi-let office development at 3 St James Court, Whitefriars, in the centre of Norwich. The landlord’s core area is fitted out to a high standard with the office areas being fitted out to Cat. A standard.

Eyre designed, installed, commissioned and set to work mechanical and electrical services for the project.

Mechanical services included: simultaneous VRF heating and cooling to office areas and

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atrium; fresh air supply and extract systems to office areas; central extract system to toilets; BMS automatic controls; domestic hot and cold water services; plumbing, and a rainwater down-pipe system.

Electrical services included: a landlord and tenant electrical distribution system; low energy lighting to the office areas with automatic control and daylight linking; low energy lighting to the landlord’s areas with automatic control; low energy lighting to the external areas; small power to the landlord’s areas; an analogue addressable fire alarm system; an intruder alarm system; a CCTV camera system; an access control system; a disabled refuge emergency voice communications system and toilet alarm systems, and a lightning protection system.

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

The development is being carried out for North Northants Development Company and the Bela Partnership, a joint venture between Bee Bee Developments and the Lagan Group.

Creating a community of character, embodying English village life, the scheme, will eventually include the construction of 5,100 new homes.

“The vision is to create new villages designed on traditional lines, yet also modern and sustainable, reflecting the way that people want to live.” said Daniel Polak of Bela Partnership.

The first phase of the development including the construction of 384 homes for private sale (being built by Lagan Homes), an enterprise centre and a business academy for 11 to 18 year olds, is currently underway. The enterprise centre and the business academy have been completed and so far 170 foundations having been laid for the new homes, with 72 of the new properties having been roofed.

The current phase of homes under construction includes

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two, three, four and five bedroom properties, ranging from two bedroom stone cottages to large four bedroom detached houses and luxury bespoke three and a half storey five bedroom bespoke town houses that have been described as “the jewels in the crown” of the development.”

The scheme is already proving highly successful with 78 properties having been reserved since March 2010.

Currently all of the properties have been designed to achieve the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3, with plans to achieve Level 6 soon.

A large number of the many landscape features within the public realm areas of Priors Hall Park, including a town gardens and an amphitheatre, are being created using the local Weldon Stone, reflecting the surrounding environment of the development.

Construction of the new Corby Enterprise Centre began in December 2009 following the appointment of Rushdenbased contractors Kier Marriot, who completed the project in September 2010. Architects were DLA Architects. The development provides opportunities for entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses to work within 32,000 sq ft of high quality, flexible office and workshop space.

With different sized offices and studios suitable for between 2 and 25 people, the Enterprise Centre is a lively new focus for

business activity in the area.

In addition to 24/7 access, free car parking and high speed communications, the Enterprise Centre provides tenants with unique on-site support including access to a network of business development experts from a wide range of industries as well as secretarial services.

Shared facilities such as a boardroom and meeting rooms are also available to allow a cost effective and convenient means for companies to hold training events or client presentations.

Stuart Hartley, Centre Manager said: “The Corby Enterprise Centre is one of the most exciting enterprise and innovation buildings that I have seen. It’s a fantastic building and one that will attract and support new and emerging businesses.”

Simon Evans, Chief Executive of NNDC, said: “The Enterprise Centre is an important step forward in generating balanced

economic growth in Corby. From the outset, partners set out to deliver the perfect home for anyone with a business idea and ambition and to remove any obstacles to small businesses wishing to expand.”

“The aim of the centre it to help local businesses get off the ground. The rents are very competitive and with first class technology and business advice available on site, the centre should give tenants a good basis for building their business” said Daniel Polak of Bela Partnership.

The recently completed £30m Corby Business Academy, designed by Norman Foster & Partners and built by Wates Construction, was described by Daniel Polak as “An absolutely stunning, architecturally striking building and a first class training institution”.

The academy is organised into five faculties and the building follows suit. It is a long, two-storey street with central-corridor arms each side, separated by linear open-ended light wells.

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

The building has been designed incorporating large amounts of glazing, including glazed partitioning, to create a light airy interior with the canteen and library areas having a complete glazed wall to take advantage of the superb surrounding views.

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

He reported that visitors are travelling from all over the country to see the homes and the Park, with many people travelling up from London and the surrounding counties, looking for more value for money and a better quality of life.

Simon Evans, Chief Executive of the North Northants

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Midlands Development Company, said: “A huge amount of work has gone into the planning of Priors Hall Park so it is very exciting to see people moving in. With its stunning countryside setting and the Corby Business Academy and Corby Enterprise Centre on its doorstep, we are seeing the sustainable development of a whole new community that will contribute to and benefit both new residents and the local economy in equal measure.”

Andrew Simpson, Managing Director of Simpson & Partners, the sole agents on site, offers an optimistic forecast: “There is a lot of momentum behind Priors Hall Park. It’s very easy to be negative these days about the housing market and finance available, but the reality is that we have first time buyers purchasing properties with a 5% deposit, which equates to £6,000. There’s a great opportunity at Priors Hall Park for people

Construction News

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New Milton Keynes theatre set to open in January VINCI’s latest contribution to culture in the Midlands is close to being unveiled. The Venue, a brand new performing arts facility for Milton Keynes which is situated in the south east of the city, is a 380 seat theatre designed for professional and community use. The exciting new addition to Milton Keynes culture is to open in January once main contractor VINCI completes final touches.

The facility is part of the campus of Walton High School, but will be available for use by the wider public. It includes specialist music classrooms, a music tech facility and recording studio, nine multi-use classrooms, a servery, a foyer and an outside plaza.

“The Venue was born out of a desire to provide students with the best possible platform to display their developing and extraordinary talents, and to bring to the local community a new place to discover, enjoy and involve themselves in performing arts”, according to a statement from Walton High.

VINCI contracts manager Roger Antrobus told Premier Construction in early December, “At the moment, we’re completing the interior finishes and we’re on track to hand over on 24th January. The recent bad weather has given us a few hiccups, but luckily it’s been less damaging than the previous winter snow.

We’ve nevertheless been able to put in a high quality standard of work”.

The Venue is set to be an exciting new location for performing arts in Milton Keynes, with its sights set on the highest standards of entertainment, education and most of all excitement.

Fundraising As a gift to friend or family, a dedication or simply just to see your own name each time

Researchers welcome topping out ceremony at high-tech lab A new building for the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge has reached the first major stage of completion: the topping out ceremony in September 2010. The new building, due to open in 2012, will provide first class facilities to some of the world’s leading scientists and stands next to the Addenbrookes hospital site as the flagship building for the extension of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

The laboratory, being built by BAM Construction Ltd, will cost around £200 million and provide space and facilities for more than 400 researchers. The project architects are RMJM. The new LMB building will be 30,000 square metres, approximately twice the size of the current building. The overall structure of the new LMB is reminiscent of paired chromosomes, with two long laboratory areas joined by a spacious atrium containing seminar rooms and a lecture theatre. Sculptural plant towers each side of the building will keep weight and vibration away from the laboratory areas.

About 600 people will occupy the building, with 440 scientists

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to make their first step on to the property ladder as well move up to a larger home. People just need to come have a look”.

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you visit, naming a seat in the auditorium is a brilliant way to leave your mark in this exciting new venue and rest contentedly in the knowledge that you have helped to boost culture in the Milton Keynes area. You can name a seat for up to 10 years for the reasonable price of £100 per seat, although unfortunately this will not guarantee you a seat for events. Visit www.waltonhigh.org.uk to find out more

and 160 support staff. 40 of the scientists will be from the University of Cambridge and there are 40 spaces for temporary initiatives, in particular to support translational work.

The new LMB building is the flagship development for the newly expanded Cambridge Biomedical Campus – a key component of the strategic growth of the medical and biotechnology sectors in the Cambridge regional economy. The campus is a cluster of biomedical, clinical, research, treatment and teaching organisations including University of Cambridge, the Cambridge

University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cancer Research UK and the Wellcome Trust, together with a proposed commercial medipark and the relocation of Papworth Hospital, which will provide an international centre of excellence in biomedical research.

The Large Facilities Capital Fund, administered by the predecessor to the current Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, contributed ÂŁ67 million towards the project and the remainder is funded by the MRC, which includes income generated from the commercialisation of discoveries made at LMB. The University of Cambridge will contribute about ÂŁ7.5 million in return for a lease to enable them to house university groups alongside LMB teams.

Latest phase is vital link in major road improvement A road construction project known as Selly Oak New Road Phase 2 is being carried out as part of a larger scheme to improve the A38 route through Selly Oak. This phase is a vital part of the overall new road construction scheme geared to regenerating the shopping centre of Selly Oak and the wider surrounding area. The consequential reduction in traffic on the original road will develop a safer environment for all citizens using the centre and will result not just in improved transportation links, but the comprehensive improvement of the whole area.

The Phase 2 project is being carried out for Birmingham City Council by Main Contractors Birse Civils Ltd.

The works include the construction of a new roundabout at the junction of Selly Oak New Road and Hospital Link Road to the west of the Birmingham and West Suburban Railway Line. From this roundabout, the new 10 metre wide single carriageway road will pass beneath the Birmingham and West Suburban Railway Line and the Birmingham and Worcester Canal. Two new bridges are being constructed to carry the railway and canal over the new road.

Running adjacent to and north of Dale Road, the new road passes through former industrial land comprising the Binding Site, the Iron Mountain Storage Building and part of the vacant site owned by Victoria Hall Limited.

The new road crosses the stub section of Grange Road where a piazza is being constructed on either side of the road using high quality paving, street furniture, lighting and tree planting and will form one of the main pedestrian and cycle points to the University of Birmingham campus.

Between Grange Road and Bristol Road, the new road runs adjacent to and south of the Bourn Brook, requiring the demolition of the Westley Richards Gun Factory. Part of the new road passes over the Bourn Brook before passing through part

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Midlands of Tesco’s operational site. It has been possible to retain the Tesco petrol filling station and shop on site by reconfiguring the site layout.

The new road connects to Bristol Road via a new traffic signal junction which will be partly situated over the Bourn Brook where the existing Bristol Road crosses the Bourn Brook on a bridge structure. The existing structure is being extended by approximately 35 metres to carry the new road.

The existing 10 metre wide single four lane carriageway section of Bristol Road between Arley Road and Edgbaston Park

Road is being widened on its’ southern side to a dual two lane carriageway, with these works requiring approximately 95 metres of the Bourn Brook to be bridged at either side of Bournbrook Road.

Under construction in two phases is the new Hereford Academy, which will accommodate over 1,000 pupils and is being built by Main Contractors Wilmott Dixon to a design by Aedas Architects.

others are provided.

The building has been designed to the highest environmental standards and is naturally ventilated using the building’s concrete frame mass to cool the interior. The building envelope is very highly insulated and the most modern and energy efficient mechanical and electrical equipment has been chosen for the project, including renewable technology such as biomass boilers and solar panels. The building process will also ensure minimal environmental impact.

Phase 1 is due to be completed for the academy to open within the new buildings in September 2011, with Phase 2 due for completion in spring 2012.

Other works include the modification of existing traffic signals at the Bristol Road / Bournbrook Road / University South Gate junction; the improvement of the existing Bristol Road / Edgbaston Park Road priority junction and the widening of the western side of Edgbaston Park Road.

Top class construction creates idyllic learning environment The project, being carried out for Herefordshire Council, is sited on a former sports pitch at the east end of the academy site.

Phase 1 of the development involves the construction of the new academy buildings together with external areas including car parking, a science garden, construction yard, service areas and community entrance complete with piazza. Also to be provided are covered enclosures for over 200 bicycles. The school has been designed to accommodate 900 Year 7 to 11 students and 250 post 16 students, together with all associate teaching and non-teaching staff.

Phase 2 involves the demolition of the existing academy buildings and the construction of all remaining facilities within the academy site boundary. Such facilities include a floodlit allweather pitch suitable for both football and hockey, a full sized rugby pitch, junior football pitch, a five a side football pitch, jogging track, rounder’s pitch, log jump, high jump, wildlife meadow and native habitat area. Also to be provided is a multiuse games area providing facilities for tennis and netball. The external areas provide covered enclosures for parking.

The new academy building is a two-storey reinforced concrete framed building clad with a variety of materials including masonry, coloured aluminium cladding and glazing. Internally, the building’s major feature is a central two storey atrium, providing not only the main route through the building, but also containing access to lifts, the dining area, shop, reception and access to the upper floor.

The building has been designed in five main blocks which the atrium interconnects. Areas such as science, design and technology, community area, PE and changing rooms, sports hall, library, music, recording studios, art, hair and beauty and many

Warwickshire to benefit from training facility Birmingham-based regeneration specialist St. Modwen is carrying out a multimillion pound deal to build a new college to train power workers in Warwickshire.

Work on the £35million Warwickshire College facility at Rugby, which will create jobs for hundreds of construction workers and provide a boost for the local economy, started in early February 2009 with building and civil engineering groundworks contractor Westley Plant.

Funding for the new college was agreed by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), plus a £6.3million addition from Advantage

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West Midlands, was given to help fund the Power Academy on site.

Karen Yeomans, corporate director of operations at AWM, said: “Not only will the Power Academy be a fantastic addition to the regeneration of Rugby, but it will also have a huge impact on the future of environmental technologies.”

Warwickshire College’s new Principal, Mariane Cavalli, met Mark Pawsey MP recently at the new centre to see how students had settled in since September 2010.

Mark and Mariane toured the centre, seeing the new facilities and meeting students from the art, electrical and engineering courses. The Rugby centre, which began taking its first students in September, houses many facilities including the Power Industry Academy, art studios, nursery, gym, astroturf pitch, dance studio and much more.

Mark Pawsey MP said: “This was a great opportunity to meet with Mariane and to see first-hand the wide range of facilities that will be available to the people of Rugby. I was very impressed with the new, modern building and imagine that the remainder of the students are

looking forward to relocating there as soon as possible. They are very fortunate to have such impressive amenities available to them.”

New nursery added to campus The nursery at the new centre celebrated its opening in late November, with a tea party for Children in Need. Children, parents and staff – both past and present - joined together for face-painting, tea and cakes and spotty-themed dressing up, raising over £85.

Senior nursery manager Paula Scott said, “lots of people have helped us get our new nursery up and running. We wanted to hold this event to say thank you to them and also to raise money for a very worthy cause. It was a great day and the children especially had lots of fun!”

The new nursery is a purpose-built facility. Nursery staff helped in the planning of the layout, which has low-level windows, a kitchen, outdoor areas with a range of play surfaces and rooms which lead out to the garden.

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Poundbury developers join the dots The visionary Poundbury development near Dorchester is soon to be brought together by perhaps its most important addition to date: Queen Mother Square, which will act as the project’s centrepiece.

Queen Mother Square has been laid out according to the masterplan prepared by Leon Krier, the celebrated planner and architect whose work has brought the Poundbury dream to reality.

Poundbury is managed by representatives of the Duchy of Cornwall, which the Prince of Wales oversees in his simultaneous role as Duke of Cornwall.

The square will commemorate Prince Charles’ late grandmother with a statue of

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Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by the sculptor Philip Jackson.

The square is flanked to the west by buildings 5, 6, and 7 (Kings Point House, Inch Arran House and Arch Point House), containing 28 social rented flats, 20,000 sq. ft. of shops, 35,000 sq. ft. of offices and 110 underground car parking spaces.

It is flanked to the south by buildings 1, 2 and 3 (Woodman Court, Newborough House and Escalus House), containing 11 social rented flats, 12,185 sq. ft. of offices and 22 flats. Under main contractor Woodpecker Properties, work on buildings 5, 6 and 7 is progressing towards a completion date in November 2011.

Design for the latest scheme was provided by architects Quinlan & Francis Terry and

conforms to BREEAM ‘very good’ standards. Homes around the square conform to code level 3, with a number of code level 4 elements such as high insulation.

Speaking on behalf of the Duchy of Cornwall, project manager Peter James told Premier construction, “This is the original sustainable, mixed-use development. We’ve had a lot of success to date, bearing up strongly in the current economic climate, but our work here is far from complete.

“One of the overriding themes we’re working with is that, in theory, every household we create here will be matched by the creation of a job. We wouldn’t presume that everyone who eventually

lives here will work here, or vice versa, but it makes a lot of sense for developers to think in those terms. We currently have 1,300 jobs and around 1,100 flats and houses at Poundbury.

Although the masterplan naturally evolves according to the market, we are still heading towards our vision to provide 2,500 of each by the time the development is complete 15 years from now”.

Discussing outside interest in the project’s success, Peter added, “It’s a rewarding project to be involved with as we’re playing a part in creating a community which has everything it needs within a short distance. Huge numbers of visitors come to see what we’re achieving and we also give talks in schools, getting youngsters to think about where their houses and jobs will come from in the future.

A brief history of Poundbury

Poundbury is the urban extension to Dorchester in Dorset, and is famous internationally as a pioneering example of urban development. It seeks to implement the principles expounded in the Prince of Wales’s 1989 book, ‘A Vision of Britain’.

It is the result of Prince Charles’ belief in town-planning coupled with a long period of public consultation between 1988 and 1993. Poundbury is expected to be fully completed by 2025, when it will add approximately 5,000 to the population of Dorchester with 2,000 jobs in the factories, offices and general facilities across the site.

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Swindon landfill remediation embodies modern waste management philosophy Work currently being carried out on behalf of Swindon Borough Council involves the remediation of a former landfill site at Shaw Farm, adding to the existing capping and landscaping the entire area, thereby making it fit for use by the public as a recreation area. Main contractor Fox (Owmby) Ltd, a civil works and engineering specialist based in Lincolnshire, is in charge of site works on the £2 million project funded entirely by Swindon Borough Council.

The first wastes were received at Shaw Farm landfill site in 1989 and waste continued to be deposited there under 2005, when the site was closed. Shaw Farm landfill will eventually form an extension to the existing large area of green infrastructure that makes up the Shaw Forest Park and River Ray Parkway. Shaw Forest Park is part of the Great Western Community Forest one of England’s 12 Community Forests. It covers an area of 168 square miles stretching from Wootton Bassett to Faringdon and the North Wessex Downs to the Thames. The existing Shaw Forest Park (Phases 1 and 2 of landfill operations) comprises almost 50hectares of mixed forest and open spaces created by tipping clay on to former landfill, and lies to the immediate west of the Shaw Phase 3 and 4. The clay has been formed into large mounds then been planted with suitable trees. The site is now open to walkers, with footpaths linking the main Sustrans cycleway that bisects the present and future parkland with the

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areas of housing that form the urban areas of West Swindon.

Overseeing the continuation of the project (known as Phases 3 and 4) is Swindon Borough Council’s contaminated land officer, David Rudland, who has previously lent his expertise to similar sites as far distant as the Middle East. He spoke enthusiastically to Premier Construction, explaining that “as a modern landfill site, it is still ‘gassing’”. He continued, “The work being done now involves capping the site with a view to investigating the gas emitted and determining whether it can be used as fuel. If so, after a full gas collection system has gone on and if trials show the idea is viable, this could potentially become an energy producing site”.

The current works tackle an area which, under more recent regulations, benefitted from more modern drainage and leachate control than those earlier remediated. A series of wetlands beds – natural filters of leachate – has now been installed within the drainage path of the site. It is already well known that reed beds can filter unwanted chemicals out of run-off water, but the Shaw Farm works will go a long way towards helping scientists to deepen their understanding, as David explained: “We know that reed or plant beds can be an excellent way of filtering discharge naturally. However, rather than a reed monoculture, we are using this series of 14 beds with mixed species planting to help to determine which plant varieties have the biggest effect on the water they come into contact with

and to find out the best order in which to arrange them. Hopefully, the studies carried out here will go towards improving the way in which we use filtration systems like these. We are working with the designers, WWT at Slimbridge, to assess the ongoing performance of the system, which is one of the largest with this kind of mixed planting”.

The three-year project at Shaw Farm began in August 2008 and is expected to go on until September 2011.

Swindon’s waste ambitions The Shaw Farm works form part of a new, modern strategy being developed by Swindon Borough Council to deal with waste with environmental concerns as a priority. In future, landfill remediation projects such as this look set to become less of a pressing issue; the council has recently announced that work will soon begin on a new £8 million waste treatment facility.

Swindon will reportedly save £26m over the next 10 years by becoming the first council in the country to own and manage its own advanced thermal treatment plant for its residual waste.

The plant would work by heating the nonrecyclable waste to produce a synthetic gas which in turn may be used for electricity to power homes in the borough.

A council spokesperson said, “Initially we will be looking to build a relatively small facility which can process around 10,000 tonnes of waste. However, we want to have the potential to generate power from up to 130,000 tonnes which will allow us to look at commercial and industrial waste as well as municipal waste in the long term”.

Tidal defence scheme to protect over 450 South Devon properties The Environment Agency is heading towards a spring 2011 completion of an £8 million flood defence scheme around the Teign Estuary villages of Shaldon and Ringmore in South Devon. Main contractor Interserve Project Services Ltd is joined by consultants Atkins, Peter Brett Associates, EC Harris and Stags working with the Environment Agency as an integrated project.

The works, which have been under way since January 2010, include raising 940 metres of existing foreshore walls, building 470 metres of new foreshore walls, and installing eight floodgates together with flood windows, steps and ramps at specific locations.

The project provides preventative flood defence measures designed to protect 453 residential and commercial properties against flooding from a combination of extreme tides and waves in the estuary, a risk which has been highlighted by a number of ‘near misses’ over the last decade.

Environment Agency project manager Andy Hohl told Premier Construction, “The properties at risk sit in a basin behind existing informal flood defences with a low standard of protection. These works represent the final stages of a scheme we have been planning since 2005, following a near miss in late 2004 which threatened extensive damage”.

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S o u th We s t people to understand the flood risk and help in developing our plans. The Environment Agency and our suppliers are pleased to have established a strong relationship with members of the community, who have agreed to open and close the flood gates with our guidance once works are complete”. A team of volunteers managed by the local parish council will operate the defences once works are complete.

Mr. Hohl concluded, “We’re grateful for the positive support we’ve received from residents, and we’re pleased to have been able to help them to protect and enhance their community”.

Camel Glass Part of the programme of works involves installation of floodproof windows and doors to private properties. The work is to be carried out by Camel Glass, whose joinery manager Bruce Dudman said: “The products are made using iroko hardwood and we worked closely with the Interserve team to design products that could resist water ingress during flooding, yet remained functional and in keeping with the listed properties that they were fitted into.

We tested them thoroughly in water tanks during design. One of our advantages is that we are versatile enough to adapt easily to requirements such as these”.

Camel products are distributed across Devon and Cornwall and beyond; the range has recently been extended by the unique new Vision door and window, which features triple glazing and requires minimal maintenance. You can find out more about Vision on Camel’s website.

Bruce’s team is due on site alongside Interserve in early 2011, once manufacturing is complete.

New traveller site to be welcomed in South Somerset South Somerset District Council is spending around £630k on a site for travellers at Tintinhull, after central government agreed funding.

The Tintinhull site will contain 8 residential traveller plots and 4 amenity blocks. Each plot will be provided with a new home, an area of hard standing for the parking of vehicles and will be securely fenced with a double access gate for vehicular and pedestrian use. Each amenity block is located between two residential plots and divided in two, giving each plot access to the facilities housed in the amenity blocks, these being an outside toilet, a double stainless steel sink and general cloakroom and storage area. Each family will be responsible for paying council tax, rent and utilities bills.

Tingdene, a leading manufacturer in the UK of quality bespoke homes, has supplied each ‘Park Home’ for the project. Park Homes are modular houses or bungalows that are fully designed and furnished. Each of the eight Park Homes on site are single storey in height. The 4 amenity blocks are also single storey. The main entrance door to each of the homes opens into a hallway, off which is a spacious lounge and diner, a kitchen with a rear entrance door, a bathroom, bedrooms and storage cupboards.

Each Park Home is comprised of two halves, which are delivered to site and bolted together. The external envelope is render finished in a cream colour scheme. The skirting around the base of the home is of red brick. The skirt conceals the wheels, services and steel axel stands on which the home sits.

According to Garry Green, the council’s head of engineering and property, the project is on track despite a few hiccups: “There have been small issues such as liaison with tenants who have general learning skills and can be difficult in some circumstances, together with coping with decant issues to free up plots for new infrastructure. We have also been particularly aware of H & S issues”.

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Garry added, “For those living on the council’s two gypsy sites, living conditions have improved considerably. More than £1 million has been invested in refurbishing these sites. The council now directly manages the sites through a new appointment of a gypsy sites officer. Over the last four years, the residents of

these sites have been able to access local schooling and school transport, and receive regular visits from health visitors, district nurses and midwivesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Works commenced on site in the summer of 2010 following a planning permission which began in November 2007. The development is due for completion in early January 2011.

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t

Southend Airport under major construction schedule The long-awaited new £5 million air traffic control tower at London Southend Airport replaces one erected in the 1960’s as a temporary measure.

Constructed by Essex firm Readie Construction, with Stobart Developments as project managers, the new control tower will be equipped with state-of-theart technology and radar systems, and gives much-improved views of the runway.

The new 27m high control tower is a multi-storey building, with ground floor offices, meeting rooms, training rooms, workshops and two large plant rooms one housing the building plant and the other housing electronic equipment which serves the airport navigation equipment.

The floors above mainly incorporate the stairwell and storage areas, with a sub-equipment room housing equipment needed by the air traffic controllers, occupying the floor below the control room. Also on this floor is the new radar room where the operators track all aircraft movement in the locality. The control room itself is a large glass encased room incorporating workstations for the controllers.

The building is structured around a steel frame with concrete floors on metal decking and external elevations in composite metal cladding. The control room area is glazed on all sides and topped by a specialist fibreglass roof.

External works include the creation of a new eight-space secure gated car park with access control, as well as a large tarmac surfaced car park for the new train station, also under construction at the

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airport. The car park will have barrier access and a pay-on-foot system. The works include the installation of lighting, signage and CCTV. This element of the scheme was completed in October 2010.

Currently snagging work is underway, and the tower’s specialist equipment is soon to be installed. “It is an unusual project but it has gone well and the quality of the workmanship is good”, said Steve Chambers of Stobart Developments.

The construction project, which commenced in January 2010, is just being completed, with the building due to commence operation in early 2011, once all the specialist equipment has been installed.

Airport Managing Director Alastair Welch said, “The new air traffic control tower is another stage in the investment and development programme to enhance the airport - providing the opportunity for local people to fly to a range of holiday and business destinations across Europe”.

He added, “I’m especially delighted that its construction was carried out by an essentially local firm - this just goes to prove that the airport development programme is creating local jobs and playing a major part in helping to regenerate the area.”

Train Station

In a £12 million flagship project, the airport’s new rail station has recently been completed to add to the location’s importance to the upcoming London Olympics.

The new station, which is on the National Express East Anglia Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street line, will provide airport passengers with fast

and frequent train services direct to Stratford (for Docklands and Canary Wharf) and to central London’s Liverpool Street Station, with a journey time of 45 minutes.

The building works included construction of an architecturally striking, contemporary style building with a footprint in the form of two wings and structured around a steel portal frame, with composite steel clad elevations and a Trocal roof. The side elevation overlooking the airfield incorporates two large windows and the building has a large glazed entrance canopy.

Internally, the building includes an upper concourse and incorporates facilities including two 12-car platforms. A ticket hall, a cafe and passenger welfare facilities, as well as an enclosed bridge link between the station’s two platforms. The scope of works has also encompassed embankment widening, modifications to signaling, realignment of the track, the erection of fencing, and the installation of drainage.

Paul Copeland, managing director of Birse Rail, said, “We have worked closely with the Stobart Rail to deliver this important enhancement to Southend Airport, which is without doubt a major asset to the Thames Gateway Regeneration Zone.”

Alastair Welch, managing director of London Southend Airport, said, “The regeneration of London Southend Airport is gathering momentum and we are finally starting to see everything we have planned and worked for taking shape. I’m delighted to say we’re on course for our target of playing a pivotal role in the 2012 Olympics”.

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Creative inspiration for grand designs Innovative design and an efficient, smooth project are the watchwords of Granit Architects - and the number of referrals which the practice receives from both private residential and commercial housing development clients indicates that this is what they deliver.

Clients benefit from designs utilising creative ideas generated through extensive experience to make imaginative use of space, light and design, all tailored to individual requirements.

Of course there are challenges in every project - which is where Granit’s eye for detail finds the answer that best suits their client - whether by creative problem-solving when onsite, or by navigating bureaucracy, paving the way to a successful development.

What’s more Granit’s designs invariably enhance the value and functionality of a property, thanks to their high design values supported by good quality suppliers and materials.

Granit Architects have 20 years experience in residential architecture in London and elsewhere. They have worked on all types of projects from new builds to basement conversions… from space-creating inner London work to fine period and country properties, to residential projects around the world. It all adds up to a knowledge bank that’s hard to match.

Three distinctive recent projects by Granit Architects include developments at Queenstown Road, Battersea, Becmead Avenue, Streatham and Gypsy Hill, South East London.

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Queenstown Road, Battersea A project involving the comprehensive renovation and conversion of four turn of the century terraced town houses into 14 stylish new one- and two-bedroom high quality apartments, is making good progress in a development at Queenstown Road, Battersea, London.

The project is being carried out for a private developer by Main Contractors Kingswood Construction.

The building, which originally comprised four terraced properties with derelict shops at ground floor level and unoccupied flats above, is being transformed after having been completely stripped back to a shell state. Internal works involve re-plastering, the installation of new ceilings, complete new building services, new internal partitioning and doors, as well as acoustic insulation. A significant amount of strengthening works were also required to ensure that the buildings are structurally sound.

The top floor apartments will be the most generously sized, as they each take up double the footprint of the flats below. All of the flats boast an impressive specification, with the kitchens being of particularly high quality and the bathrooms featuring top of the range tiling. Underfloor heating being installed throughout the building and a video entry system is also being fitted for added safety and security.

Externally, all of the building’s old windows are being replaced

with new wooden framed sliding sash windows in a design similar to the originals, and the previously glazed shop frontages on the ground floor are being bricked in, with new sliding sash windows being incorporated. Extensive brickwork repairs are being carried out throughout the building.

Timoleon Ltd were responsible for the under-floor heating on the project.

Other works include the creation of a first floor roof terrace on a flat roof adjoining one of the first floor flats, and the construction of a new mansard roofed extension which will add a fourth floor to the original three storeys, with the new roof following the line of the original. The extension is structured around a combination of steel and timber framework and incorporates lead clad dormer windows.

A previously covered courtyard to the rear of the building has also been opened up to provide garden and hard landscaped areas for the ground floor flats.

One of the challenges facing the construction team was the unexpected discovery of a gas main on the site, but this hurdle has now been successfully overcome. Currently all of the bathrooms have been fitted and overall completion of the contract is expected around Christmas 2010.

Espresso Design were briefed by Granit Architects to design a contemporary, high quality kitchen within the constraints of both a tight budget and tight spaces. Using a range of Italian manufactured furniture, Espresso were able to provide a functional, high quality finished product to a budget.

James Fifield of Granit Architects commented, “It was a pleasure working with Espresso Design. They provided exceptional service and were attentive to all our needs. Espresso were clever in the use of space allowing us to make the best use of some tricky site constraints to produce functional yet slick, high quality kitchens, which have become the main focus in each flat”.

Becmead Avenue, Streatham In this project, a 1930s built semi detached house was tastefully extended and converted into five one and two bedroom contemporary apartments, in a project which doubled the floor area of the original property.

Main contractors for the scheme were Strongbase Construction, who were commended for their work on the scheme. “Strongbase are a very good contractor and produced good quality work on budget and on time” said James Monro of Granit Architects.

The two storey extension, including a semi basement level, was constructed in the former garden area of the property.

The extension was constructed with brick external elevations incorporating timber framed windows and a pitched tiled roof to match the roof of the original building.

Internally, the extension contains one apartment, complete with kitchen and living room at ground level and two en-suite bedrooms above.

Works to the original building included the formation of four

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t flats - one on each of the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four floors, as well as reconfiguration to create a new main communal entrance to the side of the property, and the installation of new bespoke staircases to all floors.

Initial works included the complete stripping out of the building to shell state, followed by the installation of new floors, new ceilings, new building services, internal partitions and bathrooms and kitchens for the new apartments, as well as re-plastering and complete re-decoration.

External works included the installation of new timber framed windows, re-roofing and the creation of three private gardens for the ground floor and basement flats, as well as a communal cycle store and communal refuse store.

The project was completed in February 2010, with all of the apartments having now been sold.

Gypsy Hill near Crystal Palace, South East London This unusual and distinctive development involves the imaginative conversion of a listed former chapel with a bookshop extension into stylish and contemporary one and two bedroom apartments, including ingeniously integrating the listed facade of the chapel, and constructing a new extension to the rear. Main Contractors were Strongbase Construction.

The chapel, of early Victorian construction, had been unused for some years and incorporated an undercroft beneath a three storey high internal space. The project includes the creation of three new floors within this space, which together with the undercroft provides four floors to incorporate five apartments.

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The bookshop extension, which was not listed, was demolished as it detracted from the appearance of the building.

Initially, the chapel was completely stripped out to shell state before the installation of a new steel structure to support the new timber floors. Further works include the installation of new internal partitioning, ceilings, building services, kitchens and bathrooms, re plastering and decoration throughout and the installation of specialist acoustic insulation.

Externally, the building is being re-roofed, re-pointed and new windows are being installed, with the edging around the windows also being refurbished. Due to the listed facade, the original chapel window openings had to be retained and new timber windows installed into these. However, because of the height of the windows, the new floors abutted areas of glazing, which was cleverly camouflaged by the design, ensuring that the new floors are invisible from the exterior, whilst also creating an attractive appearance internally.

A new four storey extension containing four apartments is being constructed to the rear of the building. Preparatory work included piling both for the extension and for retaining walls (required partly due to the 6 metre drop in ground level across the site, and partly because of the nature of the soil). The extension is of load bearing construction with elevations finished in a combination of render and timber cladding, incorporating aluminium framed windows and a flat roof. The original building and the new extension are being connected by a bespoke freestanding aluminium and steel communal stairway.

External works include hard and soft landscaping around both the original and the new buildings, together with the restoration of railings to the main frontage and the erection of boundary walls and fences in other areas around the development.

The contractors are reported to be making good progress and producing good quality work. Completion is expected in summer 2011.

Reigate boosted by much-needed community centre The town of Reigate, in Surrey, is soon to benefit from a brand new community centre, the construction of which has relied heavily on donations from members of the local community.

The lead sponsor of the project is Reigate Methodist Church.

Members there identified a growing need for a safe, central and well equipped venue for the use of community- minded organisations and small businesses in and around Reigate.

Despite being a busy town in a relatively well-off area, there is no existing central building to serve this purpose. Until recently, the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overworked Rank Memorial Hall was in considerable demand, even in its dilapidated state, and so the decision was taken to replace it with a brand new building.

The main section of the new centre is a two-storey building with several meeting rooms and access from both the high street and the service road behind it. The large open entrance area will serve as an informal meeting place with cafe-style seating and an adjacent kitchen. There will be direct access from a disabled parking area and a lift to the first floor. Attached to the main building is a single-storey hall equipped for sports, entertainment and other uses.

Building work started in January 2010 with demolition of the old hall. Due to funding constraints, it was originally planned that the new hall would be added at a later date than the main part of the building, which was to be completed by end of 2010. Construction has proceeded on this basis, with the two-storey section containing the meeting rooms, kitchen and Welcome Area.

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t Following the news of a generous legacy donation in September 2010, funding was reviewed and it was decided to commence building of the hall straight away. This avoids the substantial extra costs involved in dismantling the building-site facilities and then reinstating them at a later date. There is also a saving in some groundwork that would otherwise have been required around the two-storey section for entrances.

Construction of the main building is still expected to be completed in 2010, however it will not be opened for use (which would complicate construction access), and the whole building will now open during the second quarter of 2011, when the hall is finished by main contractor HyStar

Funding The total cost of the building is expected to be £1.44 million. £1.26 million has already been raised over the last decade and, in order to take advantage of the lower price of building materials during the recession, construction started whilst there was still a gap between the funds raised and the expected building cost. The shortfall is currently £180,000, so donations are still welcome. Find out more at www.reigatecommunitycentre.org.uk

Striking architecture adorns Southwark estate Michael Faraday Community Schools’ new building has opened, after design by award winning architectural practice Alsop Sparch was brought to reality by Galliford Try.

Sitting proudly amidst the concrete of the Aylesbury estate in Southwark, the new school’s jaw-dropping structure has been described looking more like a space station than a local primary.

Michael Faraday Community School is the first of three

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primary schools to be transformed under the Southwark Schools for the Future programme. The new cutting edge construction replaces a number of outdated 1970s buildings and is a flagship project for the regeneration of the estate, the largest social housing complex in Europe.

The main building has striking, brightly-coloured panels which wrap the circular facade; it is this circular element that gives the building a structural uniqueness. A balcony extends around

the exterior of the first floor level, which is wrapped in a basket created from vertical fins. Natural light makes its way into the central living room via a series of north facing roof lights set within a lattice of timber box beams.

Designed by Stirling prize winning architects Alsop Sparch, the new school provides nursery, primary school, adult education and community facilities in 3021m2 (gross internal floor area) over two floors. What makes the design unique is its circular form which maximises space on a tight site, providing classroom accommodation on two floors based around an inspiring, top lit central space, called the “living room”.

The new school will accommodate a current intake of around 350 pupils aged 3 to 11 and has the potential capacity to accommodate up to 450 pupils.

The redevelopment of the school is part of a substantial commitment by Southwark to regeneration in the borough, using inspirational educational establishments as a key part of improvements for local communities.

Councillor Catherine McDonald, Southwark Council’s cabinet member for education, said, “Southwark Council is committed to improving education in the borough and, to do that, we are providing some of the best and most inspirational learning environments for the borough’s children and young people.

“Michael Faraday Community School already provides an outstanding education for local children, and this redevelopment will make it an even better place for our young children to learn and will benefit the wider community. Working closely with the architects, school and community representatives, we have created a contemporary, stylish and functional building that will be seen nationally as an exemplary model for community engagement, offering best practice at all levels”.

Following an extensive consultation process with the head teacher, staff, pupils and Creation Trust (who are partly funding the project), Alsop Sparch has created an innovative school design that is set to enhance teaching and learning.

Karen Fowler, head teacher, said, “We think our children deserve to have a beautiful building to enhance and support their learning and that’s what they’ve got here. I’ve always believed learning is life-long so that not only means supporting the children but engaging with parents too. Our new school offers children, parents and the community an opportunity to put lifelong learning into action”.

Alsop Sparch has a long history of working with the council. The practice has previously contributed to the borough’s evolving, dynamic landscape through the completion of the Stirling prize winning Peckham library in 1999, developments in Peckham square and the award winning Palestra building opposite Southwark tube station.

Said Alsop Sparch project director Jonathan Leah, “It has been a privilege to work with Karen, her staff and her pupils on the Faraday project and to once again work with Southwark Council and the community that lives and works in the borough.

“Hopefully we have challenged the perception of what a primary school should be like and made it a memorable experience for those that use it”.

Fully BMS integrated heating and ventilation systems, along with boosted domestic hot and cold water services, were the responsibility of Burgin Ltd., the versatile heating and air conditioning specialists. The heart of the installation was the provision of a new plant room sited within the school’s new ballroom building adjacent to the main school. The main school also has an external roof top plant area which houses the ventilation plant, and where all the LTHW heating and domestic pipe work runs around to feed the main building via various risers.

Said Nick Burgin, “It was a pleasure working on this project, which has provided our children with an excellent learning centre which hopefully makes their school days more enjoyable”.

Final works to the school grounds are being carried out now that the school has moved into the new building, after which the old school buildings are to be demolished. The school grounds will be extensively landscaped to provide hard and soft play areas together with growing gardens, a natural habitat and a ‘Dry River Bed’ in the last phase of the project.

Preserving our valuable railway heritage Work is ongoing at Sheffield Park Station on the Bluebell Railway in Sussex, where the existing museum is to be extended to create a new museum and interpretation centre. Main contractor Morgan Sindall is leading the site work, which also includes a three berth carriage shed and benefits from a brigade of volunteers helping to reduce costs and enhance their beloved preserved railway.

One volunteer, project manager Tim Preston, told Premier Construction, “We have a range of skills amongst our volunteers, such as surveying, engineering and trade skills such as carpentry.

My role here is above all to help to make sure the design and work reflects as far as possible the historic fabric of the station.

The work is being done sympathetically with a part wooden facade and canopy over the platform, with a view to restoring the

station to its original glory”.

He continued, “The works are vital for two reasons: first, we are greatly increasing the size of the museum and will now have much more space to properly display our historic artefacts and tell the story of the railway. Second, the carriage shed will create significant revenue savings by reducing the periodical repairs that have to be carried out when rolling stock is exposed to the elements. We have a collection of national importance, so the carriage shed is a fundamental part of the project”.

The project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Bluebell Railway Trust. Over 70% of the £3 million plus project cost has been covered by lottery money, the rest coming from donations and the railway’s own coffers.

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t fit out and is around 80% complete, according to Tim, who expects the works to be complete by spring 2011.

The railway has its own extensive website – www.bluebell-railway.co.uk – where you can find out more about the works, as well as how to volunteer or make a donation.

Morgan Sindall Morgan Sindall Group plc is a leading UK construction and regeneration group with a turnover of £2.2 billion, employing over 7,000 people and operating in the public and commercial sectors. The group is divided into four branches: fit-out; construction and infrastructure; affordable housing and urban regeneration; and an investment unit.

According to a company statement, “We aim to develop market leadership in all of the sectors in which we operate. To provide long-term success for the Morgan Sindall Group and its shareholders, we will continue to grow both organically and through acquisitions”.

The company dedicates a small empire of webspace to the declaration of its corporate values. These include hunger, openness, empowerment, opportunism, fun and ‘buzz factor’. Find out more at www.morgansindall.com

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Construction News

Call our news team on 01706 719972

Kent economy boosted by new access road

the road in an underpass beneath Foads Hill and the railway at Cliffsend, and over the railway at Cottington Lane.

It was not possible to improve the existing A299. Houses at Cliffsend would have needed demolishing and it would have reached into Pegwell Bay, which is an internationally recognised site of environmental importance.

Phase 2 earthworks are nearing completion, and a council spokesperson has recently declared, “We remain confident that the scheme will be opened to traffic in autumn 2012 as we are currently running slightly ahead of that date”.

Funding was approved by the Department for Transport in August 2009. The total cost of the scheme is £87 million. The Department for Transport is providing £81.25 million and Kent County Council the remaining £5.75 million.

A contract for construction of the road was

Volker Fitzpatrick has moved into the second phase of a major upgrade to Kent’s road infrastructure on the East Kent Access Road.

Phase 2, which is currently on site, is the improvement of the A299 between Minster roundabout and the Lord of the Manor junction, as well as improvement of the A256 between Lord of the Manor junction and connecting with phase 1 at the old Richborough power station site.

Phase 1 was the earlier improvement of the A256 southwards to connect to Sandwich bypass, including a link road around the south side of the Pfizer complex.

The purpose of the scheme is to improve accessibility and safety. According to Kent County Council, it will help support the economy of east Kent and connect the ports of Dover and Ramsgate and Kent International Airport. This will complete improvements of the A299 Thanet Way and A256 that were started in the 1980s.

Phase 2 is an improvement to dual carriageway standard. Features include taking

www.romauk.net

awarded to a joint-venture of Volker Fitzpatrick and Hochtief on 27th August 2009.

Kent’s biggest archaeological dig along the route of the new road is complete. During the past year, the dig has revealed how people were living on the Isle of Thanet from earliest times. Among 10,000 finds were two gold Bronze Age bracelets. Other remarkable discoveries included the remains of prehistoric burial monuments, Iron Age enclosures and a village which would have watched the Roman invasion, Saxon cemeteries, tracks and the remains of a shellfish processing site.

Internal fit-out under way on Portsmouth Port’s new passenger terminal build Portsmouth has embarked on an important phase in the construction of the dazzling new passenger terminal, beginning with internal finishes and fitting out under main contractor Mansell.

Glazing and stone cladding are being installed, allowing Portsmouth Port passengers and passers-by to admire progress as the building takes shape.

Passengers will notice the modern open-plan design, with a fullheight concourse containing check-in desks and the arrival and departure area. On a mezzanine floor at the western end of the building will be the bar and café, with views over the concourse

and an observation balcony overlooking the port.

There will be comfortable seating in attractive, contemporary surroundings, a shop for last-minute purchases, travel essentials and souvenirs, and a bureau de change for holiday or business spending.

Travellers will also benefit from natural air-conditioning provided by ‘wind catchers’ on the roof and toilets flushed with seawater.

The whole terminal has been designed to pioneer eco-friendly technology. It is the first building in Britain to use thermal energy from the sea for heating and cooling – slashing energy consumption for these by 80%.

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t Ferry port manager Phil Gadd told Premier Construction, “There have been two major challenges during the build, the first being the ‘buildability’ aspect. The work is being done around a ‘live’ port, and so we have needed to implement traffic controls and phasing of the works. Naturally, we held back during the busy half-term recently to allow holidaymakers to pass through with minimal disruption.

“The second challenge has been that the site was an old gas works. We had extensive surveys done, knowing that there would be a need to remove leftovers from that, but the surveys nevertheless failed to alert us to certain unexpected pipes and cables that appeared to be unclaimed”.

There are 80 staff working at the site at any one time, constructing a building with capacity for 2,400 passengers.

In keeping with Portsmouth Port’s reputation for reliability, the new terminal is on budget and on schedule and is due to open before Easter 2011. It is part of a redevelopment package representing a £16.5 million investment in improving passenger facilities.

Mr. Gadd added, “We are on course for handover at the beginning of March. That means we should be completely up and running in time for Easter, which is when our busy summer season begins each year”.

An impressive time-lapse film of the construction can be viewed at http://www.portsmouth-port.co.uk/portsmouth-port/ new-terminal

New rail link to attract passengers Ferry passengers will soon be able to travel to Paris is record time with the help of a new high-speed rail line in Normandy Travellers arriving in Le Havre from Portsmouth Port will be just 1 hour 15 minutes from the French capital; those arriving in Caen will be able to get to Paris by train in 1 hour 30 minutes.

The new service will also extend to Cherbourg, putting the city 2 hours 30 minutes from the capital, rather than three hours now, although the Caen-Cherbourg stretch will be at conventional speed initially.

The new TGV service has recently been announced by French transport minister Dominique Bussereau. A public inquiry into the scheme will begin in autumn 2011.

Ferry companies LD Lines and Brittany Ferries run regular services from Portsmouth Port to Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg.

Delicate operation wins high praise for hospital project contractors Winning resounding praise for their work, Main Contractors MS Oakes are carrying out a rolling programme of internal refurbishment, reconfiguration and improvement to upgrade facilities at the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston, Great Yarmouth.

“MS Oakes are an excellent contractor who have carried out

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contracts at this hospital over the last 15 to 20 years. They are very competitive, yet their quality of workmanship and management is excellent. They are probably the best contractors we’ve got.

They are a medium sized family company and really care about what they do - and their site agents are all able to communicate with our staff in a way which fosters mutual respect” said Arthur

The new outpatients’ suite at the Waveney Clinic was created through the conversion of a former hydrotherapy pool and the works were completed in August 2010. The works included the removal of the pool and the complete stripping out of the interior, followed by internal reconfiguration and the installation of new fixtures, finishes, building services and complete redecoration. New facilities include a waiting area, consulting rooms, treatment rooms, a patient recovery area and staff and nursing accommodation. The Waveney Clinic specialises in fertility treatment and works in conjunction with the UK-leading Bourne Hall clinic in Cambridge).

The endoscopy unit is currently being upgraded through the provision of additional treatment rooms and the upgrading of existing areas to provide dedicated male and female treatment facilities, with particular regard to privacy and dignity issues.

The works are being carried with the unit in full operation.

“Logistically this is a very difficult project as the contractors have to work around the patients, and issues such as noise, vibration and dust have to be considered, so the work is being carried

Harris of James Paget University Hospital.

Improvements carried out to date include the addition of a new outpatients’ suite at the hospital’s Waveney Outpatient Clinic, the upgrade of the endoscopy unit; the creation of a new accident and emergency observations bay; the upgrade of the audiology department waiting area; the relocation of central treatment services; the extension of the intensive care unit; the provision of new sleeping accommodation within the doctors’ mess area and the upgrade of facilities in the radiology department.

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t out in several phases.” said Mr. Harris. The project is due for completion in January or February next year.

The construction of a new observation bay has been completed in the accident and emergency department to enable the extended treatment of patients and ensure their safe and timely discharge. Again, the work had to be carried out in a fully operational unit and the construction team had to work throughout the night on two occasions.

The new observation bay has six beds and meets national same-sex compliance standards. Three beds on one side of the observation bay are for male patients and the other three on the opposite side are allocated for female patients. There are also same-sex en-suite facilities for patients and improved, larger medical supplies storage space for the accident and emergency team.

The new bay has been designed to ensure best practice around infection control, with easy to clean smooth surfaces and a layout that ensures easy access for cleaners and their equipment.

Julia Hunt, Chief Matron at the Trust, said: “Our new observation bay provides a facility for our patients to improve their experience in the hospital and enhances their privacy and dignity.”

The upgrade of the main audiology waiting area has just been completed and includes the installation of air conditioning and the renewal of cosmetic finishes, including the upgrade of flooring, ceilings, walls and lighting.

Works within the central treatment suite have also recently been completed and included the relocation of four treatment rooms onto a main ward area to allow the space formerly occupied by these areas to be used for the extension of the intensive care unit. The works included internal refurbishment, alteration and conversion. The project was made complex by the need to maintain full operation of the hospital services throughout the

works.

The extension of the intensive care unit is soon to commence and involves the provision of four additional beds in the space vacated through the works carried out in the central treatment suite.

Within the doctors’ mess area, extension and conversion works have provided three new sleeping areas for junior doctors on night duty. The radiology department has also benefited from an upgrade providing new waiting areas and patient observation bays, as well as additional consulting space. The works were completed in August 2010.

The James Paget University Hospital provides comprehensive acute care for the populations of Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and the surrounding areas, and for many visitors to the region.

Metnor makes use of former hotel site A new 74 -bedroom care home is under construction on the former site of the Winston Manor Hotel in Crowborough, East Sussex. Metnor Property Group is overseeing the development, which will feature a front courtyard facing Beacon Road. The site has remained empty since the disused Winston Manor Hotel caught fire seven years ago.

The £4.5 million development is due for completion in April 2011, after work began on site in April 2010. It is expected that up to 70 full-time jobs will be created.

Metnor Group’s Alan Greenwell and Nigel Henderson spoke to Premier Construction from the site.

Nigel described the aesthetic side of the build, saying, “The exterior is around 60% brick, 25% render, and the rest glass

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curtain walling and sweet chestnut cladding. I’m sure neighbours will be happy with it as it looks good. Inside, it will look just as good and will be laid out like a village, complete with fake grass and telephone boxes and so on. That serves as a memory aid as it surrounds residents with familiar sights”.

Alan said, “The weather is getting colder but it’s not a problem yet as we got a lot of externals done early on. All the windows are in and the roof is on, so any problems we face with the weather will come from the difficulty of accessing the site when it snows, rather than struggling to move the building forward. However, the planning for the build has been thorough and we’ve already promised to complete a month earlier than originally planned, so we’ll do everything in our power to keep the promise.

About Metnor Group The Metnor Group comprises four individual trading companies which operate in the following fields: property development and investment (Metnor Property Group); general building and construction (Metnor Construction); mechanical and electrical contracting services (Norstead); and hosing and pressure testing equipment (Metnor Great Yarmouth).

The group’s head office is in Newcastle upon Tyne but it operates nationally via its strategically placed depots and offices in Maidenhead, Great Yarmouth and Aberdeen.

Metnor Property Group has acquired nine sites in the last four years at a cost of over £30m. All of these sites were purchased unconditionally and planning consents are now established on seven of these sites for over 2800 student beds, 190 residential care beds, 25,000ft of office space and a 160 bed hotel.

Hehir memorial building completed ahead of schedule University Campus Suffolk’s newest building has been named after James Hehir, the former Ipswich Borough Council chief executive and a man dedicated both to education and the university’s Waterfront development.

James Hehir died suddenly in November 2009 aged 61 but his name will live on in the new academic facility on University Quay now that it has been completed ahead of schedule. Contractors Willmott Dixon and MITIE handed over in early October 2010, around four weeks ahead of schedule, according to MITIE’s Mike Broad (lead Project Manager).

The new six-floor building, which stands less than a quarter of a mile from the main campus building, boasts a range of specialist teaching facilities, including clinical skills labs, physiology and sports science labs, and an iLab, as well as general teaching and study space. It stands next to the 600-bed student residence, Athena Hall and also hosts the new student union bar.

Asked how the site team had managed to finish early, Mike the M&E services project manager, was straightforward. He said, “We have worked with Willmott Dixon on a number of previous projects, and as such have a well established working partnership. The site team from Willmott Dixon and MITIE had also worked together on UCS phase 1 Waterfront building in 2008. As such, knowing what to expect from each other and the manner in which each other works, allows the work to get done that much quicker”. He added, “The building will be used academically in January and I’m quietly confident that there will be positive feedback from staff. As for the students, the bar is already open, so I’m sure they’re delighted!”

passionate about education and the new James Hehir Building will recognise that long into the future”.

The Hehir family, James’s widow, Sally, and their children Emily, Lucy and Sam, said, “We are very touched by this tremendous tribute to James. When James and I met we were studying A-levels at Suffolk College, Civic College of old, and used to enjoy walking around the docks. Since those days, as anybody who knew him would agree, he was passionate about the development of the Waterfront and we were fortunate to see the tremendous improvements made over the past few years. At the same time he was keen to promote university status in Ipswich so people young and old could benefit from high educational standards without having to leave the area. He enjoyed working with so many inspirational people to bring about these achievements. I am grateful he was able to see the fruition of all these efforts and the completion of the new University Campus Suffolk. He would have been so proud of the new development bearing his name and would have wished all staff and students ongoing success in the future”.

Tributes to James Hehir Speaking as the decision was announced to name the building after James Hehir, Colin Riordan, chair of the UCS board and vice-chancellor at the University of Essex, said, “James was a huge friend to University Campus Suffolk and worked tirelessly to get us established. He had the knack of bringing the right people together and refusing to accept that things couldn’t be done. The James Hehir Building will be a fitting tribute to a man whose vision and commitment were crucial to the future of higher education in Suffolk”.

The three party leaders of Ipswich Borough Council agreed.

Councillors Liz Harsant, Andrew Cann and David Ellesmere said in a joint statement, “This is very welcome news. James was a visionary and without him we would probably not even have a university, let alone the stunning developments around it on the Waterfront. James was passionate about Ipswich and ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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First Wessex continues sterling work on the Velmore Estate The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has provided more than £15m of investment to enable First Wessex, Eastleigh Borough Council and Lovell to create 189 new and affordable homes on the Velmore Estate in Eastleigh, Hampshire.

The regeneration scheme, with an investment of over £20 million, requires the demolition of 100 1960s-built very small one bedroom bungalows and their replacement with 189 new energy-efficient homes built to modern standards.

First Wessex also completed the remodeling and extension of 18 bungalows on Somerset Crescent towards the end of 2009.

The nine new two bedroom bungalows on Somerset Crescent are part of a large regeneration scheme taking place on the Velmore estate, which will include: 53 bungalows, 41 threebedroom houses, 13 two-bedroom houses, 2 four-bedroom houses and 80 two-bedroom flats with twelve homes designed for residents who use wheelchairs and who have support needs.

Paul Jenks, chairman of First Wessex’s Local Management Board, visited the site as the first of the homes was completed in August 2010 and said, “First Wessex is very proud to be able to celebrate the completion of the first much needed affordable new homes on Velmore. This regeneration project is a real boost to the area and we would like to thank our partners Lovell Partnership Homes, Eastleigh Borough Council and the Homes and Communities Agency for their support and hard work since the project began”.

Steve Coombs, Lovell’s regional director, said, “This is a very exciting project which will result in nearly 200 high-specification homes being made available to local people.

“Lovell has very recently completed a similar project in Hertfordshire which won fulsome praise from the housing association and residents for the build quality and the lack of inconvenience caused to residents. Our aim has been to bring the same high standards to this project in Velmore.

“The completion of the first home on any project is always a very exciting landmark and never more so when it involves the regeneration of an area such as Velmore, which is clearly very affectionately thought of.

“Lovell is looking forward to continuing to work with First Wessex to ensure the completed project lives up to everyone’s high expectation”.

Kevin Bourner, head of area at the HCA, said, “The new homes are just part of the exciting regeneration of the Velmore estate.

The homes are designed and built to a high environmental standard and the HCA is pleased to have been able to assist partners to deliver this key project for the local community”.

Residents have been closely involved in the scheme to redevelop their homes through an extensive programme of community consultation. First Wessex is currently consulting

with local residents on community projects and a local travel plan for the estate.

The new housing will meet Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. This involves a combination of solar panels for hot water, photo-voltaic panels for electricity generation and excellent insulation to the properties which can enable a typical home to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25 per cent. Homes are also being installed with low-energy lighting, water-saving low-flow appliances, recycling bins and facilities for bicycle storage.

As part of the regeneration program, First Wessex and Lovell are working in partnership to provide job and training opportunities, including construction apprenticeships, for local people. With the build programme expected to take until early 2012 to complete, locals have reacted positively to the opportunities presented by the development.

The architects Responsible for the delivery of the Velmore Estate’s new homes is head of technical services Shaun Slack of Kenn Scaddan Associates. Shaun told Premier Construction, “The new homes are progressing well and we are hopeful that this will turn into another success story brought about by our relationship with First Wessex. We’ve been part of their framework programme for around four years now, and we’re looking forward to extending that”.

“We have already completed a number of projects together’, he continued. !One successful scheme was the [£6.8 million] Bodmin Road development in Eastleigh”. The scheme was the result of a long and thorough consultation with residents”.

Bodmin Road provides a total of 25 houses and 54 flats on the site of what was a low quality, post war modular housing development. It is proving to be a popular project locally and is bringing a new lease of life to a run-down area of the town.

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Extension makes the most of country house care home Stonehouse Care Home, located near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, is being extended on behalf of Peverel Court Care by main contractor Edgar Taylor of Buckingham, after design work by Ifor Rhys Ltd. Jan Molyneux of Stephen Bowley Planning Consultants, explained her role in the project to Premier Construction. She said: “The planning and condition compliance process was a little more complicated than usual, even for a listed building, and it took 10 months to get the plans finalised and approved. There were a few issues we had to contend with.

First of all, the landscaped gardens are an essential part of the listed status of the building. They are perhaps its most striking feature, and any extension into landscaped space has to be carefully and sensitively planned. There are listed trees and a listed boundary wall to take into consideration, as well as a lot of wildlife living in the grounds. The gardens are one of the main attractions for residents, which is why the proposals always included an outside view for every resident.

“On top of that, site levels are tricky as the ground falls away from the building. That meant taking extra time to plan in, and get approval for, a solution for level access. In the end, we have

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a long, sloping, shallow incline ramp.

“A lot of care was taken to match the original with the extension, including the use of matching white rendered stucco. We were able to have permission granted for lead substitute, which matches the original but is less heavy. We have used the same type of slate on the pitched sections of roof”.

Work on the house is to be completed by Christmas 2010.

About Stonehouse Stonehouse is a listed country house, formerly the home of Lord Baden Powell. It is set in 6 acres of gardens with a terrace and a conservatory. The house was built in 1862 and has been tastefully converted into a care home with nursing for 30 older people, including those with dementia.

Most of the rooms are single en-suite, furnished with flat screen TVs, alarm call systems and BT points. A range of activities are organised for residents, including creative arts, games and reminiscence therapy.

Stonehouse has been awarded the Investors in People Accreditation and has the top CSCI star rating of 3 stars or “excellent”. Staff members are trained to a very high standard, with NVQ levels 2, 3 and 4 in care and management.

Kingston churchgoers to revel in latest church upgrades Members of the 500-strong congregation of St. Raphael’s Catholic Church in Kingston will soon delight in an even more welcoming house of worship as current upgrades to the building are nearing completion. Main contractor Lampard and Partners is installing a brand new heating system and extending the building to create an adjacent residence for the parish priest and a community centre.

Contracts manager Mark Davies has been overseeing the project since March 2010 and told Premier Construction, “We now have 95% of the work on the flats complete and the traditional wet radiator system we’re installing is progressing well. We are confident we can beat the agreed completion date of the end of January 2011.

“Naturally, the clients place a special kind of value on the building and so it’s important that we understand the care needed in a job like this. The parish priest, has been contributing a lot of input to our expertise and I’d say that’s an important reason for the success of the work so far”.

Parish priest Father Vincent Flynn told Premier Construction, “The striking Italianate Victorian architecture is a much loved landmark in this historic market town. Attracting people from all ages and backgrounds, the parish has a primary school in the centre of the town and provides the Catholic Chaplaincy to Kingston University. The building and restoration project has attempted to both restore and preserve the historic asset, while at the same time equipping it with the necessary facilities for the 21st century. While the mission of the Church is the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the project has been supported by local Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and atheists”.

The current work follows a recent programme of restoration works which have brought the building’s stunning masonry work back to life. Plenty of photos of the impressive structure and the works that have improved it can be found at www.straphael.org.uk

Lampard and Partners have built a strong base of clients in and around Guildford. For over 40 years, the award-winning firm of construction consultants has successfully completed contracts of all sizes across the education, residential, commercial, heritage, local authority and healthcare sectors.

Lampard and Partners specialise in main contractor roles, offering a total solution to general contracting, building and civil engineering requirements.

Based near Guildford, the company satisfies clients in and around London and the South East of England. Contract values vary from the very smallest up to the larger schemes in excess of £5 million.

Find out more at www.lampardandpartners.co.uk

A brief history of St Raphael’s The church was designed by the eminent architect Charles Parker in an Italianate style, with early Christian and Renaissance influences. The entire cost was met by Alexander Raphael, a Catholic Armenian whose family came from India. He became the first Roman Catholic to be elected Sheriff of London after the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. Raphael built the church in 1846 as a family chapel and named it after St Raphael. It was completed in 1848 and inherited by Raphael’s nephew, Edward, when the former died in 1850. Edward opened the chapel to the public as Kingston s first Catholic place of worship.

About the contractor From foundations laid down in 1962 by Michael Lampard, ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Wimbledon school expands to meet growing local population demands Wimbledon Chase Primary School in London is to expand its premises in order to combat the growing population in the area. In recent years, immigration has contributed to a huge increase in the number of children in the area.

In order to house the extra children, a new wing is being built onto Wimbledon Chase with a reinforced concrete frame installed by SGS Formwork. The building works began in April 2010 and the new two storey building is due to open in April 2011.

It will provide classrooms for reception and year 2, plus a new music room, a second ICT suite, a practical room and a wrap around centre for the school’s breakfast club, nursery and after school club. A lift will be installed and the playground will be re-landscaped.

“This is an exciting period of change as we

are expanding to become a ‘three forms of entry’ school. We are delighted that this expansion will enable us to open our lovely school to even more children”, said Wimbledon Chase head teacher Sue Tomes.

She explained the background of the project, saying, “In 2008, Wimbledon Chase began an exciting new phase of transition. Due to increasing demand in the West Wimbledon area, we were asked by the council to expand. Therefore, in September 2008, we took an extra class into reception and will gradually increase by one class in each year group until we are three forms throughout the school in 2014”.

Site manager Saro Noikian of Gee

Bedford’s tallest building re-modelled Contractors are redeveloping a 1.76 acre site in Bedford for residential and, eventually, business use once it is completed in mid 2011. ‘Telecom House’, which will now be known as ‘The Heights’, was built in the 1960s for BT’s regional administration and state-of-the-art computer equipment. It contained a billing and account enquiries section, while BT’s internal switchboard was housed in the brown-coloured building next door.

But technological changes made the building surplus to requirements, with staff redeploying to the telephone exchange in St Loyes Street or opting for home-working.

In November 2009, Birmingham Properties Group was appointed to deliver the large redevelopment project, which is located close to Bedford’s famous embankment, following a previous development company being placed into administration. The 13 storey BT tower building is being converted into 109 high quality apartments and Birmingham Properties Group is also manage the planning applications for two adjacent sites.

The £10million development is part completed. Main contractor Midgard has come to the rescue with the original main contractor pulling out of the contract. Midgard’s Michael Doran gave a site update to premier Construction, saying, “Currently, we’re working on ground works for the underground parking bays.

Of the 51 apartments that are going for private sale, 40 are practically complete. Of the rest of the apartments, 90% of the work is done.

“The site was idle for 18 months, so the general feeling we’re picking up on is that people in the area are glad to see work progressing rapidly once more. Things will hopefully get busier in the near future as there is the potential to demolish an adjacent office building and there are discussions happening with a view to building a new hotel on the site”.

Midgard’s work for the Birmingham Properties group includes the complete fit out of mechanical and electrical services, internal finishes, new core areas, lifts, roof finishes and the installation of new windows. Mr. Doran added, “The windows are all being changed out for double glazing, which should make

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Construction said, “I am very pleased with progress so far. The surrounding neighbours have been extremely patient and helpful and we are on programme. I feel we have developed a good relationship with the school, which can be a defining action in a project’s success”.

a huge difference to the energy efficiency of the building”. The project team has handover of the development planned from February 2011.

Birmingham Properties Group has scheduled to re-launch The Heights development once the construction programme has concluded and the apartments are ready for occupation. New marketing collateral, signage, a scheme website, a show home and sales suite will be prepared for the launch. Birmingham Properties Group will also set up the management regime for the apartments and oversee all legal and sales issues, including managing the retained selling agents, ensuring timescales and target values are achieved.

Planning applications for two development sites adjacent to the former BT Tower will be worked up and submitted by Birmingham Properties Group during 2010. One site is earmarked for a possible over 55’s active retirement living scheme, while the other, to which Mr. Doran referred, is considered suitable for a commercial use, such as a hotel or retail development. Once planning is gained, these sites will be actively marketed in order to maximise their value.

Birmingham Properties Group anticipates that its multi-faceted role on this project will take 12-18 months, from pre JCT contract negotiations on The Heights development to final handover of the site to the appointed management company.

The scheme is within easy walking distance of Bedford train station, which has a regular service to central London, taking only 35 minutes.

Strategic Recovery Birmingham Properties Group’s strategic recovery activity, into which category The Heights has been inserted, also includes several sites that have historically been poorly managed.

Through proactive asset management, Birmingham Properties Group has a proven track record for substantially increasing the net income of each site, whilst working on the longer term redevelopment opportunities. Additional sites where the team is working in a strategic recovery capacity include: • An 8 acre development site in Wolverhampton • A 5 acre development site in Stafford • An industrial estate in central Birmingham • A vacant site with a residential planning consent in West Bromwich • Birmingham Properties Group is typically working on between 8 – 10 strategic recovery projects simultaneously.

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Woolwich Council invests in driving out efficiency and service delivery A new council centre in Woolwich will open in summer 2011 as part of Woolwich Council’s strategy to continue to improve efficiency and improve treatment of local residents.

New service centre and library The building will house an integrated service centre where customers can carry out council business face-to-face, as well as via the web or the telephone. There will also be a modern and expanded library as part of the development.

The Integrated Service Centre The ground floor of the new Woolwich Centre will have a service centre providing a range of council services, including council tax, advice and benefits, housing, parking and social care.

The council is reducing the costs of accommodating staff, whilst improving the services locals receive and the value for money given.

Woolwich Library There will be a major town centre library to support lifelong learning. This facility will be much larger than the current Woolwich Library and will have facilities such as a self-issue service for books, CDs and DVDs loans and internet access.

Greenwich Gallery The gallery will be a striking public exhibition and meeting space and will be available for local events and public meetings.

Clean, green and efficient

The new service centre will have a strong energy efficiency focus.

It will limit energy consumption and promote renewable resources, limiting the overall carbon footprint of the building. Green measures will include intelligent use of natural ventilation and lighting, heat recovery systems, water harvesting and solar panels.

Green and brown roofs will also be a key part of the scheme. These not only contribute to the energy performance of the building but also provide welcoming habitats for local birds and insects.

During construction, Powerday provided a full range of waste management services to keep up the project’s clean reputation.

Demolition of old offices Demolition of the old Wellington Street offices is complete. Construction of the new building is well under way and is due to complete in summer 2011.

The new Woolwich Centre will be a base for more than 2,000 members of staff who will operate more closely and effectively. This will also enable the council to work positively with its partners.

Office space for staff The centre is designed to enable staff to work flexibly away from the office, with 1,600 work stations for 2,200 staff. This will save money because less office space is required for council

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staff.

The historic Woolwich Town Hall across the road will continue to host council meetings and other public events. It will also have improved facilities for the public.

Business Centre The building will also house a business centre where elected members, council officers and key stakeholders will be able to hold meetings and carry out activities for the benefit of the community.

A feature of the building will be a viewing gallery on the top floor, which can hold meetings for up to 200 people.

Geoff Ball of Arcadis, who have been collaborating with main contractor Wates, told Premier Construction, “The project should be complete well in time for summer. It’s a nice-looking building which gives the area a fresh, new feel, and you can tell [architects HLM] have put a lot of thought into it. It will complement the town well”.

West Sussex primary school built anew A new build that supports new thinking for high quality teaching and learning is under construction at Estcots Primary School in East Grinstead, West Sussex. News of the upgrade, according to Neil Feist of the school’s board of governors, has enabled the staff to talk about what they teach and how they teach. He said: “The new phase-based, mixed years learning and workshop teaching are continuing to raise achievement as pupils receive targeted, differentiated teaching to meet their individual needs and work across year groups.

“But these new developments are taking place in an old building which is no longer fit for 21st century education. Whilst displays are outstanding, celebrating the best of the pupils’ work, the old classrooms are small and either boiling hot or freezing cold, and storage space is very limited. This inevitably limits what can be achieved with classes.

“The new build will allow staff to expand their horizons further in what they do with classes and how they do it”.

The school has used the new build, which involves part demolition of the old buildings, to set the context for learning

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in maths and literacy, thereby making the curriculum relevant to everyone looking at the new building emerging every day. During the build, the school has already put on a themed building week

during which pupils have worked with the builders laying bricks, looking very professional in their ‘high vis’ jackets and builders’ helmets.

The promise of new community space on the site will enable the school to build on their links within the locality and further support community cohesion in this part of East Grinstead, encouraging more groups to use these new facilities. The pupils will also benefit from new hot food provision, strengthening the healthy school message.

Head teacher of Estcots, Susan Percy, said, “We are really looking forward to moving into our new build as it will give us much more space to teach and learn creatively. We have worked hard with the architects to design a building which completely fits our ethos – pairs and phases of classes are grouped together to make teaching across year groups easy. There is space between the classrooms for the children to be involved in independent learning and each class is provided with outside space and ICT equipment. Small group rooms for specialist teaching will further improve our intervention programmes.

“We are most excited about our new hall – it will allow space for all 420 children to come together for assembly each day – something we can only do at the moment with lots of moving around!”

Main contractors Kier expect the work to be completed in February 2011 after work began on site at the beginning of July 2010.

According to a Kier statement, “Kier delivers innovative learning environments to inspire students and teachers alike to raise standards of achievement and transform educational outcomes for all learners.

“As one of the country’s leading providers of primary, secondary and tertiary educational facilities, Kier recognises the unprecedented investment that is being made in the lives of young people through the momentum of the academies, Building Schools for the Future and primary capital programmes.

“Kier Education has been specifically formed to respond to the government’s educational initiatives, providing a service that is tailored to the needs of its clients and one that recognises the need for good design and construction techniques that are flexible, innovative and sustainable”.

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New academy for Crayford A new six-form form intake academy, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Crayford Academy, is being built in Crayford. The project makes use of land which previously hosted a now-demolished school; the rest of the site was councilowned open land, which has been subject to extensive ecological surveys in order to protect its wildlife.

A brand new ‘all-through’ academy is being built that will join the Crayford Temple Grove Primary Phase (formerly Barnes Cray Primary). Together with the children’s centre, the academy will offer education for children from 0-19.

The leader of the London Borough of Bexley, Cllr Teresa O’Neill, said, “This is an extremely exciting time for the future of education in our borough. This new academy is set to benefit all the children from Crayford and Slade Green for years to come.

The primary section at Crayford is already a great success and this signing and the start of work on the site marks a step change for education in the borough and for the future of Bexley”.

The new secondary phase of the academy will be able to accommodate 1,150 students, including a sixth form. The new state-of-the-art buildings will be energy efficient, with heating from ground source pumps, high tech energy saving features such as solar thermals and photovoltaic cells and a grass insulated roof.

The main part of the building relies on a piled foundation substructure with a ground bearing slab and a post tensioned concrete frame. There is a steel frame sports hall and reception area, assembly hall and drama studio.

The varied exterior features a mixture of Staffordshire Blue bricks, a coloured render system (terracotta and petrol blue),

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western red cedar timber cladding, solar controlled glazing, biodiverse roofing with sedum and single ply membrane roofing.

The main entrance to both the front and rear of the building is full height curtain walling and there are three number pyramid shaped atria.

The main contractor on the £26.3 million project is Wilmott Dixon and the design and executive architects are Jestico Whiles and Hunters respectively. LJJ Ltd. will be taking care of all the mechanical and electrical services, including lighting, fire alarms, BMS control systems, small power, data, access control, air conditioning, ventilation and CCTV, while Hot Chili will be supplying the construction site canteens.

The first intake of pupils to the secondary phase started in September 2010. The new academy buildings are to be open for business from September 2011. Building work began in spring 2010.

Social housing scheme is new chapter in former libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history The internal conversion of a former library building to create 16 new flats for social housing, together with a shop unit, is underway in an approximately ÂŁ1.3 million project in West Street, Dorking, Surrey.

The project is being carried out for Mole Valley Housing Association by Main Contractors Breyer Group; Architects are Martindales.

The four storey building, which has an extension to the rear, had previously been used at various times as a library, a fire station and a school. The building has an overall floor area of approximately 2,000 sq m and an attractive exterior with external elevations in stock brickwork with yellow and red brick detailing and tiled roofing.

The shop unit and one flat will be located on the ground floor of the building, with 15 further flats being created on the three floors above. The flats will be for a mixture of rent and shared ownership.

Since the building was constructed, a second floor has been added in the main building. This had a false ceiling, with a deep void over, - a remnant of the original ceiling dating from when the space was a public hall. Above this was a large loft space framed by roof trusses.

In total, the space above second floor level is approximately 8m high to the underside of the roof ridge. A new third floor is being inserted at the level of the existing third floor in the rear extension.

The existing second floor structure in the main building is being carefully removed and lowered about 500mm to line through with the second floor of the rear extension.

The net result of the changes and additions to floors will be to create a continuous floor plate throughout the building at first, second and third floor level. This enables the plans of the individual flats to line through at each level, locating bedrooms over bedrooms, living rooms over living rooms, and to make servicing of the flats simpler.

New windows will be created for the new third floor in the

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t front portion of the building and these will fit within an existing decorative brick frieze running round the top of the walls.

The tall upper floor windows on the main building are being replaced with new thermally broken windows to match the repositioned second floor. The main front windows at ground floor level are being replaced with full height glazing for the commercial space.

A new main entrance is being formed in the rear extension and his will require minor changes to be made to windows in this area. An existing first floor entrance and steel staircase is also being removed.

Other works include the installation of internal partitioning, new building services and kitchens and bathrooms to create the new flats.

Challenges overcome by the contract team include difficult site access off a main thoroughfare from Dorking; shared access with an adjacent nursery school, and limited storage space on site. Site working hours are also restricted as the project is within a residential area.

The works commenced in September 2009, with completion scheduled for March 2011.

Durtnell at the heart of Eastbourne College project R Durtnell & Sons, Britain’s oldest building company, has been appointed as main contractor to create the £7.5 million Birley Centre, a new multi-functional building for Eastbourne College. The contractors are currently working to designs provided by Miller Bourne Architects and are progressing towards a completion date in July 2011.

The Birley Centre is situated on the corner of Carlisle Road and College Road, close to the new Towner Gallery and Congress Theatre. It provides a key facility, not only for the school but also for the local community, in what has come to be known as the cultural quarter of Eastbourne. The building is named in recognition of the contribution to the school of Michael Birley (head master 1956-70) and his wife Ann. The building’s three storeys comprise an auditorium (with sprung floor for dance, audio visual capacity and high quality acoustics) , a commercial-standard recording studio and a social/exhibition space. Reinforced concrete, predominately cast in-situ, is being used for the raft foundation, concrete frame and upper floors. There will also be sedum-covered flat roofs with a zinc-clad pyramidal roof over the main auditorium.

Under-floor heating, air conditioning, specialist foyer and auditorium lighting, high levels of acoustic segregation, and high specification finishes will ensure an impressive final product.

Work on the highly specified interior should begin in the New Year as soon as the building is watertight.

The Birley Centre is the first project in the College’s four step ‘Vision for the Future’ development plan. Other major projects are planned to accommodate the demands of a bigger school and complete the upgrading of existing facilities: an academic teaching block; a redeveloped dining hall and social centre; and a new sports centre.

Headmaster Simon Davies told Premier Construction, “It’s exciting and rewarding to continue our long and successful relationship with Miller Bourne, our architects, and to be working on our second major project with Durtnells who did a wonderful job on a girls’ boarding house in 2006. We value relationships that stand the test of time, and try to be good clients in return!”

Mr. Davies continued, “We’ve always looked to be active in the community and the whole of Eastbourne, not just our pupils, will gain from the facilities here. This has been recognised by many of our neighbours and it has been said in the local press that the Birley Centre completes the cultural quarter of Eastbourne bringing, as it does, a high quality venue to sit alongside the Congress and

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Devonshire Park Theatre and the Towner Gallery”.

About the school Eastbourne College is a co-educational school for 630 pupils – half of whom board. The school was founded by the seventh Duke of Devonshire and other prominent Eastbourne citizens in 1867 and it has grown with the town of Eastbourne in the 143 years since.

For a hundred years as a school for boys, the school’s many successful old pupils included two VCs, a Nobel prize-winner, a president of the Royal Academy, and a Lord Mayor of London.

In 1969, it was one of the first HMC schools to welcome girls into the sixth form. Nowadays, girls of all ages make up over 40% of the school. The College prides itself on being able to offer a full boarding experience to all its 630 girls and boys who thrive academically, in a very wide co-curricular programme and socially in a warm and welcoming environment.

About Durtnell Durtnell has been trading continuously for over 400 years.

Founded in 1591, the company is unique in that it has been handed down father-to-son for twelve generations. Chairman John Durtnell is naturally proud of the company’s heritage and longevity, but also of its ability to change with the times. The Durtnells can trace their ancestry back to the Norman Conquest.

The first historical record of Durtnells in construction is 22nd July 1591, when John ‘Dartnall’ married Ann Hearst, registering his profession as ‘carpenter’, a term synonymous with ‘builder’ at a time when most houses were of timber-framed construction.

Find out about the company’s past, as well as its radically different present, at www.durtnell.co.uk

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EU’s tallest building continues to rise The Shard of Glass at London Bridge has been continuing its heavenward climb throughout 2010. The tower will be the largest in the EU upon its completion in 2012. .

The development is run by Sellar Property Group with the backing of the State of Qatar, which is the majority shareholder in the development that forms part of the £2bn London Bridge Quarter regeneration scheme. Mace Group has been leading the construction effort.

The tower is part of the London Bridge Quarter, which will comprise two buildings: the Shard and London Bridge Place, covering a total of about 1.4m sq ft. This in turn forms an integral part of the redevelopment of the area including Thameslink 2000 upgrades and Network Rail’s project master plan. The Shard

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will have 586,509 sq ft of offices along with a five-star hotel, restaurants, viewing platforms and residential apartments.

The Shard replaces the Southwark Tower, a 1970’s building located on London Bridge Street. The new tower offers high density vertical development at a transport hub and will, it is claimed, be the UK’s first truly mixed use tower.

“This is all about the regeneration for the area”, commented public relations consultant Baron Phillips. “This will be a part of everything already on the South Bank from Borough Market to Bankside. We want to make it an exciting place to live, work and play”.

Aside from The Shard, the Quarter development project will see the construction of London Bridge Place - another office building,

but one that will be considerably shorter than The Shard. London Bridge Station will also get its share of refurbishment as part of the scheme.

Baron recently said, “The idea came about because there were calls from government for new skyscrapers focused around transport hubs. Figures show that around 350,000 people a day travel through the area, so the new development means that commuters and visitors will soon be able to come straight out of the station and up the lifts to their office”.

Transport for London (TfL) initially signed up for 200,000 sq ft of office space in The Shard in 2006, but recently had their contract bought out by the very developers that are building the new skyscraper.

“It suited us and them for us to buy them out. It’s a tremendous reflection on the outlining strength of the market,” commented Baron.

He continued: “We don’t expect to let all the space to one tenant. We expect it to be lawyers and City type businesses. The market currently is so strong - there will be over the next four years a lot of leases for renewal or break”.

Jump Lifts The UK’s first ‘Jump Lift’ has now been successfully installed in The Shard. Developed by KONE, the self-climbing elevator system provides an alternative to exterior hoists to improve the efficiency and safety of the building’s construction.

The lift functions by using the building’s permanent shaft during the construction phase and moves higher or “jumps” in the shaft as the building gets taller. It allows shaft construction and lift installations to continue at the higher levels while the lift is operating in the same shaft at the lower levels below a protection

deck. This innovative approach enables the lift shafts to be used to aid construction at the same time as they are fitted out with permanent cars and put into service as construction progresses.

Michael Williams, managing director of KONE UK, said, “We work hard to deliver pioneering solutions for clients and it has been a privilege to be involved with Mace on such a significant project as the Shard. KONE Jump Lifts are an innovative solution that improves people and goods flow and speeds up construction. Our team has worked closely with Mace to ensure the installation of the Jump Lifts runs smoothly and enhances the construction process”.

As principal contractor on the Shard, Mace has ensured the delivery programme accommodates the requirements of the KONE jump lifts. The first lift has capacity for 21 people and 1,600kg in weight and will mainly be used at the Shard for site workers to get up and down the structure. It now serves up to level 25.

In total there will be five Jump Lifts, the largest of which will be equipped to transport 45 people, with a capacity of 3,500kg in weight of people and materials, serving up to level 34. The second lift to be installed now serves up to level 28; the third and fourth jump will give service to levels 31 and 40 in January 2011 and will then jump to give service to level 66.

Installation manager Bob Wathen told Premier Construction, “The jump lifts have proved a great asset to this project due to the complicated nature of the logistic of the build. The project, which was designed to be ‘top-down construction’, meant the lifts were started before the lift shaft was completed at its lower levels”.

KONE is supplying and installing a total of 10 escalators and 36 lifts at The Shard, 13 of these double deck lifts including the five Jump Lifts.

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One year on, Oakfield students thrive in their eco-friendly new building Oakfield Community Primary School in Dartford was moved into a brand new building for the 2009-2010 school year under the Pathfinder scheme. Pupils, parents and staff alike are still marvelling at the difference a new building can make to an education.

The project resulted from the amalgamation of existing separate infant and junior schools into one all-through primary school, a reorganisation brought about following the implementation of the Kent Primary Strategy 2006.

The existing infants’ school was demolished and the 1930s junior school building was extensively remodeled, modernized and extended to provide generous state-of–the-art teaching and support spaces for all years from nursery through to year 6.

The new school provides a vibrant and stimulating environment for teaching and learning, with a simple and practical layout. A new pedestrian access, entrance and canopy were designed to improve way-finding and a separate vehicular access will radically improve safety. The main entrance is sited at the heart of the amalgamated school at the intersection of old and new.

The school has been given a new identity and is clearly signalled to all passers-by by the introduction of generous areas of glazing and a brightly coloured and lit canopy: “It’s an invitation to join in!” says Sophie Ungerer of Space Craft Architects.

Sophie explains the reasoning behind the layout thus: “The new single storey classrooms are oriented south to maximise natural ventilation and daylight throughout. Each classroom has large glazed doors opening up onto an external teaching deck and looking out onto planting beds for each class and the playgrounds beyond. The generous roof overhang provides a covered teaching area and even light levels internally.

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“A wide central corridor links all facilities within the school.

With display pin boards along its length and windows into each classroom this ‘Central Street’ serves an important function, enhancing the sense of community within the school whilst helping to provide a specific identity for each class. Children and staff are able to see the achievements of the other classes and feel a pride in their own displays, making the central route a light and vibrant area”.

A careful strategy for phased demolition, construction and refurbishment was developed by the project team to ensure that disruption to the operational school was kept to an absolute minimum. Prefabricated modular timber construction was utilised to allow the new build elements to be constructed very quickly with potential disruptive works at the interface between existing and new taking place out of hours and during holidays.

Timber Frame The timber frame, central to the new building in more ways than one, was supplied by the UK branch of German specialist timber firm Wehmeyer. Overseeing the firm’s UK strategy is Nick Partridge, who told Premier Construction, “The advantages of timber in a green build such as this are well known: trees absorb carbon dioxide while growing and the timber we use is sourced from well-managed, agricultural timber operations which themselves help the environment in a number of ways, for example by providing habitats for wildlife.

“The Oakfield project involved cross laminated timber walls, glue laminated main beams and fully insulated cassette panels for the roof. To switch from timber to concrete or steel frame on that project, as well as others, would have cost around six times more carbon to produce. What’s more, the building would have missed out on the ongoing benefit of timber in terms of thermal insulation. That’s why I’m confident that the timber market will continue to grow in the UK as it has in Germany and the rest of Europe, even despite minor setbacks such as the abolition of the BSF scheme when it comes to school construction”.

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St. Dunstan’s sets up new Llandudno base St Dunstan’s, the national charity supporting blind ex-service men and women, has appointed local contractors Wynne Construction to carry out the £6m refurbishment of the former North Wales Medical Centre in Llandudno to convert it into a new centre for the organisation.

The centre is due to be up and running in autumn 2011. Robert Leader, Chief Executive of St Dunstan’s said, “We are delighted to be underway with the refurbishment. The new facility will help ensure that we are reaching more blind ex-service personnel in need of our specialist assistance. It will enable them to access bespoke services and support, equipping them with the skills to lead full and independent lives. We have been overwhelmed by the welcome received from the people of North Wales and look forward to becoming part of the local community”.

The new centre will provide rehabilitation and training, teaching independent living skills, such as getting around safely,

Construction News

orientation. We will end up with a building perfectly suited to its users”.

Lance Haldane of Linney Cooper Ltd, who are supplying and fitting flooring and carpets throughout the building, echoed the thoughts of many of his fellow sub-contractors by saying, “It’s always a pleasure to work with Wynne and this job is no exception, especially as we’re working for a good cause”.

Call our news team on 01706 719972

Provision of New Sports Facilities at Penley School A new sports hall has been constructed at The Maelor School in Penley, near Wrexham. The £3 million scheme, part-funded by the Welsh

Assembly Government, has been designed by Wrexham County Borough Council Property Consultancy Department. The scheme includes a main sports hall and dance/aerobics studio.

Externally, new tennis courts and netball courts have been provided, a new staff car park and a new bus access road and parking bays within the school grounds. Wrexham County Borough Council have made further investments in the existing building to provide replacement windows, replacement gas boilers, new

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navigating a kitchen and IT skills. It will also include specially adapted leisure, dining and accommodation facilities catering for everything from residential training weeks, to nursing and respite care.

Chris Wynne, managing director of Wynne Construction, said, “As an established firm in North Wales we are delighted to have been awarded this prestigious contract. Our proven experience in this field equips us to deliver the project to a high standard. The project will also enable us to offer employment to a number of skilled workers in the area, as well as affording valuable opportunities for the future”.

Project manager Mick Byrne told Premier Construction in October, “We’re now erecting steel for the extension, and the ground and base works and retaining wall are all complete. There is ongoing work to external stone, chimney stacks and windows, and electrical work and plumbing is under way across the site”.

He added, “A lot of the later work will involve improving access – widening corridors and installing a new lift, as well as rails with tactile signals to help with

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insulated flat roof coverings and DDA compliant works.

The design of the new sports hall includes rainwater harvesting, air source heat pumps and combined heat and power technology. To protect the building against unnecessary damage, the elevations are made of brickwork to the lower panels and casings to all steel columns. Translucent panels have been used to all walls at high level to introduce as much natural light as possible into the building. Sun pipes are also being used to allow natural light into the inner areas and wind catchers will be used to incorporate natural ventilation into the design. The building was completed in November 2010 by contractor Pave Aways Ltd and is on track to receive a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

Project architect Su Evans of Wrexham County Borough Council told Premier Construction, “The project has progressed well and we even managed to overcome the harsh winter, although the start on site date was delayed slightly due to measures necessary to monitor and protect the great crested newts present on

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the site”.

Su explained the importance of the new access road, saying, “The existing road is congested at school arrival and departure times. With the introduction of the new bus access road, the buses will be able to park off road to reduce congestion and can remain there safely all day. The pupils can now be collected and dropped off by the buses safely within the school grounds”.

The school’s former gymnasium is currently being converted into a new library facility for the school, while future plans at the site include converting the old library into two teaching spaces.

Social housing scheme spreads construction skills 70 housing units destined to be socially rented are being developed on behalf of Newydd Housing Association at Jackson’s Quay in Barry. The sizes of the units include 51 flats (1 and 2 bedrooms) and 19 houses (2, 3 and 4 bedrooms) and will be developed to energy efficiency level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. A local lettings policy will be introduced on the site for the first lettings.

This £6.7million development, started 7th July 2009 by the developer Mi-Space, is estimated to be completed

by March 2011 with a phased handover expected to start in December 2010.

Newydd carried out an initial review of housing requirements for the Vale of Glamorgan and established a need for affordable new homes in the Barry area. The mix of units decided upon reflects the findings of the Local Housing Market Assessment whereby the highest need for affordable housing is for single parents and single non pensioners.

The site was a strategic priority for the Vale of Glamorgan Council, both because of the ongoing regeneration of Barry Waterfront and the findings of the Local Housing Market Assessment. Of the 652 housing units required to meet the existing need, 40.6% are in Barry. The site was formerly owned

by Charles Church Homes who obtained the original planning permission for 96 new homes including 12 affordable homes.

However, due to the economic downturn, Charles Church Homes decided, for commercial reasons, not to develop the site and sold it to Newydd. Newydd subsequently modified the planning consent to include a higher number of family homes to reflect the need in the area Of the workforce at the development, 60% are from Barry or within 5 miles of the area. There are also five trade apprentices living in Barry who are currently learning trades such as bricklaying and carpentry skills at the development; this has been achieved by working in partnership with Mi-Space using the Inform to Involve (i2i) project and the Can Do Toolkit. Students at Barry College have also been using the site on a regular basis as part of their studies; for example, twenty-five construction design technology students have been able to experience ‘tool box talks’ which involve visiting a site at all stages of construction to see the development at first hand.

Case study: David’s experience After a difficult period in his life having given up his job due to a work related injury, David approached Mi-Space asking for work experience during the early stages of the Jackson’s Quay development. Mark, the project manager, agreed that if he obtained a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card he would happily give him an opportunity to work for a few days on site for the following weeks. David has thoroughly enjoyed his experience and has developed a great working relationship with Mark. He has proved a valuable asset to the team and shown to be able to complete specific tasks allocated to him, for example drawings management, with excellent commitment and attitude.

This positive experience in David’s life has led to further career development with other partners including a placement with Tony King Architects Ltd performing CAD design.

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Scottish Water Commencing Work On £28Million Waste Water Project Situated in the rural landscape of Dumfries and Galloway, Stranraer and the surrounding villages of Leswalt, Kirkcolm and Cairnryan comprise the last major settlement in Scotland without a modern waste water provision with secondary sewage treatment. Scottish Water’s Loch Ryan project will rationalise the existing assets down to one major waste water treatment works (WWTW) with a long sea outfall.

Complex Civil Engineering Challenge

The brief for Scottish Water was to devise a cost-effective, environmentally sound and future-proof waste water provision for

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Stranraer, Leswalt, Cairnryan and Kirkcolm.

The current waste water system for Stranraer and the surrounding villages is outdated and in need of replacement. The WWTW for Stranraer – situated at Port Rodie on the harbour front – is a primary treatment facility with underground settlement tanks and no sludge treatment facilities. Sludge is collected daily tankered to a sludge treatment centre at Dumfries, creating an occasional odour issue.

At Leswalt, a small WWTW with a stone trickle filter treats the waste from the village and discharges it to the Sole Burn.

At Kirkcolm and Cairnryan, small septic tanks are in operation which discharge to Loch Ryan and need replaced.

After years of studies and surveys to

assess the best option for an extremely difficult civil engineering challenge, Scottish Water is embarking on an unusual and ambitious waste water project which will remove the permanent discharge to Loch Ryan from the Port Rodie facility, and reduce the asset base to a cost effective solution that complies with future EU waste water directives.

Major Work Will Transform Waste Water Provision

The project will see the demolition of the existing WWTW at Port Rodie and the retirement of three WWTWs at Cairnryan, Leswalt and Kirkcolm.

With the exception of Cairnryan, the waste water from the settlements around Loch Ryan will be pumped to a new waste

water treatment works at Smithy Hill. This works will perform primary and secondary treatment.

A long outfall pipe will transfer the final effluent to the North Channel of the Irish Sea, removing completely the permanent discharge to Loch Ryan.

Stephen Hepburn, project manager, said, “Removing the permanent discharge into Loch Ryan is necessary to satisfy the legal requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and Shellfish Directive.

“This project will deliver significant improvements to the water quality and shellfish environment in Loch Ryan. The effluent from the surrounding communities will receive a greater level of treatment than is currently provided, and

the permanent effluent discharge will be removed and re-routed to a new WWTW in the hills to the south west of Stranraer.

“The reason we decided to route all the flows to one single WWTW is because this option offers the best whole life cost, as well as satisfying the environmental, planning, third party and operational issues for the Loch Ryan cluster of schemes.

“The current Port Rodie WWTW hosts large underground settlement tanks which provide primary treatment. Sludge is extracted via valves above ground. Our project will re-use these tanks as storm storage within the network, providing relief in times of exceptionally heavy rainfall. Exceptional storm flows will be directed along the current outfall pipe so there is minimal impact on the waters of Loch Ryan. Once any heavy rainfall abates we can re-direct stored storm waters to the new WWTW. “A number of outfall locations for the new WWTW were considered along the coast, both north and south of the harbour town of Portpatrick. Some were more suited to specific potential treatment works locations. The main considerations were: geology of the coastline; accessibility for construction plant and equipment; sufficient space for construction at the landward side of the construction; availability of a fresh water supply to assist in drilling operations; length of outfall pipeline to ensure 1:50 dilution in the sea water; and provisional cost for construction. The potential environmental impacts from the outfall construction operation were also an important factor”.

The new WWTW will be situated in a green field site that was chosen for its elevation and relative remoteness. The

construction will have a minimal effect on local residents.

Stephen continued, “The main civil engineering phase of the construction works is likely to take around 15 to 18 months and will be followed by installation of equipment and testing. The overall construction and commissioning period is likely to be no more than 21 months. We aim to start construction on site late January 2010, and we will be working on several fronts throughout the construction and commissioning period.

Meticulous planning is the key to coordinating and executing a project of this complexity”.

Simpler Solution Will Increase Efficiency

Once construction is complete, Scottish Water Operations will operate and maintain the treatment works and all pumping stations. Ultimately, the client for the project team is the asset and investment management team within Scottish Water.

Iain Jones, asset manager for Loch Ryan, said, “As the clients we have given the project team a tough brief but we are confident that they can deliver the project on time and on spec”.

Once this project is delivered the day-to-day running will be managed by Scottish Water’s local operations team.

Visits to the satellite pumping stations will be relatively infrequent (perhaps once a week) but there will be daily attendance at the main treatment works site. The day-to-day operational activities at the main site are not likely to cause disturbance to residents due to its location, making this new solution preferable to the current provision on many levels.

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S c otl a n d Partnership With Stena At Cairnryan

One of the local villages, Cairnryan, was originally part of the overall Loch Ryan scheme. With the addition of the new Stena ferry terminal at Cairnryan, a deal was reached to treat effluent from the village at a new WWTW at the terminal, which would be jointly funded and would also treat the ferry terminal waste water.

This has many advantages. An 8km pumped waste water main is no longer required to Stranraer. A shorter 2km main to the new WWTW will reduce construction costs and total life cost of the project. The new waste water main will direct flows from Cairnryan into the terminal, and the existing small WWTW at Cairnryan will be retired.

The new WWTW offers tertiary treatment, so the treated effluent will have minimal effect on water quality in Loch Ryan. The Stena Terminal WWTW will be adopted by Scottish Water once complete.

Planning Permissions And Design Approval

The planning applications and negotiations were led by the Scottish Water Planning Team. Catherine SouterBell, Planning Consultant with Scottish Water’s Shared Services team, said, “Extensive discussions and negotiations were held with Dumfries and Galloway Council on the design of the pumping station. We eventually settled on a design that was harmonious with the overall look of the buildings in Stranraer.

“A more modern design with a curved roof was deemed inappropriate, so we submitted a traditional design with a pitched roof which fits in with the character of the surrounding area. The pumping station was also designed to fit with the aspirations of the Stranraer Waterfront Urban Design Strategy and Masterplan.

“The proposed waterfront location for the Port Rodie pumping station was also the source of some local opposition.

Although it is adjacent to the site of the current WWTW and as such a large amount of existing underground infrastructure could be re-used, we had to successfully demonstrate that there was no other practical location for the pumping station other than Port Rodie”.

Extensive Consultation And Community Work

Ongoing consultation with the relevant statutory bodies (such as Dumfries and Galloway Council and Scottish Natural Heritage), non-statutory bodies (such as Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and National Trust for Scotland) and the local community has been a key part of the project from the very beginning.

Mark MacLaren, Scottish Water regional communities manager, details the ongoing work to consult the community: “A community forum has been established

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by Scottish Water, which meets regularly to update various community groups (resident associations, Chamber of Commerce, Police, Harbour Masters, community councils etc.) on the progress of the project. The community forum acts as a one-stop-shop for discussion of any concerns or queries directly on a face-toface basis with the project team.

“This direct approach has paid dividends.

Community organisations and individuals have commented positively on the open and transparent way Scottish Water is consulting and sharing information with them, and this approach is set to continue through the construction and commissioning phases of the project.

“An E-letter has been sent out every few months to update local stakeholders and residents on the work. This approach has enabled Scottish Water’s project communications team to save costs on mailing, as most recipients are happy to get the information electronically.”

Dedicated pages on the Scottish Water website are updated regularly with the E-letters, press releases and project information.

Marine Surveys Reveal Seabed Conditions For Outfall

A 120-tonne barge was stationed at Broadsea Bay near Larbrax throughout September 2010 to perform sea bed surveys.

Stephen Hepburn explains, “To ascertain the best method of installing a long outfall pipe, we conducted extensive seabed surveys.

“Scottish Water hired the barge and drilling equipment from Structural Soils Ltd to perform an offshore geotechnical survey of the sea bed off Broadsea Bay. “The barge was put together in Portpatrick harbour over the five days preceding launch, and presented quite a spectacle to any interested onlookers visiting the village.

“The data collected during the investigation will help team confirm the route of the long sea outfall and the method of installation.

Ian McMillan, senior project manager, added, “This work helps us determine the shape, composition and density of the sea bed. We needed a detailed marine geotechnical survey of this kind and the

barge performed the task perfectly. Part of the work involved drilling through the sand and gravel deposits to locate the rock bed.

“We have two methods we can use – directional drilling through the rock, or dredging the sea bed and laying the pipe on the sea bed. This survey work will help us make an informed decision on the best method. We may do more surveying in the New Year if we need more data”.

Contract Awarded And Programme Of Work Devised

Scottish Water has appointed Biwater Leslie as the main contractor for the project and the project team is now deep into the detailed design and planning phase of the project. Stephen Hepburn concludes, “We chose Biwater Leslie as their combination of expertise and experience indicated they could deliver this programme of works within the challenging timescales we have set.

“With construction due to start in January 2011, we are close to starting one of Scottish Water’s flagship projects for the 2010-2015 investment period, and in the months to come we will deliver a modern, reliable and durable waste water solution for Stranraer and the surrounding villages”.

About the area

Stranraer provides an important ferry service to Ireland and is the birthplace of an illustrious list of famous people, including footballers and authors.

Stranraer is Dumfries and Galloway’s second largest town and the administrative centre for West Galloway (Wigtownshire).

The town is home to 13,000 people – major employers are the Caledonian Cheese creamery and the aforementioned ferry terminal. Stranraer has a rich maritime history, being a major Scottish port for centuries and a key location for anti U-Boat work in World War II. Dumfries and Galloway is commonly referred to as “Scotland’s bread basket”.

Accordingly the land around Stranraer and the nearby villages is peppered with a variety of farming operations.

Stranraer itself sits on the bank of Loch Ryan – a sea loch bristling with Scotland’s only natural oyster bed.

Ferry firm to launch £80 million new port A brand new port to accommodate ferries between Scotland and Northern Ireland is under construction in an approximately £80 million project for Stena Line at Old House Point, two miles north of Cairnryan on the eastern side of Loch Ryan. Stena’s intention to leave Stranraer was first signalled in February 2003.

In addition to being more suited to the needs and demands of travel and freight customers today, the new facility, to be known as Loch Ryan Port, will also ensure that journey times and fuel

requirements can be cut. In addition, Stena Line now operates from a state of the art facility at the new VT4 terminal in Belfast and wishes to have matching facilities at the new Loch Ryan Port.

The project is being carried out for Stena Line Ports UK by main contractors McLaughlin & Harvey. RPS is the lead consultant on this project, responsible from its inception, through planning process, preparation of detailed design and tender documents.

The group is also providing project management and supervision services.

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Site preparation included clearance of vegetation and asbestos, as well as the demolition of derelict buildings, oyster tanks and concrete slabs.

Earth moving works on the 28 acre site were temporarily delayed by the discovery of 50 World War II shells and the site was immediately evacuated whilst these were removed by army bomb disposal experts over a six hour period.

The project includes the creation of standage areas for 190 unaccompanied dropped trailers; further standage for 350 cars and 50 commercial vehicles; a suspended deck jetty future-proofed to facilitate 220+ metre long vessels and a layby berth and a state of the art terminal building incorporating environmentally friendly features. There will also be a passenger walkway from ship to shore. The dredged level of the port will be 8.5 metres CD, with a separate channel and turning circle.

First Minister Alex Salmond said:

“This new development will safeguard and create 1,400 jobs and trigger significant investment in Dumfries and Galloway. I am delighted to welcome the decision to approve this project and Stena Line’s commitment and continuing contribution to the Scottish economy.

“The relocation of the port to the new Loch Ryan Port will also aid tourism with faster crossings between Scotland and Northern Ireland and help the regeneration of Stranraer as a major marine leisure area.

“This is a significant announcement for transport and investment in Scotland, highlighting the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to working with investors to support jobs and the economy and to keep Scotland moving”.

Dan Sten Olsson, Chairman of Stena Line, said: “This is a historic announcement for the people of Scotland and indeed Northern Ireland. The investment we have announced will

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S c otl a n d provide Scotland with a first class port facility which underlines and enhances the port’s prominence as the third largest gateway in the UK. “The link between Scotland and Northern Ireland provides a huge number of benefits for both countries. Tourism and freight business between Scotland and Northern Ireland has seen significant growth in recent years and despite the current difficult trading conditions, we are confident that an investment of this magnitude will pay dividends over the medium to long term. We believe that working in partnership with the Scottish Government and their counterparts in Northern Ireland we will have state-of-the-art facilities that everyone can be proud of”.

Mr. Olsson admitted he had previously doubted that the company would see sufficient growth in passenger numbers to justify the project and that plans had been in place to leave the area, but said he had been convinced after discussions with Mr. Salmond.

The 20 month project is due for completion in August 2011.The project is part of a larger £200 million investment in the port by Stena Line, with the remaining money going to purchase two new passenger ferries.

Port developments on Loch Ryan are designated national developments in the Second National Planning Framework (NPF2) and are subject to formal parliamentary approval. The motion to approve the harbour order was moved in Parliament on 3rd February 2010 and came into force on 4th February 2010.

It is hoped that he creation of the new port will also aid the regeneration of the waterfront at Stranraer, providing an opportunity to develop 26 acres of waterfront. Galloway and Upper Nithsdale MSP Alex Fergusson welcomed the move, saying, “This formal announcement signals the start of a new era not just for Stena, but for the town of Stranraer itself.

“Many will be nervous about what the future holds in store, but I take an optimistic view. I applaud Stena’s decision, which will tie the company to Loch Ryan for the foreseeable future,

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and it opens up a potentially fantastic future for a dramatic redevelopment of Stranraer harbour waterfront”.

Tony Fitzpatrick, director of economic regeneration for Dumfries and Galloway council, said, “This is tremendous news and a real win-win situation.

“Firstly, the council saw the retention of the existing Stena workforce as an absolute priority. Secondly, this frees up the majority of the Stranraer waterfront area for wider regeneration”.

The latest on site Stena Line’s Nigel Tilson gave Premier Construction the latest news from the site in November. He said: “A piling gate to do all the piling for the jetty has just been

introduced.

This is a new idea from main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey, which avoids using floating plant such as barges or cranes.

Construction is ongoing on the jetty; the piles are 53m in length.

“The terminal building roof is now completed and the

building envelope is basically water tight – the same goes for the site maintenance building, where the roof has recently been completed.

“The bank seat - the start of the shore-based ramp - is in place, and a retaining anchor wall has been completed to accompany it. Also, the southern revetment has now been completed. This breaks the sea’s energy and ensures that the port’s exit road remains intact.

“Finally, shore-based dredging is ongoing and dredging of a portion of the lough is currently under way, too. Westminster, a dredging company, has been carrying out channel and turning circle dredging with a bigger vessel suited to the task”.

Scottish Water takes forward massive investment at Dalscone Scottish Water – in conjunction with their delivery arm Scottish Water Solutions – is managing an extensive project to upgrade the Dalscone waste water treatment works (WWTW).

Scottish Water is in fact investing in a number of WWTWs across the region. Decades of under-investment are now being addressed with an assertive programme of capital investment in networks and assets.

Dalscone and neighbouring facilities are benefiting from a generous share of the utility firm’s £2.5bn investment in 20062010 which had a three pronged attack - delivering clearer, fresher drinking water; protecting and enhancing the natural environment; and supporting communities through the provision of additional water and waste water capacity.

The principal contractor for the £8.9million project is Carillion Civil Engineering. The project allows the removal of local development constraints and consequently the ability to accept new housing connections.

Derek Henderson, senior project manager, said, “We started on site in summer 2008. The two existing works at Dalscone are located on the same site and this project considers the two works as one. The project will improve and expand the existing works, while keeping the process running”. Completion of the project is due in early 2011.

Major elements of the upgrade are:

Combined Process Stream A new inlet works will be constructed offline whilst the existing works is operational. This will comprise an automatic combined sewer overflow (CSO) storm screen, duty/standby fine screens and a vortex-type grit removal system. Once complete, the new inlet works will be tested, commissioned and the entire incoming flows will pass through, allowing the two existing inlet works

to be demolished. This new inlet works will efficiently pre-treat the raw waste water to remove rags and large debris before it is split by a new distribution chamber to the two separate process steams.

The existing primary tanks within the old works will be converted into storm tanks. These – with the existing storm tank – provide considerable additional storage capacity during storm conditions. Five new submersible centrifugal mixer devices and associated components will be installed within the tanks. These facilitate the re-suspension of settled solids prior to storm return pumps shifting the effluent back to the head of the works once the flows have subsided.

A new final effluent (FE) washwater supply station will be constructed, comprising a glass reinforced plastic (GRP) kiosk containing vertical multistage booster pumps, an accumulator and an automatic backwashing strainer or filter. The FE wash water supply station shall be fed from the lamella humus tanks collection chamber.

A new kiosk will be installed to house the new motor control centre (MCC) incorporating a new programme logic controller (PLC). This equipment will control all the existing and new equipment within the works.

Old Works Process Stream These works involve: two new primary settlement tanks with associated bridge scrapers and scum removal system; refurbishment of the six existing stone media filters – otherwise known as trickling (percolating) filters - with new two level distribution arms; and replacement of the existing humus settlement tanks with new lamella plate humus settlement tanks.

The tanks provide a much more efficient settlement process so can accept higher flows but utilising a smaller footprint.

New Works Process Stream This phase involves: installation of two floating unit selfaspirating aerators (commonly referred to as spiral aerators) within the existing oxidation ditch; new bridge scrapers and scum removal system within the existing final tank; and a new pumping station will return activated sludge from the final tank back to the aeration tank.

General Numerous pump stations and pipelines are to transfer various flows around the treatment works. Due to the anticipated traffic volumes to the site during construction a temporary access road has been constructed from the A701 which is scheduled to be removed when the work is complete. The route of the road will be returned to farmland.

For more information, visit www.scottishwater.co.uk.

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Glencorse project continues to impress Scottish Water’s flagship project, the new Glencorse Project, continues to make excellent progress under main contractor Black & Veatch and has recently picked up an impressive CEEQUAL rating.

CEEQUAL is the assessment and awards scheme for improving sustainability in civil engineering and aims to demonstrate the commitment within the civil engineering industry to put environmental quality and community support at the heart of a project.

Since the CEEQUAL scheme was launched in 2003, more than 60 final and 20 interim CEEQUAL Awards have been given.

Glencorse is clearly among the upper echelons of such projects, having been awarded a rating of 84% - well above the minimum for the top banding.

Ministerial Visit Minister for the environment Roseanna Cunningham recently checked up on the progress of the works as it prepares to enter into its final construction phase.

Ms Cunningham was delighted to view the massive strides being made in this important project: “I am delighted that the residents of Edinburgh and visitors to the city will soon be enjoying some of the highest quality drinking water in Scotland from this state of the art treatment works at Glencorse. The new works uses the latest technology and will be more resilient and better able to cope with changes in the quality of the source water.

“I have been impressed by the efforts made by Scottish Water to minimise disruption to local residents during construction.

Great care has also been taken to ensure the works will blend in with its surroundings and have as small a carbon footprint as possible. This is truly a treatment works for the 21st Century.”

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About the works When completed in 2011, the Glencorse WTW will supply good, safe drinking water to around 450,000 consumers in Edinburgh and parts of Midlothian.

The works have been carefully designed to have minimal impact on the landscape. The construction has been sunk into the ground such that the highest point of the building will be just 7 metres above ground level. Furthermore, green roof technology will be used to cover the tops of the buildings. This ‘living’ roof means that the works will blend into the countryside and the final landscaping bunds will make the works almost invisible from surrounding properties and the main road.

As part of the project, Scottish Water is installing 15km of new

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S c otl a n d pipelines. The twin pipeline will take the clear, fresh drinking water from Glencorse into the existing water supply network in Edinburgh. Instead of having the pipes produced elsewhere and transporting them to the site, a mobile pipe production plant was set up adjacent to the pipeline working area. This unique approach meant that the pipes could be manufactured significantly longer; at lengths of up to 22 metres rather than the normal maximum that can be transported on a standard lorry of 13.5 metres. Longer pipes equal fewer joins and a significant reduction in the construction period.

The location of the plant also meant a reduction in lorry journeys to and from the site of up to 75 percent. This has helped to minimise the carbon footprint of the project. The majority of the work will take place in agricultural fields but the pipeline does need to cross public roads at some points. Scottish Water has been working closely with the local communities in order to minimise disruption.

The route of the pipeline has taken account of several important issues such as: The hydraulic model - water flows through the pipes using gravity, avoiding the need for expensive pumping.

Disruption to the public â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this has been minimised by sighting the pipeline in farm land. The pipeline will be tunnelled under the City of Edinburgh Bypass to avoid disruption of this major road.

Nature and archaeology â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the route has been designed to avoid sites of archaeological interest and the habitats of protected species such as badgers. Also, Scottish Water is minimising treefelling and damage to hedgerows by taking the pipeline through existing gaps or areas of sparse vegetation where possible.

Find out more about the project by visiting www.scottishwater. co.uk/glencorse

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Cumbernauld Plant Leads The Way On Green Power A state-of-the-art plant at Cumbernauld which transforms food waste into renewable electricity and heat was officially declared operational on 28th September by Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead.

The Deerdykes facility, created by Scottish Water Horizons, the public utility’s commercial and renewable energy business, is the largest organic recycling facility in Scotland and the first site in the UK to combine anaerobic digestion and in-vessel composting.

Food waste is digested in the plant and can be converted into 8,000 megawatt hours of ‘green’ energy each year - enough electricity to power up to 2,000 homes.

Mr Lochhead said, “In Scotland, we produce around two million tonnes of food waste each year. Preventing household food waste alone going to landfill is the equivalent of taking a staggering one in four cars off Scottish roads.

“As part of our Zero Waste Plan, we aim to recycle 70 per cent of all waste by 2025, with just five per cent landfilled. As well as encouraging the reduction and recycling of waste, a zero waste society is about transforming it into a valuable resource. The new Deerdykes anaerobic digestion plant can process 30,000 tonnes of food waste each year, producing enough electricity to power up to 2,000 homes.

“This is a greatly impressive facility and I congratulate Scottish Water Horizons for being at the forefront of organic recycling and renewable energy. I am confident that facilities such as Deerdykes – the largest in operation in Scotland – will make a significant contribution to a zero waste Scotland”.

Chris Banks, Scottish Water’s commercial director and chairman

of Horizons, said, “This new plant shows we’re leading the way not just on renewable energy but in helping Scotland towards its ambition of zero waste. As environmental and recycling targets become even tighter we expect others will follow the lead of Scottish Water Horizons”.

30,000 Tonnes Of Food Waste A Year The state-of-the art anaerobic digestion facility at Deerdykes, the site of a former wastewater treatment works, can handle 30,000 tonnes of food waste each year. The anaerobic digestion process breaks down the waste to produce biogas which can then be used to provide electricity to power the works itself with surplus offered to the National Grid or exported directly to local businesses.

The plant also produces heat which could be used in district heating schemes for local homes and businesses in the Cumbernauld area.

The process also creates nutrient rich digestate which can be used as a fertiliser to improve the soil, reducing the need for chemical fertilisers whose manufacture has a significant environmental impact.

Zero Waste The Deerdykes Composting and Organics Recycling Facility at Cumbernauld was initially used to turn garden waste into compost, primarily converting local authority collections into environmentally friendly ‘pod’ compost.

The facility benefited from a £1.7million grant from Zero Waste Scotland. Iain Gulland, director of Zero Waste Scotland, said, “Anaerobic digestion has a huge role to play in creating a zero waste economy in Scotland, generating jobs and revenue from materials which we have always thought of as waste. Scottish Water Horizons should be congratulated for leading the way with this development.

“Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan is clear that organic waste, from food and other sources, should be recycled back into useful products which can, for example, help Scottish farmers grow food crops in a proper ‘closed loop’ approach. With anaerobic digestion there is an extra benefit of producing gas which can be used for sustainable heat or power. By supporting projects like this, Zero Waste Scotland aims to drive a huge increase in anaerobic digestion and composting.”

Scottish Water Horizons is also assessing the production of biomethane from biogas at Deerdykes. The intention is that this sustainable vehicle fuel would be used by Scottish Water’s fleet.

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Buried WTW prevents stain on popular landscape A £5 million project is under way to improve waste water treatment around three Highland villages. The new scheme involves six septic tanks to treat waste water from Ballachulish, Glencoe and North Ballachulish.

High quality effluent will be dispersed in the deep waters of Loch Linnhe from a long outfall pipe. All the structures will be below ground and the landscaped site is being managed by Morrison Construction on behalf of Scottish Water.

The proposed work initially faced strong opposition from locals, and was only granted planning permission after plans were altered to take into account locals’ concerns. Scottish Water agreed to alter the first version of its plans in order to convince locals that the scheme’s benefits are worth the intrusion.

According to Scottish water, “The finished works will help protect the shellfish waters of Loch Leven and provide extra capacity to support new housing and business developments”.

“We appreciate the scenic nature of the location, adjacent to the historic Ballachulish Bridge and mouth of Loch Leven. As the plant is underground tanks, there should be no visual impact or odours. We have assured the community councils that the upgraded site will be completely below ground with grass and shrubbery planted where appropriate. The project is in the whole area’s interest as it will protect the environment and support the economy so we want local people to be happy with how it looks”.

The original plan was for semi-underground structures, which would have left a small yet noticeable mark on the landscape.

Asked whether other sites could accommodate the works, a Scottish Water spokesperson stated, “The existing site makes the most sense as the infrastructure is in place and it is land we already own and have room to expand. We looked at a number of alternative options. Other areas of land we considered would cost possibly hundreds of thousands of pounds when we have land available to us for nothing and for which we have permission to develop”.

“Wherever we develop, we must use the outfall from North Ballachulish as this is the legally approved dispersal point for effluent”.

Households in the communities of Ballachulish, Glencoe and North Ballachulish were updated in March 2010 on Scottish Water’s plans for the area.

Earlier, two open days were staged. Every household in the area was sent a postcard containing details of Scottish Water’s dedicated website, and discussions have been ongoing with local community councils and the four councillors who serve the area on Highland Council.

Joanna Peebles, Scottish Water’s communities manager for the Highlands, said, “There remains a pressing need to improve the quality of the shellfish waters in Loch Leven and we have to provide extra capacity to cater for growth to help these communities thrive. We are aware there continues to be mixed views about site selection. However, on balance, when taking into account customer feedback, environmental, technical and cost factors, we believe the best place for a new treatment works is within our existing site at North Ballachulish”.

Joanna added, “The works will be completely buried and landscaped to keep the visual impact to an absolute minimum.

We remain committed to working with the local community during the construction phases”.

Currently on site, according to Scottish Water’s Jason Rose who spoke to premier Construction in late December, “The six septic tanks are in the ground and landscaping work had started but has been temporarily halted due to the snow and sub-zero temperatures. We are aiming for completion by spring 2011”.

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Previous works at Ballachulish The last decade has seen a number of phases of work around the loch, including a drinking water facility completed in 2005.

The majority of the electrical and mechanical installations were installed by ACWA services.

Under ACWA’s system, raw water from the river is delivered to the water treatment works via flow monitoring. The raw water is pumped to two skid mounted fully automatic multimedia filters, operating duty / duty. The water enters the filters via distributors at the top of the vessels, passes down through the filtration media and out though a nozzle plate installed at the lower tangent. The filter bed comprises a layer of filtration sand and anthracite. Backwashing of the filters takes place on a timed basis or on detection of high turbidity at the filter outlet.

The filtered water is transferred to two GAC (granular activated carbon) vessels operating duty / duty. The filtered water enters the contactors via two distributors at the top of the vessels, passes down through the carbon media and out through a nozzle plate installed at the lower tangent. The outlet flow from the carbon contactors is monitored prior to the addition of sodium hypochlorite solution.

The sodium hypochlorite dosing system is a proprietary unit consisting of a storage tank and duty/standby dosing pumps.

The hypochlorite solution is dosed to the filtered water (post GAC vessels) at the inlet of a static mixer prior to entry to a chlorine contact tank. The chlorinated water is measured before and after the contact tank, and a PID loop used to control the chlorine dose requirements.

The chlorinated water enters a limestone contactor via a nozzle plate installed at the lower tangent and passes upwards through the limestone chips and out through a collector at the top of the vessel. The chlorinated, pH corrected water is directed to clear water storage tanks.

A flow of filtered water from the multimedia filters is directed to a backwashing tank, which then supplies the required water for backwashing of the filters. The dirty backwash water is sent to a simple sand filter prior to discharge.

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Scottish Water Progressing With Dunoon Improvements Scottish Water is progressing with another stage of its work to improve the waste water infrastructure in Dunoon and protect the natural environment in the coastal waters of the Firth of Clyde.

Contractors GMJV, working for Scottish Water on the Dunoon Waste Water Improvements Scheme, recently re-started work on laying a pipeline across the entrance to the Western Ferries terminal.

The work, which will involve the installation of a 40m stretch of pipe to link with pipe work installed earlier this year, is expected to be completed in December 2010. Work is being carried out seven days per week in order to complete it as quickly as possible.

The work had originally been planned to be carried out in the summer but was postponed to minimise the impact on the Cowal Highland Gathering. It is now being carried out at what is regarded as the most suitable time of year, when traffic flow is low.

If ground conditions and other issues were such that the work can not be completed in December, the work would be stopped before the festive period, again to minimise disruption, and would re-start after the New Year.

Scottish Water has been working with Argyll and Bute Council’s roads department to implement a suitable traffic management plan to minimise disruption at the Western Ferries terminal while this section of sewer is being installed.

The traffic management will involve the closure of one lane of the road and the use of temporary traffic lights. After consulting with Western Ferries, GMJV will provide assistance with traffic

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disembarking from ferries as required.

Rick Griffin, Scottish Water’s project manager, said, “This section of new gravity pipeline is a key element of the works and we have liaised closely with the local authority and Western Ferries to ensure we can progress with it while minimising any disruption in the area.

“Our contractors GMJV will be working for long hours, seven days a week, to allow them to complete the work as quickly as possible.

“We are well aware of the importance of the festive period to the local economy and if this sewer-laying work can’t be completed before then we will postpone the remainder of the work and start it after the New Year to minimise any inconvenience”.

Scottish Water’s contractors are working at various locations on the Dunoon Waste Water Improvements Scheme, which will cost about £34m and be completed in late 2011.

GMJV is working to deliver improvements to pipe work, associated structures and outfalls from Sandhaven through to Bullwood Quarry. Black & Veatch is constructing the new treatment works at Bullwood.

According to Scottish Water’s Keith Sinclair, “We are concluding work on the seven outfalls and progressing with sewer laying on the foreshore at the Holy Loch and East and West bays.

“The scheme will remove a large number of untreated sewage discharges which currently flow into the Holy Loch and the Clyde and will provide biological (secondary) treatment at a modern treatment facility”.

Historic Scotland supports Mither Kirk project Historic Scotland has committed significant time, money and effort of late to a project in Aberdeen. The Mither Kirk project started in 2003 with a desire by the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting to redevelop the former East Kirk to create a space for use by the people of Aberdeen separate from the church.

The present building, as seen from outside, dates mainly from 1837. However, within the building is St Mary’s Chapel, which dates from around 1440 and incorporates very significant carved wood of 16th and 17th century origin. In 2006, a major archaeological dig began in preparation for the development.

The dig uncovered remains of earlier buildings, one being the apse end of a building which had previously been unknown.

The date is open to debate, but is no later than 1100 and could be as early as 900. Amongst other ‘early’ remains, this will be incorporated in the development as a heritage feature.

Phase 1 of the project is now under way. This will make the building wind- and water-tight. The roof has an 18° pitch, so the present slates are being replaced with lead. All the glass is ‘leaded’ with zinc and some is badly bowed; other parts have been subject to piecemeal repair with non-matching glass.

Some of the stained glass also requires restoration work. Other work will include attention to stone damage, pointing, rainwater goods and more. This work will last until about July 2011.

Phase 2 is the fit-out of the new building within the present shell. A steel and concrete structure will create a four-floor building, with the top floor being a mezzanine to retain a view of the full height of the windows at the former gallery level. The basic design is complete, but does allow for some flexibility to reflect possible changes in detailed requirements of potential users. A very brief description of each floor follows:

Lower Ground Floor Most of this is within the area created by the archaeological dig.

It will house a Life Skills Training Kitchen, a commercial kitchen for the café on the ground floor, toilets, and some small meeting rooms. Also at this level, but physically separate, will be a new entrance at street level leading into part of St Mary’s Chapel.

From here there will be lift access to all other floors, or on foot via a new stairway which goes past a mediaeval stair discovered during the dig. The central part of St Mary’s Chapel will be separated from the entrance by a new screen and made into a place of peace and tranquillity for people to use with its special ambience. The south aisle of the chapel will be an office and meeting room.

Ground Floor There will be a commercial café with a social dimension, as

Image courtesy of Margaret Dundas

well as a ‘Social Enterprise Mall’ – an area to provide citycentre outlets for a number of social enterprises who could not otherwise afford free-standing premises. By sharing resources, these outlets become more economically feasible. There is a meeting room and a small IT suite, while it is also intended to install a ‘Changing Places’ toilet.

First Floor The first floor will be a health and well-being centre. At the apse end, there is a ‘group therapy room’ in an area surrounded by stained glass and capable of seating up to about 50 people.

There will be a fitness area for light exercise and related activities (with shower facilities). The remaining space is a series of 12 ‘consulting rooms’ – potentially for use by health-related practitioners – and 2 counselling rooms. These are supported by a central reception and an information and waiting area. These rooms are flexible and can be merged or used as offices, again with central facilities.

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S c otl a n d consulting rooms. This is done by having a mezzanine design to retain the sense of openness. One end of the area (roughly 400 m2) will house a small heritage area to celebrate the heritage of this ancient site. The remaining area will be left open so that it can be used for a variety of purposes such as lectures, exhibitions and receptions. Depending on the acoustics (the present building has very good acoustics), it could be suitable for musical performance as well.

According to project leader Dr. Arthur Winfield, “We have attempted to make the building as ‘disabled-friendly’ as possible,

including lift access to all floors. With regards to use, the basic ethos is that there is a charitable focus to the building although it has to pay its way. This will result in a delicate balance of ‘fullprice’ and ‘discounted’ charges. We are hoping that some of the former will be used to subsidise some of the more needy groups using the facilities”.

Phase 1 is not scheduled to be complete until July 2011 under main contractor CHAP. The second phase is to be completed, it is hoped, in late 2012 or early 2013.

Weather-worn stone conserved at Rosslyn Chapel Vital work is ongoing at Rosslyn Chapel, famous in recent years for its appearance in the 2005 film ‘The Da Vinci Code’, where grants and generous donations are funding a programme of works which will protect not only the weary masonry on the chapel’s exterior, but also its interior treasures and its future as a cultural landmark.

Historic Scotland hopes to conserve and secure the chapel itself, build and equip a much-needed new visitor and education centre, create an education programme for school children and adults and, secure the chapel’s future as one of Scotland’s most influential historic sites.

Colin Glynne-Percy, director for the Rosslyn Chapel Trust, told Premier Construction, “The last major work was carried out on the chapel in the mid 1800s. We are hoping that the current works will protect the building fundamentally for at least the next 150 years. “’The Da Vinci Code’ came at a fortuitous time for us as it helped to shed light on the need for funding to protect this important building. There has always been a willingness to support the chapel and it’s a relief to have the finish line in sight despite the hurdles we’ve encountered along the way”.

Over the last 10 years, a temporary canopy has helped to keep rain off the chapel roof and has allowed the building to gradually dry out after years of water damage. The canopy was erected in 1997, and was finally removed in August 2010.

This is one part of the major conservation project which is currently under way and includes work not only to the roof, but also to the stone, the carvings, the stained glass and the organ.

Most conservation projects use conventional stonemasonry techniques, but the delicate nature of Rosslyn Chapel’s ornate stone carvings commands a very different approach. Techniques more usually associated with single pieces of museum sculpture will be painstakingly applied right through the chapel. Stretching 21 metres (69 feet) in length and standing nearly 13 metres (42 feet) high, practically every surface of Rosslyn Chapel is carved in an outstanding display of craftsmanship.

While applying their skills to the protection of the chapel, the highly specialised conservators will train a new generation of skilled craftspeople. The idea is to establish a skill base which will protect this and similar buildings in years to come.

The visitors’ centre is being extended from 1,000 sq. ft. to 3,000 sq. ft. In its new guise, the building will allow for improved educational facilities and interpretation, a shop and a tea room, extra toilets, plus a post for an educational manager to add to the work of the existing staff of full-time guides. Currently, plans are to have the building weathertight in early 2011 before an eventual opening in June 2011.

Although prayer services are regularly held at the chapel, most of its visitors are tourists. An average yearly attendance of 40,000 skyrocketed to 175,000 in the 12 months following the release of ‘The Da Vinci Code’, and plans are to comfortably accommodate at least 80,000 per year with the help of the new visitors’ centre.

Funding Recognising the value and significance of this work, Historic

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Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund have awarded a combined grant of £4.6 million.

Rosslyn Chapel Trust will invest £3.25 million based on projected income from ticket sales. This leaves £1.2 million to attract from private sources. Fundraisers have so far managed to source £600,000 of this target. To make your own contribution, visit www.rosslynchapel.org.uk

A brief history of the chapel When Sir William St Clair, the chapel’s founder, died in 1484, the chapel became the place of worship for the St Clair family for almost a century. But in 1592, when the chapel was seized by Protestant reformers, it ceased to be used as a place of worship and over the years fell into a state of disrepair.

Although some initial restoration work was carried out in 1736, it was not until the early 1800s that the St Clair family began work in earnest to restore the interior of the building. By 1862 the chapel was once more a working church.

Work to the chapel in the early 1950s resulted in problems with moisture becoming trapped in the stone. In 1995, in an effort to halt the deterioration of the building fabric, the Rosslyn Chapel Trust was established to care for the chapel and ensure its longterm future.

Although surviving for over 500 years, Rosslyn Chapel has not escaped the ravages of time. This, together with the Scottish climate and human intervention, means that urgent work is now required to safeguard the chapel’s future.

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Contractors win battle of the elements on Scottish castle roof Nearing completion two months ahead of schedule is a challenging and important project to repair and renew the roof of Dunvegan Castle, perched high on a rock face on the MacLeod Estate on the Isle of Skye.

The castle is situated on an upstanding mass of partly columnar basalt, approximately 30 feet in height above the shores of Loch Dunvegan.

The project is being carried out by Main Contractors D Blake & Co for MacLeod Estates. Architects are Simpson & Brown and Quantity Surveyors are Morham & Brotchie Ltd. The scheme comprises works to nine flat roofs and one pitched slate roof and has involved the construction of a stair scaffold and a temporary roof over the original to provide the contractors with some protection from the elements and a safer environment in which to work.

The castle’s original copper and lead roofs were in a poor state of repair due to poor detailing and specification and were letting in a considerable amount of water. The works required lifting the failed copper and lead roofing and replacing it with new well detailed lead work, as well as cladding the inside of the parapets to prevent water seepage through the cracked render in these areas. The removal of the old copper roofing in the area over the castle’s 17th century Piper’s Gallery revealed beautiful stonework, which has been restored and left uncovered.

Further works include the overhaul of 12 of the building’s original sash and case windows, with the remainder being scheduled for renovation is a later phase. Due to the harshness of the climate, the rain and salt from the seawater had actually worn holes in

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the glazing of the windows, which was last re-fitted in the 1960s.

Another element of the scheme involves the replacement of the castle’s rusty old cast iron down pipes with maintenance free lead ones.

Pinny Neil of Simpson and Brown Architects said: The contractors are currently two months ahead of schedule which is great; the temporary roof has undoubtedly helped achieve this as it has prevented any stoppages due to the weather. D.Blake & Co. have been excellent and the standard of their workmanship is extremely high.”

Speaking of the project, John Laing, Highland Councilor, said:

“On my last visit, to the castle I witnessed the extent of the difficulties and problems that the MacLeod Estate was facing due to the extremely poor condition of the roof and the urgent requirement for major improvements to the fabric of the castle to ensure that Dunvegan Castle retains its place as one of the top tourist attractions and largest private sector employers in Skye.

“It was obvious that day that extensive repairs would be needed to put the roof back in good order and that financing the project would not be for the faint hearted. I was delighted that the Highland Council was able to assist through Highland Opportunity and that the rest of the funding was eventually secured. It was particularly pleasing for me to see for myself the significant progress that has been made and I was particularly impressed by the high quality of the workmanship and the attention to detail that has been given to the project. So congratulations to all who have

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S c otl a n d been involved in this vital project to secure Dunvegan’s future.”

Hugh MacLeod, MacLeod Estate Director, said: “We are thrilled that this Herculean project is ahead of schedule and on budget. The quality of the lead work is second to none. In order to further protect Dunvegan Castle’s fabric and render it truly wind and watertight, the estate has asked Simpson & Brown to overhaul and repair all the castle windows during this first phase, especially those on the West sea-facing elevation which are in very poor condition. The brief is to make this iconic part of Scotland’s heritage Skye proof in every sense and despite the grant aid from Historic Scotland; the MacLeod Estate has incurred very high debt levels in its effort to secure this vital historic building for the community and future generations to enjoy.”

Dunvegan Castle is one of the greatest and most renowned among Hebridean strongholds, and the only one which has been continuously owned and (with the exception of the 80 years after the Potato Famine of the last century), occupied by the same

family, during a period now reaching back over a span of very nearly eight centuries.

The massive exterior combines six separate buildings, with five being open to the public and the sixth housing the administrative and domestic offices of the present Chief and his family.

Architecturally it is a structure of great importance, containing work of at least 10 building periods. Its history, and that of the famous Clan whose Chiefs have ruled from their castled rock during all these many generations, is rich with drama and packed with colourful interest.

Today the Castle has a unified design with Victorian dummy pepper-pots and defensive battlements running the whole length of the roof line. This ‘romantic restoration’ was carried out by the 25th Chief between 1840 and 1850 to the plans of Robert Brown of Edinburgh at a total cost of £8,000. Underneath this outer skin however, there remains a series of complete buildings, each of a different date.

Redevelopment will give hospital and medical centre a clean bill of health Involving a combination of new build, and refurbishment, is a £10 million project to redevelop the Adamson Hospital and Cupar Health Centre site in Cupar, Fife.

The project is being carried out for NHS Fife by Main Contractors Ogilvie Construction, and aims to provide a ‘one stop shop’ to meet the healthcare needs of residents in Cupar and the surrounding area. This will include new ward accommodation, consultant outpatient services, a minor injuries service, diagnostic services, such as X-ray and ultrasound, physiotherapy and paediatric services. The site will also offer enhanced GP services, together with speech and language therapy and podiatry.

Project Manager, Lead Consultant, Cost Manager and CDM Co-Ordinator for the scheme is Turner and Townsend; with Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, RSP; Structural Engineers, Grontmij and Architects, JM Architects of Edinburgh, all under a turnkey arrangement appointed by Turner & Townsend.

The current project was preceded by an enabling contract which included the diversion of services, heating decentralisation and demolition works.

Overall, the development involves the provision of new and refurbished accommodation to provide an extended and integrated primary healthcare campus and building on the recently developed dental unit at the site. The first phase is expected to be completed next spring, when the second phase will commence, with completion scheduled for October 2011.

The first phase works include the construction of a new two storey flat roofed block incorporating a reception complex to the hospital, an outpatients department on the ground floor and a child health and paediatric facility, as well as staff facilities on the first floor. The new building is structured around a steel frame, with external elevations in a combination of finishes including zinc, stone and render to complement existing buildings on the site.

A new, larger patient ward is also being created within the existing hospital building through a combination of refurbishment and new build extension. Generally, the refurbishment of the existing main building includes a comprehensive strip out including the removal of internal and external walls. The works include the reconstruction of external walls, the installation of new windows, new internal partitioning, ceilings and doors, re-plastering, the installation of new building services and redecoration. Further refurbishment works involve creating a new catering kitchen and dining areas, together with storage areas, in an adjacent building. Also included in the first phase works is

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the refurbishment of a secondary adjacent building linked to the hospital, which will incorporate administration facilities.

The second phase of the scheme will involve the extensive refurbishment of the Cupar Health Centre, including the installation of new ceilings, re-decoration, the replacement of some of the building’s services and internal reconfiguration of the building to facilitate the new planned model of care.

Andy Graham , NHS Fife Project Director , said “although the contract was awarded following a traditional contract procurement route, agreement was reached by all parties at the outset to deliver the project utilising the principles of the NEC Contracts whereby there is motivation to apply the spirit of

mutual trust and cooperation throughout the life of the project”.

Phil McEwan, managing director of Ogilvie Construction, said: “We were delighted to win this contract, to create a state-of-the-art facility for people in the north east of Fife.”The project includes new build as well as the modernisation of existing buildings, and also the removal of asbestos from the site. Various parts of the complex have also been demolished to make way for the new-look centre.”

Ogilvie Construction, part of the Ogilvie Group, is one of the leading building firms in Scotland. The privately-owned business has its head office in Stirling, employs more than 400 people and has an annual turnover of around £100 million. It operates throughout Scotland and the North of England.

The Adamson Hospital was named after Alexander Adamson, who left money in his will to set up a village hospital in Ceres, near Cupar. The Adamson Institution was opened in 1877. It the early 1900s, the Adamson Trust was merged with the Cupar Sick Poor Nursing Association. A new cottage hospital was then opened at the current site at Bank Street, Cupar, in December 1904.

Tenants delighted as 145 new homes take shape in £22 million project Delighted tenants are welcoming the construction of 145 new homes for social housing at the Maukinhill Estate, in East Greenock, in the second and final phase of the £22 million regeneration of the estate.

The aim of the development is to make sure that every tenant who wanted to remain on the estate will have a new home.

The project is being carried out for Cloch Housing Association by Main Contractors McTaggart Construction, who also undertook the first phase of the scheme comprising the construction of 48 new homes, which was completed in October 2009, 4 months ahead of programme and on budget. Architects for both phases of the scheme are Coltart Earley Architecture.

McTaggart Construction, who were selected for the second phase on the strength of their performance in the first phase, are reported to be making good progress, despite adverse weather.

Elaine McShane, Interim Director of Cloch Housing Association, said: “ McTaggart’s team of staff are extremely conscientious and take great pride in their performance during the contract period and ultimately the end product for the association and community. We have enjoyed continuity of site and managerial staff for the last couple of years who are friendly, approachable and helpful at all times. McTaggarts have also demonstrated a keen commitment to the local Youth Build Programme employing 11 operatives plus creating nine apprenticeships and providing a further 14 jobs to local people.

The regeneration of the estate followed the transfer of 280 Inverclyde Council houses to Cloch Housing in 2007, after a successful ballot of tenants, 98% of which voted to transfer to the association.

The construction of the new homes follows the demolition of older properties which were beyond repair.

Properties being constructed in the current £15.5 million phase are a mixture of semi detached and terraced houses, flats and amenity housing (e.g. for elderly people) in a range of sizes including two, three and four bedroom sizes. The new homes are located at Kilmacolm Road, Burnhead Street, Hillside Road, Corlic Street, Millar Street and Strone Crescent.

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and modern homes heralding the ongoing rejuvenation of Maukinhill and the wider area”.

All works are being carried out in close liaison with the tenants and demolition of the old homes is taking place in a rolling programme, with the tenants of the these properties being decanted - sometimes into temporary accommodation and sometimes directly into their new homes as they are constructed, in a phased handover. So far 23 properties have been completed.

The project includes carrying out improvements to a play area for a local community centre and a number of infrastructure works including the creation of new cul de sacs.

Due to the steeply sloping nature of the site, retaining walls have been needed and some of the houses have been designed on a split level.

The project is due to be completed in November 2012.

Cloch Housing Association is a provider of rented and shared ownership accommodation based in Greenock and celebrated

40 years of service during 2008.The association was originally formed on the 16th January 1968 as a charitable non profit making organisation under the name of Christian Action ( Greenock ) Housing Association Ltd. At that time its objective was to provide suitable and affordable housing for rent to stem the flow of young families leaving the area.

McTaggart Construction was founded in 1946 and has established an enviable reputation in the market place, based on the delivery of a quality product on time and to budget.

Each project undertaken by the company is planned and developed with care and diligence, combining traditional building skills with a proactive management approach.

McTaggart Construction employ a well-trained and professional workforce with high levels of technical expertise and experience in addition to a sound reputation for reliability and professionalism.

With a portfolio of successfully completed projects covering all industry sectors and strong bonds with a long list of highly successful consultants, the company offer clients knowledge, experience and versatility.

Dundee housing project passes halfway point The first new council houses to be built in Dundee for more than 20 years are set to be completed in March 2011. Contractors have been hard at work on the site at Mains Loan South since May 2010 and the project has moved forward rapidly out of necessity. Steve Coutts of main contractor Brown Construction explained: “There are particular time constraints with this project as funding conditions dictate that the work has to be finished by March. One of the ways in which we’ve been able to progress more quickly than usual is by using Supawall pre-fabricated walls. That allows you to begin with the roof and, once it’s

complete, to crane it onto the walls which can be assembled very rapidly. It can be more expensive than a traditional build, but it’s excellent for saving time. It has allowed us to save around two whole days per house”.

The development has been designed by KDM Architects and will have 10 new houses: seven family homes and three for wheelchair users. The wheelchair homes have been specially designed to meet the needs of the tenants who will occupy them and this has been helped by the £800,000 of financial assistance that the city council received from the Scottish government to kick-start council house-building.

Councillor Jimmy Black visited the site as work began and commented, “It is a significant event today, marking the start of Dundee’s first new council house builds for at least two decades.

The Scottish government funding will help the city achieve its aim of providing more than 70 new council homes over the next few years.

“The new homes that are planned will help address a shortage in Dundee of family homes and houses that are designed to make life easier for people with disabilities.

“All the houses have been designed to provide high standards of energy efficiency through increased insulation levels which exceed current building regulation requirements. This should mean lower heating costs for tenants, better noise insulation and help achieve carbon-saving targets”.

Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil added, “Dundee City Council enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to apply for funding to help reverse decades of decline in council house ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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building in the city.

“Dundee, like many other local authorities across Scotland, are working with us to deliver more affordable homes and in doing so, act as an incentive to build a new generation of council houses in Scotland.

“Increasing council house building will also help keep the economy moving by safeguarding jobs and supporting the construction industry”.

The council is also to build new houses at Ettrick Crescent and Liff Road and they, like the Mains Loan South development, will all be built to above-regulation standards and have enhanced energy efficiency to ensure that tenants benefit from low ongoing running costs.

High tenant satisfaction rating underlines success of council project Currently scoring a tenant satisfaction rating of 90 per cent and geared to achieving benchmarks set out in the Scottish Quality Housing Standard by 2015, is a rolling programme of kitchen and bathroom replacement and central heating upgrades, being carried out for Dundee City Council Housing Department.

The programme, which is being undertaken by Main Contractors McGill, has been ongoing for approximately two years and will continue until 2015.

The works are being carried out to all types of properties throughout the city of Dundee and are divided into a number of projects, with two projects on site at any one time. Currently the contractors are working in the City Road and Mid Craigie areas.

The programme, being carried out in close consultation with the tenants who remain in situ whilst the works are being undertaken, includes the removal and replacement of kitchen units and bathroom sanitaryware, with redecoration being involved in some cases. Each replacement kitchen is individually designed in liaison with each tenant by McGill’s own kitchen designer and includes the installation of cupboards, handles and worktops in a choice of six designs.

Properties with gas central heating are having part or all of their existing systems replaced as and where required, whilst those with electric central heating are having this replaced with complete new gas central heating systems.

Dundee City Council Housing Department aims to ensure that quality housing is provided for the people of Dundee in a safe and healthy environment.

The department strives to provide a continually high standard

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of service, involving and consulting with citizens on decisions which involve them. By promoting quality and greater choice, the department aims to strengthen communities throughout Dundee.

A multi-service contractor, Dundee-based McGill is a multimillion pound company serving Scotland. Work undertaken by the company includes electrical and mechanical contracting;

fire prevention and security; heating and plumbing; repairs and maintenance; renewable energy schemes; property refurbishment and energy monitoring.

With over 25 years experience, McGill remains the ‘contractor of choice’ with clients due to their dedicated and professional staff delivering projects to the highest standard in all market sectors.

Scottish council house scheme spreads to Elgin Moray Council is overseeing a development of over 120 new homes in Elgin in North-East Scotland, in an area to be known as Linkwood East. Main contractor Springfield Properties has been engaged to design and build the homes on land it already owned; the first of the mix of homes are currently being completed and the entire development will be handed over in January 2011, after work began on site in February 2010.

The mix of home types includes one person flats, four block terraces, two bed and four bed houses, bungalows designed for the elderly and wheelchair-accessible units. All have access to gardens and parking and sit within a quiet residential area.

Martin Hall Landscaping were responsible for the flagging, small retaining walls and groundwork that contributes to the pleasant surroundings.

Graeme Davidson, housing strategy and development manager at Moray Council, has his hands full as 750 homes are under planning or construction across the Elgin South area. He spoke to Premier Construction, saying “Part of the government’s stipulation was that the funding for Linkwood East should be used within a certain period. We therefore needed a contractor who could demonstrate during the tender process that the work would be done on schedule, as well as on budget and to the proper standards.

“It was lucky that Springfield already owned the land and that they have already demonstrated their capabilities in the affordable housing market”.

A large portion of the project funding has come from the Scottish government as part of plans to fuel council house construction across the province. The government has contributed £25,000 per unit; the rest is provided by the council with a smaller grant from Community Energy Scotland. Explaining the energy grant, Mr. Davidson said, “We wanted to go above and beyond the regulation features and so we applied for funding to install air source heat pumps and under-floor heating, both of which will make a big difference to the properties”.

The findings from the Housing Needs Study in 2002 concluded that there would be an under supply of 219 affordable units per year in the area between 2007 and 2010. According to the council, “If this is addressed over a long period, the under supply is 160 units per year”. Taken with other housing needs assessments published by Communities Scotland, the report underlines the shortfall of affordable housing in Moray and identifies that the level of affordability related housing need in Moray has increased since 2001. Sensitivity analyses were carried out and indicate that the minimum level of shortfall to 2015 would be in the region of 100 houses per year.

The council’s efforts to tackle the shortfall have resulted in several areas of concern being identified in the local housing market, including: recession; the lack of affordable housing throughout Moray; pressure from homeless households; disrepair in the private sector; fuel poverty and social exclusion; demographic change leading to an ageing population and smaller households; and the increasingly complex housing needs of elderly and disabled people.

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S c otl a n d (SUB) Investment in Moray (END SUB) Linkwood East is part of £50 million worth of investment in construction in the area, all of which was submitted for planning approval in late 2009. Other additions to the area include a hospital, a hotel and a supermarket.

The hotel, a development by brothers Dale and Mark Winchester, is a 43-room facility with a conference facility, a spa and 550 parking spaces at the B-listed Coleburn Distillery between Rothes and Elgin. The distillery, established in the 1890s, is about four miles south of Elgin. The business was run by various companies over the years but eventually closed about 25 years ago. Locals are said to be delighted at the regeneration the project represents.

The council itself applied for permission to convert the empty Aldi store, which sits next to the local authority’s headquarters, which would allow it to close 20 satellite offices.

Members of the committee also approved plans for a Tesco at High Street in Buckie, an outlet which is expected to cost more than £10million to build and is expected to create 160 jobs. The development will also include a petrol station and a car wash.

Business and community leaders welcomed the development, despite some predictions it could drain 30% from existing towncentre trade.

Retail impact assessments carried out by Tesco and by an independent agent have produced vastly differing results, with objectors claiming the store would cause irreversible damage to other businesses in the town. A similar application in 2005 was due to go to a public inquiry but Tesco withdrew before it went ahead.

Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, said of Linkwood East and other simultaneous developments in the area, “The number of potential developments and their scale certainly illustrates an increase in the level of confidence in the Moray economy. The mere fact that several multimillion-pound proposals are being presented against the current economic backdrop illustrates resilience in the local economy”.

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About the contractor Springfield was established in 1956 and has remained a family owned company ever since. In 2005, Springfield was recognised by the Virgin Atlantic Sunday Times Fast Track list as Scotland’s fastest growing profitable private company.

The company’s principal business is property development and construction, property development becoming a key activity in the early 1990s under the leadership of Sandy Adam, the chairman and grandson of the founder of Springfield.

The move into construction came in 1998, triggering the most significant growth phase of the company. Sandy Adam’s vision saw the new workforce build the prestigious Marine Apartments in Nairn within eighteen months of its inception, and to go on to increase the size of the workforce year on year. The company now employs over 200 people.

Springfirld’s biggest achievement is the five year negotiation through planning of the Elgin South development which, by completion, will provide Elgin with over 1100 new homes, a mixed use community park and all the other commensurate infrastructure. Elgin South developments include Glassgreen, Linkwood, Waulkmill and Glassgreen Gardens. Find out more at www.springfield.co.uk

Stirling set to meet 2015 deadline Stirling Council is well on track to meet the 2015 date by which all local authority and registered social landlord homes must be brought up to Scottish Housing Quality Standards (SHQS), the Scottish equivalent of the Decent Homes regulations. Stirling Council’s John MacMillan gave an interview to Premier Construction, in which he explained how the programme of works had been progressing: Premier Construction: How much are you spending on the programme?

John MacMillan: We have a capital investment of £28.5 million to be spread out between now and the deadline in 2015.

encouraged to think of the potential of their homes and are making the most of it.

PC: So how has the feedback been so far?

JM: Believe it or not, it’s been 100% positive. Now and then, tenants will of course refuse the work we recommend for their own reasons, but those who have had work done have shown a 100% satisfaction rate. We put a lot of care and effort into the programme, so it’s pleasing to see it pay off.

PC: What have you achieved so far?

JM: To give a few approximate figures of what we’ve done every year to date, we’ve installed around 500 boilers, 250 bathroom suites, 300 kitchens, 70 sets of windows and 50 new roofs.

PC: Have you encountered any difficulties along the way?

JM: One aspect of our programme, which you wouldn’t necessarily find in all local authority areas, is that we have a large number of rural properties which are not connected to gas mains. There are around 800. So, when it comes to heating upgrades, we have been offering alternatives such as oil storage heaters, oil-fired central heating or electric wet systems.

PC: How much preparation goes into each property?

JM: In short, a lot! We advise tenants of the programme up to a year before their area is scheduled to be improved, and then we get back in touch three months before arriving in the area to allow tenants to make their choices from the ranges of colour schemes, tiles, units and so on that we offer. Finally, we give a week’s notice once we’ve set a specific date on which our teams will be on site.

PC: Other than selecting colour schemes, what involvement do tenants have?

JM: Again, they’re consulted extensively – both as individual households and during our regular communication with tenants’ associations. One example of the way we consult individuals is our team of tenant liaison officers, who will visit tenants to help them design 3D models of how they would like work to look.

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PPP spells success for two-school scheme A replacement academy and primary school are under construction in the Moray Schools PPP project, in a scheme being carried out by Stewart Milne Construction (SMC).

The project is being carried out for Moray Council who signed an agreement with IPP (Moray Schools) Ltd to design and build the replacement schools. IPP (Moray Schools) Ltd is a non-profit distributing company, and the contract is supported by the Scottish Government with assistance from the Scottish Futures Trust. Â The Public Private Partnership involves the design, construction and funding of the schools, as well as the hard facilities management services for a period of 30 years.

The development will provide a new academy at Elgin for 1,070 pupils including 20 with special educational needs and a primary school at Keith catering for 430 and including a nursery.

SMC is responsible for the design and construction and other key team members include: Architects and Landscape Architects Aedas; Civil and Structural Engineers Fairhurst and Quantity Surveyors Thomson Belthune.

The new Elgin Academy is being built on former playing fields next to the existing school, which dates from the late 1960s and will be demolished once the new school has been completed.

The school, being constructed on a sloping site, is designed around a quadrangle and is in a combination of two and three storeys, including a basement level.

The building will incorporate classrooms, a library, an assembly hall, three drama studios, a music unit with practice rooms, a three badminton court games hall, a gymnasium, a dance studio, a fitness suite, a kitchen, a dining and social area and a special facility for pupils needing additional support with learning.

The main entrance of the building incorporates a circular drum construction clad in timber, and incorporating administration rooms and the library.

Externally there will be a full size all-weather floodlit pitch, two

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grass pitches, a 400 metre grass running track, games courts marked out for various sports including tennis and basketball, and hard landscaped areas, including parking spaces for staff and visitors. Extensive cycle storage facilities are also being provided.

The building has a steel frame structure with external elevations in brick at lower levels, with rendered block work above, incorporating curtain walling and coloured metal panels in between metal framed windows, and a mono-pitch metal standing seam roof Currently the foundations have all been laid and two large retaining walls which form the ends of the lower ground floor level are being completed. Good progress is being made with the erection of the steel frame and cladding in the games hall area, and this work is continuing progressively around the building.

The school is due to open in February 2012.

Underway at the same time, the construction of Keith Primary School is also progressing well. The school formerly occupied two sites and the new building is being constructed on one of these, with the pupils being temporarily accommodated in the remainder of the old school, which will be demolished once the new school has been completed.

The site is particularly challenging in that it is both tight and

within a residential area - as well as in close proximity to a fully functioning primary school and an adjacent secondary school, which imposes restrictions on site movements.

The new single storey building will contain a nursery and classrooms for years 1 to 7 - all of which will have folding partitions to allow flexible sized teaching space. There will also be a two badminton court sized games hall, a catering kitchen and a dining room.

Externally, there will be a multi-use all-weather games area for activities including football and hockey, as well as a full size 3G floodlit sports pitch for an adjacent grammar school. Two existing grass pitches are also being remodelled to a higher standard.

The building is structured around a steel frame, with the section of the building incorporating the games hall, kitchen and community areas being clad in black brick, contrasting with two intersecting blue walls, which will be an internal and external architectural feature of the building. A low mono-pitch roof with clerestory windows will not only maximise daylight internally, but will also provide an extract for the building’s natural ventilation system.

Currently, the demolition of the old school building has taken place and the steel frame of the new school s being constructed.

The project is due to be completed in October 2011.

Boost for culture in Motherwell Motherwell’s concert hall and theatre is being refurbished after a £6 million investment from North Lanarkshire Council. Although work has slowed down for the pantomime season, which lasts until early January, main contractor Barr will soon be back on site in earnest to complete works by summer 2011.

a hospital ward – good enough to see clearly but not inviting enough for this kind of location.

“Now, theoretically, we will be able to extend the range of shows

Works on the building, which is more accurately described as two venues joined together, include a whole host of improvements. To begin with, there will soon be a dedicated box office at the entrance to the theatre, allowing the council to save money once the current selling point – a location in the centre of town – has been re-deployed.

Elsewhere, work to the building’s infrastructure involve a new radiator heating system to replace the old system, which relied on pipes in the ceilings. A full electrical re-wire will support £1 million worth of new sound and lighting equipment, while a programme of asbestos removal will allow a previously disused technical area to be re-opened. Double glazing is being installed to provide a huge energy saving, which is to be topped up by a new, efficient ventilation system backed by a new plant room.

The whole building will be monitored by a new BMS. Nick Parr, venues manager at North Lanarkshire Council, has been campaigning enthusiastically for the improvements in recent years. He shared his delight at the rapidly-developing project with Premier Construction: “We’re all excited at the opportunities this project will bring us. It’s difficult to convey how much some of the changes, which seem small to some, will improve what we can do with the building. The new box office, for example, replaces the old set-up we had on site which involved having a hidden side door as part of the entrance. That alone is much more inviting to the public and should encourage more visitors.

“Although a lot is being spent on some top-quality sound and lighting equipment, one of the most important differences is in the simple fact that we will soon have dimmable, flexible lighting in the non-performance public areas. That will allow us to arrange the lighting based on the performance we’re hosting and, of course save some energy when not all the lights are set to ‘full power’. We used to say here that the lighting was like ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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we can offer. There is improved vehicle access so that we can bring in more elaborate installations and the venue should be more attractive to certain acts such as touring bands”.

Nick concluded, “Barr, the contractors, have been particularly good to work with. It’s been nice to have been consulted so extensively on design. Equally, it felt like a lot of hard work had paid off when the council kindly agreed to the funding. We had prepared proposals that showed what we could achieve with his level of investment compared to a minimal investment and, since they were able to see the importance of the venue and recognise the return that the whole area will eventually get from it, they agreed that we should make the most possible out of the project”.

Challenging marine project maintains ‘lifeline’ ferry service A challenging £2.05 million project to carry out emergency repairs to the slipway of the ‘lifeline’ Corran Ferry at Nether Lochaber is being undertaken, to a plan which allows the ferry to remain in full operation throughout the works.

The scheme is being carried out for The Highland Council by George Leslie Ltd. The repairs are needed because the slipway, at its outer end, had reached the end of its life, resulting in the danger of potential collapse of the side wall and deck surface.

The seaward and lower end of the slipway is constructed from a steel sheet piling cellular box with gravel infill and a concrete deck.

This sheet piling had suffered extensively from the Accelerated Low Water Corrosion phenomenon, with consequential loss of infill and voids occurring within the core structure.

This resulted in a weak and collapsed deck in some locations.

In addition, the outer edge landing beam, which was of metal construction, and the outer berthing face of the slipway were both at the end of their life and in need of replacement.

Preliminary works involved preparing anchors, abutment and access for a temporary berth to allow the ferry to continue to operate clear of the works on the slipway. A Spud Leg barge was

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maneuvered into position to act as a temporary floating pier for the ferry. The barge was then ballasted and adapted to integrate with the MV Maid of Glencoul, which replaced the larger ferry the MV Corran, which is being refitted.

After the switchover to the temporary barge, a three tonne weight restriction was put into operation, with the ferry running during daylight hours only.

The Highland Council Leader Councillor Michael Foxley, who represents the area, said: “This is a difficult project as we need to carry out essential works and maintain an essential ferry service, so we sourced the floating barge which is unique in the UK, to assist with a temporary berth.

“We have worked fully and closely with the local community and the emergency services on the details of the contract to come up with a solution which will allow the ferry to continue its operation. Safety, however, is a high priority and this dictates some restriction on the full ferry service.”

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Four major consortia compete for DART Underground project Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) has announced that four major international consortia have entered the pre-qualification phase in the Public Private Partnership procurement process for DART Underground.

The consortia are: BBI Consortium, City Connect Consortium, NascRail Consortium and Toto Consortium, all of which are made up of major international heavyweights in the fields of construction, finance and infrastructure. Iarnród

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Éireann’s assessment process will be completed over the coming months.

DART Underground will provide an important stimulus for the Irish economy - on the employment side alone creating up to 7,000 jobs during each year of construction and thousands more indirectly as a result of the significantly improved access that the project will deliver to retail, commercial, leisure and tourist destinations in Dublin.

DART Underground will run underground through the heart of Dublin City Centre. The tunnel will be approximately 7.6km in length and will

connect the Northern and Kildare rail lines, with underground stations at Spencer Dock, Pearse, St. Stephen’s Green, Christchurch and Heuston as well as a new surface station at Inchicore. It will, for the first time, link all rail systems together into an integrated and cohesive network - DART, Commuter, Intercity, Luas and Metro.

DART Underground is set to be developed with a capacity for up to 20 trains each direction per hour, allowing up to 64,000 commuters to use the line hourly. With capacity for DART services to operate up to every 3 minutes, the line

project to be removed by rail. This in turn has the potential to reduce the traffic impacts during the construction phase.

The new line will dramatically increase frequency and capacity for commuters on DART Northern, Maynooth and Kildare lines - the three fastest growing population corridors in the country - and relieve the current congestion at Connolly Station. Development plans also include the extension of the DART network to Maynooth, Hazelhatch/Celbridge and the Northern line.

Connections

DART Underground provides the missing link that that will deliver a fully integrated rail network for the Greater Dublin area, linking all modes and ensuring that journeys can be made by a frequent, high capacity public transport network. DART Underground will open up a web of new rail connections, including: • •

will complete the transformation of Iarnród Éireann’s Greater Dublin area rail service capacity from up to 33 million passenger journeys annually now to over 100 million passenger journeys.

The twin tunnels will be constructed using two tunnel boring machines, launching from the docklands, at an average depth of 24m (80ft) below ground level. The underground stations will be constructed using techniques that will minimize the intrusion for the local residents, communities and environment.

There is potential for more than 75% of the spoil from the construction of the

•

• •

•

Spencer Dock Station with the expanded Luas Red Line Pearse Station will become a central transport hub as both DART lines interchange there, opening up a variety of new rail connections and options. Pearse will also link with outer commuter services.

St. Stephen’s Green will have convenient access to the Luas Green Line and the proposed Metro North to the airport and Swords.

Christchurch with the future Luas City Centre-Lucan line.

Heuston Station links to Intercity services from the south and the west, outer Commuter trains and the Luas Red Line.

Inchicore with the Kildare DART line and the planned Luas City CentreLucan line.

PPP Process and Cost Benefit Analysis

The response from consortia seeking to engage in the PPP process confirms the findings of a recently completed business assessment of the DART Underground project, which concluded that the economic case for this key infrastructure scheme is strong and that overall the completion of the system is crucial to the future economic development of Dublin.

It forecasts that DART Underground will generate almost 2.5 times more benefit than it will cost to build and will deliver significant wider economic benefits.

The formal procurement process for the PPPCo commenced on 12th May with the publication of the contract notice and the four submissions from the international consortia were received in advance of the deadline of 20th July.

Under the PPP contract the successful private partner will be responsible for the design, construction, financing, commissioning and maintenance of the tunnel, stations and associated facilities over the period of the PPP contract. At this stage, the contract is envisaged to last for between 25 and 35 years, including the design and construction stages. In return, the private partner will receive an annual availability and performance based payment. Iarnród Éireann will at all times retain responsibility for the operation of DART services through the tunnel, which will be handed back to Iarnród Éireann at the end of the concession period.

The project intends to have the PPPCo contract awarded by mid 2012 and construction completed and passenger services commenced through the tunnel by end of 2018. Keep an eye on Premier Construction for updates as we follow the project’s development.

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Call our news team on 01706 719972

Lisnaskea’s new homes on track

be found to the south.

The original Carrowshee Park estate was built in 1981. It has 165 houses (124 houses and 41 bungalows).

Approximately 50% of the houses are owner occupied with the remainder either in private rentals or housing executive property. In this estate there is a mixture of residents with young families, grown up families, single occupants and senior citizens living side by side.

According to Owen, “The scheme is general housing needs and meets Code 3 requirements, as well as Lifetime Homes stipulations. All the properties will have PV panels on their roofs and all will have provision for future ground

Oaklee Housing Association’s new development at Carrowshee Park in Lisnaskea is currently on site, as main contractor Donaghmore Construction works towards a May 2011 completion date.

The £1.9 million development brings a mix of 19 new homes to the area, which includes 2- and 3-bedroom bungalows and 2- and 3-bedroom houses. The development has been designed by JNP architects. The original architects were NIHE. Project architect Owen Grehan told Premier Construction, “The ground conditions at the site have been a significant challenge: the soil is extremely peaty and poor for construction. As a result, the whole site has required extensive groundworks and the whole area has had to be piled, including the new access road”.

The quiet site is accompanied by agricultural land to the north, which is separated by a stream, while existing residential areas are to

www.romauk.net

floor showers to meet the needs of certain residents”.

Owen concluded by saying, “This kind of project is something we’ve experienced many times before and, although it’s our first time working with Donaghmore, we’ve had a very good relationship to date”.

Major 2009 road scheme nears anniversary of completion The new €23.2 million Ballycoolin and Cappagh road improvement schemes, designed by Clifton Scannell Emerson Associates, has boosted the transport system to the west of Dublin over the last year, since a realignment scheme was completed by main contractor Roadbridge on behalf of Fingal County Council.

The contract comprised re-alignment and full reconstruction of 4km of single carriageway in four phases including construction of four new roundabouts with associated infrastructure and services. The majority of works were built on-line, requiring extensive traffic management in an urban environment with an AADT of 14500 for the Ballycoolin Road and 9500 AADT for the Cappagh Road.

Diversion of multiple existing services, including a 38inch concrete, a 24inch cast iron and a 24inch asbestos water mains, a 450mm gas transmission main and blown fibre-optic cables.

Construction of 2.4km of 1000mm diameter ductile iron water main and 4.0km of 400mm diameter ductile iron water main added to the programme.

Extensive boundary treatments, fencing and safety barrier systems along both sides of the new road were required, with landscaping design carried out by Mitchell & Associates.

The provision of the road was a transportation objective of the Fingal Development Plan. The road is an integral part of the distributor network in the Blanchardstown catchment area and is essential to the development of infrastructure for rapidly expanding residential, industrial and commercial zones within the catchment.

The scheme is in accordance with the primary road transport objectives outlines in the National Development Plan and the recommendations of the strategic planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area. The scheme has been designed to take account of pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and private vehicular traffic – a vast improvement on the prior situation, according to Fingal County Council’s Tom O’Connor: “The road has opened up the area for development and we are already seeing benefits. Previously, there was only a substandard country road with no pedestrian or cycle facilities that had to deal with traffic from the industries in the area, as well as

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private traffic. Now, in its place, we have a faster, safer, multi user friendly connection to the wider area”.

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Restoration and conservation mortars

By Ugo Spano, St. Astier Limes Liaison Office Today all of us are charged with ensuring the survival of our historical and vernacular built heritage through careful and considered conservation, restoration and renovation.

All too often, buildings are repaired with inappropriate materials and poor skills.

Many are the subject of interventions that in time lead to their total loss. Others are simply changed out of all recognition.

In most cases, the mortar used for repairs, restoration or conservation contains cement. In these buildings, the use of cement mortars promote condensation build up, salt reactions and, generally, drastically affects the long term survival of the building.

St. Astier natural hydraulic lime mortars provide a valid alternative to cement mortars or cement/lime mixes and, if applied properly, they will have a much longer life. Environmentally, they offer far greater efficiency than cementicious mortars by re-absorbing CO2 and not compromising the recyclability of the building materials.

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We work with what we call the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ten commandmentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; when judging the suitability of mortar: 1.

2.

3.

Compatibility Low capillarity and shrinkage Adequate Ca(OH)2 or free lime content 4. Resistance to frost 5. Resistance to salts 6. Vapour permeability (breathability) & good sands 7. Early setting, good elasticity/ workability/re-workability 8. Suitable compressive and bonding strength 9. Environmental considerations 10. Correct working and site practice

Rule 1: Compatibility

We prefer to look at compatible mortars rather than like for like. The reason for this is that today in most cases, it is not possible to reproduce exactly the mortars of the past.

The binders are different; the sands might not be the same. In the EU, a lot of

sand pits have closed and some of the historic pits no longer exist. Compatibility should be both chemical and mechanical..

Mortars introduced into existing structures must not react chemically with existing mortars and surrounding masonry by introducing soluble salts such as sulphate (gypsum) or aluminates causing sulphate attack; or alkalis (potassium and sodium) causing a reaction with the sand (alkali-silica reaction).

In mechanical terms, mortars should not be too dense to impede breathability or have poor elasticity resulting in cracks that will allow water/moisture penetration.

Rule 2: Look for low capillarity and shrinkage

These are both properties affecting the durability of the mortar. High capillarity allows moisture penetration and, if a mortar has poor breathability (such as cementicious mortars), there will be condensation and associated problems.

The main causes of high capillarity are poor sands and void structure and high quantity of free lime in the binder. Free

lime crystallises in the voids, reducing their size and therefore increasing their capillary action.

Poor building details and drainage increases the amount of water in touch with the masonry which can be absorbed by capillary action.

High shrinkage is also a source of cracking and it is to be avoided.

Shrinkage is caused by: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Inadequate suction control of the masonry units. If suction is not controlled by adequate wetting or dampening of the masonry, water in the mortar will be sucked into the masonry. The mortar is therefore deprived of the water necessary for hydration and the mortar becomes friable as its matrix has not formed properly.

High free lime content. This is because free lime is very fine and demands more water at the moment of mixing the mortar. The evaporation of this water leaves micro cracks in the mortar (shrinkage).

Wrong dosage in the mortar mix.

Commonly occurring when too much binder is used. Over-binding produces a heave effect, causing cracks.

Poor mixing of the mortar can cause over-binding in certain areas and low binding in other with cracks as a result.

Poor protection from drying wind, direct sun, driving rain and frost when the mortar is still fresh will also cause cracking and shrinkage.

So will poor curing: mortars, especially lime mortars, need time to cure. So, depending on the weather conditions, mortar needs to be dampened for few days in warm weather or in the presence of drying wind. In cold rainy weather and when frost is expected, fresh mortars have to be covered to prevent damage. This is normally done with hessian sheeting.

Rule 3: Adequate Ca(OH)2 or free lime content

Free lime, high calcium lime, available lime, air lime, hydrated lime, portlandite, fat lime and slaked lime are basically all the same and consist of calcium hydroxide - Ca(OH)2.

The trade uses all these denominations and sometimes people do not know that they all refer to the same element. They are classified in BS/EN 459 Standard as CL (calcium limes) and are differentiated by the percentage of Ca(OH)2 content.

Free lime makes mortars more workable and this is liked by the mason. However, free lime affects a number of important properties in mortars such as: 1. Setting and hardening time: an early set and a relatively quick hardening

2.

3.

4.

are important to be able to build with some speed. Initial setting of a hydraulic mortar is within one or two hours; the final set is within 24 hours. The final set determines the moment when the mortar cannot be re-worked. Hardening takes longer. It is the time that the calcium silicates and other hydraulic components in a mortar take to become insoluble. In the European norms, both properties are taken into consideration and the definition of NHL 2, NHL 3.5 and NHL 5 is based on the hardened strength at 28 days expressed in Newton per mm2. Free lime is not hydraulic and needs contact with air to re-absorb CO2 and reconstitute itself to CaCO3 or limestone. This process called carbonation may take a very long time. Damp environment, rain, and the location of the mortar (exposure to air) contribute to slowing and in some cases even stopping carbonation. The result is that the mortar does not harden.

Free lime will dissolve in water at a ratio of 1 to 6 and this is the reason why leaching occurs. Leaching not only is an unwanted visual effect but also deprives the mortar of some of the binder with the result that you have a different mortar in the structure from the one specified.

Free lime, because of its fineness, increases water demand in the mortar. This is one of the causes of shrinkage, as already discussed.

It also increases capillarity by crystallising in the voids, reducing breathability.

The reduction of the void size affects also the frost resistance, as we will shortly see.

High free lime mortars such as 1:1:6 and 1:2:9 mixes or hydrated (powder or putty) lime mortars might not be as suitable as they are supposed to be. Careful judgement has to be made in relation to their use. This also applies to lime mortars made with hydraulic lime with very high free lime content now being sold in the UK market.

Rule 4: Resistance to frost

The reduction in void size - by free lime crystallisation or a poor void structure caused by poor sands and the slow carbonation of free lime - makes the mortar more susceptible to frost damage.

Frost starts always from the surface and goes inward. Frozen water particles in the surface voids push the water in the voids behind further in and so on. If there is a good void structure accommodating the water movement, this process will not generate a pressure and the mortar will resist frost.

The size of the voids is also important: ice has a volume of 8% greater than water so

it will exercise pressure if the voids cannot contain more that the water they already contain. This is the case in saturated mortars where the water absorbed during rain before frost occurs is occupying all the voids.

Hardened mortars with a good void structure will resist frost. St. Astier NHL Mortars have been successfully used in areas of extreme cold such as Canada, Alaska, Norway, Finland, Denmark and wet/cold areas as part of Ireland and UK. The basic principle is to avoid saturation of the mortar when still fresh, so protection at this stage is of extreme importance.

Rule 5: Resistance to salts

The same mortar will also resist the outward migration of salts contained in the masonry. A macro void structure in the mortar will accommodate the pressure exercised by salts when moving or crystallising.

When structures contain salts, it is almost impossible to control them if they become unstable. Their behaviour is linked to the relative humidity which is typical to each salt. A lower RH will cause crystallisation; a higher RH will cause the salt to go into a solution and migrate.

If the void space is sufficient, these phenomena will not cause a damaging pressure. If crystallisation occurs, they stay in the wall and if there is no space in the voids the pressure can be great enough to crack the mortar. If they go into solution, they will eventually come out and can be cleaned off the wall.

Lime is hygroscopic: it attracts water and by doing so a new lime mortar used for re-pointing or rendering might attract moisture contained in the structure and therefore change the RH of the wall in which the salts are contained, causing their movement. So a high free lime mortar will absorb salts. This is fine if we are using a lime mortar to diminish the salts content in the wall. Once the lime mortar is saturated with salts, it can be removed and the salts with it. It is not so good if we wish to keep the mortar. In this case, a NHL mortar with less free lime and a good void structure will obtain the required result.

The same type of mortar will not suffer from salts ingress promoted by external agents such as is common in marine environments.

The re-pointing of the harbour wall in 2000 at Atlantic College in Wales is still in perfect condition 10 years later. The mortar is an NHL 5 with very coarse sharp sand (pictured).

Rule 6: Vapour permeability (breathability) and good sands

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A s s o c i ati o n s heating will go in drying out the damp before heating the room.

Hardened mortars with good breathability will dry faster than dense mortar. Saturation of the mortar is well reduced and so is the risk of frost damage.

St. Astier NHL mortars if compared to cement/lime mortars have a better breathability by 200%.

The two main factors in achieving good breathability are: • A relatively low free lime content in the binder to avoid too much crystallisation in the mortar voids and the use of well graded sands in the mortar.

• The choice of good well graded sand is of paramount importance in obtaining a breathable mortar.

Rule 7: Good setting, elasticity and workability

Setting and hardening determine the work rate. They are also related to the mortar dosage, the water addition and the weather conditions during execution of the work. Protection and curing methods are directly connected with setting, hardening and curing mortars.

Therefore, it is important to have a good idea of the setting and hardening properties of mortar to be able to determine whether it will be suitable for the work, what particular precautions to use and for how long.

Elasticity determines the amounts of movement that the mortar will take before cracking. It is also relevant in calculating the positioning of joints. A good elasticity will help in accepting thermal movements.

Workability of a mortar is in many cases left to the mason executing the work and, almost invariably, this results in excessive water addition to obtain the “plasticity” that masons like. This is wrong as too much (or too little) water can have serious effects on setting time, shrinkage, capillarity and so on.

Information on the correct water addition should be given to the mason and supervisors should check that the instructions are followed.

Rule 8: Suitable compressive and bonding strength

It is no good to look just at quick setting and hardening. A very hard mortar, especially when made with cement, is not the solution to all requirements.

Quick setting and strong hardening have become synonymous with “a good mortar” since the advent of cement but in restoration and conservation, setting and hardening should be only part of the evaluation to be made on the most suitable mortar for the job.

Of course we need setting and hardening, especially in adverse climatic conditions and seasonal work. But this should never be to the exclusion of all other considerations made up to now

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such as compatibility, breathability, elasticity and so on.

In restoration and conservation, St. Astier NHL mortars comply with all requirements.

They set and harden faster and stronger than lime putty or hydrated lime without the use of pozzolans ( a “dear” word to many but essentially a poorly known subject, open to uncertain results) or cement.

Many producers state that their product contains “pozzolanic” additions. This is in most cases cement. Just ask the question about re-working the mortar within 24 hours. If the answer is no, the mortar most likely has a cement content.

The compatibility and other properties of NHL mortars ensure that performance and durability are achieved without the use of cement. They represent a logical and natural choice in the restoration and preservation of our built heritage.

Rule 9: Consider the environment Lime mortars re-absorb CO2. St, Astier NHL mortars will re-absorb between 38% and 49% of the CO2 emitted in production. NHL mortars are also non toxic and, once hardened, they will not increase the water pH. Cementicious mortars can contain chromium VI (directly related to skin allergies) and, depending on the type of cement used, components like pulverised fly ash (PFA), granulated ground blast furnace slag (GGBS) and others that contain a number of dangerous elements such as heavy metals and many other toxic elements.

NHL mortars will also be easily removed from masonry units, allowing them to be re-cycled.

The breathability of St. Astier NHL mortars eliminates condensation and contributes to a better living environment for people with breathing difficulties (asthma, for example).

Rule 10: Correct working and site practice

Good materials can become useless if the correct site practices are not followed.

Good workmanship and supervision are essential.

If mortars are not

dosed or mixed properly, if they are not cured and protected correctly, if they are applied badly, if the application surfaces are not properly prepared, if suction is not controlled, if salt movements are not taken into consideration and so on, the result will be a failure.

Architects, engineers – specifiers in general – should work with the contractor to ensure that he has the necessary comprehension and skills to apply the mortars and follow the necessary site practice.

Ii is, however, the responsibility of the mortar manufacturer to give specifiers all the information they require for the evaluation of the mortar to be adopted.

St. Astier Limes not only provide this information but also, when required, the technical staff actively work with the specifier giving technical advice to establish the most appropriate mortar for the proposed intervention.

For more information, clarification or for any query please contact: technical@ stastier.co.uk Or ugo.spano@btinternet.com

Traditional buildings require traditional materials

by Paul Watts of Mike Wye & Associates Ltd Many builders and building material supply companies are experiencing lean times on the back of the credit crunch. We hear of developers laying off tradesmen and the local buildersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; merchants can be rather lonely places these days. New building programmes up and down the country have been mothballed or shelved.

It tends to be during economic times like these that decisions are often made to make do and mend rather than undertake new construction. There is a natural temptation more than ever to use the cheapest materials or accept the cheapest tender. The cheapness of the material may be down to the fact that it is mass produced or it may be that it is not like for like and that cement or hydrated lime is being quoted for rather than material compatible with the existing.

Far too often, people still do not understand the need for a traditionally built property to have traditional materials used on it. From flooring or render to simple decoration or pointing, buildings made to older construction methods can suffer greatly if modern materials are employed. It cannot be emphasised enough that a building constructed with a solid wall needs to have materials used in repair and maintenance that allow the moisture within the building to evaporate.

Modern acrylic based paints, cement render or cement pointing should all be avoided and products like Limewash, breathable emulsion, distemper, claypaint for decoration and lime for mortar and plaster should be used for pointing rendering and plastering.

The thermal expansion rate of cement is far greater than that of brick, stone or lime. This makes hard cement mortar incompatible with more traditional materials.

The cement mortar is also much more rigid than lime mortar and cannot cope with the greater movement associated with traditionally constructed properties with their soft mortar and limited foundations. All this means that cement render or pointing is always prone to cracking and delamination on an old building compared to when lime is used. Rain is likely to track directly into the cracks, saturate the walls causing poor insulation and premature rot in wood or even structural failure.

Unfortunately for the novice, the world of lime and breathable

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A s s o c i ati o n s paints can be a confusing one. There are different forms of lime and many choices for internal decoration. To add to the confusion there can be widely differing opinions on the best materials when talking to suppliers and practitioners.

There are three types of lime available: Lime Putty is slaked from quicklime with an excess of water making it a wet product. Mortars based on lime putty are the most traditional and also the most breathable and can last indefinitely. In fact lime putty actually improves with age as long as it is prevented from drying out. Only when dry can it carbonate and complete the hardening process. A Pozzolan can be added to create a chemical set making it a hydraulic lime and able to set in the presence of water if required.

Hydrated lime is the most widely available form of lime as it is used as a fattening agent to mix with cement where the use of cement is appropriate. Although chemically the same as lime putty, it is slaked with an exact amount of water making it a dry powder. It should not be used as a binder for a lime mortar as it could be too weak due to carbonation within the bag and may not give you an adequate mortar for building or plastering.

Natural Hydraulic Limes (NHLs) are slightly more complicated as they are normally sold in different strength bandings and chemical properties. Supplied as a dry powder, they come with natural pozzolans as impurities within the limestone, hence ‘natural hydraulic lime’. These all have a limited life and in the same way that bags of cement will absorb moisture over a period of time, bags of NHL will do likewise and need to be stored well to extend useful life.

Different NHLs are as follows: NHL2 – The weakest, usually used on soft materials for internal plastering or repointing.

NHL3.5 – This is the general purpose NHL and can be used internally and externally for building and rendering.

NHL5 – NHL5 is the strongest and we only recommend this for flooring and underground work.

A further complication to the banding is that different manufacturers can provide an NHL 2, or 3.5 with widely differing properties to another. As a general rule of thumb we suggest that English and German NHLs are used internally as they have a larger proportion of free lime, this means that they are much stickier and creamier but have a slower and ultimately weaker set. The French NHLs are stronger and set quicker so are better for building and external works. It is very important to note that with all work you must make sure that the mortar you make from them is weaker than the masonry that you are using it on. Pointing should be sacrificial and be allowed to erode away rather than the surrounding masonry.

Before deciding on which type of lime to use the most important part of lime work is ensuring the breathability of the building, from the bare substrate through to the breathable paint applied to the plaster or render. It has been known for people who have applied a full breathable lime render and painted it with acrylic based masonry paint and therefore sealing the building. This will keep any moisture within the building and makes the breathable lime render largely a waste of time and money.

If a material was not originally used in its construction then it is likely that it should not be introduced into the fabric of the building. The key phrase to remember is ‘like for like’ so if lime mortar was used to bed brickwork then lime mortar is likely to be the best material to be used to repair it.

Not only it is important to research the type of materials used and source the most appropriate, it is vital to determine at an

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early stage if the property is listed or in a conservation area. If work is undertaken without the correct consents, this would be a criminal offence and may lead to prosecution.

Mike Wye & Associates is a specialist supplier of natural building and decorating products and one of the UK’s leading lime specialists. They have been training people in the techniques needed to maintain and conserve traditional buildings for many years. In a further move to help those looking for advice, the company has an excellent free guide to the maintenance of a traditional building that can be downloaded from their website.

In conjunction with a number of industry experts, the company is currently offering a series of one day seminars around the country. Contact the company for details of dates and venues for this essential day for anybody with a traditionally built property.

Telephone 01409-281644, email sales@mikewye.co.uk or visit www.mikewye.co.uk

How the FIRAS Scheme can help building owners comply with new fire safety legislation In October 2006, the long awaited and much discussed “Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) order 2005” came into force.

This legislation places obligations on the “responsible person” to ensure the fire safety of a building. This person is responsible in law for conducting a fire risk assessment to ensure that all persons using the building can escape safely in the event of a fire, that fire precautions comply with building regulations, and that they are installed and maintained properly.

Guidance on complying with the legislation is included in a series of 11 “Fire Safety Risk Assessment” documents covering different types of building from schools to shopping centres, hospitals, hotels, residential care homes etc. These documents are available as downloads from the government’s “Communities and Local Government” website.

Failure to comply with this new legislation could result in the building owner or operator being subject to fines of an unlimited amount and/or a two year jail sentence should they be unable to demonstrate that they have taken all practicable steps to achieve a “fire safe building”.

For 13 years, Warrington Certification Limited has, with the support of trade association partners (such as ASFP, BWF, DHF, GGF, BAFSA and others), promoted the third party certification of contractors and installers of fire protection in buildings through the FIRAS scheme. The aim of the FIRAS scheme is to certificate reputable and competent installers of “proven” fire protection products and systems to enable these installers to provide clients with confidence that the job is carried out correctly.

A way of gaining this assurance is for the installation of fire protection products and systems to be installed by contractors and installers who are third party certificated as part of an industry scheme such as FIRAS, which enables the installer to provide a “meaningful” certificate of conformance supported by a UKAS accredited certification body who have expertise in the field of fire protection.

Warrington Certification recommends that clients check the validity of the “certification” held by installers and what level of confidence this certification provides.

• • •

•

• •

Is the installer’s third party certification issued by a UKAS accredited certification body?

Does the certification body carry out periodic or annual audits of the installer’s ‘quality systems’?

Does the certification body carry out periodic or random inspections of the actual installation work on site to check that it is done correctly using the appropriate tested and proven materials?

Beyond any initial training of the installer, before issuing certification, is there any ongoing competence assessment of the installer or their employees?

Does the certification body monitor the “Certificates of Conformance” being issued upon completion of work?

Does the certification body monitor that the installer is not issuing “Certificates of Conformance” for work outside the scope of certification issued, (i.e. issuing C of C’s of intumescent coating when the installers certificated scope only covers penetration sealing)?

competence, supported by knowledge rather than making discipline training courses a mandatory component of the schemes.

This approach has proved much less disruptive to the installer companies as this can be conducted at site. Underpinning this is the ongoing random inspection

by FIRAS Inspectors of 15-20% of all installation jobs carried out by companies and the inspection of the installer company’s office system and maintenance of their project records.

The scheme has grown in stature over the past years to a point where a number of major retail companies, health authorities and trusts, university estates management operations and mass transport organisations are now specifying that fire protection packages should be undertaken by FIRAS certificated contractors.

The FIRAS Scheme is a voluntary certification scheme and those installer companies who become certificated as part of the FIRAS Scheme pay an annual fee related to their activity level in fire protection installation. In view of this there is no cost to the specifier or client.

The growth and industry recognition of the FIRAS Scheme has resulted in a company’s entry in the list of FIRAS Registered Installation companies becoming the criterion by which “Metronet” approve passive fire protection installation companies for carrying out fire protection works on the underground system, and other organisations are now following suit.

The more recently introduced areas of the FIRAS scheme, the residential and domestic sprinkler installation scheme developed in 2003 to introduce a voluntary, controlled regime for contractors working in this relatively new area of fire protection and the commercial and industrial sprinkler systems installation scheme, are both continuing to expand.

The residential and domestic sprinkler installation scheme section of the FIRAS scheme was developed to provide reassurance to building control, fire officers and building owners that sprinkler installations in residential accommodation and domestic dwellings are designed and installed by competent contractors in compliance with appropriate industry standards.

Here again the FIRAS scheme assists the building owner in demonstrating compliance with RRO. Part of the requirements of registration of this part of the scheme involves random system design review to ensure that the design of the fire protection (as well as its installation) is appropriate to the risk posed by the fire to the building.

In conclusion, since the “Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order” has become legislation, building owners and operators are required by law to demonstrate compliance with its requirements, so why not allow the FIRAS Scheme to assist in this process?

Those wishing to find a FIRAS installer to undertake passive or active fire protection installations can review the list of certified companies available at www.firas-database.co.uk

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Don’t Dig Without TSA Guidance Every day, there are newspaper articles about near misses and accidents, even fatalities, disruption to supply and costs of repairs associated with strikes on utility plant and equipment buried in the ground. On average there are “12 deaths every year and over 600 serious injuries”.

In 2003 Dr Mike Farrimond of UK Water Industry Research commented that there are “75,000 incidents of third party damage costing £25million to repair” with “total direct and indirect costs to utilities, industry, society and government of over £3billion per year will continue to rise unless better information and more effective technologies can be made available to those doing the work”. Costs have increased significantly since 2003 but there is now greater recognition of the risk.

Many incidents are entirely preventable if appropriate action is taken prior to breaking ground. This would normally be a combination of desk study to gather all relevant records and historical data and survey by the utility companies themselves or experienced utility surveying companies or contractors

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with appropriately qualified staff. Methodology, techniques, equipment and knowledge all play an important part, but crucially the results need to be correctly interpreted and communicated clearly and precisely to the people working on site.

The Survey Association (TSA) has recently produced a new guidance note on utility surveys, which includes detailed guidance notes for specifying a utility survey. This has been put together after much consultation and as a result of the confusion across industries of what may be required and how the likely results can improve risk when commissioning and undertaking a utility survey prior to any ground breaking.

If your project identifies any potential hazards in the ground and any associated risk then consult the TSA guidance note for utility surveys downloadable from www.tsa-uk.org.uk and find an experienced TSA member company to help design a survey to minimise that risk. Neil Harvey, the former president of TSA commented, “TSA is incredibly proud that it has again put together a guidance note that will help inform professionals and contractors. Being web based it will be regularly updated

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A s s o c i ati o n s reflecting advances in new technology and methodologies keeping it a live, dynamic document.

The Survey Association is keen to have your views and would welcome any feedback on the document from both clients and practitioners. Please pass any comments to the TSA office in Newark (details on the website)

Costs and Risks The considerable risks and costs that result from inaccurate or non-existent sub-surface utility data are not to be taken lightly, writes Colin Murphy, director of Murphy Surveys.

Recent press coverage has highlighted the negative impact of poor sub-surface utility data on budgets and schedules, and of the failure to include vital site investigation surveys in the planning and design stages of many projects.

With the increase of responsibility on the contractor, especially in the current economic climate, the value of underground utility surveys is becoming even more evident. Without such a survey, problems emerge as the project progresses, such as striking unmapped underground cables, and they can quickly translate into spiralling costs and delays.

Utility company records are often unreliable, and as a result, the integrity of the project data must be further ensured, and

risk - which equates to financial loss - eliminated. A range of integrated survey services must be implemented to achieve these goals.

Typically a non-intrusive underground utility survey is employed to identify and map utilities, services and any anomalies beneath the surface. By carrying out desktop, GPR, radio detection, manhole and topographical surveys, the integration of many techniques provide a complete picture of the site, thus eliminating risks.

The benefits of a professional utility survey include: • Minimise utility damage • Avoid delay and damage costs • Design and plan knowing the constraints • Reduce traffic management costs • Provide an overall view of the site • What does it cost? Very little. The outlay for accurate data and peace of mind is minimal compared to the potential cost of damage resulting from poor site information.

As a member of the TSA, Murphy Surveys has been providing cost-effective survey solutions since 1983. www.murphysurveys. co.uk

Construction students lay foundations for success with Diploma awards The construction industry has been hit recently due to the global economic slowdown with knock-on effects contributing to a precarious outlook. However, there is hope for the future, with construction business forecasts expected to pick up from 2011.

But companies across the UK are being urged to think about their own futures, as well as the future of the next generation of construction workers, by getting involved with and having a better understanding of the Diploma in Construction & Built Environment (C&BE).

The diploma is a new type of qualification that listens to businesses and incorporates its philosophy into the curriculum.

It has been heavily influenced by industry representatives to ensure that the approach to work required by employers in their young recruits is fostered at an early age.

Skills shortages caused by the drop off in training during the last recession were felt years later, therefore it is crucial that this current downturn does not create similar problems. Diplomas have been developed in collaboration with employers to ensure their relevance and value and, that they provide flexibility and choice for all learners through a unique mix of traditional and work-relevant learning. They are valued by employers and higher education institutions, as their combination of essential skills, relevant experience and applied learning provides an excellent grounding for careers.

Diplomas offer a qualification equivalent to GCSEs and A-Levels. The Foundation Diploma is equivalent to five GCSEs at grades D-G; The Higher Diploma to seven GCSEs at grades A*-C and the Advanced Diploma to three-and-a-half A levels.

Students gain an excellent grasp of English, mathematics and IT skills, while learning how they relate to the construction industry.

They also develop the skills that employers seek, such as how to think creatively, problem-solve, communicate effectively and work both independently and as part of a team and study a range of topics, from understanding the importance of health and safety issues to the management challenges involved in construction. Increasingly important industry issues like

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A s s o c i ati o n s sustainability and the impact of the built environment on the community, and professions such as architecture, planning, civil engineering, surveying and building services are also explored.

Having been developed by employers, schools, colleges and universities, the Diploma aims to help young people aged 14 to 19 realise their potential and gain knowledge and skills in a ‘real world’ environment. It has the flexibility to be taken instead of or alongside GCSEs, A-levels and vocational subjects and aims to equip students with skills they can apply to the next stage of their development, be that university, college or the job marketplace.

The hard work and success of the inaugural year was recognised recently at an innovative Bolton vocational centre as the first C&BE students were given awards after successfully completing their first year of study. The 16 students were the first group at the Powerwave Centre in Horwich to study for the diploma. The ceremony was attended by opportunistic former secretary of state for education and Bolton West MP, Ruth Kelly, and the budding youngsters also gave demonstrations of their construction abilities and skills.

Special awards were also given to six students in recognition of their outstanding academic and practical achievements. All the students will now move on to a second year of study before completing the course in 2010.

Nick Gooderson, head of education, training and qualifications at ConstructionSkills, commented, “By investing so much time and energy into delivering the Diploma in C&BE companies are helping to provide the next generation of highly-skilled construction workers. Positive employer action such as this is exactly what the diploma needs: dynamic and enthusiastic companies who can engage with and develop young people who are looking to start a career in construction”.

One thing guaranteed with students is plenty of untapped creativity. Businesses that work with students enjoy the fresh ideas and new perspective that young people bring, which will also help motivate existing staff.

Working with the diploma is a fantastic way of developing new

recruitment channels. This could not only reduce HR costs dramatically but it also means companies get first pick of the best young people coming into the job market. Similarly, young people are more likely to work for a company if they have had positive work experience there or have heard good things about the company from other young people.

Unfortunately, the diploma will only succeed with industry-wide buy-in, providing the kind of pragmatic knowledge and skills that only employers can. So it really is extremely important that businesses both small and large in all sectors of the construction industry get involved with the diploma in C&BE to ensure a skilled, safe and enigmatic workforce for the future.

About Constructionskills Constructionskills are working with employers to make sure the construction industry has the right skills in the right place, at the right time.

Constructionskills is the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for the construction industry, working with industry, for industry to deliver a safe, professional and fully qualified UK construction workforce.

The group works work with construction companies to help them improve skills, increase their competitive edge and respond to the many challenges employers face from the low carbon agenda, through to reducing costs on-site and recruiting the best and brightest talent for their sector.

The group has recently release a strategic plan for 2010-14.

According to chairman Sir Michael Latham, “Through our depth of research and our engagement with industry and stakeholders, we remain well placed to understand the national and local context, recognise the skills challenges presented and deliver solutions”.

Find out more at www.cskills.org

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Finding out more about lead LCA launch the next 25 Years More than 70 architects were among an audience of over 100 that attended the launch of the 2010 Directory of Specialist Leadwork Contractors. Organised by the Lead Contractors Association (LCA) and jointly sponsored by the Lead Sheet Association (LSA), the launch took place at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in Carlton House Terrace, London.

2009 saw the LCA celebrate their Silver Jubilee and Chairman David Martin opened the 2010 Directory launch by assessing the objectives he had set last year.

These are: More specifications nominating LCA members for the lead work • Every leadwork project of historical, architectural or commercial significance to be carried out by a member of the LCA • Contractors involved in leadwork that thought they knew how to design and install the material to prove it by applying to join the LCA and having their leadwork standards checked.

•

In looking back, Mr. Martin considered that each objective had been addressed with varying degrees of success and he saw no reason why this momentum should not be continued as the LCA start their next 25 years.

He closed his presentation by posing the question to the architects and specifiers in the audience as to whether they had a responsibility to not only cover materials and standards of workmanship in their specifications, but also to ensure a registered competent contractor was used to install.

Joss Campbell, Chairman of the Lead Sheet Association welcomed the opportunity to put the case for lead sheet in modern day construction, emphasising the unique proven long term sustainability of the material that had now been in use in UK construction for centuries.

He emphasised the green credentials of lead, its total recyclability and, given its low melting point and comprehensive national materials reclamation network, the minimal carbon “footprint” of producing and using lead sheet.

Not least among the advantages of using lead sheet, he said,

was the availability through the Lead Contractors Association of a quality controlled workforce to install the product, which maximised its long term performance credentials.

Mr. Campbell went on to explain the complexities of the London Metal Exchange which set the price for lead but which was nevertheless at the mercy of market speculators who had no interest in the industry other than to trade in metal warrants the same as they did in stocks and shares on the London Stock Exchange.

Given the relatively small use of lead sheet in construction (some 200,000 tonnes world wide compared to 6M tonnes (and rising) in car batteries) the price of lead was therefore out of the hands of the UK sheet manufacturers and contractors. The recession and performance of the stock exchange had caused speculators to look for other markets in which to trade and the London Metal Exchange had proved an easy target, resulting in the spectacular price surges in recent years of the metals, including lead, that were traded on the LME.

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A s s o c i ati o n s The price surge in the LMA lead price in 2008 had led to the unwelcome escalation in thefts, particularly from vulnerable ecclesiastical properties. Thankfully, as a result of better site security, DNA type identification through using such as Smartwater and an improved accountability through the reclamation network, theft issues now appeared to be subsiding.

Mr. Campbell said now the general expectation was for a period of metals price stability, as the financial stock markets were recovering and traders were returning to them for the more varied options than were available on the LME. Carl Edwards, Managing Director of the CEL Group and Chairman of the LCA Promotions Committee then explained the differences between the three types of lead sheet available in the UK market, as there was often confusion among specifiers, or worse, a general assumption that they were all the same.

Rolled lead sheet was the most commonly used, produced

from a refined cast slab on a computer controlled rolling mill that achieved thickness tolerances of +/- 5% at any point on the sheet, as required by the European manufacturing standard BSEN12588.

Traditional sand cast sheet is the oldest method of production (circa 16thC), where molten metal is poured onto a bed of sand, skimmed to the required thickness whilst still molten and then cut to size when cooled.

Machine cast, or Direct Method (DM) sheet is produced by immersing a rotating, water cooled drum into a bath of molten lead. The lead solidifies on the surface of the drum and is lifted from the bath and peeled away in sheets as the drum rotates.

For further information about the LCA phone 01342 317888 or Email rwr@lca.gb.com For technical or training information contact the LCA on 01622 872432

The International Awards for Powered Access 2011 The IPAF Summit and the IAPAs (International Awards for Powered Access) will be held on 14th April 2011 at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam.

The awards are jointly organised

by Access International and IPAF, and this is the premier event celebrating best practice and excellence in the powered access industry. The awards ceremony and dinner are held in the evening following the IPAF Summit conference in the afternoon, which offers a unique setting to learn about the latest developments in the industry.

This is the third time that the IAPAs are being held and this event brings some changes to the award categories. There are now four “Product of the Year” categories, allowing the recognition of innovative products in all sectors of the market, from selfpropelled and vehicle-mounted to mast climbing work platforms and low-level access solutions.

The deadline for entries is 10th January 2011. “The competition is tough as nominees are being judged by their peers”, said IPAF managing director Tim Whiteman. “We welcome entries from all around the world and we urge everyone in the access business – manufacturers, distributors, rental companies and training organisations – to consider submitting an entry for the 2011 awards”.

“The IAPAs Dublin 2009 and London 2010 were extremely successful, with the London event in particular seeing an increase in the quality and international scope of the award entries”, said Maria Harding, editor of Access International. “The judges are looking for best practice, excellence, innovation and professionalism. The basic criterion is simple – the judges want all entrants to tell them why they believe their company, project or product is special and why it deserves to win an award in a particular category”.

Companies and individuals can enter themselves or nominate others. They can submit entries for more than one award, and more than one entry per category, if they so wish. There is no charge for entering. Entries must be for work done in 2010. The deadline for entries is 10 January 2011.

The judging panel comprises Roger Bowden, chairman of UK-based manufacturer Niftylift; Mike Watts, president of USbased rental company Sunstate Equipment; Gerhard Hillebrand, industry consultant and IPAF-Italia; Steve Shaughnessy, IPAF president; and Murray Pollok, managing editor of Access International.

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The IAPAs Dublin 2009 and London 2010 were both superbly successful events, each attracting audiences of more than 400.

The IAPAs Amsterdam 2011 promises to be an exciting and dynamic event, so visit www.iapa-summit.info to enter for an award, reserve your hotel room, book your dinner ticket, or find out more about sponsorship opportunities.

The organisers, Access International and IPAF, look forward to welcoming you in Amsterdam.

The Awards Access Rental Company of the Year Open to any rental company that has a significant holding of aerial platforms. Entrants need to demonstrate that their companies have performed exceptionally in 2010.

IPAF Safety Champion This award is open to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the cause of safety in the access industry during 2010. Entrants can nominate a person in their own company or someone from another company.

Contribution to Safe Working at Height Designed to recognise a company that has made a major contribution to safety in 2010. This award is open to rental companies, manufacturers, training companies, dealers and equipment end users (contractors).

Access Project of the Year Judges will be looking for an imaginative, unusual or technically demanding solution to an access problem, using any type of powered access equipment. The project must have been ongoing during 2010, anywhere in the world.

Product of the Year - Vehicle/trailer-mounted This category is for a vehicle- or trailer-mounted product made commercially available during 2010. The judges will be looking for genuine innovations or product developments that are significant.

Product of the Year - Self-propelled (booms, scissors, spiders) For a self-propelled boom, scissor lift or crawler-mounted aerial platform made commercially available during 2010. The judges will be looking for genuine innovations or product developments that are significant.

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Product of the Year - Mast climbing work platforms/hoists For a mast climbing work platform (MCWP), construction hoist or transport platform made commercially available during 2010.

The judges will be looking for genuine innovations or product developments that are significant.

Product of the Year - Low-level access This category is for low-level access products, such as pusharound platforms, vertical mast platforms and push-around mini-scissors. As with the other product awards, the judges will be looking for genuine innovations and significant product developments.

Award for Outstanding After Sales Service This award is open to manufacturers, specialist parts companies and distributors or dealers who provide support to aerial platform rental companies and end users. The judges will be looking for evidence of outstanding performance and innovations in providing that service.

IPAF/Access International Lifetime Achievement Award In recognition of an individual who is perhaps approaching the final years of his career or who is already retired, and who deserves recognition for an outstanding contribution to the powered access industry. Individuals or companies can nominate a colleague at their own company or somebody else in the industry.

The following three categories are designed for IPAF member companies and individuals only: Best Marketing Campaign for IPAF Training Judges will look at how IPAF training centres have driven their training business by imaginative and effective marketing campaigns in 2010. Judges will be looking for details of the results of promotional activities.

IPAF Training Instructor of the Year This award is for an individual who has shown him or herself to be an outstanding IPAF training instructor during 2010. Companies can nominate one of their own employees, or companies can nominate an instructor who has worked with them during 2010.

Best New IPAF Training Centre Open to any IPAF Training Centre that started training during 2010. Entrants will have to demonstrate a high level of excellence and dedication to the IPAF training programme.

Clunk Click It would be remiss of us to cover IPAF/IAPA without mentioning the association’s recent safety campaign. Clunk Click is a worldwide campaign calling for all users of boom type platforms to wear a full body harness with a short restraint lanyard attached to a suitable anchor point.

The campaign started as a grassroots initiative by the UK Powered Access Interest Group (PAIG), a joint committee of the Construction Plant-hire Association and IPAF. Major rental companies took the initiative because unnecessary fatal accidents were happening when users were catapulted out of boom platforms because they were not wearing harnesses.

IPAF launched international versions of Clunk Click recently, including the German “Click Clack”, the Italian “Clic Clac” and the North American “Click It”. The campaign has the support of the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the UK Contractors Group (UKCG), the Hire Association of Europe (HAE) and the German Association of Construction Equipment Engineers (VDBUM).

Welsh heritage in safe hands ‘Cadw’ is a Welsh word meaning ‘to keep’, and the organisation of the same name has as its mission to protect, conserve and promote the built heritage of Wales. Many of Wales’ great castles, bishops’ palaces, historic houses and ruined abbeys are now in the care of Cadw.

Cadw is committed to developing and highlighting the history of Wales and, in May 2009, the Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, announced that £19m had been secured to develop Heritage Tourism in Wales. The project, which has been largely funded

by the Welsh Assembly Government and EU Convergence Funds, will maximise the economic value of heritage through an increase in the volume, length and value of visits individuals make to Wales.

Cadw made a successful bid under the Environment for Growth objective of the EU Convergence Funding framework and, as a result, £8.5m will be provided by European funding which will account for 45% of the total project costs with the remaining monies provided through the Welsh Assembly Government including Cadw and the Targeted Match Fund and various other ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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A s s o c i ati o n s delivery partners.

Within the project, which will run until December 2014, Cadw’s work with communities, heritage partners and the tourism sector across the country to develop heritage tours, trails and events packages to present visitors with a more integrated range of heritage tourism products and to ensure that the project benefits the wider community and the tourism industry.

Heritage minister Alun Fred Jones said: “I’m delighted with the European funding received. The historic environment of Wales is diverse and striking; it is one of the main reasons why so many people like to visit Wales”.

In more recent developments, the minister has demonstrated Cadw’s commitment to restoration with a £1 million pledge to be shared between 24 historic buildings under his organisation’s patronage. The funding will be shared across Wales between the following projects, amongst others:

The Savoy Theatre, Church Street, Monmouth, Monmouthshire

The Savoy Theatre in Monmouth is the oldest theatre in Wales and has exceptional interest as a rare and little altered example of a small cinema from the intra war period in Wales. A grant of £39,300 is now offered towards repairs to restore the front elevation of the building.

Tabernacle Chapel, Morriston, Swansea Listed grade I, Tabernacle Chapel is perhaps the largest, grandest chapel in Wales with striking exterior presence, and a virtually unaltered interior and fittings. A grant of £100,000 is offered towards a scheme of works to refurbish the chapel’s historic exterior.

St Gredifael’s Church, Penymynydd, Llangefni, Anglesey St Gredifael’s Church is an unspoilt medieval church of charming rural style which has immense local and national historic interest for its connection with the Tudor family of Plas Penmynydd, closely related to the Tudor royal dynasty. A grant of £78,400 has been offered towards a scheme of repairs to the historic fabric of the church.

Golden Grove, Llanasa, Flintshire A complete Elizabethan house which incorporates a smaller, 17th century secondary house, Both have important interior detail from the late 16th to 17th centuries. A grant of £3,703 has been offered towards repairs to the chimneys and gables.

Animal Wall, Castle Street, Cardiff One of the best loved Cardiff landmarks, the wall was designed

by William Burges as part of the Cardiff Castle complex. A grant of £62,922 goes towards the repair of the wall to include re-pointing and restoration of metal railings and famous stone animals.

St Anno’s Church, Llananno, Llandrindod Wells, Powys A small 19th century parish church, St Anno’s is notable for many of its fine features including its exceptional rood screen. (A rood is a screen that appears in some Victorian churches between the alter and pews. They are often highly decorated and rarely seen today.) Grant of £18,400 offered towards works to the roof and stonework repairs.

To find out more about Cadw’s structure and activities, as well as many more projects benefitting from Cadw’s funding and expertise, visit www.cadw.wales.gov.uk

Opus Opus International Consultants’ heritage and conservation department is a highly experienced, multi-disciplinary team specialising in projects within the historic environment.

The company has built strong client relationships through consistently delivering a high standard of service to a range of

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public and private sector clients.

In its commitment to the heritage and conservation sectors, Opus implement sound conservation philosophies, fostering excellent working relationships with conservation officers and archaeologists as well as a broad school of skilled craftsmen and specialist contractors.

Opus has been commissioned for a wide range of heritage projects including works at Wales’ three World Heritage Sites: Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

Recent projects include: Llanelly House (BBC Restoration); Bronfloyd, Darren and Cwmsymlog Lead Mines; Melingriffith Water Wheel; Roman sites at Caerwent and Caerleon; Tintern and Strata Florida Abbeys; Penywyrlod Neolithic burial chamber and sites associated with the Welsh Princes at Sycharth and Glyndyfrdwy.

Japanese knotweed – a nightmare or a manageable problem?

Why is Japanese knotweed such an expensive problem on so many construction sites today? The focus on the re-development of Brownfield sites in recent years has meant that many contractors have had to deal with the problem that is Japanese knotweed. Failure to recognise or manage this problem in good time can lead to potentially unnecessary and costly last minute solutions.

There have been discussions about new treatments for Japanese knotweed; one potential treatment is a biological control. This would involve the introduction of the sap sucking Aphalara psyllid from Japan. This is a host specific bug i.e. it won’t create new problems with other plants. There are many advantages to biological control, not least that it will reduce the vigour (and hence spread) of large areas of Japanese knotweed, which are currently not being treated.

However, the release of biological organisms into a new

environment is strictly controlled and is subject to scrutiny and legislation.

Once the decision has been taken to release this insect, it could take up to 10 years before it controls Japanese knotweed successfully and it is not guaranteed to eradicate the Japanese knotweed completely. Developers will still need to factor in sufficient costs and time to manage any knotweed on site.

The key challenges for the battle to control Japanese knotweed in the next few years are likely to be getting the necessary funds to treat the large land bank that developers and others have. While this should be through a relatively inexpensive herbicide programme, lasting a minimum of three years, there is a temptation to not spend the necessary money.

This may not be the best strategy as with every year that passes, the knotweed will cover larger areas on the re-development sites and, when the time comes to develop the site, the solution may prove very expensive. To put matters into perspective a herbicide programme for a small area of knotweed on a site (20m² of visible growth), may cost as little as £2000.00+VAT to treat over 3-4 years. At an annual cost of £500.00+VAT, this is not an expensive option and, if you have the time, why not use it?

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A s s o c i ati o n s You could even claim Land Remediation Relief for the work! To contrast this, a budget cost for the ‘dig and dump’ methodology ranges from £800.00 (ex VAT) to £2500.00 (ex VAT) per 20-tonne load. To excavate the 20m² as above would consist of more than ten such loads.

Within the Japanese knotweed industry, there are a number of new techniques that are being developed. One developing technique is that of reduced level excavation (typically to formation level), and then encapsulating the knotweed under a specialist root barrier. Root barriers can then be sealed effectively to the new or existing buildings structure provided always that the surface to be sealed to is clean and firm. This technique can be cost effective and is an approved method of dealing with Japanese knotweed.

Construction companies may wish to keep Japanese knotweed away from their sites, and indeed there have been instances of knotweed being imported onto site in loads of crushed concrete or soil. The more usual problem that arises on construction sites is when knotweed is already present on site and is spread in an uncontrolled manner across the whole site.

Trevor Renals of the Environment Agency states that: “Japanese knotweed is unlike any waste a developer is likely to encounter on a Brownfield site. If you remove 99% of most contamina ts, the tiny residual that gets spread around the site usually doesn’t do much harm. Try that with Japanese knotweed and within a few years you’re back to where you

The New ‘3 Rs’ – how do they sound?

started. It is a waste that can perpetuate itself, which is why we have to be so strict with its management.”

Costs can escalate if knotweed is spread by site clearance or demolition works across the area to be developed; typically remediation costs will rise tenfold.

Brian Taylor of Wreford Limited, says that a simple verification visit to identify whether Japanese knotweed is on site or not, could cost as little as £175.00 + VAT, a more detailed survey could cost between £6-700.00 + VAT. If you have or suspect you have Japanese knotweed on your development site, than you need to take the following steps: • Identify the problem. Is it knotweed?

• Quantify the problem. How big an area(s) does it cover?

• What options are available for this site?

• How much time is available to manage this problem?

A professional Japanese knotweed company could provide you with simple cost effective solutions, so that when you need to develop the site, you are able to do so. However they can only do this, if they have enough time.

The answer to whether it is a nightmare or a manageable problem is in reality down to the options that you have. The more time you have to manage the problem, the more options you will have. If you have time, use it wisely!

An acoustic pinata.

A look at schools, acoustics and the construction industry

by Andrew Parkin BEng(Hons) CEng FIOA FIHEEM, Technical Director at RPS, member of the IOA Building Acoustics Group and Chair of the ANC Schools Committee.

Where we are now With the recent decimation of funding for public sector projects, schools have been particularly hard hit. Whilst many academies have come away unscathed, Building Schools for the Future has been scrapped, with many live school projects being cancelled and LEPs being disbanded.

Despite the huge cut in spending, schools still need to be brought up to scratch, with much of the existing stock being well below even the minimum standards set out in the School Premises Regulations.

In this context, we need to look at new ways of making the best of the existing school stock, in the recognition that there simply isn’t enough money around to rebuild every school, despite aspirations and commitments made by the previous government.

Smarter, leaner, greener, more cost effective solutions need to be found.

R is for Refurbishment Refurbishment of schools is nothing new. This has always been the least costly method of breathing new life into the existing school stock and, in a lot of cases, is perfectly adequate.

However, this does rely on the existing building being in a reasonable condition and of a decent standard to start with.

When it comes to compliance with Building Bulletin 93 (BB93),

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there appears to be a wildly varying approach for refurbishments.

In theory, as soon as works that require a Building Regulations application are carried out, Part E should be invoked and, as a means of compliance with Part E, BB93 should come into force. However, wording within BB93 is often not strong enough and contain such phrases as ‘it is desirable’ and ‘should aim to meet’; these phrases hold little or no contractual obligation to upgrade the acoustics of schools spaces through refurbishment.

Sadly therefore, BB93 is often ‘derogated’ from refurbishment projects. Budgets are often so low that it is simply not possible to bring existing buildings up to the latest acoustic, thermal, ventilation etc. standards and tough decisions need to be made.

In these situations, there are three main options, as follows: Choose which aspects get upgraded (e.g. acoustics, thermal etc.) and spend the money concentrating on these, to the exclusion of other aspects Rather than refurbish the whole school, determine what proportion could be upgraded ‘properly’ and set about doing this. The school then have the option to manage and timetable teaching accordingly

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A s s o c i ati o n s Based on full surveys of the existing building, make an informed choice as to how far each aspect (e.g. acoustics, thermal etc.) can realistically be upgraded with the given budget and make incremental improvements. The risk here is that, whilst improvements could be made, if the starting point is particularly poor then, even after refurbishment the school still not be suitable for its intended use

R is also for Remodel In a similar vein to Refurbishment, Remodelling involves working within the confines of the existing building. However, instead of making improvements to existing elements (e.g. walls, doors etc.) there will be a removal of existing elements and construction of new ones to suit the required teaching styles and operational policies of the school.

When introducing new walls and doors within an existing school shell, it would be very difficult to argue that these should not meet with BB93 targets. The complication comes, however, when the existing shell can not adequately control flanking of sound. In these cases, although a new partition or floor may be capable of achieving BB93 targets in isolation, the weaknesses of the existing building would prompt a failure; in these instances this should be highlighted as a risk and included in the Alternative Performance Standard register.

In addition to new ‘hard’ construction elements to control sound insulation, use of absorbent finishes to optimise reverberation times will also need to be considered. Careful design will be required to see that any new absorption measures will not interfere with daylighting, natural ventilation or thermal mass requirements. Although the most cost effective solution is often to use a suspended ceiling, the numbers of schools taking this approach is decreasing, with wall panels and suspended baffles/ rafts becoming increasingly popular.

And R is for Re-Use This is possibly the most radical solution and is yet to hit the UK in any significant volume. However, the major drive towards free schools and academies, together with significant rebates involved with taking on vacant buildings, paves the way for this approach.

As with many things, the Scandinavians have been doing it for years! Across Sweden and Denmark, old buildings have successfully been converted into schools. In the UK, it is not just historic buildings and old warehouses that are being looked at with a view to creating schools, especially as many of these have already been turned into housing. What we have in the UK,

partially due to the economic climate of the past few years, are vacant retail, industrial and commercial spaces. Many of these are well serviced in terms of transportation and infrastructure and have plenty of land. The challenge is to make these spaces suitable for a new generation of learning environments.

So, how do we turn a former factory or B&Q into a school?

Looking at many of the academies designed and constructed in recent years, there has been a trend towards large, voluminous shells with cellular spaces constructed around central open areas. This same principle can be easily replicated in a portal frame shed; granted, the external appearance may not win many awards but the internal environment (arguably the most important aspect) can be just as good.

In order to achieve good sound insulation between spaces, we need to be looking at modular (off-site) constructions, SFS or timber frame buildings-within-buildings and secondary structures. If designed correctly and complimented with good dri-lining and internal glazing a superb quality environment can be achieved, matching and even bettering that normally expected from more traditional constructions.

Within cellular teaching/learning spaces, the same principles to reverberation control as in a ‘standard’ classroom can be adopted, e.g. ceilings, suspended absorbers, wall panels etc.

The challenge comes in the large open spaces. Whilst many of these will be utilised for dining, circulation and LRCs, they are also likely to be used for teaching/learning. High floor to ceiling heights will invariably cause problems with long reverberation times, poor speech intelligibility and significant build-up of noise. We therefore need to investigate ways of combating this, which may include suspended absorbers (e.g. traditional baffles and rafts, or feature shapes); one approach used in large call centres is to create ‘Acoustic Piñatas’ (pictured) formed by suspending large acoustically absorbent objects within netting or a cage. Alternatively, absorbent canopies could be suspended from the roof over sensitive spaces. Careful selection of FF&E items will also need to be made to assist in the overall acoustic environment.

Summary We can not expect to design and construct schools in the same we have been and need to adapt to new financial and building stock constraints. We must treat this as a challenge, not a problem, though. There is significant scope to make tomorrow’s schools exciting projects to work on and environments suitable for their intended use of teaching and inspiring the next generation, in addition to being a good workplace for teachers.

ARB Show planned in for 2011 The annual ARB Show, which regularly sees in excess of 2,000 dedicated arboricultural visitors buying specialist kit from specialist trade exhibitors, is scheduled for June and September 2011. The Amenity Conference will be at Warwick University on Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th September 2011, while the showpiece Utility Conference will be at Bosworth Hall Hotel on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th July 2011.

Almost two thousand visitors attended The ARB Show in 2010, making the most of the opportunity to explore over 70 trade stands promoting services and selling an extensive choice of products for arborists and those working in the arboricultural sector.

New products appearing at the event included a new access platform from Cumberland Industries, new climbing ropes from UK distributer Fletcher Stewart and from ForestandArb.com, and new pruning saws from Sorbus International. Main event

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Housedeck foundation system and Geosynthetics demonstrating Cellweb, their Geocellular tree root protection system.

The Contractors’ Workshop also laid on a programme of more formal presentations, where visitors could hear about the process involved in the development of arb industry products, about the correct use of an air spade in root care management and about best practice when working at height.

The Arboricultural Association would like to thank all exhibitors and sponsors, including STIHL (Main Event Sponsor), Horticulture Week (Media Sponsor) and Arbjobs.com (Competition Sponsor) for their input and contribution to the 2010 show. The Arboricultural Association invites input from all involved in the industry to ensure the event continues to meet their needs and expectations in the future. sponsor STIHL also launched its new STIHL X-Fit PPE range at the show, and the clothing was worn by the STIHL-sponsored Canopy Access team who held a series of demonstrations giving insights into the specialist combination of techniques used when working in some of the tree world’s most challenging environments.

More demonstrations, workshops and practical sessions around the showground included a series of demonstrations

by Kingswood Training on the safe matching and use of rigging systems sponsored by Fletcher Stewart; and the Tree Climbers’ Forum were busy as ever guiding visitors on a whole range of practical and kit-related issues. The construction site was also a popular attraction, with Abbey Pynford presenting their

About the Arboricultural Association Since 1964, the Arboricultural Association has been the national body in the UK and Ireland for the amenity tree care professional in either civic or commercial employment at craft, technical, supervisory, managerial or consultancy level.

There are currently 2,000 members of the Arboricultural Association in a variety of membership classes. The charitable objective of the Arboricultural Association is to advance the science of arboriculture for the public benefit. It does this by setting standards, promoting standards and enabling compliance.

The Arboricultural Association’s web site is www.trees.org.uk

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ATLAS The Association of Technical Lightning & Access Specialists Established in 1946, ATLAS is the national representative employers’ organisation for companies which engage in the steeplejack, lightning conduction, earthing design, installation, demolition and restoration of high rise and historic buildings, industrial chimneys, churches, off shore rigs and other important tall structures.

The association is the leading, independent professional voice of this very specialist sector and arguably one of the most proactive trade associations in operation, driven by the goal of sharing and promoting specialist knowledge and expertise.

ATLAS endeavours to set professional standards, support professional development and represent the interests of the profession. Its 60-strong membership accounts for the majority of the UK’s professional industry workload and members’ expertise are becoming increasingly recognised in Europe and the Far East.

ATLAS also provides a superb open forum for the discussion and resolution of industry issues that cause concern to members.

Members can discuss issues of common interest, share their experience and find solutions to common problems. Many members find this open forum one of the most valuable benefits that ATLAS has brought to the industry, as it facilitates dialogue between members, organisations, industry and government.

ATLAS members also benefit from the promotion and exposure of common interests and common complaints and over the years have seen a series of improvements made to the quality of services offered, health and safety standards, training, and technical standards.

The safety of operatives is a huge priority for ATLAS which prides itself as a pioneer in this area.

Atlas has been involved at the forefront of industry topics for many years and has been providing expert comment and feedback on important issues that effect specialist construction industries. Added to this, ATLAS works tirelessly to improve and enhance industry technical and safety practices and this enables member companies to keep up to date with all enhancements and developments.

Membership of ATLAS requires all companies to adhere to the standards set by the association at all times and strict enforcement of these standards is a key pillar of the association.

Due to this, strict membership criterion must be met to maintain association credibility at all times.

Atlas members have approved a written Code of Conduct, thus setting a professional benchmark for members’ behavior and a minimum level of service clients can expect. Atlas and its members are ever striving to offer and deliver the best professional service to the steeplejack and lightning protection industry.

ATLAS Code of Conduct Membership of ATLAS is not given automatically.

On application, each company is required to supply three references.

Applicants are visited by the association’s membership committee to ensure they meet requirements.

These include a comprehensive health and safety policy, public liability insurance and records of accidents and training given.

Full members must have been trading for minimum of two years and are asked to comply with the following code of conduct: 1.

Conduct their business lawfully, comply with all relevant legislation and trade fairly and responsibly 2. Give assurance of the best possible service to all customers 3. Offer products and services within relevant British, European and international standards 4. Give assurances of fully trained staff and operatives within the business 5. Give assurances that advertising/sales promotions/public relations should comply with current advertising standards 6. Display Information relating to products, services and prices in an easy to understand form, complying with current price legislation 7. Give assurances that all information given to customers should accurate, truthful and based on full product knowledge 8. Carry out all work to the best of their ability, advising the customer of any delays or problems 9. Provide an assurance that services should be undertaken at an agreed time and date 10. Give customers adequate guidance on the use, care and maintenance of products 11. Deal quickly and courteously with any complaints from customers For further information, see: www.atlas.org.uk

The Steeplejack and Lightning Protection Training Group Geared to raising standards through systemic training within the lightning protection and steeplejack industry, the Steeplejack ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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A s s o c i ati o n s and Lightning Protection Group (SLPTG) was formed in August 1974 and was initially known as the ATLAS Training Group.

The group works closely with ATLAS to formulate a national apprenticeship scheme and to expand training availability in association with CITB/CSkills at the National Construction College, Bircham Newton, Norfolk.

SLPTG training ranges from courses for new construction apprentices to covering all industry related training right through to bespoke supervisory and management courses. The SLPTG is run by an elected council of up to 12 people drawn from member companies.

Mr Anthony Colley, SLPTG member, says, “The training group demonstrates that we fully understand the commitment and consequent investment that is required for training because adaptable, skilled people are vital to the success of our industry”.

“The training group can provide cost effective access to a full range of college courses, apprenticeships and work-based training options. The group can identify and guide you through the full range of courses provided by CITB/CSkills and any number of specialist private sector trainers and consultants. We are an advisory body which rigorously reviews the industry’s training and development requirements by gathering information from specialist employers and training providers.

“The SLPTG was formed to organise and review training for our industry. However, since the introduction of CSCS cards throughout the construction industry, there is an important need for the training and development of the people within our industry.

Therefore the training group has worked tirelessly with CITB/ CSkills to manufacture and implement the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) for young people and experienced skilled workers”.

“There has been a considerable marked improvement over the last couple of years in relation to the achievement rate of the NVQ 2 for lightning conductor fitters and steeplejacks. Any person carrying out this type of work should have a CSCS card clearly

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stating his personal CSCS registration number on the front and any NVQ level achieved, as either a lightning conductor engineer or steeplejack, on the reverse”.

“The training group needs to develop training for our industry by working closely with all the training providers and our members to ensure that the training delivered to our workers is improving the quality of our workforce in all areas. This will mean the introduction of more dynamic forms of training which will elevate the industry”.

For further information, please contact Lynne Fletcher on 01625 664500, e-mail info@slptraininggroup.org.uk or visit the website at www.slptraininggroup.org.uk

Market leaders in accreditation and training Churchill Specialist Contracting are an established market leader in the industrial chimney, lightning protection and earthing systems sector, offering an LRQA ISO 9001 2008 quality assured service continuously over the last 15 years.

The company recently became the first in its sector to obtain accreditation to OHSAS 18001 2007 also with LRQA. Churchill’s Wayne Murray told Premier Construction. “I’m proud to say we’re bolstering the standard of companies associated with ATLAS in both the accreditation we’ve achieved and the NVQ training we offer. I don’t know of any other companies who offer the same combination, so you could say we’re raising the bar and challenging others to follow.

“We’re also moving into new premises in early 2011, with a dedicated training facility, so it goes to show that continued investment in training and accreditation pays dividends”.

ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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