premier construction magazine 15-9

Roma Publications

Volume 15 - Issue 9

Heritage Construction Protecting our built heritage – a special focus

London Array Work begins on turbines

Blackpool Seafront regeneration restores Britain’s favourite resort

Giant’s Causeway New visitor centre to boost tourism

Ecobuild 2011 Sign up before it’s too late!

Contents PREMIER CONSTRUCTION

Volume 15 • Issue 9

disa ble d children which is to exp and into a new building following a donation from one of the world’s we althiest b enefa ctors.

London and the South E ast are as busy as ever, with the £230 million, 512-b e d Pe mbury H ospital, und er construction in M aidstone, Kent.

In Wales, the new £170 million state -of-the -art Ysbyty Ystra d Fawr hospital will ena ble all p atients to re c eive one -on-one c are in single -p atient rooms when it op ens in O ctob er 2011.

M e anwhile, S cottish he alth is to b e booste d by the largest single N H S hospital proje ct in S cotland. The proje ct will result in a new £840 million N ew South Glasgow H ospitals C ampus.

The icing on our he althc are c ake is the new a cute hospital for the south-west of N orthern Ireland, which is und er construction in a £270 million proje ct at Enniskillen, C o F ermanagh.

Enjoy!

Graham Schulz, Editor.

Lead Focus C onstruction in c are hom es................................................................................6 H eritag e..............................................................................................................10

North West Walney O ffshore Wind Farm.............................................................................34

North East & Yorkshire Kib blesworth H ousing........................................................................................50

Midlands & East Anglia S amuel Whitbre a d C olle g e................................................................................57

South West Q ue en Eliza b eth’s S chool.................................................................................72

Dear readers,

South East & London

We b e gin this issue with a look at construction’s role in dignity, he alth and safety in the c are se ctor, followe d by another sp e cial focus on heritage construction.

Then we move on to our usual round-up of the re gions, b e ginning this month’s tour in the N orth West, where work on the Walney O ffshore Wind Farm is e dging ever ne arer to completion In the N orth E ast and Yorkshire, Te es Valley Unlimite d is b ehind an innovative, high-te ch roa d traf c manage ment sche me.

N ext, it’s down the Midlands and E ast Anglia, where a £585 million new general hospital, Birmingham’s rst for 70 ye ars, is ke e ping B alfour B e atty busy.

The South West is home to Vranch H ouse S chool, a c entre for

Lond on Array Wind Farm..................................................................................76

Managing Director:

M arcus H owarth

Editor:

Graham S chulz

Contributors:

Lesley C oward

Production Manager: D anielle B urgoyne Advert Co-ordinator: Kelsie H owarth, Nicola O wen 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

Wales Arb e d..................................................................................................................111

Scotland Torry Q uay, A b erd e en......................................................................................117

Ireland Giant’s C ause way Visitor C entre...................................................................134

Associations E c o build 2011..................................................................................................126

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

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Le ad focus

Dignity and mobility – hot topics in the care industry Each year around 40,000 people – mostly elderly – are awarded a "disabled facilities grant" for adaptations to the home, such as handrails, ramps and stair lifts.

The e quipment allows frail eld erly p e ople and others to maintain their mobility, preventing or limiting d eterioration in their condition. S p e cialist improve ments to homes often re quire only minimal intrusion and investment, esp e cially when comp are d with extensive blanket housing proje cts such as the D e c ent H omes sche me, and yet many victims of unsuita ble homes are left waiting for the improve ments they ne e d.

Fre e dom of Information Act responses garnere d from loc al authorities by one national broa dshe et and publishe d in M ay 2010 show wid espre a d d elays in providing aids to those who se ek help.

Similar conc erns over provision of e quipment have struck the c are home industry, as many eld ers faile d by their loc al authorities find the mselves limite d to c are homes d espite their preferenc e to stay at home. B oth they and others who willingly

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take up resid enc e in c are homes pla c e mobility and dignity high on their list of priorities.

E arlier this ye ar, wid ely-re cognise d eld erly p erson Sir Micha el Parkinson publishe d a re port c alling for misconc e ptions a bout the eld erly to b e re pla c e d with a new focus on pla cing dignity at the he art of c are.

At the launch of his re port, Sir Micha el said, " B e coming N ational Dignity A mb assa dor has strengthene d my b elief that dignity in c are ne e ds to b e everybody's business".

H e said, “I gaine d first-hand exp erienc e of the N H S and c are servic es during my mother’s illness with d e mentia.

“It struck me that whilst there are some exc ellent examples of c are, where p e ople are given the dignity and resp e ct they ne e d and d eserve, much more ne e ds to b e done”.

H e said providing dignity does not ne e d to cost anything, and c an includ e “small consid erations like taking time to have a chat when you take p e ople to the loo, or using their name rather than

a generic term of end e arment”.

To coincid e with the public ation of the presenter's p a p er, former he alth se cretary Andy B urnham announc e d the launch of a new " dignity d ay of a ction" in F e bruary to promote gre ater sensitivity towards the eld erly.

H e also launche d a £50,000 Bright Id e as Grant to sup port innovative proje cts that encourage dignity in c are, although the sum involve d was cond e mne d by some as insignific ant.

What can be done?

In pra ctic al terms, whether in c are homes or in private prop erties, the smallest investment in mobility aids c an make the biggest differenc e, allowing p e ople with restricte d move ment to live with the same e ase as their neighbours.

Pa ckages including raise d toilets and rails c an b e bought and installe d for as little as £250, whilst a full house kit out of e asyturn ta p and door handles c an b e a chieve d for less than £150. It is often che a p er to ramp up to a doorste p than to install ste ps, whilst an extra hand rail p arallel to a stair b anister, d esigne d for functional value rather than d e coration, often costs much less than the original b anister itself.

These are just a few points to illustrate the che a p, yet lib erating improve ments that c an b e ma d e to a disa ble d p erson’s environment at a very low cost. N evertheless, many old er p e ople are finding the mselves ship p e d away against their will for the sake of the pric e of an a c c ess ramp or two.

O thers move to c are homes through preferenc e, whilst some have no choic e but to move to where the level of c are matches their ne e ds. C are homes are not exe mpt from criticism when it comes to maintaining the dignity of their resid ents, as Sir Micha el Parkinson’s re c ent re ports have d e monstrate d. Innovation in c are homes, to provid e the latest automate d and computerise d convenienc es, c an go far b eyond what is possible in a private home. Admitte dly, so c an the cost. B ut is dignity not worth p aying for?

manage d he ating or air conditioning syste ms and to which the eld erly are p articularly susc e ptible. In August 2002, seven me mb ers of the public die d and 180 p e ople suffere d ill he alth as a result of an outbre ak of Le gionella at a council-owne d arts and leisure fa cility in the town c entre of B arrow-in- Furness, C umbria.

A population of eld erly of infirm expose d to the same presenc e of microb es in an environment such as a c are home would b e at much gre ater risk.

To prevent exposure to the Le gionella b a cteria, the c are home op erator as a dutyhold er must comply with le gislation that re quires op erators to manage, maintain and tre at water syste ms in their pre mises prop erly. This includ es but is not limite d to a p propriate water tre atment and cle aning re gimes.

Le gionella b a cteria are wid espre a d in nature, mainly living in natural water syste ms, e g rivers and ponds. H owever, the conditions are rarely right for p e ople to c atch the dise ase from these sourc es.

O utbre aks of the illness oc cur from exposure to Le gionella growing in purpose -built syste ms where the water is maintaine d at a te mp erature high enough to encourage grow th, e.g cooling towers, eva porative cond ensers, sp a pools, and hot water syste ms use d in all sorts of pre mises (work and domestic). Most community outbre aks in the U K have b e en linke d to installations such as cooling towers, which c an spre a d droplets of water over a wid e are a. These are found as p art of air-conditioning and industrial cooling syste ms. Fatal c ases of Le gionnaire’s dise ase have also b e en associate d with sp a pool d e monstrations.

Le gionella c an grow in any work pla c e if the conditions are right - you do not have to work with microbiologic al agents, e.g in a la boratory or he alth fa cility, for exposure to oc cur. If you are responsible for any of the water syste ms d escrib e d in H S E's A p prove d C od e of Pra ctic e (A C oP) and guid anc e " Le gionnaires' dise ase: The control of le gionella b a cteria in water syste ms" (L8), you will ne e d to assess the risk of e mploye es and others in the work pla c e contra cting Le gionnaire’s dise ase.

Growing H&S Concerns The manage ment of c are homes in the U K has come und er scrutiny in re c ent ye ars, after a series of H S E insp e ctions c arrie d out a cross 2008 and 2009 reve ale d a numb er of conc erns.

From a sample of 74 insp e ctions c arrie d out in England and Wales, 65 improve ment notic es were issue d. Are as of conc ern range d from ina d e quate rails to the presenc e of Le gionella on surfa c es that are difficult to cle an, and from d angerous windows to poor asb estos manage ment. The investigation followe d a sharp incre ase in the fre quency of a c cid ents re porte d in c are homes in 2007-2008, with 4,503 injuries re porte d for e mploye es and 1049 for p atients.

Following the re port and the alarming investigation, a major polic e investigation into alle ge d c ases of ne gle ct in a numb er of c are homes in Wales prompte d H S E to write to every c are home in England, S cotland and Wales re minding them of their responsibilities und er he alth, safety and c are le gislation.

As an example of how e quipment or installations in c are homes c an b e at the root of a he alth risk, analysis of a c cid ent d ata has continue d to highlight the serious issue of injuries involving b e d rails to ‘servic e users’. For consistency, the term ‘p e ople who use c are servic es’ has b e en use d to d escrib e p atients, resid ents and any others in he alth and social c are pre mises.

B e d rails, also known as b e d sid e -rails, cot-sid es, safety sid es, and b e d guards, are use d extensively in the he alth and social c are se ctors to prote ct vulnera ble p e ople from falling out of b e d.

There are several c auses of injury involving b e d rails, the most serious b eing as a result of entra pment by the he a d or ne ck.

This may le a d to d e ath from asphyxiation. Injuries also arise from a p atient atte mpting to climb over the rails, or when a restless p erson strikes his he a d against the rails. For the p eriod A pril 2001 to M arch 2005, RID D O R statistics id entifie d at le ast 10 fatal a c cid ents and a numb er of major injury incid ents in which the use of b e d rails was implic ate d.

Another fe ar for contra ctors and c are home op erators alike is that of Le gionnaire’s dise ase, which c an b e spre a d via poorlyR O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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H erit a g e

Ensuring a bright future for the past English Heritage exists to protect and promote England’s spectacular historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood.

English H eritage is the government’s statutory a dviser on the historic environment. O fficially known as the Historic B uildings and Monuments C ommission for England, English H eritage is an exe cutive non-d e p artmental public body sponsore d by the D e p artment for C ulture, M e dia and S port (D C M S).

The powers and responsibilities of English H eritage are set out in the N ational H eritage Act (1983) and tod ay they re port to Parliament through the S e cretary of State for C ulture, M e dia and S port.

Although sponsore d by D C M S, English H eritage works with a range of government d e p artments, nota bly C LG and D efra, to help re alise the potential of the historic environment.

English H eritage is fund e d in p art by the government, and is also p art fund e d from revenue e arne d from their historic prop erties and other servic es. In 2008/09 the organisation’s public funding was worth £132.7m, and income from other sourc es was £48.1m.

English H eritage works in p artnership with c entral government d e p artments, loc al authorities, voluntary bodies and the private se ctor to conserve and enhanc e the historic environment, broa d en public a c c ess to the heritage and incre ase p e ople’s und erstanding of the p ast.

The organisation me ets these responsibilities by: a cting as a national and international champion for the heritage; giving

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grants for the conservation of historic buildings, monuments and landsc a p es; maintaining re gisters of England’s most signific ant historic buildings, monuments and landsc a p es; and a dvising on the preservation of the historic environment.

English H eritage also encourages broa d er public involve ment with the heritage, promotes heritage -relate d e duc ation and rese arch, c ares for Stonehenge and over 400 other historic prop erties on b ehalf of the nation, maintains the N ational Monuments Re cord as the public archive of the heritage and generates income for the b enefit of the historic environment.

English H eritage is currently running a five -ye ar investment programme for its prop erties. B ase d on an audit of all the organisation’s prop erties, £30m is b eing targete d at those sites with the most commercial potential, in ord er to make as many sites as possible self-financing. Proje cts range from major refurbishment and restoration works at Kenilworth C astle to relatively small but signific ant improve ments to exhibitions and interpretation, c atering and retail fa cilities.

In the construction se ctor, English H eritage has joine d forc es with C onstructionSkills to c all for conc erte d a ction a cross the construction industry, the built heritage se ctor, e duc ational esta blishments, c are ers organisations, funding bodies and government d e p artments to ta ckle the continue d shortage of heritage building skills.

English H eritage has also publishe d rese arch d e monstrating the shortage of craft skills a cross the country and a Skills Action Plan which they are now imple menting. This includ es raising the

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H erit a g e profile of voc ational training and the built heritage construction se ctor and attra cting more young p e ople to pursue c are ers within it.

The plan is also ge are d towards encouraging the use of suita bly skille d and qualifie d p e ople, and d eveloping qualific ations to ensure that tra ditional building knowle dge and skills c an b e attaine d from G C S E to M aster Craft level.

Find out more at w w w.english-heritage.org.uk

Cast Iron Welding Ltd C ast Iron Welding have thre e generations of c ast iron welding exp erienc e, which makes for a very exp erienc e d and sp e cialize d comp any. The restoration of English H eritage proje cts, prote cte d monuments, c ast Iron pillars, Tower Bridge, sluic e gates, stre et lights, roa d signs, gates and ste am locomotive components, are just a few of the comp any’s restoration products.

O ften, the original c ast iron use d on the d amage d item is manufa cture d in a gra d e not commonly in general use with tod ay’s foundries, b e c ause of this material variation, C ast Iron Welding Ltd fully analyze the p arent metal to ensure that they manufa cture the same filler material with the same che mic al analysis, there by ensuring comp atibility with the original material and ke e ping the original d etail.

Visit w w w.c astironwelding.co.uk to find out more

Meet the conservation specialists Mike and G ary Simpson, a father and son te am, run a sp e cialist conservation firm c alle d H eritage C onsolid ation from their b ase in N orthumb erland. Their sp e cialities includ e stone masonry and lime -b ase d mortars, plastering and rend er, and re c ent ye ars have se en the m take the a dmira ble and, some would say, bold d e cision to focus entirely on heritage restoration work.

The duo have done restoration work with both English H eritage and N atural England, exp erienc es which help e d the m to come to the conclusion that not only is a conservation-focuse d business

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an extre mely via ble enterprise, but also that their tra ditional skills are la cking a cross the U K . And that’s without mentioning their love for the work.

G ary told Premier C onstruction, “I just love restoring old buildings.

I love working with stone and, although the work can be difficult and re quires a lot of patience, nothing gives me more satisfaction than knowing that, thanks to our work, the buildings will still be around for the forese eable future for others to enjoy too.

G ary and Mike starte d off doing b arn conversions b efore moving in to heritage restoration. They bought Blenkinsop p C astle, which is on the H a drian’s Wall site and d ates from the 14th c entury. As the c astle is liste d, they b e c ame involve d with English H eritage, who p aid to top up their historic tra d e skills and a dvise d the m on the restoration proje ct. Mike now proudly c alls p art of the restore d c astle his home.

As G ary puts it, “ When English H eritage told us the work on Blenkinsop p ne e d e d to b e done and that we’d have to get some one in to do it, my father told the m he’d do it himself. In the end, we both sp ent 18 months on the job with funding from English H eritage, who gave us a proje ct on H a drian’s Wall just after that. That’s when we re alise d our skills were rare and that there were other offers coming in, so we b e gan doing it full time”.

Sinc e then, the p air have won awards for their work and taken on four e mploye es. Re cognising that their knowle dge could b e p asse d on to a wid er audienc e, they have b e come involve d with the H eritage Skills Initiative and conducte d training d ays, as well as re gularly visiting the S cottish Lime C entre to exchange knowhow.

G ary said, “In our business, young la ds we take on often start off with two ye ar a p prentic eships which are an id e al start but aren’t always enough. I still fe el it takes five ye ars of pra ctic e, esp e cially with lime, b efore you c an claim to b e fully confid ent.

That’s why te a ching and le arning is something we look to make the most of”.

Much of the firm’s work involves re moving c e ment pointing and re pla cing it with lime. G ary explaine d, “Pe ople are re alising that c e ment is not a material that will help the building last. It doesn’t allow moisture to esc a p e and encourages d amp, which is p articularly d amaging to sandstone and b asic ally c auses it to rot. That’s why there is plenty of work for p e ople with our skills, even if you take away restoration work”.

If you’ve visite d an historic building in the are a, you’ve more than likely se en Mike’s work. The majority of it, he says, has b e en c arrie d out the way it was always done. Ac cording to the restoration exp ert, who b e gan le arning his tra d e in 1963, “The thing a bout tra ditional skills is that my generation has no risk of b eing obsolete as new te chnology comes in. In fa ct, some of the manuals that S cottish Lime uses are almost id entic al to ones from the 1950s that I re me mb er using. It d efinitely helps to a d d in a lot of the new qualific ations and knowle dge that G ary has, though!”

Case study – Shittleheugh Bastle Shittleheugh B astle is one of several ancient fortifie d farms around the bord er b etwe en S cotland and England. The word

‘b astle’ is thought to have d esc end e d from the French word ‘b astille’, me aning ‘fortifie d c astle’ or ‘fortress’.

Shittleheugh B astle and its like serve d to prote ct the interests of farmers in the re gion from crossbord er raiding p arties. M any still stand and, like Shittleheugh, many have fallen into ruin.

G ary and Mike’s work at Shittleheugh involve d prote ction and maintenanc e of the re maining structure, which was re -pointe d and gallette d using 3.5N HL lime mortar. Sinc e work was c arrie d out during one of the cold est re cord e d winters, the structure ha d to b e covere d with hessian she eting (a ‘sock’, as G ary c alls it) to ke e p the worst of the chill off while the lime cure d.

Work also includ e d re -b e d ding loose stone. G ary says, “Some of the stones are huge – as big as a fridge fre e zer and weighing tonnes – and the photos don’t always get that a cross. The re maining walls are also thre e sc affold lifts high as well, so it’s a bigger job than you’d imagine.

“In ke e ping with the conservation asp e ct of the work, everything was done very c arefully. For example, the work sche dule was ma d e to fit the bre e ding cycle of b ats in the are a and we alternate d our route up to the b astle to avoid sc arring the moor with p athways”.

The b astle, which was previously on the ‘at risk’ re gister with English H eritage, has now b e en safe guard e d for the forese e a ble future.

Find out more a bout G ary and Mike at w w w.heritage consolid ation. co.uk and visit w w w.english-heritage.org.uk to find out a bout dozens more suc c essful conservation proje cts R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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H erit a g e

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 re p aire d with ina p propriate materials and poor skills. M any are the subje ct of interventions that in time le a d to their total loss. O thers are simply change d out of all re cognition.

In most c ases, the mortar use d for re p airs, restoration or conservation contains c e ment. In these buildings, the use of c e ment mortars promote cond ensation build up, salt re a ctions and, generally, drastic ally affe cts the long term survival of the building.

St. Astier natural hydraulic lime mortars provid e a valid alternative to c e ment mortars or c e ment/lime mixes and, if a p plie d prop erly, they will have a much longer life. Environmentally, they offer far gre ater efficiency than c e menticious mortars by re -a bsorbing C O 2 and not compromising the re cycla bility of the building materials.

We work with what we c all the ‘ten commandments’ when judging the suita bility of mortar: • C omp atibility • Low c a pillarity and shrinkage • Ad e quate C a(O H)2 or fre e lime content • Resistanc e to frost • Resistanc e to salts • Va pour p erme a bility (bre atha bility) & good sands • E arly setting, good elasticity/worka bility/re -worka bility • Suita ble compressive and bonding strength • Environmental consid erations • C orre ct working and site pra ctic e

Rule 1: Compatibility We prefer to look at comp atible mortars rather than like for like.

The re ason for this is that tod ay in most c ases, it is not possible to re produc e exa ctly the mortars of the p ast.

The bind ers are different; the sands might not b e the same. In the E U, a lot of sand pits have close d and some of the historic pits no longer exist. C omp atibility should b e both che mic al and me chanic al..

Mortars introduc e d into existing structures must not re a ct che mic ally with existing mortars and surrounding masonry by introducing soluble salts such as sulphate (gypsum) or aluminates c ausing sulphate atta ck; or alkalis (potassium and sodium) c ausing a re a ction with the sand (alkali-silic a re a ction).

In me chanic al terms, mortars should not b e too d ense to imp e d e bre atha bility or have poor elasticity resulting in cra cks that will allow water/moisture p enetration.

Rule 2: Look for low capillarity and shrinkage These are both prop erties affe cting the dura bility of the mortar.

High c a pillarity allows moisture p enetration and, if a mortar has poor bre atha bility (such as c e menticious mortars), there will b e cond ensation and associate d proble ms.

The main c auses of high c a pillarity are poor sands and void structure and high quantity of fre e lime in the bind er. Fre e lime crystallises in the voids, re ducing their size and therefore incre asing their c a pillary a ction.

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Poor building d etails and drainage incre ases the amount of water in touch with the masonry which c an b e a bsorb e d by c a pillary a ction.

High shrinkage is also a sourc e of cra cking and it is to b e avoid e d.

Shrinkage is c ause d by: Ina d e quate suction control of the masonry units. If suction is not controlle d by a d e quate wetting or d amp ening of the masonry, water in the mortar will b e sucke d into the masonry. The mortar is therefore d e prive d of the water ne c essary for hydration and the mortar b e comes fria ble as its matrix has not forme d prop erly.

High fre e lime content. This is b e c ause fre e lime is very fine and d e mands more water at the moment of mixing the mortar.

The eva poration of this water le aves micro cra cks in the mortar (shrinkage).

Wrong dosage in the mortar mix. C ommonly oc curring when too much bind er is use d. O ver-binding produc es a he ave effe ct, c ausing cra cks.

Poor mixing of the mortar c an c ause over-binding in c ertain are as and low binding in other with cra cks as a result.

Poor prote ction from drying wind, dire ct sun, driving rain and frost when the mortar is still fresh will also c ause cra cking and shrinkage. So will poor curing: mortars, esp e cially lime mortars, ne e d time to cure. So, d e p ending on the we ather conditions, mortar ne e ds to b e d amp ene d for few d ays in warm we ather or in the presenc e of drying wind.

In cold rainy we ather and when frost is exp e cte d, fresh mortars have to b e covere d to prevent d amage. This is normally done with hessian she eting.

Rule 3: Adequate Ca(OH)2 or free lime content Fre e lime, high c alcium lime, availa ble lime, air lime, hydrate d lime, portlandite, fat lime and slake d lime are b asic ally all the same and consist of c alcium hydroxid e - C a(O H)2.

The tra d e uses all these d enominations and sometimes p e ople do not know that they all refer to the same ele ment. They are classifie d in B S/ E N 459 Stand ard as C L (c alcium limes) and are differentiate d by the p erc entage of C a(O H)2 content.

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H erit a g e Fre e lime makes mortars more worka ble and this is like d by the mason. H owever, fre e lime affe cts a numb er of important prop erties in mortars such as: S etting and hard ening time: an e arly set and a relatively quick hard ening are important to b e a ble to build with some sp e e d.

Initial setting of a hydraulic mortar is within one or two hours; the final set is within 24 hours. The final set d etermines the moment when the mortar c annot b e re -worke d.

H ard ening takes longer. It is the time that the c alcium silic ates and other hydraulic components in a mortar take to b e come insoluble. In the Europ e an norms, both prop erties are taken into consid eration and the d efinition of N HL 2, N HL 3.5 and N HL 5 is b ase d on the hard ene d strength at 28 d ays expresse d in N ew ton p er mm2.

Fre e lime is not hydraulic and ne e ds conta ct with air to re a bsorb C O 2 and re constitute itself to C a C O 3 or limestone. This proc ess c alle d c arbonation may take a very long time. D amp environment, rain, and the loc ation of the mortar (exposure to air) contribute to slowing and in some c ases even stop ping c arbonation. The result is that the mortar does not hard en.

Fre e lime will dissolve in water at a ratio of 1 to 6 and this is the re ason why le a ching oc curs. Le a ching not only is an unwante d visual effe ct but also d e prives the mortar of some of the bind er with the result that you have a different mortar in the structure from the one sp e cifie d.

Fre e lime, b e c ause of its fineness, incre ases water d e mand in the mortar. This is one of the c auses of shrinkage, as alre a dy discusse d.

It also incre ases c a pillarity by crystallising in the voids, re ducing bre atha bility.

The re duction of the void size affe cts also the frost resistanc e, as we will shortly se e.

High fre e lime mortars such as 1:1:6 and 1:2:9 mixes or hydrate d (powd er or putty) lime mortars might not b e as suita ble as they are sup pose d to b e. C areful judge ment has to b e ma d e in

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Stowe School relation to their use. This also a p plies to lime mortars ma d e with hydraulic lime with very high fre e lime content now b eing sold in the U K market.

Rule 4: Resistance to frost The re duction in void size - by fre e lime crystallisation or a poor void structure c ause d by poor sands and the slow c arbonation of fre e lime - makes the mortar more susc e ptible to frost d amage.

Frost starts always from the surfa c e and goes inward. Frozen water p articles in the surfa c e voids push the water in the voids b ehind further in and so on. If there is a good void structure a c commod ating the water move ment, this proc ess will not generate a pressure and the mortar will resist frost.

The size of the voids is also important: ic e has a volume of 8% gre ater than water so it will exercise pressure if the voids c annot contain more that the water they alre a dy contain. This is the c ase in saturate d mortars where the water a bsorb e d during rain b efore frost oc curs is oc cupying all the voids.

H ard ene d mortars with a good void structure will resist frost.

St. Astier N HL Mortars have b e en suc c essfully use d in are as of extre me cold such as C ana d a, Alaska, N orway, Finland, D enmark and wet/cold are as as p art of Ireland and U K .

The b asic principle is to avoid saturation of the mortar when still

fresh, so prote ction at this stage is of extre me importanc e.

Rule 5: Resistance to salts The same mortar will also resist the outward migration of salts containe d in the masonry. A ma cro void structure in the mortar will a c commod ate the pressure exercise d by salts when moving or crystallising.

When structures contain salts, it is almost impossible to control the m if they b e come unsta ble. Their b ehaviour is linke d to the relative humidity which is typic al to e a ch salt. A lower R H will c ause crystallisation; a higher R H will c ause the salt to go into a solution and migrate.

If the void sp a c e is sufficient, these phenomena will not c ause a d amaging pressure. If crystallisation oc curs, they stay in the wall and if there is no sp a c e in the voids the pressure c an b e gre at enough to cra ck the mortar. If they go into solution, they will eventually come out and c an b e cle ane d off the wall.

Lime is hygroscopic: it attra cts water and by doing so a new lime mortar use d for re -pointing or rend ering might attra ct moisture containe d in the structure and therefore change the R H of the wall in which the salts are containe d, c ausing their move ment.

So a high fre e lime mortar will a bsorb salts. This is fine if we are using a lime mortar to diminish the salts content in the wall. O nc e the lime mortar is saturate d with salts, it c an b e re move d and the salts with it. It is not so good if we wish to ke e p the mortar. In this c ase, a N HL mortar with less fre e lime and a good void structure will obtain the re quire d result.

The same typ e of mortar will not suffer from salts ingress promote d by external agents such as is common in marine environments.

The re -pointing of the harbour wall in 2000 at Atlantic C olle ge in Wales is still in p erfe ct condition 10 ye ars later. The mortar is an N HL 5 with very coarse sharp sand (picture d).

Rule 6: Vapour permeability (breathability) and good sands A bre atha ble mortar is essential in the control of cond ensation.

N o d amp; no rot; a much b etter living environment.

It also helps in consuming less energy in he ating. If a room is d amp, a lot of the he ating will go in drying out the d amp b efore he ating the room.

H ard ene d mortars with good bre atha bility will dry faster than d ense mortar. S aturation of the mortar is well re duc e d and so is the risk of frost d amage. St. Astier N HL mortars if comp are d to c e ment/lime mortars have a b etter bre atha bility by 200% .

The two main fa ctors in a chieving good bre atha bility are: A relatively low fre e lime content in the bind er to avoid too much crystallisation in the mortar voids and the use of well gra d e d sands in the mortar.

The choic e of good well gra d e d sand is of p aramount importanc e in obtaining a bre atha ble mortar.

Rule 7: Good setting, elasticity and workability S etting and hard ening d etermine the work rate. They are also relate d to the mortar dosage, the water a d dition and the we ather conditions during exe cution of the work. Prote ction and curing methods are dire ctly conne cte d with setting, hard ening and curing mortars.

Therefore, it is important to have a good id e a of the setting and hard ening prop erties of mortar to b e a ble to d etermine whether it will b e suita ble for the work, what p articular pre c autions to use and for how long.

Elasticity d etermines the amounts of move ment that the mortar will take b efore cra cking. It is also relevant in c alculating the positioning of joints. A good elasticity will help in a c c e pting thermal move ments.

Worka bility of a mortar is in many c ases left to the mason exe cuting the work and, almost invaria bly, this results in exc essive water a d dition to obtain the “plasticity” that masons like. This is wrong as too much (or too little) water c an have serious effe cts on setting time, shrinkage, c a pillarity and so on.

Information on the corre ct water a d dition should b e given to

the mason and sup ervisors should che ck that the instructions are followe d.

Rule 8: Suitable compressive and bonding strength It is no good to look just at quick setting and hard ening. A very hard mortar, esp e cially when ma d e with c e ment, is not the solution to all re quire ments.

Q uick setting and strong hard ening have b e come synonymous with “a good mortar” sinc e the a dvent of c e ment but in restoration and conservation, setting and hard ening should b e only p art of the evaluation to b e ma d e on the most suita ble mortar for the job.

O f course we ne e d setting and hard ening, esp e cially in a dverse climatic conditions and se asonal work. B ut this should never b e to the exclusion of all other consid erations ma d e up to now such as comp atibility, bre atha bility, elasticity and so on.

In restoration and conservation, St. Astier N HL mortars comply with all re quire ments.

They set and hard en faster and stronger than lime putty or hydrate d lime without the use of poz zolans ( a “d e ar” word to many but essentially a poorly known subje ct, op en to unc ertain results) or c e ment.

M any produc ers state that their product contains “poz zolanic” a d ditions. This is in most c ases c e ment. Just ask the question a bout re -working the mortar within 24 hours. If the answer is no, the mortar most likely has a c e ment content.

The comp atibility and other prop erties of N HL mortars ensure that p erformanc e and dura bility are a chieve d without the use of c e ment. They re present a logic al and natural choic e in the restoration and preservation of our built heritage.

Rule 9: Consider the environment Lime mortars re -a bsorb C O 2. St, Astier N HL mortars will re a bsorb b etwe en 38% and 49% of the C O 2 e mitte d in production.

N HL mortars are also non toxic and, onc e hard ene d, they will not incre ase the water p H. C e menticious mortars c an contain chromium VI (dire ctly relate d to skin allergies) and, d e p ending on the typ e of c e ment use d, components like pulverise d fly ash (P FA), granulate d ground blast furna c e slag (G G B S) and others that contain a numb er of d angerous ele ments such as he avy metals and many other toxic ele ments.

N HL mortars will also b e e asily re move d from masonry units, allowing the m to b e re -cycle d.

The bre atha bility of St. Astier N HL mortars eliminates cond ensation and contributes to a b etter living environment for p e ople with bre athing difficulties (asthma, for example).

Rule 10: Correct working and site practice G ood materials c an b e come useless if the corre ct site pra ctic es are not followe d. G ood workmanship and sup ervision are essential.

If mortars are not dose d or mixe d prop erly, if they are not cure d and prote cte d corre ctly, if they are a p plie d b a dly, if the a p plic ation surfa c es are not prop erly pre p are d, if suction is not controlle d, if salt move ments are not taken into consid eration and so on, the result will b e a failure.

Archite cts, engine ers – sp e cifiers in general – should work with the contra ctor to ensure that he has the ne c essary comprehension and skills to a p ply the mortars and follow the ne c essary site pra ctic e.

Ii is, however, the responsibility of the mortar manufa cturer to give sp e cifiers all the information they re quire for the evaluation of the mortar to b e a dopte d. St. Astier Limes not only provid e this information but also, when re quire d, the te chnic al staff a ctively work with the sp e cifier giving te chnic al a dvic e to esta blish the most a p propriate mortar for the propose d intervention.

For more information, clarific ation or for any query ple ase conta ct: te chnic al@stastier.co.uk Or ugo.sp ano@btinternet.com R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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H erit a g e

The Limes, They Are A'Changing

By David Casey of Traditional Plaster Finishes Part 2 – History Repeats Itself One of the things that have challenged The Historic Building Company over the years has been the rebuilding of wattle and daub walls and applying a relatively thin coat of lime plaster. I believe we have responded well to this challenge, sampling and adjusting quantities of hair and putty in an attempt to replicate what we find.

Although we may not have matched what we have found, we have achieved good results. As it turns out, though, someone else was doing more.

O ut in the wilds of E ast Anglia, in the far away village of B elchamps Walter, (for ge ogra phic al referenc e look for Sud bury, and mayb e visit G ainsborough’s house), there lives a comp any by the name of Anglia Lime. H aving colle cte d and analyse d various samples of plaster d ating from the pre -Victorian thre e coat re cip e, they have produc e d a plaster which they are ple ase d to c all 'H aire d C halk'. It is, as the name suggests, hairy and chalk y!

It is also the closest mod ern e quivalent of me dieval plaster of which I know. I have to say that when first I saw it I thought it looke d like wood chip (it ha d not at that point b e en trowelle d in).

I also thought that the id e a of putting one thick coat of plaster over wood en laths was tantamount to professional suicid e.

The only other one coat work I ha d come a cross a referenc e to ha d b e en from S cottish Lime, and therefore presuma bly largely for use on stone buildings. When I a dvanc e d this opinion to M artin Brown from Anglia Lime, he looke d disguste d and claime d that he was going to stop working with plasterers. N onetheless,

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prejudic es asid e, we continue d our discussions, and finally the time c ame that I trie d the product. This is where my own p ersonal time sp ent on the study of me dieval and Victorian archite cture in p articular has come into effe ct: the more d etaile d and informe d insp e ctions which have b e en a p plie d to our proje cts, and the very nature and scop e of our changing restorations, has incline d me towards 'H aire d C halk'.

I have se e n work c arrie d out by other p e o ple where there have o bviously b e e n issue s, but the se se e m to have b e e n linke d to the re moval of hair from the pro duct, the a d dition of s and to the pro duct, or the unwillingne ss to a p ply thic k c o ats over laths. It is an imm e nsely flexible pla ster, which is an o bvious a dvanta g e whe n use d on a tim b er fra m e d building, e a sy to a p ply, and relatively e a sy to m a ke goo d should the ne e d arise.

C ould it b e the c ase, then, that a plasterwork pinna cle was attaine d and a b andone d b efore the 1800's? C an we blame ma d King G e orge for it? Well, as usual I think the answer is both yes and no (although possibly not the King G e orge postulation). I b elieve that there are proje cts which b enefit immensely from the use of the haire d chalk mixture; also that there are proje cts where a thre e coat finish is a p propriate and attra ctive. There are also proje cts, such as straw b ale work, where haire d chalk is wholly ina p propriate. H owever, let us not forget nor fail to praise the 'poor relation' of the tra ditional plaster family; clay.

This humble resourc e, re a dily availa ble, e minently sustaina ble, and use d world wid e for verna cular building d eserves to have its praises sung. N ext month, I will discuss issues and situations relate d to e arth as a building material.

D etails of b espoke training op portunities c an b e found at w w w. thehistoric buildingcomp any.co.uk

The IfA Annual Conference and Training Event 2011 University of Reading, 13 - 15 April 2011 Understanding Significance: the key to assessing, managing and explaining the historic environment The Institute for Archaeologists (IFA) annual conference has become established as the premier archaeological conference in the UK, attracting over 400 participants each year. With its combination of keynote addresses, wide-ranging sessions, workshops, displays, poster sessions and other events, it is a vital forum for discussing topical professional issues, as well as providing updates on current research.

This ye ar the conferenc e returns to Re a ding – the IfA’s home town, to explore the the me of ‘Und erstanding Signific anc e’. O ver the thre e d ays from 13-15 A pril, d ele gates c an attend a stre am of topic al le ctures up d ating the m on current issues, policy and b est pra ctic e, and new te chniques and d evelopments in the profession. All will focus on und erstanding signific anc e as the key to assessing, managing and explaining the historic environment.

Pra ctic al training workshops to d evelop skills and und erstanding in a range of subje cts and new te chniques will run in p arallel over the course of the conferenc e. B oth the le ctures and workshops will provid e essential C PD op portunities for all pra ctitioners in the se ctor.

This ye ar’s the me ste ms from the re c ent public ation of Planning Policy State ment 5: Planning for the Historic Environment, which pla c es the signific anc e of an asset at the he art of policy to

promote and prote ct our heritage. What the IfA conferenc e will consid er are not only the ste ps for d etermining and re cording signific anc e but also how to further und erstanding among wid er audienc es in ord er to ma ximise public b enefits.

Although PPS5 may b e incorporate d into a new overarching N ational Planning Policy State ment, the government has

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• • •

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indic ate d to the IfA that it is working hard to ensure that the principles of PPS5 are retaine d. It is therefore vital for all those working in the historic and built environments to get to grips with d eveloping an und erstanding of the signific anc e of a heritage asset.

Ind e e d, this ye ar’s conferenc e will se e the ground bre aking launch of a re port by the Southport Group (a working group of historic environment professionals, p artnere d by English H eritage) that will outline re commend ations for a framework of guid anc e and other products that could help to re alise the aspirations of PPS5.

rocks, ge ophysic al anomalies and shifting sands? - Paul Sharman, Orkney Rese arch C entre for Archa e ology and C aroline Wickham-Jones, University of A b erd e en Essential writing skills for archa e ologists - Alison Taylor, Institute for Archa e ologists S elf e mployment and business start-ups - Tariq Mian, Towergate Risk Solutions Aren’t we all in this together? The importanc e of p artnership working - Susan C asey, R C A H M S and Jeff S and ers, Society of Antiquaries of S cotland Assessing signific anc e for planning a p plic ations: pre p aring PPS5 - compliant re ports for loc al authorities - Dunc an M c C allum, English H eritage and S andy Kid d, B uckinghamshire C ounty C ouncil N ew rese arch possibilities for old finds - Andrew Jones, IfA Finds Group and Ian Panter, Princip al C onservator, York Archa e ologic al Trust Training: promoting b est pra ctic e - Archa e ology Training Forum Wid ening the audienc e for community archa e ology: the signific anc e of PPS5 - Austin Ainsworth Highlights in British archa e ology - D avid Jennings, O xford Archa e ology Visualisation in archa e ology - G arry Gib bons

How to book For further information a bout how to book, d etails a bout the sessions and workshops, and a d etaile d timeta ble for the event c an b e found at the IfA we bsite at w w w.archa e ologists.net/ conferenc es.

Discounts on bookings a p ply until 21 M arch 2011.

Who should attend?

This event provid es an exc ellent C PD op portunity for anyone op erating within the historic environment. The sessions and workshops are relevant to pra ctitioners at all c are er stages from entry level professionals wishing to le arn essential skills and d evelop their knowle dge of up -to-d ate policy and pra ctic e to those who alre a dy have a suc c essful c are er and are looking to up d ate their knowle dge and enhanc e their skills. Those with a ke en interest in the historic environment who want to he ar a bout the latest discoveries and p artnership working b etwe en the profession and the voluntary se ctor would also find the C onferenc e b eneficial.

S essions and workshops will includ e: • C PD logs, PD Ps and training plans - K ate G e ary, Institute for Archa e ologists and Kenneth Aitchison, L and ward Rese arch Ltd • C hara cterisation - where next? - Emma H ancox and Ad am Mindykowski, Worc estershire C ounty C ouncil • Southport Group: towards a revitalisation of professional pra ctic e - Taryn Nixon, Museum of London Archa e ology and C hair of the Southport Group • Assessing the signific anc e of iron obje cts and production re mains - Evelyne G odfrey • The planning jigsaw: how does it all fit together? - Tim H oward, Institute for Archa e ologists • Und erstanding and prote ction: the a p plic ation of signific anc e in the Historic Environment and the N ational H eritage Prote ction Plan - Paul Stamp er, E dmund Le e and C harlotte Winter, English H eritage • Assessing signific anc e und erwater: just piles of old R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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H erit a g e

Winter working with lime mortars: yes we can!

Stuart Johnston of Masons Mortar shares his winter tips With the exp erienc e of two bitterly cold and prolonge d winter se asons still fresh in our minds, the importanc e of pre p aration, a p propriate material sele ction and good site pra ctic e both in a p plic ation and after-c are is p aramount. In the majority of c ases, b est conservation pra ctic e suggests that the lime se ason is from A pril to S e pte mb er; the re ality, however, is somewhat different.

C onservation is not all a bout grant-aid e d or liste d consent proje cts, gre at houses and c astles or nationally important buildings. It is also a bout the verna cular cottages, the artisan d wellings and the vast array of tra ditional solid-wall masonry buildings that a c count for 35% of all the building stock in the U K .

The U K has the largest proportion of building stock pre -d ating 1900 of any d evelop e d western e conomy and construction a c counts for 10% of our G D P. Funding for conservation work is often grant aid e d, but in re ality it a c counts for a small p erc entage of the overall market for conservation, restoration and re p air. The re al market – the volume market – is every bit as important. It is in resp e ct of this market that winter working is not only a re ality but a re quire ment.

It is simply not possible for contra ctors to down tools from O ctob er through to M arch e a ch ye ar and it is also not ne c essary.

Were you aware that the incid enc e of air frosts b e gins in O ctob er and continues through to A pril? That’s 7 months out of 12 in which there is a risk of fa cing a night of fre e zing conditions.

So, unless you are pre p are d to consid er a 5 month working ye ar, winter working is the re ality in the U K .

So we have esta blishe d that fre e zing conditions are a risk on a d ay to d ay b asis for a large proportion of the working ye ar, yet the risk of frost or fre e ze thaw d amage for a lime mortar, pointing, rend er or re p air starts far e arlier.

C uring of slow setting and hard ening lime mortar is essential if they are to a chieve anything like their exp e cte d p erformanc e chara cteristics. ‘Performanc e chara cteristics’ does not sound much like conservation sp e ak, however it is a bout time that the p erformanc e of materials was tre ate d more seriously. Ultimately, anyone charging some one for re p airing their building or for sp e cifying re p air materials for a proje ct has an obligation to do so in a professional manner, and if you don’t know the p erformanc e chara cteristics of the materials you are working with, you should not b e selling yourself in the marketpla c e as a professional.

L ast ye ar, the cost of winter working or la ck of it me ant, at the very le ast, a total of almost thre e months of down time for contra ctors who did not have alternative work indoors or who ha d not planne d a d e quately for the onset of winter.

Scaffolding The starting point for effe ctive winter working is sc affolding, it must b e fit for purpose: not put up by the sc affold contra ctor without dire ction, but ere cte d so that the sc affolding is suita ble for your re quire ments and, as we alre a dy know, that me ans for winter working. Just as you would make provision for we aring a rain coat or thick ja cket if the we ather were b a d, you should plan

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the sc affold so you c an slip a coat or hat over it if you ne e d to.

Re me mb er, if something is not wet it c annot fre e ze.

Take advantage of the low winter sun!

What is the differenc e b etwe en ground frost and air frost? When the land he ats up, it cools more slowly than the air, so when it’s fre e zing in the air it may not get to the ground b e c ause the ground has a reservoir of he at. The same thing ha p p ens to a wall. If it is he ate d up and there is he ating on insid e, a d e c ent insulate d cover c an do wond ers by saving borrowe d he at.

Don’t und erestimate the thermal gain on a wall in full winter sun.

Inste a d, use it to your a dvantage. Low winter sun c an make a wall 30°C warmer that the air te mp erature. The sun c an he at the surfa c e of a wall up ra pidly; an ambient air te mp erature of –5°C is far too cold to work with any mortar, but the wall surfa c e as a result of thermal gain may re a ch 25°C – the same differenc e as that b etwe en an air frost and a ground frost.

Cover up M ake sure your sand is prop erly covere d. Use warm water in a mix or, b etter still, use a small fan he ater on the sand pile to warm it up and you could e asily have a mortar te mp erature of 15 – 20°C . Work logic ally, top down, and cover work as you proc e e d. B e pre p are d to provid e low level b a ckground he ating in the sc affold enclosure and you will b e far less likely to lose working time or any of the mortar. It’s a fa ct that cities are on average 4°C warmer than rural are as. Domestic he ating in a solid wall house ke e ps the wall te mp erature higher. The cold er it is outsid e, usually the higher the he ating is turne d up insid e. Try taking the wall te mp erature. And b a ckground he ating? You don’t ne e d living room te mp eratures, just 3-5°C .

Air entrainment, water retainer and water proofers all re duc e frost d amage risk. Water exp ands by 9% when it fre e zes. If the fresh mortar has 15% air content, the fre e zing water will have sp a c e to exp and into. Water retainers ke e p the air bub bles in pla c e until the mortar sets, limiting the amount of water a mortar c an a bsorb. If it’s not wet, it c an’t fre e ze!

Expert solutions M asons Mortar Ltd provid e a wid e range of pre -mixe d, dry, b agge d lime mortars with a d ditions that enhanc e mortar p erformanc e, esp e cially for winter working. O ur mortar a d ditions are proportione d with gre at a c cura cy: to within 100th of a gram in a b ag of mortar. They have b e en trie d and teste d over many ye ars and, use d in conjunction with good working pra ctic e, have resulte d in many of our customers working virtually without a d ay’s down-time and without having to go b a ck and do work again. O ur mortars c an b e d elivere d U K-wid e and ke e p you and your business working all ye ar round.

We c an sup port you every ste p of the way, from a simple te chnic al question over the phone right through to site b ase d consultancy and te chnic al sp e cific ation. We offer a d e dic ate d te chnic al servic e via e -mail at te chnic al@masonsmortar.co.uk

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N orth West

Big build up to major new theme park at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool One of the UK’s most exciting amusement park developments ever is underway at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, one of the UK’s favorite tourist attractions.

In the biggest single proje ct ever c arrie d out at the Ple asure B e a ch, a six a cre are a to b e come a Nickelod e on L and the me d attra ction is b eing d evelop e d and will b e A meric an- b ase d Nickelod e on brand’s first foray into the U K in p artnership with Ple asure B e a ch Bla ck pool.

In a d dition to 14 family rid es and attra ctions, a Nickelod e on store, fun game stalls, and a huge new restaurant, Nickelod e on L and will b e home to a whole host of famous Nickelod e on chara cters.

Numerous contra ctors are now busy pre p aring the site for the new attra ctions. The d evelopment is b eing c arrie d out on the former B e aver Cre ek children’s amuse ment p ark are a. The site was initially cle are d and levelle d, with the works b eing c arrie d out

by JR D e molition and involving signific ant d e molition of former buildings including the M agic Mountain, the D ark Rid e, Old M ary’s H ouse, the C andy Floss H ouse amuse ment arc a d e and a c afe. C anopy covers which were p art of the former Fairy Whip have also b e en d e molishe d, as has the Lunar C arousel, and the ground floor of the S p a c e inva d er C afe has b e en strip p e d out.

O ne rid e, however has b e en retaine d - the p ark’s famous Zip p er Dip p er - the only tra ditional roller coaster in the world, which we b e re -the me d in line with the new brand.

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C urrently, thre e lakes are b eing constructe d for thre e new water attra ctions and the found ations and servic es are b eing installe d for all the other new rid es. In a d dition, Arc C onstruction are fitting out the ground floor of the former S p a c e Inva d er C afe as a new Big Piz z a Kitchen with room for 300 diners, along with two outdoor terra c es making it one of Bla ck pool’s biggest restaurants.

O ther works includ e the construction of a stage to host p erformanc es by all the Nickelod e on chara cters; the construction of a new shop which will sell Nickelod e on merchandise and the laying of p atterne d p aving in the are as b etwe en the new rid es.

N ew water rid es b eing cre ate d includ e S ponge B ob’s S plash B ash; a new twirling rid e which will b e the worlds first of its typ e se ating 54 rid ers; The Rugrats Lost River flume rid e; and Dora’s World Voyage boat rid e including a French harbour, a Russian p ala c e, a Tanz anian village and even the Gre at Wall of C hina.

O ther rid es includ e the The Avatar Airb end er, which spins and soars through the air on a giant rotating disk se ating 40 rid ers along a giant curve d tra ck; the Nickelod e on Stre ak, classic wood en rollercoaster incorporating 60 ft drops which will stre ak along the p erimeter of Nickelod e on L and; Die go’s Rainforest Rescue, a revolving hot air b alloon rid e; the Fairy World Ta xi S pin circuit rid e; the Crusty Cra b bouncing rid e and the B a ck yardigans Pirate Tre asure tra ck rid e.

A mand a Thompson, managing dire ctor of Ple asure B e a ch, Bla ck pool, said, “ We are d elighte d to welcome Nickelod e on to Ple asure B e a ch. B oth of our brands re present fantastic family fun and our £10.3 million investment in Nickelod e on L and will combine Ple asure B e a ch’s re putation for ama zing rid es and attra ctions with Nickelod e on’s favourite fun chara cters to produc e a wond erful attra ction, which will wow visitors to the p ark”.

Tina M c C ann, managing dire ctor of Nickelod e on U K , says, “ We’re d elighte d to b e taking Nickelod e on and its much love d chara cters to Ple asure B e a ch Bla ck pool, one of the U K’s favourite tourist attra ctions and a re al national tre asure!

B oth Ple asure B e a ch and Nick have fantastic tra ck re cords in d elivering the very b est entertainment exp erienc es for all the family. Nickelod e on L and is an extre mely exciting ste p for us”.

The works are progressing well d espite a dverse we ather and the proje ct is sche dule d to b e complete d in A pril 2011.

The new attra ction will join Nickelod e on Universe in Minne a polis’ M all of A meric a; Nick C entral at Dre amworld Australia; and Nickland at Movie Park G ermany, together with the Nickelod e on attra ctions at the Universal Studios the me p arks in Orlando, Florid a and H olly wood, C alifornia.

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N orth West

Fylde Coast Multi-Area Agreement kick starts Blackpool regeneration A wave of projects designed to bring Blackpool up to date and restore its status as Britain’s favourite seaside resort is under way. Investment in the Lancashire town follows the establishment of the Fylde Coast Multi-Area Agreement in October 2009.

C ouncillor Russell Forsyth, le a d er of Wyre B orough C ouncil, said, “ We have re cognise d that we c an work smarter together and as p artners c an punch a bove our weight to convinc e c entral government that c ertain sche mes are re quire d for a more via ble Fyld e C oast”.

Tram works In line with commitments to improving transport, current works in Bla ck pool includ e a brand new tram d e pot at Starr G ate and an upgra d e to existing lines, b eing c arrie d out by Volker Fitzp atrick and B A M resp e ctively.

“The resort has ha d a love affair with trams sinc e 1885 and this will ena ble us to move forward into the 21st c entury with an ultra mod ern fle et” said councillor M a xine C allow, Bla ck pool C ouncil’s c a binet me mb er for tourism and re generation.

The Starr G ate site was chosen b e c ause of its proximity to the existing tra ck and b e c ause all the land is alre a dy owne d by the council.

Archite cts have d esigne d the d e pot with a glass frontage and wave -effe ct roof and walls with the latter to includ e an illuminate d fe ature. Fa cilities will includ e maintenanc e pits and sp a c e to store 20 trams overnight, although only 16 of the new mod els will b e p art of initial procure ment.

Paul Grocott, programme manager for the tramway upgra d e, said, “Starr G ate is at one of the entranc es to the town and if we d esign a building that looks like it b elongs to a 21st c entury tramway, then I think it will re ally c ele brate the tramway and p e ople will se e what they are getting for their money”.

H e a d d e d, “The new trams will b e completely different to the old ones: they are wid er and will b e maintaine d in a different way. As we are going to ke e p heritage trams, we ne e d to ke e p the e quipment for maintaining the m so we c an’t d e molish the old d e pot”.

Coastal defence works M ain contra ctor Birse is responsible for the ongoing works to strengthen d efenc es along the re gion’s coast. Re c ent works around Bla ck pool’s N orth Pier tie in not only with similar coastal d efenc e proje cts at Cleveleys and Wyre, but also with plans to op en up Bla ck pool’s narrow se a front to make room for leisure and events.

Other works Elsewhere in Bla ck pool, a new cutting-e dge, low c arbon e mission building, with p anoramic views of the b e a ch and se a, is b eing built und er the sup ervision of Re Bla ck pool. The landmark fa cility will b e use d from e arly 2011 as a L as Ve gasstyle we d ding venue and will also b e home to a b e a ch c afé and

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a tourist information c entre.

Loc ate d on the Tower F estival H e a dland, a £14.3 million d evelopment close to N orth Pier, the building will provid e a foc al point for visitors, alongsid e neighbouring public artworks and entertainment sp a c es.

Doug G arrett, chief exe cutive of Re Bla ck pool, said, “M any marriages will have starte d with a holid ay romanc e in Bla ck pool so we’re continuing that tra dition in a very mod ern setting. The innovative building d esign will b e a stunning a d dition to the landsc a p e and construction has b e en planne d to re duc e c arbon e missions, so we’re bringing more fun to Bla ck pool responsibly”.

D esigne d by dRM M Archite cts, the building uses cross laminate d timb er as a dura ble, high strength alternative to ste el.

With many of the timb er ele ments b eing prefa bric ate d, it has b e en possible for joiners to asse mble the core of the building within a short sp a c e of time.

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).

Resid ents at Moss Gre en Close (formerly known as Huyton Close) in Huyton ha d something to c ele brate after their lives were transforme d following the construction of 25 new, safe and energy efficient homes in a proje ct by Crud en C onstruction.

The layout of the d evelopment comprises a cul d e sa c with two wings - one of which is completely surround e d with houses, while the other is op en end e d to fa cilitate a future se cond phase of d evelopment.

Crud en C onstruction e arne d praise for their p erformanc e on the sche me from Angela E d wards of K nowsley H ousing Trust, who said, “ Crud en C onstruction were gre at, they worke d well with us, esp e cially with re gard to resid ent liaison, d e aling promptly with any proble ms. They also e mploye d four loc al p e ople as a p prentic es and complete d the proje ct with cost savings”.

Another £3.4 million proje ct at The G ate, on Princ ess Drive in the Finch H ouse estate, involves the construction of 25 new e cofriendly homes, fully e quip p e d with fe atures such as solar p anels and rain water harvesting, with all of the prop erties me eting the C od e Level 3 for Sustaina ble H omes.

The new prop erties, b eing constructe d on a brown field site

by Ke e pmoat H omes, are a mix of four b e droom d eta che d and se mi d eta che d houses, thre e and two b e droom houses and

bungalows. The homes are for resid ents living within the N orth Huyton are a whose homes are sche dule d for d e molition.

The phase d handover of the prop erties commenc e d in S e pte mb er this ye ar and will continue until F e bruary 2011. “ Ke e pmoat are working hard to ensure the new homes are hand e d over as quickly as possible,” said Angela E d wards, a d ding “There should b e a lot of ha p py tenants this ye ar.”

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“An excellent job” provides big boost for leisure centre Described as having “done an excellent job, completed on time and on budget”, Bailey Developments recently completed a project to construct a new extension and refurbish existing facilities at Roefield Leisure Centre in Edisford, Clitheroe, Lancashire.

The proje ct re quire d a wid e rang e of skills and tra d e s in ord er to c om plete the works to the re quire d stand ard, whilst also allowing the leisure c e ntre to re m ain fully o p erational for all but one we e k of the c ontra ct. Archite cts for the sche m e were Sund erland & Pe a c o c k.

“The main contra ctors did an exc ellent job, complete d on time and on budget” said Philip C ottier of Sund erland & Pe a cock.

The new two-storey 13m x 13m extension houses a new re c e ption and coffe e are a on the ground floor and a d anc e and a erobics suite, which will also b e use d for children’s p arties and other events, on the up p er floor.

The extension is structure d around a ste el frame with external elevations in coloure d composite p anelling incorporating a curtain gla ze d front fa c a d e and a metal roof.

The other ele ment of the proje ct includ e d the refurbishment of the c entre’s changing room are a, including the refurbishment of the male and fe male changing rooms, the installation of new fixtures and fittings and the a d dition of a rela xation are a with sauna, ste am room and a ‘dre am’ shower.

O ther works includ e d the installation of a new he at re covery syste m to assist in controlling the c entre’s c arbon footprint.

E xternal works includ e d the installation of a new a c c essible entranc e ramp and p aving. The proje ct was complete d in D e c e mb er 2010.

Roefield Leisure C entre op ene d its doors in 1992, following 12 ye ars of fund-raising by the loc al community.

“In those d ays, I was tra ding b a dminton court time for tra d esmen’s time”, says Tony Rodia, Roefield’s general manager. “ We’ve come a long way, from thre e staff when we op ene d to the 35 that are currently on our p ayroll”.

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Tony’s vision for the d evelopment of the leisure c entre was first consid ere d in 1997, but the plans were thwarte d by difficulty in a c c essing any funding to help move the propose d changes forward.

B y now, me mb ership was ne aring full c a p a city and with incre ase d costs, exp ansion se e me d the only way to grow the business and continue to provid e state -of-the -art fa cilities at afford a ble pric es for me mb ers and visitors.

The work has b e en und ertaken after money was ma d e availa ble

by S port England and the N orth West D evelopment Agency, as well as an interest fre e loan from a loc al b enefa ctor and a loan from a charity b ank. “ We still stay true to our original promise: the c entre is provid e d for the good of the community and, first and fore most, b elongs to the m.

“All proc e e ds from me mb erships and visitors are ploughe d b a ck in, so our customers se e the imme diate b enefit. There’s no-one cre aming off any of the profit”, Tony a d d e d.

The c entre has long b e en a b e a con in how a sports fa cility should b e manage d and now visitors have the a d d e d bonus of enjoying state -of-the -art e quipment and surroundings.

“In this business it is crucial to ke e p up with trends and give our customers what they want”, explains Tony.

“It is also important to b e in tune with national agend as and at the moment everyone is talking a bout ob esity and funding cuts in school which may le a d to less PE. As a result, we have introduc e d the d e dic ate d are a for te ens and schools and for p e ople who may not have the confid enc e to use the main gym.

Introducing popular new sessions like intera ctive ele ctronic d anc e mat classes has also b e en vital to Roefield’s ongoing suc c ess. “ We would like to thank Rib ble Valley B orough C ouncil for their sup port throughout this proc ess, without which the sche me would never have come to fruition”.

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33

N orth West

Walney wind workers forge ahead Remarkable progress is being made on DONG Energy’s Walney Offshore Wind Farm in Cumbria. During the years 2010 to 2011, Walney (UK) Offshore Wind Farms Ltd. plans to complete phase I and II of the Walney Offshore Wind Farm, located approximately 15km off Walney Island, Cumbria, in the East Irish Sea. The proje ct is b eing constructe d in two phases. E a ch consists of 51 turbines with a total c a p a city of 367.2MW. The d evelopment includ es found ations, turbines, export and array c a bles, offshore substations and onshore conne ction to the power grid.

The latest on site Towards the end of 2010, the 51 turbines comprising Walney 1 were complete d. We ather conditions have b e en average for the are a, a situation which has b e en planne d for and which, from time to time, results in d elays.

All offshore op erations are fully d e p end ant on the we ather conditions and re quire thorough planning in ord er to utilise the we ather windows suita ble for installation a ctivities. Wind and waves d etermine the progress in the installation. For wind turbine installation, the op erational crane limit is typic ally a wind sp e e d of 10 m/s, however, only a bout 8 m/s c an b e tolerate d during installation of the bla d es.

Und er average we ather conditions, the installation vessel Kraken is a ble to install two turbines every we ek, maintaining a six to seven d ays’ installation cycle for the two turbine sets

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it c an transport on e a ch tour from the b ase at Mostyn. B ase d on the average we ather conditions in the are a, the exp e ctations are that the installation se quenc e will b e affe cte d throughout the winter p eriod, sometimes re ducing the installation proc ess to one turbine a we ek.

D O N G site manager L ars Alb er told Pre mier C onstruction, “The first phase of the works went well and we are looking forward to completing the se cond phase with the same suc c ess”.

he avy lift vessels. With its latest units, S AL offers the largest he avy lift vessels currently in the market. B oth have 2 x 1000t SWL cranes that are combina ble to 2000t SWL. “ We are exp e cting further grow th in the offshore energy se ctor”, says S AL managing dire ctor and co-owner L ars Rolner. “ O ur mod ern fle et of high c a p a city he avy lift vessels puts us in an id e al pla c e to respond to this re -e merging d e mand. With the ‘Svenja’, we now have the world’s largest he avy lift ship, with a lifting c a p a city of 2,000 tonnes and a sp e e d of 20 knots”.

Onshore cabling and substation construction for Walney 2 The Walney 2 onshore c a bling work and substation construction have b e gun at Cleveleys and will proc e e d for the coming months with exp e cte d energisation of the onshore substation on 1 August 2011. Installation of the ducting has starte d at four pla c es on the c a ble route. In spring 2011, a c a ble b arge will dock offshore at Cleveleys to lay the power conne ction or ‘export c a ble’ which joins Walney 2 to land. It will b e laid in one pie c e und erwater by a plough atta che d to the b arge which pla c es the c a ble a p proximately 2m d e e p into the se a b e d.

B oreholes are b eing exc avate d at important loc ations like the se a d efenc e wall and the other loc ations where the ducts will b e installe d by H D D drilling rather than op en-cut exc avation.

C onstruction of the onshore substation is ongoing.

O verall, Walney 2 will follow an almost id entic al programme to the first phase. H owever, the installation proc ess will b e more intense. The first signs of the installation will a p p e ar as of F e bruary 2011, when the first filter stones will b e pla c e d on the 51 turbine positions.

SAL Heavy Lift B etwe en M arch and June 2010, S AL’s MV “Annette” p erforme d 11 conse cutive voyages from Rostock to B arrow. The vessel transporte d 51 monopiles weighing b etwe en 480 mtons and 550 mttons with dimensions of up to 55m x 6m. With a top sp e e d of 20 knots, the vessel was a ble to p erform the round trip b etwe en G ermany and U K within 10 d ays.

SAL has be en involve d in the transportation of turbines (blades, towers, nacelles) primarily to Asia for many years. The advantages of the SAL fle et are their low draft, their large intake capacity, and their flexibility to call at remote ports around the world.

The latest of S AL’s two new units are e quip p e d with a dynamic positioning syste m, further a c commod ating the ne e ds of the offshore wind industry. S AL is also planning to b e come involve d in the offshore installation of transition pie c es.

Found e d in 1980, the firm is b ase d ne ar H amburg with outposts world wid e. S AL is the exclusive agent for a fle et of 15 mod ern R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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N orth West

Wait finally over as new bypass opens in Cheshire The countdown is over: almost a hundred years after the initial plans were drawn up, the £52 million Alderley Edge and Nether Alderley bypass is now open to traffic.

The three-mile route (4.8km), which was built within 22 months, is designed to take about 26,000 vehicles a day away from Alderley Edge and Nether Alderley. Highways officials have said it will also bring improvements in road safety, traffic delays and pollution.

The byp ass runs to the west of Ald erley E dge, starting at H ard en Park round a bout and rejoining the existing A34 to the south of N ether Ald erley. It was sche dule d to op en in summer 2011 but was complete d well-ahe a d of sche dule in mid- N ove mb er 2010 by main contra ctor Birse Civils.

C hanc ellor and Tatton M P G e orge O sborne said upon unveiling the new roa d, “This has b e en a long time coming. There were d ays when I thought it would never ha p p en so I am relieve d it is a ctually here.

“It is going to help loc al resid ents and I hop e it will help the village get a new le ase of life. This is one of the most affluent villages in the are a but it has b e en cut in half by the roa d which c arries 26,000 vehicles a d ay.

“It is also going to help all the commuters who travel in and out of M anchester, as well as Astra Z ene c a who e mploy thousands and are one of the most important businesses in the N orth West.

“It is a re ally impressive proje ct and a result for loc al resid ents who have c amp aigne d here sinc e the 1920s. In re c ent ye ars, the c amp aigning intensifie d and the whole community got b ehind it.

My pre d e c essor [as Tatton M P], M artin B ell, c amp aigne d very hard for the byp ass and it re ally help e d that the whole community wante d to se e it ha p p en. I re me mb er a me eting at the loc al primary school where 1000 p e ople turne d up to c amp aign for it.

“It is pretty re marka ble that the roa d has come ahe a d of time. This is a tribute to the p e ople who built it. It is also quite environmentally friendly. The roa d is sunk to minimise the visual imp a ct and ke e p this p art of the C heshire countrysid e looking gre at”.

C heshire E ast C ouncillor Jamie M a cra e said at the unveiling c ere mony, “ Given that the proje ct was first moote d in the 1920s, loc al resid ents have b e en waiting for an extre mely long time and I am d elighte d to se e their p atienc e finally b eing reward e d.

When [C heshire E ast] council c ame into b eing, we id entifie d

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the byp ass as a priority as p art of our commitment to grow and d evelop a sustaina ble C heshire E ast, building upon the exc ellent pre p aration c arrie d out by our pre d e c essor authority, C heshire C ounty C ouncil”.

Project creates a mine of new opportunity A major £19.4 million regeneration project is transforming the former Bickershaw Colliery site in Leigh and bringing new development opportunity to the area, in a project being carried out by Birse Civils.

The proje ct is b eing und ertaken for the H omes and C ommunities Agency (H C A). The N orth West D evelopment Agency (N W DA), as land owner of Bickershaw South, has investe d funding for the proje ct on b ehalf of the H C A . The N W DA agre e d a p a ckage of infrastructure works totalling almost £12 million with Birse, after the comp any complete d the pre p aratory site cle aranc e works.

The colliery, which close d in 1992 is now p art of the H C A’s N ational C oalfields Programme – a major re generation programme d esigne d to bre athe new life into d erelict coalfield communities a cross England.

The works p a ckage b eing und ertaken by Birse involves the re clamation of d erelict land within the site, diversion of the existing Plank L ane, provision of site roa d infrastructure, and construction of a 40 b erth marina on the Le e ds – Liverpool C anal. The 300m route of Plank L ane – around the western sid e of Pennington Flash b etwe en Slag L ane in Low ton and Firs L ane in Leigh – is b eing re aligne d and new mod ern lighting is b eing installe d.

The re clamation and new infrastructure works involve d in the current first phase known as Bickershaw South, are ahe a d of programme and due for completion in summer this ye ar. They will provid e the new roa ds and water are a for the 40 b erth marina and housing to b e constructe d in a later phase.

After re c ently visiting the site, Leigh M P Andy B urham said, “I have always se en this d evelopment as a crucial ste p in the ongoing re generation of the Leigh are a. We’ve waite d for this moment a long time and it’s a re al confid enc e boost for Leigh coming at exa ctly the right time”.

The next stage of the proje ct will involve the marketing of the re me diate d site to the private d evelopment industry, which will have the op portunity to construct up to 650 homes and 2,750 sq m of e mployment sp a c e at the 56-a cre (18 he ctares) site.

It is hop e d that future funding will b e se cure d to progress later phases of the d evelopment to includ e the cre ation of a country p ark, 18-hole golf course, driving range and an outdoor a ctivity c entre at Bickershaw N orth, known as The Rushes.

The H omes and C ommunities Agency (H C A) is the single, national housing and re generation agency for England. Their role is to cre ate op portunity for p e ople to live in high quality, sustaina ble pla c es. They provid e funding for afford a ble housing, bring land b a ck into productive use and improve quality of life by raising stand ards for the physic al and social environment.

Wigan C ouncil, in p artnership with the C oalfields Re generation Trust and the H C A , has also a d dresse d social re generation ne e ds alongsid e the physic al re generation of the former mining community by providing funding towards a thre e -ye ar Family Employment and Training Initiative (F EI). The aim of this is to a d dress une mployment by engaging me mb ers of the loc al community to help the m d evelop skills that are in d e mand for both proje cts, there by cre ating e mployment op portunities.

The H C A’s N ational C oalfields Programme (N C P) is a £386.5m (net) re generation programme set up to bre athe new life into coalfield communities a cross England, following the wid espre a d pit closures of the 1980s and 1990s. Working in p artnership with re gional d evelopment agencies, loc al authorities, the C oalfields Re generation Trust, the Allianc e (formerly the C oalfields C ommunities C amp aign), the private se ctor and a range of other stakehold ers, the N C P provid es investment in former colliery sites a cross England for the cre ation of new e mployment, homes, leisure fa cilities and public sp a c e. The programme now encomp asses 107 sites from an original 57 id entifie d in 1996.

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N orth West

Suppliers give thumbs up to James Hall & Co’s new £66m depot James Hall & Company Ltd has given suppliers a first glimpse of its new £66m Bowland View depot which is due to become fully operational in mid February.

In welcoming the guests to the first sup plier me eting at James H all for ten ye ars, chairman Ian H all said that, after 46 ye ars at their current Bla ck pool Roa d site in Preston, the comp any was b e ginning a new cha pter in its 147 ye ar history with the move to the 45 a cre site which is four times the size of the current d e pot and is loc ate d just off junction 31a on the M6 motorway.

The James M erc er Group Ltd, a long esta blishe d me chanic al building servic es contra ctor b ase d in Preston, was responsible for the me chanic al and ele ctric al installation. The overall contra ct value was in exc ess of £8 million and includ e d fire prote ction and C H P installations. A p artnering arrangement was entere d into with C hris B owker Ltd, who c arrie d out the ele ctric al installation alongsid e main contra ctor B owmer & Kirkland.

M anaging dire ctor Andrew H all said, “ We have built B owland View for the future and to ensure another fifty ye ars of sup port for the ind e p end ent retailers that we servic e and for James H all & C o Ltd. The d esign of the new distribution d e pot has ensure d a truly multi-functional site c a p a ble of handling all typ es of goods and fresh food manufa cturing and at the same time is a state ment of our commitment to S PA R and the ind e p end ent retail se ctor. “ O ur present site in Rib bleton was d esigne d as a mill at the b e ginning of the 1900’s, and d espite a programme of almost constant d evelopment sinc e we a c quire d the site in 1966, it has b e come cle ar that the existing pre mises are p ast their sell by d ate. We have to move to gain ma ximum efficiencies and continue to provid e the distribution servic e exp e cte d of ind e p end ent retailers in the U K’s fore most convenienc e group.

It me ans we will b e a ble to continue to sup ply the incre asing numb er of comp any and ind e p end ently owne d S PA R stores with all the servic es re quire d in tod ay's fast-moving market”.

John Powell, corporate dire ctor of B arclays N orthern Re gion was quote d as saying, “ B arclays is very ple ase d to b e a ble to sup port this landmark d evelopment by James H all. It is an essential ste p forward as they se ek to grow the business and their sup port for the many S PA R stores within the N orth of England. The convenienc e se ctor is set to grow more than the main groc ery se ctor market over the next four ye ars at 5.8 p erc ent p er annum so this is also a very timely move by H all’s”.

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The sc ale of the building is impressive, encomp assing 35,000 sq metres of warehousing and it includ es many energy efficient ele ments.

Some of the statistics include: 44 loa ding b ays all fitte d with automatic dock levelers and traffic light syste ms for improving safety during loa ding. Where a p plic a ble, there is a curtain syste m which extends to cover the doors when op en, thus allowing the te mp erature to b e retaine d and helping the comp any’s c arbon footprint.

Frozen products will b e store d in a huge fre e zer a c commod ating b etwe en 500-1000 product picking positions and room for 2,000 p allets of bulk storage The production d e p artment has b e en d esigne d to a c commod ate signific ant exp ansion of the comp any’s manufa cturing and p a cking business and will allow for the transfer of the off-site sand wich fa ctory to the new d e pot The signific anc e of fresh chille d foods within the ind e p end ent se ctor has long b e en a cknowle dge d by James H all & C o. and is growing consistently ye ar on ye ar. C urrently average sales p er we ek exc e e d 450,000 p a cks and are on target for half a million onc e the new d e pot is up and running.

It is therefore not surprising that much e mphasis has b e en pla c e d on this are a at B owland View. The chille d are a c an stock 900 chille d lines in an are a with a height of 8.5 metres allowing refrigeration fans to b e pla c e d high into the c eiling to ensure the optimum storage conditions and also cre ating a b etter working environment for asse mbly staff. There is room for 2,400 full p allets to b e store d and there will b e 600 full p allet picking loc ations.

In a d dition to this, the fresh food d e p artment also houses a milk p a cking are a and a fruit and ve g p a cking are a where large

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N orth West c ases c an b e broken down into smaller c ase sizes to ensure that stores c an ord er little and often and give their customers ma ximum freshness.

Retail dire ctor Peter Dod ding told guests that the investment was und ertaken to prote ct and d evelop the retail business and grow the S PA R N orthern G uild which now comprises almost 500 stores including a suc c essful ind e p end ent retailer b ase of single store and multi-site retailers’ and a robust comp any – owne d stores division. This sits alongsid e the many new initiatives that the comp any has introduc e d such as Fit for Fresh which has se en the launch of d aily d eliveries, the introduction of James H all own la b el sand wiches and me al d e als.

Tra ding dire ctor Andrew B arnes said that at the last sup plier b ase me eting ten ye ars ago, wholesale sales ha d b e en £212m and this figure is now £323m.

H e said, “ N o matter what anyone says pric e does matter and James H all has a cknowle dge d this with our he avy investment in the Everyd ay Value sche me which ensures that hundre ds of pric es in our stores are b enchmarke d against comp etitors. S PA R Rewards has also given re b ates of £1.4 m this ye ar to those stores which sup port an agre e d range. Focus and investment in the C entralise d Store Re plenishment system is also on-going and every range and c ate gory is re gularly reviewe d”.

H e urge d those present to take a fresh look at James H all & C o and b e come more proa ctive in their d e alings with a comp any that is sup plying a one -stop solution for retailers and providing a se cure route to market for sup plier brands.

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Sup pliers present provid e d a very encouraging response to the new d e pot. Simon Whittaker of C ott B everages summe d up the general fe eling, saying, “James H all has b e en one of the gre at suc c ess stories of S PA R. This is gre at news that they are continuing to move the business forward and a very positive move. O ur latest figures from James H all are fa bulous. Sinc e the relaunch of S PA R brand and the introduction of pric e marke d p a cks, sales of our products with the comp any have risen by 13% ye ar on ye ar and that in what is a flat c ate gory”.

Ian C arlyle of M c C ain Foods a d d e d, “It is gre at to se e the launch of a new distribution d e pot of such an impressive size and d esign”.

Andrew H all finishe d the presentation with a cle ar state ment of intent assuring the audienc e that, along with a strong 147 ye ar heritage, the C omp any is cle ar a bout its vision for the future and intends to b e a suc c essful family run business for the next 50 ye ars and b eyond.

8200 improvements: Southway’s Decent Homes Scheme continues to impress Every home owned by Southway Housing Trust, a South Manchester housing association which owns 5,900 homes has benefitted from at least one Decent Homes improvement in the first two years of their Home Improvement Programme. With £76 million spent so far out of a planned total of £114 million, the scheme is now moving towards the end of the third of its predicted fiveyears and brings vital improvements to family homes and flats built as far back as the 1920s.

What’s more, all resid ents in Southway’s homes, which are distribute d a cross B urnage, C horlton, Didsbury, Withington and Old Moat, have b e en promise d new kitchens and b athrooms und er the sche me if theirs have not b e en improve d b etwe en 2001 and the sche me’s initiation in 2007.

So far, 8200 improve ments have b e en complete d as internal and external work is c arrie d out se p arately by p artner contra ctors Kinetics, M anchester Working, Bramall and Wates Living S p a c e, the latter of which has re c ently b e gun a programme of external insulation covering 830 prop erties.

B y summer 2011, all tenants who wante d internal improve ments will have ha d the work complete d. In summer 2011 Southway will offer those tenants who have refuse d internal work for a variety of re asons another op portunity to agre e to have the work done by a d dressing the conc erns they ha d previously.

A ha p py family c ele brates a ne w-look hom e

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N orth West after a stock transfer, Southway has b e en c arrying out customer surveys to gauge tenants’ satisfa ction with the work c arrie d out by contra ctors. The latest results, for the month of D e c e mb er, are 95.55% satisfa ction for internal works (exc e e ding the target of 94%) and a whop ping 98.97% satisfa ction for external works (exc e e ding a target of 96%). John M c Kenna, he a d of asset manage ment at Southway, told Pre mier C onstruction, “ Even d espite unforese en d elays we have suffere d with b a d we ather, we are ple ase d with the smooth running of the proje cts and the value for money we are getting from our framework contra ctors”.

John continue d, “ We have b e en organising works so that e a ch home is improve d in se p arate stages. That minimises the overall disruption and avoids, in the majority of c ases, having to implement large d e c anting programmes. In the small numb er of c ases in which resid ents have ha d to move out for short p eriods due to me dic al conditions, we have a full syste m in pla c e to a c commod ate the m”.

Southway have a chieve d suc c ess in loc al la bour and community b enefits initiatives by working with our p artner contra ctors. Fifty seven traine es have b e en sup porte d with 90% retention and of these thirty have alre a dy a chieve d NVQ Level 2 of 3.

The p artner contra ctors have also committe d to a range of community b enefits, giving 1300 fre e hours of la bour and £99,000 of c ash b enefits. £10 million worth of environmental improve ments are b eing c arrie d out in a d dition to the home improve ment programme to make Southway estates brighter and safer. C onsultants Ground work are working with the association, consulting on the proposals and d esigns. Together with other landsc a p e d esigners b eing a p pointe d, Southway will work with loc al p e ople on d etails a bout how and where to sp end the c ash. Proposals are b eing d evelop e d for improve ments to stre ets, estate layout d esign, bungalow are as, he dges, fenc es and op en land.

Current works Work is continuing on the £15m external insulation proje ct to the non-tra ditional prop erties alre a dy starte d in Old Moat and commencing at B urnage in M arch 2011 with all work to b e complete by June 2012.

Work is planne d on the flats at Arrow field Roa d to improve the se curity and environment by re pla cing stairc ases and enclosing b alconies. Elsewhere, the majority of homes covere d are lowrise and typic ally suit families of up to five.

E xternal work is also programme d for Ainsford Roa d and Minehe a d Avenue re pla cing windows and doors and roofs as re quire d.

Customer satisfaction In line with other organisations committe d to major improve ments

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N orth West C o n s tru c tio n N e w s

C a ll o ur n e w s t e a m o n 0170 6 719 972

Flats, shops and a fire station being built in Liverpool In the Kensington district of Liverpool, Allenbuild North West is has undertaken the design and construction of an important urban regeneration scheme on the site of the famous Silver Blades Ice Rink. The rink, in Prescot Road, Kensington, closed down some years ago and the building was eventually demolished, despite a campaign to preserve it.

The £5.2m contract was carried out for leading developer CTP Limited, who was working in partnership with Liverpool City Council and Kensington Regeneration.

The project comprises a community re station for Merseyside Fire and Rescue, 24 new build residential apartments in a “statement” corner three storey building which also provides an Iceland store retail space at ground oor.

The conversion of a listed building provides a further four apartments. All are for Riverside Housing Association. There is also further retail

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space provided, bringing the total number of retail units to six. The development also provides visitor car parking and a new public realm.

In further heartwarming news, some members of the project team have fond memories of spending time in the 60s at the venue. One lucky member of the team even met his wife there and has accordingly been given a piece of the old rink’s concrete slab as a memento.

Local councillor Louise Baldock, who works for the L abour Party, recently seized the opportunity to take credit for what has been called the Kensington Neighbourhood Centre.

She said, “ Local people have been promised this centre for years. The L abour government has ploughed millions of pounds into the area

w w w.ro m a u k . n e t

and this will help tremendously to smarten the place up”. She was recently forced to resign form a post on an ethics committee after calling Liberal Democrat rivals ‘opportunistic b*stards’.

She continued, “I hope it will provide much needed quality shops and I will continue to campaign for a bank here too, which we also desperately need”.

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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 unturne d is now ne aring completion. Work at the p ark has involve d ve getation manage ment, water manage ment around the lake, improve ments to a c c ess and se curity, re -surfa cing of p athways and a d dition of a numb er of fe atures, both a esthetic and pra ctic al. A mong newcomers to the p ark are sensory and formal gard ens, fountains, stone and timb er artwork, new c ar p arks, new toilets and changing rooms, ste el and timb er bridges over the lake and the p ark's c entre pie c e b andstand, which will onc e more b e use d for public conc erts.

M ain contra ctor Bramble down L andsc a p es, a comp any b ase d in the N orth- E ast which sp e cialises in both contra cting and retail, has b e en le a ding the construction. Bramble down's d evelopment manager, Paul C urry, spoke to Pre mier C onstruction: “ O f the 20 or so proje cts we're involve d in at the moment, this is one of the largest. We typic ally do b etwe en one and thre e of this kind every ye ar, and we like to b e he avily involve d so we've ha d up to 20 of our p e ople on site at the busier times. Ad d in a few sp e cialist sub -contra ctors and we're all set to complete in e arly 2011”.

Discussing the extensive pre p aration that ha d b e en put into the proje ct, Paul a d d e d, “The works are extensive: it's a complete make over for the p ark. Some are as have b e en almost strip p e d b are and re constructe d from scratch. Sund erland City C ouncils landsc a p e d esign te am le a d by Phil Dorian took their inspiration from the historic images/plans and the unique topogra phy of the site, as well as working closely with the loc al community and the Friends of B arnes Park”.

H e conclud e d, “ B y the time work is finishe d, it will b e like a brand new p ark. It will b e op en p ermanently with exc ellent

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se curity and with everything we've b e en a d ding to it, there will b e something for everyone to enjoy”.

The park's history The land for B arnes Park, set in a b e autiful valley through which the Bishopwe armouth B urn flows, was originally bought for just £8,500 in 1904.

Thre e ye ars later in 1907, the laying out of the p ark was starte d.

The proje ct b e c ame a sourc e of e mployment for a numb er of pra ctic al gard eners from the are a, with a total of 2,798 men b eing e mploye d. The p ark was op ene d in August 1909.

M any of the site's esta blishe d tre es were retaine d, with oak, ash, b e e ch and elm tre es constituting its main wood e d grow th.

Paths me and ere d throughout the p ark in all dire ctions and two bowling gre ens, tennis courts, and a c afe were esta blishe d.

The p ark has sinc e b e en home to a wid e range of wildlife and, sinc e nesting boxes have b e en provid e d, bre e ding birds have re gularly returne d to the p ark Water hens, starlings, linnets, snip es, tits, diving ducks, and chaffinches c an b e fre quently observe d and have b e en provid e d for as p art of the re c ent re d evelopment.

H andspring offers a range of b espoke structures and shelters and also often gets involve d in the e arly stages of a proje ct with the client and d esign te am to cre ate unique d esigns sp e cific for the loc ation. To gra b your share of their time and handiwork, visit w w w.handspringd esign.co.uk, c all 0114 2217785, or e mail scot@ handspringd esign.co.uk

Handspring Design H andspring D esign, the sp e cialists in b espoke timb er sculpture, structures, se ating and shelters, contribute d a numb er of interesting fe atures to B arnes Park. These includ e d two ste amb ent, glue -laminate d ‘onion’ shelters as p art of a sensory gard en; a similar ‘a p ple’ shelter at the summit of a flight of granite sett ste ps; and a Douglas fir twiste d frame walk way.

The comp any op erates a cross Britain and is le d by Dr. S cot Fletcher, who has a PhD in gre en archite cture, and his codire ctor Gra e me Ritchie, an exp ert in public structures. Dr. Fletcher told Pre mier C onstruction, “All our timb er is sourc e d in the U K and F S C -a p prove d. That’s p art of our ethic al a p proa ch: we all cycle to work, we use small loc al sup pliers and we he at our homes and workshop with waste wood. We’re proof that you c an b e a suc c essful small business without compromising on the environment”.

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Positive feedback as Decent Homes scheme nears completion Residents of the Shiregreen Estate in Sheffield will soon celebrate the refurbishment of over 2,000 homes

by Sanctuary Group and its building contractor Frank Haslam Milan Limited (FHM) under Sanctuary’s five year Decent Homes scheme. A May completion is predicted as the remainder of around 2,200 homes are tackled.

S anctuary is currently entering the final ye ar of its five -ye ar ‘D e c ent H omes Plus’ programme to mod ernise 2,500 prop erties on the Shire gre en Estate.

Work on the programme starte d in S e ptemb er 2006, following the transfer of homes from Sheffield City C ouncil, and includ es re pla cing kitchens, b athrooms, windows and doors, and external works such as re p airing gard en walls, railings and improving off roa d p arking for resid ents.

F H M’s proje ct manager, Jonathan Woodhe a d, spoke to Premier C onstruction in e arly 2011 as pre p arations were b eing ma d e to complete the final phase of works. H e said, “There has b e en a lot of intera ction with resid ents, who have b e en aske d to complete questionnaires and attend me etings and so on, and I’m proud to say fe e d b a ck has always b e en positive, right from the start of the contra ct. We have always maintaine d an a p proval rating of over 85%”.

The programme of works for e a ch individual house on the estate is simple, a c cording to Jonathan: wherever possible, all

ne c essary works are complete d within a 9 we ek window. H e said, “I c an und erstand the point of view that there is less of a disturb anc e if you quietly do a small job and then come b a ck a few we eks later to do a bit more, but here we have all agre e d that it makes more sense, and c auses less overall disruption, if we go in and do all the ne c essary works at onc e. “ We’ve found that the majority of resid ents have b e en a ble to stay in their homes throughout while we do our b est to let the m get b a ck to their normal home lives as quickly as possible”.

Sanctuary Housing Esta blishe d in 1969, S anctuary H ousing is one of the country’s le a ding housing associations managing over 78,000 units throughout England and S cotland. This includ es general rente d, sheltere d and sup porte d a c commod ation, as well as stud ent and key worker a c commod ation.

S anctuary currently e mploys over 5,700 staff a cross its U K network of re gional and subsidiary offic es and maintains Investor in Pe ople status.

S anctuary’s re gional op erations are responsible for focusing on a p articular are a of the country. This allows for provision of a servic e to resid ents and business p artners that is loc al to the m, from loc al p e ople that have the knowle dge and exp ertise to ensure that their sp e cific ne e ds are met.

New green space impresses local council leader The reclamation of the Wheldale Fryston Colliery site in Castleford has been completed as part of the Homes and Communities Agency National Coalfield Programme. Wakefield Council leader Peter Box spoke enthusiastically with Premier Construction about the improvement to his area:

“This brings something to the are a that wasn’t here b efore – a signific ant gre en sp a c e. It’s a signific ant change for an are a that was onc e dominate d by mines. In the p ast, you could hardly se e the river [Aire] from many pla c es on the surrounding land, and the are a was unsuita ble for public use. N ow, it’s a pla c e to rela x and enjoy this p art of the world. I’ve b e en down there myself among the 40,000 new tre es, as have a gre at many loc als, and I have to say I’m d elighte d”.

Work in the are a involves cle aring up the river and b e autifying the surrounding b anks, as well as a proje ct to introduc e mod ern

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housing to ne arby land. Birse Civils playe d a le a ding role in the proje ct, and stakehold ers have b e en invite d to contribute their voic es to planning and d evelopment discussions.

A loc al stakehold er himself, Peter is inextric a bly linke d to the fortunes of the are a, as he explains: “My father was born ne arby and his father worke d in the mines, whilst I still live loc ally. This d evelopment re presents a gre at strid e forward for the are a comp are d to what my p arents would have b e en use d to.

“The new housing in p articular is welcome. This is one of the few are as within the re gion in which the population is growing. N ew, mod ern housing and the op portunity to enjoy leisure a ctivities outdoors are just two of the ways we’re continuing to improve the quality of life in the are a, which has b e en less than p erfe ct sinc e the d ays of he avy mining”.

Proje ct manager Andrew G olding of Wakefield C ouncil told

Pre mier C onstruction that the new gre en sp a c e was just the b e ginning, saying, “ N ow that the first phase of the works has b e en suc c essfully complete d, we are looking to the future with 150 new d wellings in the are a. We are b e ginning the tend er proc ess in M arch 2011 and hop e to a p point a d evelop er soon afterwards.

“ For now, though, we c an alre a dy look proudly at what has b e en a chieve d – 40,000 new tre es and 8km of walk ways as well as new links to the other sid e of the river op en up a lot of leisure op portunities, such as the plan we are working on to op en up the riversid e to c anoeing and kayaking. I’ve even b e en walking and cycling down there myself, so it has my se al of a p proval!”

The works are p art of the C oalfields Re generation sche me and was d elivere d by Yorkshire Forward, sup porte d by landowners Wakefield M D C utilising funding provid e d by the H omes and C ommunities Agency through the N ational C oalfields Programme.

The sche me was an E arly C ontra ctor Involve ment (E CI) contra ct with the E CI phase value d at £1.5m and the main works value d at £8.5m. B oth the E CI and main works contra cts were won by Birse Civils, who commenc e d on site in July 2008.

E CI works involve d general site cle aranc e, formation of a 2-km-long a c c ess tra ck through the site, exc avation and crushing of existing concrete stock piles for use as 6 F2 on site and esta blishment of a p erimeter footp ath for p e d estrian use throughout the construction phase. The site ha d b e en use d as a re cre ation fa cility by the loc al community and it was consid ere d important to maintain this provision.

The main works includ e d: • E xc avation and burial of a p proximately 1,500 cubic metres of Ja p anese knotwe e d within a sp e cialist containment c ell • E xc avation and engine ere d fill of 100,000 cubic metres of material for a propose d 5-he ctare housing platform • Re mod elling of 150,000 cubic metres of material over the re maining 50 he ctares of site • Formation of 8km of bridleways and footp aths • Incorporation of 50,000 cubic metres of amelioration material to provid e a suita ble growing me dium • Planting of 40,000 sa plings and grass se e ding • Cre ation of a leisure are a a dja c ent to an existing marina.

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Out with the old housing; in with the new 148 new homes are being built by Keepmoat Homes (Frank Haslam Milan) in the Kibblesworth area of Gateshead to replace properties considered too old or decrepit to be cost-effective candidates for ‘Decent Homes’ upgrades.

The sche me, which is re pla cing outd ate d 1940s ‘Airey’ prop erties on land originally owne d by G ateshe a d C ouncil, is costing £14 million. Ke elman H omes, which is a charita ble subsidiary of G ateshe a d H ousing C omp any, will own the complete d new homes.

The proje ct is ne aring the end of its se cond of four phases.

Phase 1, complete d in S e pte mb er 2010, covere d just five new homes for high-priority resid ents. B e c ause resid ents are staying in the are a during the re -d evelopment, a complex programme of d e c anting has b e en initiate d with the proviso that the most vulnera ble households will only have to move onc e.

Phase 2 includ es 40 prop erties and is well und er way; completion is exp e cte d in the first quarter of 2011. In total, there will b e 94 prop erties d estine d for social use and 54 for the op en market by the time all works are complete in 2013.

Peter Smith, new build and re generation manager for G ateshe a d H ousing C omp any, explaine d, “The houses that are b eing d e molishe d at the site were all 3-b e droom. As such, it was difficult to maintain a sustaina ble community, a proble m we are hoping to solve by having a much larger range of prop erty sizes in the new build.

The d evelopment was re c ently visite d by Rob ert N a pier, chair of the H omes and C ommunities Agency (H C A), who commente d, “This d evelopment is giving Kib blesworth a re al lift, re pla cing old prefa bric ate d houses and providing a wid er range of new homes for loc al p e ople. O ur role is to help housing provid ers like the G ateshe a d H ousing C omp any to make things ha p p en in loc al neighbourhoods and this is a gre at example of that a p proa ch in a ction”.

The G ateshe a d H ousing C omp any’s chief exe cutive, Bill Fullen, said, We have alre a dy ma d e improve ments to thousands of homes through our D e c ent H omes programme - with less than 1,000 out of almost 22,000 now ne e ding work done. “ We are now literally building on our previous suc c ess through this sche me to bring new afford a ble homes to G ateshe a d for generations to come”.

C ouncillor Angela Armstrong, G ateshe a d C ouncil’s c a binet me mb er for housing, said, “Loc al councils like us have struggle d for many ye ars to match p e ople’s housing ne e ds with the everre ducing sup ply of social housing, esp e cially for old er p e ople who have very sp e cific housing ne e ds. So, b eing award e d the funding starting to build new homes for loc al p e ople is exc ellent news.

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“ We have b e en given the chanc e to re pla c e poor quality postwar houses with new homes that will b e some of the most mod ern and energy-efficient in the borough. These new homes will b e in gre at d e mand”.

The £15m Kib blesworth sche me is one of a numb er of major proje cts in G ateshe a d to b e sup porte d by the H C A , which has alloc ate d over £12m to the borough.

Innovative sensor scheme to reduce traffic congestion The A19 ramp metering scheme, currently being carried out by Carnell Suport Services on behalf of the Highways Agency, is part of the A19 network management strategy developed in partnership with Tees Valley Unlimited, comprising Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesborough, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland councils.

and the sche me is due to b e fully complete by M arch 2011.

The sche me will help to ma ximise c a p a city on the existing trunk roa d network, which will ena ble future d evelopments in the are a to b e a c commod ate d without a dversely imp a cting on the network.

The works comprise the installation of traffic signals on the slip roa ds, together with sensors (MIDAS LO O PS) in the main c arriageway which will monitor the flow of traffic. When sp e e ds drop b elow a pre -set level, the signals on the slip roa d will b e a ctivate d to control the rate at which traffic c an enter the main c arriageway. This helps to minimise congestion.

O nc e the traffic sp e e ds b e gin to return to normal, the ramp metering signals will b e d e a ctivate d. If traffic queuing on the slip roa d re a ches the top of the slip roa d when the signals are op erating they will b e d e a ctivate d to prevent queues spre a ding onto the loc al roa d network. Further MIDAS loops at the top of the slip roa d will control this.

The works starte d in mid- N ove mb er 2010 and are b eing c arrie d out at night (22.00 - 05.00) and during the d aytime off-p e ak hours (10.30-3.30) in ord er to minimise traffic d elays during the works. The ramp metering will b e installe d at multiple sites at the same time and all of the installation works are exp e cte d to b e complete d by F e bruary 2011. C alibration and testing will follow

About ramp metering Ramp metering is use d to b etter manage traffic on motorways and trunk roa ds to re duc e congestion and smooth traffic flows.

During busy p eriods, signals are a ctivate d on the slip roa d and, by using shorter signal cycles than typic ally use d on urb an roa ds, rele ase just a few vehicles at a time. This minimises the chanc es of merging traffic bunching together with motorway traffic and c ausing congestion.

S ensors in the roa d surfa c e continuously monitor the congestion and a djust the timing of the lights. They also monitor vehicles on the slip to stop queues forming that could spill over onto the loc al roa d network. The lights are p art-time and only op erate when there is congestion on the motorway. The conditions that trigger the syste m d e p end on traffic sp e e d and d ensity and vary b etwe en sites. Typic ally, the lights come on when the average traffic sp e e d falls to 50mph. Te chnology for the current proje ct was sup plie d by Pe ek. Visit w w w.p e ek.co.uk to find out more.

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BREEAM ‘excellent’ health centre completed in East Riding Work has been completed on a new health centre in Driffield, East Riding, under main contractor Wildgoose Construction.

D avid Ja ckson, contra cts manager at Wildgoose C onstruction, spoke to Pre mier C onstruction as his te am was busy pre p aring for handover. H e said, “It’s a tra ditional build, block and brick with rend ere d p anels. The re d bricks look almost hand-ma d e and are d esigne d to match the surroundings. “ We ha d a month’s d elay after the d e molition while an archa e ologic al survey was c arrie d out. It was disa p pointing that nothing more than some found ations were turne d up, but the work has to b e done and as a contra ctor you just have to b e

re a dy to go b a ck on site as soon as possible!”

In a c cord anc e with current D e p artment of H e alth guid anc e the building has b e en d esigne d, by H D P Archite cts of Shipley, to a chieve a B R E E A M ‘exc ellent’ rating.

C onservation offic ers ha d voic e d conc erns that the plan to d e molish numb er six E astgate N orth when the a p plic ation from G PI, a sp e cialist comp any working with the Bridge Stre et Pra ctic e, was first consid ere d by the committe e last month.

Following further investigations and talks b etwe en the a p plic ant’s agent and offic ers, it was conclud e d that retaining the prop erty as a whole would make the sche me unvia ble.

New Sheffield surgery to improve public access

Construction work is well under way East Bank Medical Centre, a new purpose-built GP surgery in the heart of an inner city district of Sheffield. Patients and staff of the existing Northern Avenue surgery in Arbourthorne are set to benefit from the state-of-the-art development, which will offer some of the most modern primary health care facilities and services in South Yorkshire.

The new me dic al c entre and pharma cy will re pla c e run down and cramp e d fa cilities. B enefits includ e an exp ansion from 5 to 14 consulting rooms. The surgery will offer id e al pla c e ment training for me dic al stud ents and allow pra ctitioners to b e come mentors for traine e G Ps. The new fa cilities will b e use d by a range of community he alth e duc ation groups.

Sharon Turner, pra ctic e manager at the N orthern Avenue Surgery, which is p art of C entral Sheffield G P C onsortium, said, “This is gre at news for p atients. It me ans they c an re c eive tre atment in a first class environment, which is a c c essible and in the he art of the loc al community.

“At the moment we are a little off the b e aten tra ck and we struggle to a c commod ate all of the servic es we would like to offer to our p atients. Moving to a site on a main roa d and exp anding to a two-storey building with sp a c e to a c commod ate a variety of servic es will offer b enefits to the neighbourhood”.

Wildgoose C onstruction is the main contra ctor and has b e en on site sinc e July 2010. The new me dic al c entre is due to b e complete d in late A pril 2011, with servic es to b e offere d to the public from e arly M ay

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New youth centre replaces car park in Rotherham Construction of a new £3.46m facility for young people aged 11-19 in South Yorkshire is progressing towards a completion date in August 2011. The My Place project in Rotherham, funded by the government, is being led by the Chantry YMCA. Built on the site of the demolished Eastwood car park, it will offer facilities including a graffiti art room, an IT suite, a cinema, a performance hall and a ground floor cafe.

An “alternative” curriculum will b e offere d to young p e ople exclud e d from mainstre am schools. C onnexions and the Rotherham C hildren, Young Pe ople and Families Voluntary S e ctor C onsortium will also provid e sup port on a range of issues such as homelessness, sexual he alth and drug reha bilitation.

A £3.4m grant was se cure d in M arch 2010 last ye ar from the D e p artment for C hildren, S chools and a dministere d by the Big Fund. It is hop e d that the c entre will cre ate two full time jobs and

C o n s tru c tio n N e w s

five p art time jobs and provid e the op portunity for 15 volunte ers.

Rotherham C ouncil proje ct manager Brian B arrett told Pre mier C onstruction, “This is a gre at op portunity for the loc al youth and the contra ctor has involve d loc al colle ge stud ents to further that”. The building is d esigne d by Rotherham M B C ’s in house consultancy and the main contra ctor Wildgoose C onstruction starte d on site in O ctob er 2010

C a ll o ur n e w s t e a m o n 0170 6 719 972

School extension progressing towards May completion A £1 million extension to St. Winefride’s School in Bradford is developing at pace. The new addition to the primary school takes advantage of space to the rear of the school previously used for deliveries and bin storage. It will house improved staff facilities and administration of ces, a group support teaching room and a new dining hall. Space freed up once the extension works are completed will be used to form new music rooms as part of the same contract.

Building surveyor J ames Wilkinson, of project managers Aedas, told Premier Construction, “This is a good site to work on as we’re working in an area not currently used for teaching. Although we are taking the necessary precautions so as not to interfere with the normal running of the school, the location of

the works means we are never directly affecting the staff or the pupils.

Segregation has been simple.

“There have been no major glitches other than the cold winter, which meant up to four weeks’ delay for some work such as bricklaying”, he added.

The current works continue a longstanding relationship between AEDAS and the Diocese of Leeds, the project client. J ames adds, “We know what to expect from the client in terms of demands and requirements, which is why we understood instantly that the existing administration facilities at the school were designed for a much smaller school. As there have been various extensions since the

Wakefield cultural landmark to open in May The Hepworth Wakefield, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, will open to the public on Saturday 21st May 2011, putting the spotlight on Yorkshire as a world centre for sculpture, together with Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the Henry Moore Institute and Leeds City Art Gallery.

N ame d after B arb ara H e pworth, who was born in Wakefield in 1903 and live d there with her family until the age of 18, The H e pworth Wakefield will b e the largest purpose -built art gallery to op en in Britain sinc e the op ening of Tate St Ives in the 1990s, and will cre ate for the first time a p ermanent public le ga cy for the artist in her home city.

The building, set in the historic waterfront are a of Wakefield on a landmark site on the b anks of the River C ald er, has b e en d esigne d by the internationally a c claime d D avid C hip p erfield Archite cts. S pre a d over 5,000 square metres, the visitor c an explore 10 light-fille d galleries and le arning studios; an auditorium; an archive; and a c afé -cum- shop with an outdoor terra c e and gard ens. These c an all b e a c c esse d via a new p e d estrian bridge over the River C ald er, le a ding to The H e pworth Wakefield.

The gallery site has b e en d evelop e d at a cost of £35 million as p art of the £100 million re generation of Waterfront Wakefield. It includ es the restoration of former mill and warehouse buildings, the d evelopment of new resid ential, offic e and leisure fa cilities, and outdoor landsc a ping with a new p e d estrian bridge. The gallery is fund e d through an investment p artnership b etwe en Wakefield C ouncil and Arts C ouncil England with major funding from the H eritage Lottery Fund, Yorkshire Forward, the H omes

w w w.ro m a u k . n e t

school was originally built, our role is essentially to make the school a more functional and modern place”.

Main contractor Torpoint has been on working on site with AEDAS since late summer 2010, and expects to complete works in May 2011.

and C ommunities Agency and the Europ e an Re gional D evelopment Fund.

The op ening of the H e pworth Wakefield is a highlight of Art in Yorkshire, a re gion-wid e proje ct sup porte d by Tate.

This ye ar-long c ele bration of the visual arts a cross 19 galleries in Yorkshire is le d

by York Museums Trust in association with Arts C ouncil England, ML A and Welcome to Yorkshire.

Cllr Peter B ox, le a d er of Wakefield C ouncil, said, “ We hop e that The H e pworth Wakefield mod el will set a pre c e d ent for the kind of p artnerships which c an drive forward the future e conomy of this country. We are cle ar that cultural investment is an investment in jobs and the wellb eing of our communities, who d eserve the b est we c an provid e”.

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£585 million new general hospital is Birmingham’s rst for 70 years A £545 million PPP venture to build the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in Edgebaston - the rst new general hospital in Birmingham for 70 years and the largest community healthcare development outside London - is largely completed.

The 1,300-bed hospital revolutionises healthcare design, and includes an accident and emergency department, specialist burns and transplant wards, a decontamination suite and 30 operating theatres.

The hospital was handed over in phases and is now open. The areas of the building still to be completed will also be handed over in phases up until N ovember 2011 and will accom modate the nal outpatient services departments, the last six operating theatres and a number of laboratories yet to transfer from old estate.

Clients University Hospital Birmingham N HS Foundation Trust have carried out the project with partner Consort Healthcare, which is made up of Balfour Beatty (the lead contractor), the Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC. Master planners, architects, landscape architects and acoustic consultants BDP

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were responsible for the design of the site master plan and the hospital. O ther members of the design team include civil and structural engineers White Young Green and mechanical and electrical engineers Hulley and Kirkwood and Couch Perry Wilkes.

The hospital’s 30 operating theatres include 23 inpatient theatres and seven day case theatres. 44% of inpatient beds are single rooms, with the rest being four-bed, single-sex rooms - all with en suite bathrooms. The building also incorporates an atrium food court providing restaurant, café and coffee facilities.

The hospital was conceived as three elliptical bedroom towers sitting over a high tech medical treatment podium.

Externally, this helps soften the scale of the hospital, and enables maximum exploitation of the excellent views over Birmingham.

Internally, the design offers several advantages. In the middle of each tower is an external courtyard wide enough so people can get a clear view of the sky and where the sun is, which helps with way- nding. It also means that every ward is lled with natural light.

Construction of the hospital has used some of the most innovative techniques,

including pre-fabrication and modularised building services.

M ore than 10,000 tons of steel has been used to build the new hospital and approximately 225,000 cubic metres of ground was excavated, with around 55,000 metres of concrete foundation piles being bored.

N early 2,000 people have been involved in the project, which has won numerous awards for safety and sustainability, including the 2009 Green Apple Environment Award in Sustainability and Waste Management and the 2009 RoSPA Gold Award for O ccupational Health & Safety.

Andrew Smith, project director and head of healthcare at designers BDP, said, “This is a much needed facility for Birmingham.

O ur design is focused on the concerns of the individual patient. The design supports the ef cient provision of the best possible clinical service in an environment that is attractive and uplifting, not only for patients themselves, but also their visitors and the staff who provide their care”.

He added that the main challenge was ensuring the building didn’t feel enormous and people could nd their way around it: “We concentrated on making it as easy and as intuitive to use as possible”, he said.

Contractors give hospital the full treatment!

Benefiting patients and staff alike, wide-ranging improvements have been carried out throughout the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in Norwich, in a number of projects undertaken as part of the hospital’s recently completed capital works programme for 2010.

The proje cts, und ertaken by various contra ctors includ e: the cre ation of a new angiogra phy suite and C T sc anner room, plus the a d dition of numerous other fa cilities including a new staff te am me eting room, a d ditional provision for p atients with p a c e makers; two new consulting rooms - one in the e ar, nose and throat d e p artment and the other in the Crickleford Ward; and the provision of single sex a c commod ation in thre e d e p artments.

O ther improve ments includ e d those to the line ar a c c elerator room and the physics workshop.

The angiogra phy suite was cre ate d through the conversion and extensive re mod eling of former offic e are as within the C ardiology d e p artment, in a proje ct c arrie d out by John Youngs, who also c arrie d a se p arate proje ct to cre ate a new sc anner room.

This £238,000 14 we ek proje ct d esigne d by Archite cts Ingleton Wood involve d the conversion of existing a c commod ation to cre ate consulting rooms, changing and se ating are as, and a se p arate room for the sc anner.

The construction te am suc c essfully op erate d within what re maine d an a ctive sc anning unit and ha d to work around me dic al professionals, outp atients, and p e ople visiting in the hospital.

A further proje ct c arrie d out by John Youngs involve d the

provision of a new me dic al te am me eting room through the internal re configuration of former offic e and storage are as.

The works includ e d d e molition and re configuration of internal walls, re d e coration and upgra ding of me chanic al and ele ctric al provision to serve the room’s new fa cilities including smart boards, vid e o conferencing and audio syste ms.

Also c arrie d out by John Youngs was a proje ct to incre ase the manufa cturing c a p a city of the hospital’s physics workshop where prosthetic limbs are manufa cture d. The proje ct includ e d the installation of a d ditional ventilation servic es and a d ditional ele ctric al c a p a city, improve d lighting and the installation of new flooring.

Thre e a d ditional p a cing rooms and a new re c e ption are a for the tre atment of p atients with p a c e makers were provid e d in a proje ct

by Morgan Sind all. The works includ e d d e molition of internal p artitions in former b everage b ay are as and archive storage rooms in the existing p a c e maker d e p artment. N ew internal p artitioning was installe d to cre ate the new fa cilities, together with the installation of new me chanic al and ele ctric al e quipment re quire d for clinic al servic es, including me dic al gases.

Morgan Sind all also und ertook a proje ct ge are d to providing single sex a c commod ation in line with D e p artment of H e alth’s Dignity and Priva cy Policy. The works comprise d modific ations to thre e d e p artments to ensure the provision of se gre gate d a c commod ation for male and fe male p atients.

The proje ct involve d internal re configuration of former op en plan mixe d sex are as to form se gre gate d are as, including

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Midla n d s & E a st A nglia se p arate tre atment b ays, male and fe male toilets and se p arate nurse c all syste ms. The proje ct re quire d the installation of new internal p artitions, the installation of se p arate lighting and he ating circuits, and re -d e coration, as well as the installation of se p erate building manage ment syste ms for the newly se gre gate d are as.

A further proje ct c arrie d out by Morgan Sind all involve d the formation of a new consulting room in the Crickleford ward, with work including the installation of new p artitioning, lighting improve ments and the provision of washa ble wall and floor surfa c es to ensure hygienic conditions.

Angiography Suite Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital An approximately ÂŁ800,000 project involving both extension and remodeling has resulted in the creation of a new angiography suite and offices at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in a project which won praise from clients Octagon Healthcare for the work of main contractors John Youngs.

The proje ct was c arrie d out in two phases - Phase 1 ran from 4th of January to 30th A pril 2010 and Phase 2 ran b etwe en 4th M ay and 27th August 2010. Archite cts for the sche me were LSi N orwich.

The total are a covere d by the new fa cilities is a p proximately 164 sq m. A 20 x 12-metre single storey extension was built on the flat roof of an a dja c ent building to serve as offic es, which allowe d for the cre ation of a new angiogra phy suite, which d e als with the tre atment of hard ening and blocking of the arteries.

The new single storey extension is a lightweight ste el frame d structure, with external elevations in Kingsp an p anelling

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A new e ar, nose and throat consulting room was provid e d in a proje ct c arrie d out by S erco, through the p artitioning off of a se ction of a formerly op en plan are a in the hospital. In a d dition to new p artitioning, the works includ e d the provision of new me chanic al and ele ctric al e quipment re quire d for clinic al servic es, as well as the installation of new flooring.

Further improve ments includ e d a sche me c arrie d out by Eyre Ele ctric al involving the upgra ding of ele ctric al circuits in the line ar a c c elerator room (use d for oncology tre atment), to fa cilitate the upgra ding of the line ar a c c elerator’s c a p a city.

and a single pitch roof incorporating sunlight tub es and a natural ventilation syste m. Internal fa cilities includ e offic e a c commod ation, interview rooms, clinic al storage fa cilities and disa ble d clinic al staff changing fa cilities.

The new angiogra phy suite was cre ate d through the conversion and extensive re mod eling of former offic e are as within the c ardiology d e p artment (the former oc cup ants of the offic es move d into the new extension).

The works commenc e d with a comprehensive strip out, taking the are a b a ck to b are brick work.

The new fa cility includ es an op erating proc e dure room with enhanc e d me chanic al and ele ctric al syste ms to maintain surgic al tre atment e quipment. This room, together with some others in the suite, is a ‘cle an’ room with e asy cle an tile d surfa c es.

O ther fa cilities includ e a control room where staff control the angiogra phy ma chine, a ‘scrub cle an’ room, a ‘dirty utility’ room and thre e rooms to serve as tre atment and re covery are as.

“There were always challenges in atte mpting to bre ak into the existing structure whilst working in the c ardiology are a. B ut Youngs worke d very well with both S erco (the fa cility managers on site) and the various hospital d e p artments, with shut-downs b eing co-ordinate d to c ause minimal disruption. This close coop eration with all p arties help e d ensure a suc c essful contra ct.

John Youngs d elivere d the proje ct on time, which was a gre at cre dit to the m and the hospital are very ple ase d with the work”, said C hris H atch of O ctagon H e althc are S ervic es.

Wardray Premise Wardray Pre mise has over 70 ye ars exp erienc e in the d esign, manufa cture and installation of x-ray, gamma, neutron and R F shielding products essential in imaging and ra diothera py d e p artments.

Ac cre dite d to IS O 9001:2000, products are generally custom-ma d e to suit individual re quire ments.

Typic al products comprise of tra ditional le a d-line d p anelling, doorsets (sliding, hinge d, manual, automatic), curtain syste ms, prote ctive scre ens and observation windows. In a d dition they sup ply PR E M A C ® ra diation shielding a crylic, le a d-glass, le a drub b er and PR E M A D E X® neutron shielding.

Particular are as of the comp any’s exp ertise are R F and magnetic shielding for MRI, assessment of me dic al (and industrial) x-ray installations and Monte - C arlo neutron shielding c alculations for high-energy lina c fa cilities. In 2009 Wardray Pre mise complete d twenty R F c age installations giving the comp any an installe d b ase of over two hundre d.

To compliment their shielding products and services, they also offer accessories for x-ray and MRI. These products range from prote ctive clothing, viewers, desktop processors and chemistry to MR safe trolleys, whe elchairs and patient monitoring e quipment.

Esta blishe d in 1909, Wardray Pre mise is a fourth generation family business with an envia ble tra dition of quality, relia bility and customer servic e. Full information on all products and servic es will b e availa ble from their stand or c an b e obtaine d from their we bsite w w w.wardray-pre mise.com.

Youngsters and whole community benefit from college’s construction project Adding a new nursery and wide-ranging community facilities at Samuel Whitbread College in Shefford, Bedfordshire, is a new building under construction in a project being carried out by main contractors and mechanical and electrical engineers LowC Construction, who have been described as doing “excellently well”.

Archite cts are the H anson Le d dington Partnership; structural engine ers are the Millward Partnership and quantity surveyors are Telford H art Associates.

“Low C C onstruction are doing exc ellently well an are on time and on budget”, said Mr. D avid H anson of HLP (the H anson Le d dington Partnership).

Initial works includ e d the d e molition of two c aretaker’s houses on the colle ge c ampus to make way for the new d evelopment.

The building is divid e d into two completely se p erate se ctions one of which is single storey and houses the nursery for children age d from b a bies up to thre e and four ye ars, and will incorporate a play are a and a conservatory on the main frontage. The other two-storey community se ction will a c commod ate a variety of fa cilities including those for C ommunity Polic e, the N ational H e alth, te a cher training and a school trust. This se ction will also house a 64 se ater conferen room and ancillary fa cilities.

A m ajor a s p e c t of th e b uilding’s d e sign is its m a ny e c o frie n dly fe a ture s, w hic h in clu d e a h e a ting syste m p ow ere d by ra p e s e e d oil.

The building is structure d around a ste el frame with external elevations in a combination of aluminium cla d ding p anels and c e d ar boarding, incorporating aluminium frame d windows and a curve d aluminium roof.

C onstruction of the building has just b e en complete d, and external works, including the a d dition of 60 c ar p arking sp a c es, are und erway and due for completion in the next two to thre e months.

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Harborne Pool and Fitness Centre soon to be complete The £12 million Harborne Baths development near Birmingham is moving at a fast pace as 2011 begins, with the testing of the structural integrity of the main 25 metre pool tank recently completed to make sure there are no future problems.

D avid S quires, le a ding the proje ct on b ehalf of main contra ctor Wates, said, “The structural inte grity of the pool tanks is critic al for the long term future of the site.

C ouncillor Mike Whitby said, “The proje ct is fast d eveloping and the swimming pools will b e at the he art of the new fa cility. This is another major milestone in the d evelopment of the site. This is a major investment in the city’s leisure infrastructure which shows the commitment of the council to invest in its leisure portfolio”.

D avid S quires said, “The main pool, when it is complete d, will hold 421,940 litres of water (92,836 gallons) and the le arner pool will hold 72,625 litres (15,979 gallons)”. This gives an indic ation of the volume of water that will b e use d on site”.

This is the first time a swimming pool and fitness c entre has b e en built from scratch in the Birmingham are a sinc e 1988 when Kingstanding Leisure C entre op ene d. H arborne’s pool will b e on the same site as the current one in Lordswood Roa d which is to b e d e molishe d b e c ause it is over 60 ye ars and in ne e d major re p air. It will have two pools – a main 25 metre one and one for le arners – a sp e ctator gallery, a dult and junior fitness suites, a community room/d anc e studio and a c afe are a.

C ouncillor Mike Whitby, le a d er of Birmingham City C ouncil, and D avid S quires are picture d filling the pool as p art of the testing re gime. Work on the new fa cility is exp e cte d to take until N ove mb er 2011

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The swimming pool specialists Work at H arborne c entres around the work of World Leisure (U K ), whose turnkey p a ckage includ es d esign and installation of pool structures, filtration syste ms and finishes to B S8007 swimming pool structure, using Xyp ex crystalline waterproofing as an a dmixture.

The firm was found e d in 2008 by a group of industry sp e cialists including co-dire ctor Simon Smith, who told Pre mier C onstruction, “This contra ct is our first with Wates and it continues suc c ess we’ve ha d with other major contra ctors such as B alfour B e atty and IS G . Although we’re young, we’re quickly esta blishing a strong re putation within the swimming pool industry.

Aske d to pinpoint the re ason for his firm’s a chieve ments, he a d d e d, “ We have b ases in Glasgow and Leyland (L anc ashire) which allow us to cover the whole of the U K and Ireland; we have a gre at in house fa cility and a te am from d esigners through to manage ment who all have many ye ars exp erienc e in the leisure industry; and as a comp any we offer a ‘one -stop shop’ p a ckage to clients – we c an d e al with move a ble floors and booms, wave ma chines, wellness fe atures, maintenanc e and much more. We even offer in-house fa bric ation of ste el filters, stainless ste el fixtures and fittings”.

Find out what Simon and his te am c an do for you at w w w. worldleisureuk.co.uk

Re-worked retail park sees increase in customer numbers At the Shires Retail Park near Warwick and Leamington Spa, developers have recently demonstrated how small modifications can vastly improve retail units and increase the level of customer ‘footfall’.

Work on the site involve d cre ating six new units whilst contending with loc al planning re gulations which would have ma d e it difficult to obtain p ermission to extend the units’ footprint. D esign for the proje ct c ame courtesy of archite cts RPS Group, who worke d alongsid e consultants Rid er Levett B ucknall (RL B) and main contra ctor M cL aren C onstruction, the firm which is also b ehind the striking new bus station at Slough.

The entire fa c a d e of the retail units was re -worke d, providing a glass and ste el c anopy over the p ave ment in front with the intention of incre asing the building’s visual imp a ct both from the fore court and the ne arby roa d.

The sche me is now divid e d into 11 retail units and two restaurants and provid es 132,620 sq ft of retail a c commod ation.

To the e astern sid e of the retail p ark is one of the site’s main attra ctions: the S ainsbury’s food store with an a dja c ent p etrol filling station.

In ord er b oth to te st the via bility of the plans and to c onvinc e retailers, a trial unit wa s c om plete d in e arly 2010 and we nt on to d e monstrate the b e nefit of a p plying the chang e s to neighb ouring units.

A re presentative of RL B told Pre mier C onstruction, “The d esign was b ase d on cre ating an indoor-outdoor fe el, which is a gre at improve ment on the previous set-up. Ultimately, the changes encourage a b etter shop ping exp erienc e and incre ase the potential value of retail”.

H e continue d, “The most challenging asp e ct of the works was to complete the m without disruption to retail. The c ar p ark, esp e cially, ne e d e d a lot of attention to ke e p traffic flow and volume up during busy p eriods like b ank holid ays. H owever, we are ple ase d that all the works were complete d without a single closure, even though almost the entire brick fa c e of the building was re move d and only the sup porting pillars were retaine d”.

The re c ent improve ments to the site are d esigne d to a p p e al to what is a signific ant population within re a ch of the retail p arks. Within a ten minute c atchment are a there is an estimate d population in exc ess of 84,000 p e ople, rising to in exc ess of 186,000 p e ople within a 20-minute c atchment are a. A population of over 70,000 resid es in Warwick and Le amington S p a.

and private se ctors. Principles of innovation, smart d elivery and colla boration, together with our flexible, multi-discipline d a p proa ch, encourage customers to return time and time again and re gularly includ e M cL aren in their preferre d p artner frameworks.

M cL aren C onstruction was re c ently confirme d as main contra ctor for Pre mier Le ague Tottenham H otspur F C s new £45 million a c a d e my and will construct the main, state -of-the -art training c entre at the he art of the new complex.

M cL aren’s site te am will b e b ehind the c entre d esigne d around a 70m x 50m indoor artificial pitch, which includ es a hydrothera py/ swimming pool, a fitness c entre and gym, me dic al fa cilities and a me dia c entre.

Pre p aratory and ground works on the site, which also includ es 11 outdoor pitches, starte d in S e pte mb er 2010. B ase C ontra cts will complete the fitting-out.

About the contractor The M cL aren Group is one of the U K’s most suc c essful privatelyowne d comp anies, with an envia ble re putation for long-term relationships with blue -chip customers around the glob e.

From a network of U K and international offic es, the contra ctor c an d eliver a p propriate solutions for every client, from newbuild or prop erty d evelopment to interiors and furnishings. Joint ventures with sp e cialist p artners ensure the highest quality servic e and exp ertise in every asp e ct of proje cts.

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Historic Mint building transformed into gated community A £40 million flagship development is transforming the historic Birmingham Mint building in Ickinfield Street in the city’s ‘jewellery quarter’ into an exclusive gated community. The project is being carried out for Raybone Developments (Mint).

The massive sche me will se e 224 a p artments, 66,000 sq ft of gra d e A offic e sp a c e and 234 und erground p arking sp a c es cre ate d within a gate d d evelopment with the resid ential prop erties b eing availa ble for rent.

The d evelopment will cre ate a mod ern living sp a c e preserving Gra d e I and II-liste d fe atures including the building’s 130ft tall chimney sta cks.

Mr. D avid Raybone of Raybone D evelopments says he is confid ent that the resid ential and offic e sp a c e will b e in d e mand d espite tough times. H e said, “ We have got a lot of stock around the Birmingham are a so it’s an ongoing thing for us. We are not planning to sell any of the a p artments. I want to b e a ble to control it so there is a re al village community in there”.

H e a d d e d, “ We know a bout the rental market in this are a. We have a couple of hundre d flats here at the moment and we don’t have any e mpty stock at all. “ We will have a site manager and maintenanc e staff on there and I b elieve if you offer that good quality servic e on a se cure d site then that is what Birmingham ne e ds”.

The sche me’s progress has b e en welcome d by community le a d ers in the ‘jewellery quarter’, who se e the Mint d evelopment as key to plans to re generate the are a M arie H a d dleton, presid ent of the Jewellery Q uarter Association, which re presents businesses and resid ents, said, “It is gre at that the Mint building is b eing preserve d and we have manage d to ke e p the chimney sta ck. And while I don’t like too many gates – I like op en doors – you ne e d to have se curity and I don’t se e any proble ms with that”.

Joint a dministrators M att C owlishaw and Dominic Wong, of D eloitte, complete d the sale of the site, which was p art of the Junare d Group of comp anies. Junare d fell into a dministration in June 2009.

Mr. C owlishaw said, “I am d elighte d that, with the help of many of the professionals and contra ctors involve d with this d evelopment, a sale has b e en a chieve d. “ Work ha d c e ase d on the d evelopment in S e pte mb er 2007 and the sale will result in the d evelopment, on an important site in the city c entre, b eing complete d”.

The Birmingham Mint move d to its newly-constructe d thre e storey re d brick fa ctory in Ickinfield Stre et in 1862, e mploying 300 staff. It was at this time the largest private mint in the world.

Most of the complex, excluding the Icknield Stre et block and the re ar, retaining, wall, was d e molishe d in A pril 2007. The fa ç a d e

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is gra d e II liste d.

After b eing purchase d by G e orge Wimp ey, planning consent was given for a large mixe d use resid ential and commercial sche me. H owever the proje ct was d eferre d due to the downturn in the wid er e conomic climate, and it was later sold on in January 2007 to Junare d Prop erty Group.

C onstruction of sche me commenc e d in e arly 2007 with the intention to b e complete by spring 2009. Unfortunately Junare d Prop erty Group c e ase d construction in D e c e mb er 2008 (after funding was withdrawn by H B O S) b efore la psing into a dministration in F e bruary 2009.

Birmingham’s ‘jewellery quarter’ is synonymous with the manufa cture of jewellery, coins and me d als in Birmingham and has b e en the birthpla c e of many pione ering a dvanc e ments in industry. The are a’s importanc e in the international jewellery industry has d e cline d much throughout the 20th c entury and is now b eing transforme d into an urb an village and hub for cre ative businesses. Loc als are enthusiastic a bout the new resid ential d evelopment.

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C a ll o ur n e w s t e a m o n 0170 6 719 972

Grants convert industrial land into parks A new heritage country park for the people of Stoke-on-Trent is being created on former industrial land around Chatterley Whit eld colliery, England’s most important colliery. The £8m makeover follows grant funding by the N ational Coal elds Programme managed by English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency.

Birse Civils has been appointed as principal contractor and will deliver the transformation of a heritage country park at Chatterley Whit eld under a three year contract.

The transformation of the 50 hectare site will enhance the current landscape, keeping the

spoil heap as a reminder of the work performed on this evocative site by generations of local men but re-pro ling it to make it safer and more accessible. On land once used for stockpiling coal that was criss-crossed by railway sidings, new footpaths will be created to encourage recreational use of this now green open space by local residents and the popular cycle route 55 will be retained and enhanced.

The most signi cant change to the landscape will be the restoration of Ford Green Brook to an ecologically friendly open watercourse.

Cowap Mobile Welding have asisted the works, carrying out welding and steel fabrication. The brook currently runs in an ageing culvert under the main spoil heap. The open channel will complement the other areas of the Chatterley Whit eld site encompassing wildlife habitats and woodland, grassland, heath, wetland and orchards.

Joan Walley, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North and founding member of the Chatterley Whit eld partnership, is delighted with the decision: “A huge amount of work has led to [the project

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being approved] and I am delighted that we are now in a position to get the next stage of improvements done. This transformation of this site is long overdue and will boost con dence in the area.

“As well as focusing on nature, heritage and waterscapes, we will be providing essential remediation to long standing land and drainage problems that would otherwise have caused real problems for local people. But it is vital that we see this stage of Chatterley Whit eld as simply the next step. More work is still needed - creating jobs on the site and getting funding for the northern plateaux football pitches and upgrading the former Chatterley Whit eld pitches”.

No Christmas slowdown for A46 project Contractors led by Balfour Beatty worked day and night over the Christmas holidays to successfully install a new railway bridge in just 83.5 hours, as part of the Highways Agency’s A46 Newark to Widmerpool improvement in Nottinghamshire. The work was seen by around 300 people over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, who visited to watch from the specially created public viewing area.

The new A46 ne e ds to go und er the existing railway line at Bingham, so the new bridge, d esigne d by U RS/S cott Wilson, has b e en provid e d to take the railway over the roa d. To minimise

disruption for rail users, the agency c arrie d out the work at a time of ye ar when there are fewer train servic es, with no trains sche dule d to run on C hristmas D ay and B oxing D ay.

O ver the holid ay the te am re move d the existing tra ck and dug out 3500 cubic metres of railway e mb ankment to reve al six concrete piles that were driven into pla c e over a numb er of we ekends in S e pte mb er and O ctob er.

The 1300-tonne bridge was then ja cke d onto two hydraulic platforms, e a ch one with 75 whe els, and raise d up. It was driven into position at a sp e e d of around one mile an hour, lowere d onto

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Midla n d s & E a st A nglia the six concrete columns and fixe d into pla c e. The railway line was re -op ene d to trains on the morning of 28 D e c e mb er.

Highways Agency senior proje ct manager G e off B ethel said, “ We are working closely with N etwork Rail both in terms of the work itself and to mitigate the effe ct it will have on rail users.

Working on C hristmas D ay and B oxing D ay and on the following two b ank holid ays is the p erfe ct op portunity for us to get the job done with minimum disruption at this, the time of ye ar when there are fewer rail servic es. I thank [my staff] for giving up their C hristmas to do so”.

The ste el components for the bridge were ma d e in Wales and transporte d to site in S e pte mb er 2010. It was asse mble d alongsid e the railway line bit-by-bit and a concrete d e ck was poure d on top. Sup porting walls were also installe d in re a diness for the C hristmas op eration.

The A46 is an important re gional trunk roa d conne cting the E ast and West Midlands. The se ction b etwe en Widmerpool and N ewark c arries b etwe en 16200 and 25300 vehicles p er d ay, of which up to 15% are he avy goods vehicles. This level of traffic gives rise to fre quent congestion and d elay.

The existing A46 is generally straight and undulating as it follows the line of the old Roman roa d - Fosse Way. This c an make safe overtaking difficult and it is ma d e worse by many junctions and a c c esses to fields, farms and houses. The roa d has a poor safety re cord - in the five ye ars b etwe en 2001 and 2005, there were 13 fatal, 56 serious and 222 slight a c cid ents.

Growing demand met by hotel expansion A popular hotel in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, is soon to unveil an extension to its site. Dower House Hotel, in its new guise, will feature a new ground floor bar, a kitchen, a cellar, two function rooms and a lobby. An additional building known as the ‘Garden House’ is being built on land previously used as a garden within the grounds to increase space at the hotel to 21 rooms, all with en-suite facilities.

G N C onstruction has b e en op erating as main contra ctor, following d esign work by loc ally-b ase d archite cts Steven Dunn, who sp e cialise in hotels, gard en c entres and leisure proje cts and are currently the archite cts for the £4.5m re d evelopment of the Walle d G ard en at the gra d e I liste d B elton H ouse in Grantham.

Simon Eve, co-manager of Dower H ouse, spoke to Pre mier C onstruction a bout the £2 million proje ct. H e explaine d, “The surrounding are a re ally has a la ck of top quality hotel a c commod ation. We are one of a handful of hotels in the re gion and we have a good level of d e mand, so it makes sense for us to exp and to refle ct that. We have the N ational G olf C entre ne arby and we a c commod ate a lot of p e ople travelling to the are a for business”.

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Simon went on to discuss the look of the ma d e -over hotel, which re quire d se p arate planning p ermissions for the extension and the new build, saying, “The d e molition re move d thre e ground floor rooms, one of which was an a dmitte dly hid e ous extension to the original building, as well as a kitchen and bre akfast room we put in when we originally bought the hotel.

“The loc al authority sp e cifie d plenty of ways in which we ha d to sele ct our materials – windows, tiles, brick work and so on – the result is that the new building is like a mini version of the hotel itself in that it is d esigne d using similar materials to have the same look. O nc e it is complete, it will look as if it ha d b e en there all along”, he said. “ We were very ke en to go loc al with our contra ctors”, Simon continue d, “as we re cognise the role that such a proje ct c an play in the loc al e conomy. We knew that G N C onstruction ha d a very good re putation in the are a when it c ame to resid ential and commercial work, and we knew that any of their sub contra ctors would b e hire d within a c ertain ra dius. So far it has b e en a suc c essful a p pointment and the contra ctors are currently working hard to make up for the time we lost while the winter we ather prevente d a lot of work b eing done – luckily, we ha d the

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roof on the extension b efore the snow was too b a d, but there was not much we could do a bout the G ard en H ouse”.

The hotel manage ment te am has b e en very hands-on with the proje ct, Simon says: “ We are hands-on with the business and with our guests: that’s one of the ways in which we’ve built up our re putation! We have ma d e sure that the works haven’t prevente d guests from coming here and enjoying their stay. O ther than p art of the c ar p ark b eing se gre gate d for the works, there has b e en no loss of quality when it comes to the guest exp erienc e”. “ Hiring a loc al contra ctor is in line with our own contribution to the loc al e conomy. N ot only are we p art of a tourism industry

that brings money from outsid e into Lincolnshire, but also we are having a dire ct effe ct on the e conomy if we exp and and re cruit extra staff. In all, it’s a proje ct that will b enefit us as well as our neighbours. N ow with two b ars, we will b e a ble to se p arate one and use it for functions whilst ke e ping the other op en as a venue for both guests and loc al resid ents; and so we’re all looking forward to the work b eing complete!”

Work on the new guest rooms is exp e cte d to b e complete d by the end of M arch, while full completion is due shortly after, in time to take a dvantage of the busy se ason.

New hotel expected to boost theme park attendance

Drayton Manor Theme Park, near Tamworth, Staffordshire, is set to open its new hotel in summer 2011. It is hoped that the 150-bedroom themed hotel will encourage two day visits to the park, providing short breaks for families.

The hotel will also fe ature extensive conferencing and hospitality fa cilities, complimenting those alre a dy at the the me p ark, and will includ e two restaurants, a coffe e shop, a mini the atre and a crè che.

Works are b eing c arrie d out by H alesowen-b ase d contra ctor A&H C onstruction. A lightweight M etse c p anel syste m was chosen for the b e drooms for its cost-effe ctiveness and sp e e d of ere ction. The roof is a mixture of flat asphalt, pitche d tiling

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and pitche d aluminium, intersp erse d with dormer windows.

Elsewhere, works includ e the following: • • •

• •

A four storey south wing b e droom block with tri-end and plant room b ase ment A four storey atrium A four storey north wing b e droom block with dining room, function room and brasserie at ground floor level with a plant room and a b ar in the b ase ment A single storey kitchen are a All me chanic al and ele ctric al servic es

The building structure and associate d works entruste d to A&H

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includ e: • Ere ction of a ste el-frame d building on a concrete p a d and strip found ations on driven pile found ations • Reinforc e d concrete on the up p er floors on a p ermanent profile d ste el d e cking syste m • E xternal walls constructe d of tra ditional brick and block work fe aturing insulate d c avity masonry with a p art rend ere d finish • Flat and pitche d roofing including both dormer windows and turrets • Windows and curtain walling • Internal p artition walls of concrete block work and metal stud p artitions cla d with plasterboard • Installation of all internal me chanic al and ele ctric al servic es, including ele ctric al distribution, he ating and ventilation plant and e quipment, lighting, se curity, fire prote ction and lift installation • All associate d d e corative finishes and fixings • E xternal works including all ne c essary servic e installations and conne ctions, retaining walls, roa d ways, p ave ments, c ar p arking, foul and surfa c e water drainage and landsc a ping works The hotel will b e loc ate d in the the me p ark's surrounding 280-a cre p arkland and has b e en d esigne d to blend in with the woodland setting, providing p e a c eful, air-conditione d suites which c an c ater for events attend e d by 20 to 400 guests. A full variety of visitors are c atere d for: from families on we ekend bre aks to business conferenc es and we d dings.

The woodland setting is of gre at importanc e to consultant archite ct Hugh Gilmore, who told Pre mier C onstruction, “The only re al challenge we’ve fa c e d on site is the presenc e of some b e autiful, mature tre es with TP O s prote cting the m. We ha d to work around the m with some cre ative, sophistic ate d found ations.

The tre es aren’t se en as an annoyanc e, however: they a d d a lot to the site and are an important p art of the atmosphere the client wants to cre ate”.

A&H co-dire ctor M artin H e a d told Pre mier C onstruction, “A&H b e c ame aware of this proje ct many ye ars prior to the tend er b eing rele ase d. Mike H atton, our contra cts manager, monitore d the proje ct through our loc al sup ply chain and through press rele ases from the the me p ark op erators, and we knew that the unique d esign of the building and the family-run nature of the the me p ark, which matches our own ethos, me ant that the proje ct was p erfe ct for us”.

Aske d what ha d brought his comp any to the proje ct, M artin said, “It’s a substantial contra ct and we’re a loc al contra ctor so it ma d e sense for us to go for the tend er. It’s b e en a ple asure to win the contra ct and get our te eth into it, building on suc c ess and exp erienc e we’ve previously ha d with buildings of a similar size. The hotel d esign is impressive and I’m looking forward to se eing it complete as it will give a re al visual imp a ct as you come into the site”.

Mike H atton gave Pre mier C onstruction a site up d ate in late January, saying, “The building is now watertight with all walls and roofing complete, and alre a dy half of the b e drooms have b e en plastere d with the rest soon to b e complete d. Finishing has b e gun where a p plic a ble, and overall the proje ct is progressing well. The fe e d b a ck we’ve ha d from the d esign te am has b e en positive and the client has expresse d a p proval, esp e cially with the quality of workmanship, so we’ll ke e p pressing ahe a d until we complete in the summer”.

As Mike explains, “ We overc ame a signific ant challenge e arly in the construction phase when we discovere d an ancient spring dire ctly und erne ath the hotel’s footprint. We solve d the proble m with a sp e cially-d esigne d d e -watering syste m and were a ble to move on swiftly to the rest of the proje ct, which we have manage d whilst thousands of visitors have continue d to enjoy the the me p ark unhind ere d”.

H e a d d e d, “This is a highly complex proje ct for which loc al materials have b e en use d. We have help e d the client to find costeffe ctive solutions for both the construction and the running of

the building, with high-p erformanc e gla zing and high quality c avity insulation and rend er contributing to fantastic U -values a cross the build. The d esign helps to ma ximise he at re covery and the b espoke drainage syste m allows for retention, preventing unwante d surges into loc al water courses”.

In other news, Drayton M anor's Tower and H amilton suites re c ently und erwent a complete refurbishment, which includ e d the installation of a wi-fi conne ction, new d e cor, fixtures and fittings, enhanc e d lighting, new furniture and improve d toilet fa cilities.

About the contractor A&H C onstruction & D evelopments plc, forme d in 1986, has more than 20 ye ars’ exp erienc e in building, civil engine ering and proje ct management, und ertaking a wid e range of proje cts in a range of market se ctors. The firm’s portfolio comprises everything from minor alterations and refurbishments through to complete new industrial estates.

N ow ge aring up for 25th anniversary c ele brations, A&H te am me mb ers are refle cting on a numb er of evolutionary changes over the comp any’s life, which has taken the m through exp ansion, diversific ation, a changing marketpla c e and ste a dy grow th and le d to a re putation for quality and value. As well as b eing a major contra ctor in the Midlands, the firm has suc c essfully complete d prestigious proje cts a cross the U K .

P.A.W. delivers a faster light steel frame solution P. A .W Structures playe d a key p art in re ducing the overall proje ct programme for Drayton M anor H otels. It did so by d esigning, manufa cturing and installing a high quality light gauge ste el frame and composite floors which gre atly re duc e d the on-site programme when comp are d to tra ditional structures. P. A .W. a chieve d this without compromising on a c cura cy, d esign flexibility or the quality of materials.

P. A .W. is one of the U K’s le a ding p anelise d light ste el frame comp anies and c an draw upon over 75 ye ars of sp e cialist exp ertise in both light and he avy gauge ste el structures. It offers clients and main contra ctors a proven servic e that covers all asp e cts of d esign, manufa cture and installation.

Light ste el structures ena ble a fast tra ck construction programme which allows the e arly commenc e ment of followon tra d es. The inert frame is rarely affe cte d by b a d we ather, re quires no masonry and allows for off-site pre -fa bric ation of wall p anels. Follow-on tra d es c an b e gin work just 2 we eks after the floor installation.

For d etails conta ct Graham Townend on 01756 748 923

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C a ll o ur n e w s t e a m o n 0170 6 719 972

Spring completion expected for new special needs facility Main contractor Westbuild Solutions Ltd. is currently on site at Vranch House School in Exeter Devon, where a generous donation has allowed for a brand new £1 million children’s assessment centre.

The centre will comprise of a modern, purpose-built facility that should enable improved provision of specialist assessment services through the NHS for young children with special needs. The two-storey building is situated at the northern end of the Vranch House site and will include consulting rooms, assessment rooms, physiotherapy, doctors and therapist of ces, a toy library and an outpatients area.

The freezing conditions in early December postponed the scheduled bricklaying, and the subsequent snow did the same for the roof tiling. J anuary saw both phases progressed as conditions returned to normal.

Although the weather has affected the external construction, the internal work has continued largely unhindered. All of the timber

frame work is now completed, including the plaster boarding to internal partitions and the rst x electrical installation and the plumbing for the under- oor heating are nearing completion.

Architect Carole Trim told Premier Construction, “The conditions of the donation meant that there were two main priorities for the project: to stay within a strict £1 million budget, as funding is from a single donation; and from the start date on site to complete within effectively 6 months. We started with a basic brief and outline design in early 2010 and so to get to this stage despite delays has been a great achievement by all involved. The pre-fabricated timber frame we speci ed has been an important factor in the progress made on site”.

Funding for the project comes from Hong Kong-based businessman and philanthropist Sir

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Li Ka-Shing, head of Hutchison Whampoa Ltd and Cheung Kong Holdings, who has so far committed almost $1.5 billion of his vast wealth to charitable enterprises.

Vranch House is a registered charity and the new assessment centre will enable the multi-disciplinary assessment of children with complex and multiple dif culties and provide a range of outpatient treatments. The new building will host services from the charity, NHS Devon and Devon County Council.

School project brings new facilities into play A project comprising extension, refurbishment and external works is nearing completion, providing extensive new facilities at Queensway Catholic Primary School in Torquay.

The sche me is b eing und ertaken for Torb ay B orough C ouncil by main contra ctors M B S Ltd. Archite cts are N arra cotts; M & E consultants are S D S; structural engine ers are D artmoor D esigns and quantity surveyors and e mployer’s re presentatives are Paul Sherriff and Associates.

The proje ct has b e en c arrie d out in two phases - the first comprising the extension works and the se cond involving the refurbishment ele ment of the sche me and the external works.

The first phase extension works have b e en complete d and includ e d the d e molition of an external garage and mobile

classroom and the construction of a thre e -storey classroom block forming a new, reloc ate d main entranc e to the school and incorporating a new re c e ption are a, a community room, four classrooms, a plant room and storage are as. The extension is structure d around a ste el frame with external elevations in brick at the lower level, with mainly rend er a bove; aluminium frame d windows and a flat roof. The school’s sports hall was also extend e d by a bout one third in this phase.

Refurbishment works b eing c arrie d out in the current se cond phase comprise the internal re configuration and refurbishment of an are a previously containing four classrooms to form a two new general classrooms, a new pre -school are a and a library. This phase also includ es external works comprising the re construction of the school playground to includ e two new

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terra c es and play e quipment; the ere ction of new p erimeter fencing, and the extension of the staff c ar p ark.

Throughout the proje ct the main contra ctors and the school have worke d in close co-op eration to ensure the smooth progress of construction within a fully functioning school. The proje ct is due for completion in mid F e bruary 2011.

The story of Q ue ensway C atholic Primary school commenc e d in 1857, when a c atholic ele mentary school was built a dja c ent to the C hurch of the Assumption, A b b ey Roa d, Torquay. In 1953, the school stop p e d te a ching children of all ages and b e c ame a primary school.

During the 1960’s, D evon C ounty C ouncil looke d for a pie c e of land for a site for a new school to re pla c e the one at A b b ey Roa d b e c ause the buildings ha d b e come antiquate d and the playground ina d e quate. A suita ble site was reserve d on Q ue ensway situate d b esid e playing fields at Shiphay M anor, and it was consid ere d a p propriate to name the school after the roa d in which it stood.

After many false hop es and disa p pointments, the dire ctor of e duc ation servic es of the C ounty B orough of Torb ay at last obtaine d from the D e p artment of E duc ation the p ermission to proc e e d with the building of the new school.

C onstruction commenc e d in 1972, the found ation stone b eing laid by Bishop C yril Restie aux on 20th June 1973 and the building complete d in A pril 1974. O n 1st M ay the pupils move d into new school, which now jointly serves the p arishes of the Assumption, A b b ey Roa d and H oly Angels, C helston.

In a d dition to many minor internal alterations and improve ments over the ye ars, a classroom was a d d e d in 1990 to c ater for the growing numb er of pupils.

During the summer of 1999, the school gaine d funding from the government to build a new classroom to a c commod ate their rising numb ers of re c e ption children. H owever, the incre ase in pupil numb ers has continue d una b ate d and a new seventh classroom was constructe d to allow the school to have discrete te a ching groups throughout the building. During 2004 the school also manage d to fund the cre ation of an IC T suite, a new staff room and also a new a dministration are a.

M B S Ltd was esta blishe d in 1989 with an aim to provid e quality construction servic es to a wid e range of clients throughout the south west.

The comp any prid es itself on b eing a ble to obtain re p e at business, which has ena ble d the m to maintain ste a dy manage a ble

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grow th and an impressive portfolio, including major public bodies, commercial and private customers.

This has b e en a chieve d by re maining comp etitive, and working closely with clients, d esign te ams and users, ena bling M B S Ltd to maintain consistency to the highest stand ard.

M B S Ltd is committe d to the professional d evelopment and training of all e mploye es within the organisation. This ethos a p plies to the constant monitoring of their sub contra ctors to ensure they me et the comp any’s quality manage ment criteria.

The comp any dire ctly e mploys a highly skille d and motivate d workforc e and is proud of its re cord of retaining the b est p ersonnel.

Working within both the public and private se ctor, M B S Ltd have b e en involve d in constructing several landmark buildings for varie d uses, including retail, industrial, housing, e duc ation, law enforc e ment, d efenc e, he althc are, primary he althc are, and sp e cialist b espoke d esigns.

C a ll o ur n e w s t e a m o n 0170 6 719 972

Luxury hotel set to attract racing enthusiasts Ellenborough Park, which adjoins the race course at Cheltenham, has recently been restored as a prime hotel. The fully restored 60 bedroom hotel will include exceptional suites and guest rooms in the main house, complimented by a new courtyard and suites.

With interior design by the renowned Nina Campbell, Ellenborough Park will provide the highest level of prime hotel quality and service.

The rst 5-star hotel in the village of Southam, the new-look hotel replaces the former Hotel de la Bere in what is the former residence of the Earl of Ellenborough.

The new hotel will have both causal and formal dining rooms plus a private dining room for 12 in the principal suite. Other amenities will include a full service spa, gymnasium facilities and an outdoor pool, all set in the parkland adjacent to the racecourse.

With the new renovations, the hotel will boast

62 fully restored and new bedrooms, with suites of up to 700 sq. ft. and one grand suite with a private dining room for 12. All interiors are designed in a traditional yet sophisticated English country house style.

The hotel will also feature a full service spa, complete with hydrotherapy pool; sauna and steam room; six treatment rooms; outdoor heated pool, and fully-equipped gym.

Nina Campbell believes that a hotel should always exude comfort and peace, and consistently uses this as her starting point when embarking on a hotel project. "When you are in the English countryside, you need to feel cosy when you walk into your room and hotel reception areas", she said, explaining that Ellenborough Park's decor is an eclectic mix of

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traditional English fabrics and contemporary pieces.

The property bounds on to the Cheltenham R ace course and will have its own access; the draw of the races is a major factor behind investor Robert Fraser Asset Management’s decision to pump over £10 million into the refurbishment, which has been carried out by main contractor Zenith.

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Royal Treatment For New Queen Elizabeth’s School Construction Originally established by HenryVIII’s mother, Lady Margaret Beauford, in 1497, Queen Elizabeth’s School is well on its way to completing its plans for a brand new building to replace the existing facilities. The scheme, originally brought forward by Dorset City Council under the BSF scheme, has been designed by Fielden Clegg Bradley and Mouchel Architects and contracted by Carillion. Development has been progressing from Phase 1 of the project since its initial go-ahead in August 2009.

The site is in a sp a cious are a of the Dorset countrysid e to the west of the minster and the d esign has use d the original rugby field as the foc al point of the main new build, which is a sp e cialist sports colle ge. With a stud ent he a d count of 1500 plus staff, the d esign naturally has to b e on a large sc ale, covering in its dimensions a p proximately 12000m2, rising to thre e storeys. The school will b e divid e d into a mini-university style c ampus with both covere d and op en air transit routes b etwe en structures.

This is esp e cially important to this sports-orientate d school to provid e a c c ess to the a dja c ent leisure c entre and its extensive share d fa cilities.

While construction is und erway on the new d esigns, se ctions of the existing school will b e close d for safe and controlle d d e molition, transitioning the stud ents from one building to other as construction continues. Efforts have b e en ma d e to ensure the minimal volume of waste material has b e en re move d from site, using the spoil as e mb ankments, viewing platforms and hard core fill for new found ations.

The concrete frame is built using thousands of plastic spheres c age d within the floor sla bs c ast on pre -c ast planks, avoiding extensive formwork, to re duc e the volume of concrete use d in construction, thus saving c a p a city in the found ations. E xternally, the walls are he avily insulate d brick and c e d ar cla d ding with timb er frame d but aluminum shroud e d windows all to re duc e ongoing maintenanc e. Roofing is a chieve d using a single ply, high p erformanc e material sele cte d to provid e the look of zinc roofing, even including faux se ams, but, aging, to minimize maintenanc e. The overall floor are a is 14,235m2, which is higher than other similarly d esignate d schools but with its extensive proje cte d use a community fa cility the sp a c e is fully justifie d.

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Much effort has b e en exp end e d to ensure the school’s IT communic ations are top -notch, including Wi- Fi a c c ess throughout the c ampus to positively encourage la ptop use in the classrooms, in the many internal bre akout sp a c es and externally in the informal outdoor are as loc ate d among the six new buildings.

The IT C provision within the school includ es the use of a computer for every stud ent that ne e ds one combine d with a loc al network that will allow log-in from home and c ashless transa ctions for me als on the c ampus via the use of swip e c ards which also op erate as library c ards and to op en doors. Ad ditional fe atures of the syste m will b e a new a dministration and archiving syste m, intera ctive white boards in all classrooms and constant school information including on energy usage on a re al time b asis. C C T V, se curity and fire alarms will also b e inte grate d with the building manage ment syste ms that automatic ally control the environment.

D espite the main blocks b eing thre e stories high, the split level d esign “avoids any fe eling of b eing over-awe d by the bulk of the archite cture”, a c cording to Tony H all, proje ct manager for W YG .

The proje ct, costing £38 million, also incorporates sp a cious atria. S p e aking to Pre mier C onstruction, Tony H all ha d plenty of praise for the lighting arrange ments, a d ding, “The thre e storey atria that are c entral to all thre e main blocks allow natural light to flood down through to the floors. This effe ct will cre ate a wond erfully a d a pta ble indoor-to-outdoor he art of the school”.

The school will b e he ate d and coole d using air p asse d through ground tub es burie d b elow the buildings to provid e a sta ble te mp erature throughout the ye ar and using the thermal mass of the concrete frame to help distribute the effe cts during the working d ay. The multi-coate d double gla zing, biomass boiler, silver stand ard insulation throughout, solar he ating and photovoltaic ele ctricity generation all contribute to the a chieve ment of a B R E E A M ‘exc ellent’ score for the finishe d school. Air p erme a bility through the walls, doors, windows, curtain walling and roof is far lower than levels re quire d to satisfy current building re gulations.

The new Q ue en Eliz a b eth’s S chool is set to b e complete d and hand e d over in August 2011.

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London & South E ast

Innovatively designed new hospital is just what the doctor ordered!

The £230 million pound 512-bed Pembury Hospital, under construction in Maidstone, Kent, has been innovatively designed to aid patient recovery and safety.

The hospital is being constructed on the site of the existing general hospital which it will replace, and comprises both an acute medical unit and a women’s and children’s facility.

The project is being carried out by Laing O ’Rourke, part of the John Laing Consortium, which is responsible for the design, build and nance of the hospital, with Interserve FM responsible for the provision of hard FM services. The development is being undertaken for the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells N HS Trust.

The hospital is being built in two phases, the rst of which was completed and

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handed over on time to the trust on 30th N ovember. This phase saw nearly half of the hospital handed over and tting out is being completed in readiness for the women’s and children’s unit, outpatients, imaging and theatres, among others, to move in at the end of January 2011.

Handover of the second phase planned for later this spring. The nal phase of the project will be the demolition of the old hospital and the landscaping of the land on which it stands, which is being turned back into heathland. The only building that will remain on the old site will be an old chapel.

The hospital will be one of the rst major new acute healthcare development in the UK to boast 100% single-room accom modation for patients.

The building is constructed on a steep slope, so patients and visitors enter the six-storey facility half way up, with service access at lower levels.

The women’s and children’s unit shares an entrance with the acute wing and the reception area affords views out to the surrounding woodland. Internal navigation is designed to be simple, with patients and visitors coming into the hospital at one level, then being directed into a core hospital street, before being pointed upwards to ward level. Visitor and patient ows are separated, as are emergency and elective ow, and facilities management.

Designers Anshen+Allen worked closely with the trust and the N ational Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) to come up with the nal design, also drawing on their own experience in the US, where singleroom hospitals are more com mon. In addition, the design team worked closely with staff and patients in the development of the overall concept. The team also studied patient ow and considered a range of different plans and layouts

throughout the bidding process before coming up with the nal design.

The single bedded patient accom modation will afford much greater privacy and dignity and will cut the risk of infections spreading. Rooms have been designed for maximum patient safety and comfort and all have en-suite bathrooms, which are placed near the head of the bed to facilitate easy access. Ceiling to oor windows reveal stunning views across the surrounding woodland and rooms have also been designed to minimise slips, trips and falls.

Patient accom modation is divided into a series of nger wards, most of which are south-facing and all are also naturally ventilated. For future sustainability, each of the hospital’s 30-bed wings can be divided into three wards of 10 beds if demand changes, and nursing stations have been placed in a position which, not only ensures good visibility into wards, but

also reduces internal travel distances for staff.

Peter Clarkson has worked at Pembury for 42 years and is the trust’s autoclave supervisor. He said, “I’m very pleased with what I have seen of the new hospital so far – there will be so much more space than we have at present. The service I work in is expanding so I’m looking forward to helping run an even better one to meet patients’ needs”.

Sally Stevenson, who has 35 years’ service and is manager of Pembury’s outpatients’ department, said, “There will be new challenges for us but this is a bright new hospital and we are all looking forward to further improving our services.

The new buildings look wonderful”.

Glenn Douglas, trust chief executive,

said, “The quality and design of the building sets the benchmark for many other new hospitals.

“Everybody involved has worked hard to go the extra mile to ensure the project has run to time. It’s up to us now to ensure we make the best possible advantage of these facilities for the bene t of our patients”.

The hospital is due to open fully in September 2011.

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London & South E ast

Offshore works beginning on London Array project March 2011 sees the beginning of the turbine works on the London Array. The project, which will cost well over the initial investment of €2.2 billion, is still on track to provide power to the 2012 Olympics.

The proje ct was born in 2001, when a series of environmental studies in the outer Thames Estuary confirme d the are a is a suita ble wind farm site. Two ye ars later, the Crown Estate gave London Array Ltd a 50 ye ar le ase for the site and c a ble route to shore.

Planning consent for a 1G W offshore wind farm was grante d in 2006, and p ermission was grante d for the onshore works in

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2007. Work on Phase 1 starte d in July 2009 when contra ctors b e gan building the onshore substation at Cleve Hill in Kent.

Phase 1 Phase 1 of the proje ct covers an offshore are a of 100km2 – room enough for 175 wind turbines, two offshore substations and ne arly 450km of offshore c a bling, all of which generates 630MW of ele ctricity through an onshore substation which channels enough power for around 480,000 homes a ye ar or two thirds of the homes in Kent.

Phase 1 will cost €2.2 billion to build and install, and should b e

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complete in 2012, when it will b e gin to provid e estimate d C O 2 savings of 925,000 tonnes a ye ar.

O ffshore construction a ctivities will b e manage d from a te mporary construction b ase at the Port of Ramsgate. Work b e gan on the b ase in summer 2010 and the construction te am move d into the building in S e pte mb er 2010. U p to 45 staff will op erate from it during offshore construction. D evelop ers are exp e cting the b ase to re main until 2013, when Phase 1 construction is complete d, but it may b e left in pla c e to b e come the construction b ase for Phase 2 if this goes ahe a d in the ne ar future.

Array c a bles will conne ct the wind turbines to e a ch other and to the offshore substations. They will e a ch me asure b etwe en 650m and 1,200m in length. For Phase 1, contra ctors will lay 209km of array c a bling in total.

The export c a bles will run from the offshore substations to the onshore substation at Cleve Hill, where the power will b e flowe d into the national ele ctricity network. The c a bles will b e burie d in trenches dug into the se a b e d using the sp e cial c a ble installation b arge and plough, ‘Ste mat S pirit’. As well as transporting ele ctricity, the export c a bles will hold vital fibre optic wires that will b e use d to communic ate re motely with the wind turbines.

There will b e 220km of export c a bling laid in Phase 1 and e a ch of the four c a bles will b e installe d in one continuous length of over 50km.

The d esign for the Cleve Hill substation was chosen following

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a d esign comp etition in summer 2006. The winning entry was d esigne d by RMJM, a world-renowne d firm of archite cts. It was d evelop e d around the conc e pt of a viewing point p erp endicular to the substation and almost 1km away on the S a xon Shore Way. As a result, the substation’s main archite ctural fe ature is the N orth Wall, which is 10m tall and ma d e up of a series of concrete p anels and fins.

Two of four huge transformers ne e d e d for the station have b e en transporte d to site in a huge yet pre cise logistic al op eration.

E a ch transformer is 8.5 metres long and 2.5 metres wid e and weighs a p proximately 130 tonnes. The transformers will b e use d to convert this to 400,000 volts to ena ble the energy produc e d by the wind farm to b e transporte d to the national ele ctricity network.

The substation is loc ate d ne ar the village of Graveney, which is around 1km inland from the N orth Kent coast. It is built next to the C anterbury- Ke msley 400kV overhe a d power line on the north sid e of Cleve Hill, close to existing buildings at Cleve Farm. The substation has b e en built to blend into the hillsid e with extensive e arthworks cre ating shielding mounds top p e d with tre es. Around 150,000m3 of e arth has b e en re move d or re -loc ate d and around 10,000 tre es have b e en plante d.

C onstruction on Cleve Hill’s main archite ctural fe ature, the N orth Wall, is ne arly complete. The concrete b ase and 2.4m ste m for the wall was complete d in August 2010 and the 7m high concrete p anels were installe d during S e pte mb er and O ctob er

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Most of the ste el fins (31 of 37) have now b e en installe d; the last 6 fins will b e installe d onc e the ele ctric al commissioning works have b e en complete d towards the end of the summer 2011. The N orth Wall consists of 33 concrete p anels and 37 aluminium fins pla c e d in a 160m long line.

Work is b e ginning on the turbine ele ment of Phase 1, with 177 piles – one for e a ch of the 175 wind turbines and two more for the offshore substations. A purpose -built vessel, the ‘M PI Adventure’ will install the found ations in d e e p water. In shallower are as, contra ctors will use the ‘S e a Worker’ vessel. These vessels have four extend a ble le gs that lift the d e ck out of the water to cre ate a sta ble platform from which to hammer in the piles.

Local businesses encouraged to get involved In summer 2010, more than 150 loc al businesses took the op portunity to he ar how they might b e a ble to b enefit from the construction and maintenanc e of the London Array wind farm.

A ‘me et the buyer’ event at St Augustine’s, in Westgate -on-S e a, attra cte d comp anies from Thanet and a cross Kent.

A presentation and question and answer session hoste d by London Array, Thanet District C ouncil and Kent C ounty C ouncil was followe d by an exhibition where potential sup pliers of goods and servic es could me et London Array and some of its main contra ctors.

A mong the contra ctors taking p art and looking to ta p into the skills and servic es of loc al businesses were A 2S e a, which is sup plying one of the installation vessels, c a bling sp e cialists JDR and Visser Smit Glob al M arine as well as Per A arsleff and Bilfinger Ingenieurb au, which is sup plying and installing the found ations and also installing the turbines.

London Array construction manager Thomas B onnichsen, who will b e b ase d at Ramsgate and overse e the construction of the wind farm, said, “This was a very well attend e d event and p art of an initiative to introduc e loc al businesses to London Array and our main contra ctors. We are very encourage d by the level of interest b eing shown in the proje ct and the broa d range of products and servic es availa ble that have the potential to

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sup port the wind farm”.

C omp anies attending were from a variety of se ctors including construction sp e cialists, marine consultancies, se curity servic es, e quipment provid ers, hotels and B&B s, engine ering comp anies and re cruitment consultants. A mong these were a numb er of small businesses alre a dy working with London Array.

Kevin Lynes, Kent C ounty C ouncil c a binet me mb er for re generation and e conomic d evelopment, who spoke at the op ening presentation, said, “ We are re ally ple ase d with this major investment and it is good news for E ast Kent. The b enefits for the loc al e conomy and p e ople will b e massive over the next 20 ye ars.

“It is immensely satisfying to b e involve d in something like this at the b e ginning of its d evelopment. As p art of the B a cking Kent B usiness c amp aign, we have worke d alongsid e London Array to make it e asier for Kent businesses to express an interest in working on this and other wind power proje cts through the we bsite w w w.kentwind energy.co.uk”.

Also taking p art was Brian White, dire ctor of re generation for Thanet District C ouncil, who said, “Thanet is well pla c e d to b enefit from this growing industry, and the council is ke en to work with the major d evelop ers to make sure as an are a that we take full a dvantage of the op portunities on offer”.

C omp anies intereste d in sup plying goods and servic es to London Array c an re gister their d etails at w w w.londonarray.com

The developers London Array Limite d is a consortium of thre e world-le a ding renewa ble energy comp anies and a te am of exp ert sub contra ctors who are combining their exp erienc e and exp ertise to d evelop and build the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

DONG Energy D enmark-b ase d D O N G Energy, a le a ding Europ e an energy group, has a 50% stake in the proje ct. D O N G re presentatives procure, produc e, distribute and tra d e in energy and relate d

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London & South E ast products a cross N orthern Europ e. D O N G is a market le a d er in offshore wind te chnology and has built around half of the offshore wind farms op erating tod ay.

The comp any is he avily involve d in the production and exp ansion of renewa ble energy in the U K . These includ e building thre e new major U K offshore wind farms. D O N G Energy currently op erates the offshore wind farms G unfle et S ands (172M W), B urbo B ank (90MW) and B arrows (90M W). Find out more at w w w.dongenergy.com

E.ON E.O N Group is one of the world’s largest power and gas comp anies, a le a ding energy sup plier in the U K , with around 8 million customers. E.O N has b e en involve d in renewa ble energy sinc e 1991. The comp any now owns and op erates 22 wind farms in the U K , including the 60MW S croby S ands offshore wind farm off the coast of Gre at Yarmouth and the 60 turbine Robin Rigg Wind Farm in the Solway Firth. M any more proje cts are in the pip eline. Find out more at e on.com

Masdar M asd ar, a renewa ble energy comp any b ase d in A bu Dha bi, is a subsidiary of the Mub a d ala D evelopment C omp any. M asd ar sp e cialises in d eveloping and commercialising renewa ble and sustaina ble energy te chnologies. The London Array is just one of many proje cts that the comp any is working on, both in A bu Dha bi and internationally. M asd ar is also investing in a numb er of innovative ‘cle ante ch’ comp anies to further d evelop te chnologies. The biggest proje ct at the moment is M asd ar City, a c arbon-neutral, zero-waste cle ante ch hub that’s fully powere d by renewa ble energy. Re a d more a bout M a d ar’s a ctivities at masd ar.a e

Heavy lifting With a glob al network of op erating c entres and a large fle et of he avy cranes, sp e cialist transport and installation e quipment, ALE combines exc e ptional proje ct manage ment with engine ering intelligenc e to offer world wid e transportation and lifting servic es to all industry se ctors. Found e d in 1983, the comp any has grown into an international giant with a turnover of E U R150m.

For the London Array, ALE re c eive d four 130te transformers at C hatham Docks and transporte d the m to the Cleve Hill site a p proximately 30 miles away, a route which includ e d a tight railway bridge. In ord er to complete the transportation, ALE coordinate d with stakehold ers, including resid ents, the loc al authorities and the railway network op erator. The comp any followe d up on site with exp ert site handling as well as re moval of unwante d materials.

Renewa bles business d evelopment manager Angus H amilton told Pre mier C onstruction, “The work we do may se em like a logistic al nightmare but we thrive on the challenge – it’s what we do every d ay! We have b ases and well-esta blishe d transport networks a cross the glob e with all the major he avy industries, of which renewa bles is showing some of the biggest grow th. As such, our exp ertise is highly sought-after”.

Alongsid e the London Array in the U K , ALE has re c ently b e en a ctive on both the Walney and Gre ater G a b b ard wind farms, taking responsibility at the latter for the transportation of all 140 of the turbines from a b ase at H arwich Port. Find out more at w w w.ale -he avylift.com

Modular & Portable Buildings Ltd. With clients d e manding e co-friendliness at every ste p, a gre en solution to site buildings was re quire d. In ste p p e d Modular & Porta ble B uildings Ltd to install a two storey, re cycle d Portaka bin Duplex building consisting of 22 modular se ctions. The installation took just two d ays, with the majority of refurbishment c arrie d out at the comp any’s b ase in the N orth- E ast.

Dire ctor and co-owner B en Fore man says, “Right now, p e ople are looking to cut costs, have a positive effe ct on loc al e conomies and prote ct the environment. We sp e cialise in re -using se cond hand units, which c an save up to 70% of the cost and 90% of the

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c arbon. We also use loc al sub -contra ctors on site, so we have a positive imp a ct wherever we go”.

The comp any’s hire division offers another e co-friendly alternative when buildings are ne e d e d te mporarily. Find out more at w w w.modularand porta ble buildingshrie.co.uk

The veterans of the offshore wind industry The first comp any to d esign an offshore wind farm, C O WI’s offshore wind consultancy is renowne d for its innovative solutions, as well as for setting the industry stand ard for wind turbine gravity found ations. The firm, previously suc c essful at sites such as Thornton B ank in B elgium and Nyste d /Rødsand II in D enmark, is continuing a framework relationship with the contra ctor and has te ame d up with IM S G mb H, the G erman market le a d ers in the d esign of ste el marine structures, to form C O WI-IM S JV. The JV is responsible for c arrying out the d etaile d d esign of the ste el found ations.

O n the London Array, water d e pths - varying b etwe en 0 and 25 metres - and unsta ble se a b e d are among the challenges fa cing the 20-strong d esign te am. Jan Rønb erg, C O WI’s market dire ctor for wind d evelopments, spoke to Pre mier C onstruction: “It’s a highly diverse are a with a wid e range of water d e pths and differing soil conditions. We are d e aling with sand profiles, stiff London clay profiles and mixtures including gravel layers.

We also have layers prone to liquefa ction. O ur d esigns have includ e d a new conic al grout conne ction as a response to studies that have shown that, on other wind farms, cylindric al grout conne ctions have not offere d the d esire d level of sta bility.

“In ord er to b e suc c essful, we are drawing on our extensive exp erienc e of monopile, ja cket and gravity-b ase d structures and making the most of our a bility to follow the contra ctor’s le a d and respond quickly and pre cisely to any re quests for modific ations”.

The exp ert input of Jan and his colle agues is b ehind some of the largest found ations ever built, with a length of up to 85m.

Find out more a bout this and other proje cts at w w w.cowi.com.

The recon team B efore a proje ct of this sc ale c an commenc e, extensive hydrogra phic and ge ophysic al surveys must b e c arrie d out. The proprietary engine ering d esigns and environmental a p plic ation proc esses on the London Array d evelopment hinge d on e arly se a b e d ma p ping surveys c arrie d out by O siris Proje cts.

O siris Proje cts’ work involves a coustic sc anning to d etermining surfa c e conditions and highlighting potential ha z ards as well as seismic profiling for d etermining the shallow ge ologic al conditions.

During the summer of 2004 their sp e cialist inshore vessels colle cte d over 3,600 km of high resolution survey d ata, ma p ping the site completely. C ontra cts manager Patrick Clark says, ‘At the time, this was a huge survey. C hallenges such as op erational logistics, shallow water, strong tid es, drying b anks and the she er d ata volumes me ant we ne e d e d a pione ering solution’.

O siris Proje cts re main one ste p ahe a d of the comp etition as they pre p are to launch a new se mi-SWAT H D P1 survey c atamaran, ‘Bib by Tethra’, which has the se a ke e ping a bility of an offshore vessel at a fra ction of the cost. Patrick a d ds, “In our se ctor, you’re reliant on te chnology. We prid e ourselves in b eing innovators”. Visit w w w.osirisproje cts.co.uk

Taking care of the cables Pip eline Engine ering’s £7.75 million contra ct will se e the firm sup ply a proprietary syste m to prote ct, export and array c a bles b etwe en the 175 offshore wind turbines and thre e substations.

The comp any’s proprietary PE FLE X® c a ble prote ction syste m (p atents p ending) prote cts against a brasion, imp a ct, fatigue and c a ble over-b ending while fa cilitating quicker d e ployment and re ducing installation costs. Pip eline Engine ering is currently constructing a purpose -built manufa cturing c ell for the proje ct that incorporates the latest le an manufa cturing proc esses at its existing fa cility in C atterick, N orth Yorkshire.

Pip eline Engine ering is a subsidiary of CIR C O R International (N YS E: CIR). Paul C op pinger, presid ent of CIR C O R Energy

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London & South E ast Products Group, spoke of “leveraging our te chnologic al know-how in offshore oil and gas to provid e London Array with a proprietary diver-less c a ble prote ction syste m that is e asy to install and much less costly than existing market syste ms”. Visit w w w.pip eline engine ering.com to find out more.

Pioneering surveys Alre a dy veterans at what is still a young site, Emu Ltd. have contribute d their consid era ble scienti c know-how to thre e se p arate surveying proje cts: prote cte d ha bitat assessment, unexplod e d ordnanc e d ete ction and we ather buoy manage ment.

Emu’s Huw Powell told Pre mier C onstruction why his comp any ha d b e en aske d to play such an important series of roles, saying, “ We have pione ere d te chniques and te chnology that others are still trying to c atch up with: our magnetic d ete ction te chniques, d evelop e d in 2008, me an that we c an pinpoint ferrous obje cts to within 3m over survey are as extending to many hundre ds of square kilometres. O thers have to sp end up to four times as long at se a in ord er to generate the same pre cision in their d ata”.

H e continue d, “ We have also d evelop e d a vid e o syste m d esigne d to colle ct images even in the kind of murk y or low visibility water you nd in pla c es like the Thames Estuary.

Imagine trying to se e und er water b efore and after putting on a diving mask – the differenc e is that big! The syste m, known as “ Elvis” has ma d e a vital contribution to proje ct planning, se a b e d ma p ping and wildlife prote ction”.

B ase d ne ar Southampton and with outposts a cross the U K , Emu’s 100+ staff, comprising some of the eld’s le a ding exp erts, have complete d proje cts in over 40 countries world wid e and worke d on the majority of the U K’s major wind farms.

With 6 survey vessels and an extensive range of in-house high sp e ci c ation surveying e quipment and la boratory fa cilities, Emu is c a p a ble of providing the market’s most comprehensive and high-te ch survey and consultancy p a ckage.

Find out more at w w w.e mulimite d.com

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Gatwick workers making remarkable progress Gatwick Airport’s huge programme of improvements continues to make progress, under a scheme designed to make the airport more modern and user-friendly, and able to cope with ever-increasing challenges of traffic, passengers and baggage.

G atwick is now owne d by Glob al Infrastructure Partners (GIP), who also manage London’s City Airport, after a re port by the C omp etition C ommission le d to former op erators B A A selling the hub in late 2009. Improve ments to the airport go hand-inhand with the new op erators’ state d intention to encourage more p assengers and airlines to make G atwick “London’s Airport of C hoic e” in the fa c e of comp etition from H e athrow, Stanste d and Luton airports, amongst others in the U K . Alre a dy the 8th largest airport in Europ e in terms of p assenger numb ers, G atwick’s mod ernisation re presents an ambitious atte mpt to grow even further.

C ontra ctors a cross the programme of upgra d es have so far cop e d well with two challenging asp e cts of their roles – asp e cts which are p erha ps unique to the airport environment. First is the she er volume of human traffic around the live airport which, until upgra d es are complete d, is still an environment around which move ment c an b e confusing and counter-intuitive. S e cond, the ne e d for a bsolute se curity, esp e cially when working ‘airsid e’, cre ates an obsta cle which has re quire d a large dose of cre ativity and flexibility from all working on site.

G atwick Airport’s Wayne Lonsd ale spoke to Premier C onstruction a bout the sche me: “Across the proje ct, there are two main aims. The first is to improve the p assenger exp erienc e, and there are several ways in which we’re a p proa ching the issue. O ne way, as an example, is to improve move ment around the airport. We’ve c arrie d out a numb er of computer simulations to d etermine the b est way to encourage p e ople to move around, and some of the conclusions we drew were that it’s much b etter to have more op en sp a c es with cle ar lines of sight, and that lifts are b etter solutions than esc alators for moving large numb ers of p e ople from floor to floor.

“The other main aim is to incre ase c a p a city, which is why we’re

investing so much in the b aggage handling syste ms, for example.

The latest te chnology will ensure a proc ess that’s faster and more pre cise and a syste m that c an take on a gre at burd en of b aggage without struggling”.

Such a large investment into U K aviation was consid ere d too much to hand to a single contra ctor, and so the proje ct has b e en divid e d into se ctions, e a ch of which has b e en hand e d to one of the U K’s major construction firms. Ac cording to a G atwick spokesp erson, “To a chieve our goals, we are working together, making conne ctions a cross proje cts, consulting with sup pliers and e mploying exp ertise to d evelop the b est solutions”. A mong the major contra ctors award e d work p a ckages at the airport are C ostain, Rok, C arillion, Willmott Dixon and VIN CI. Wayne a d d e d, “The contra ctors we’ve chosen are all resp e cte d and truste d, and they bring with the m a gre at d e al of exp erienc e, not to mention hatfuls of awards. O ur thre e main criteria in sele cting contra ctors were their focus on safety and se curity, both during and after construction, their und erstanding of what it takes to construct a fantastic airport and their a bility to offer value for money”.

Wayne’s colle ague, Ste phen James, offers an explanation of why p assenger move ment is such a critic al focus of the works, saying, “At airports like H e athrow, a much larger proportion of the p assengers are re gular fliers who travel on business. They know their way around the airport, and to the m it matters much less whether the layout is a ctually intuitive or not, as they get into the ha bit of knowing where they are and where they ne e d to b e next and thus move around quickly.

“At G atwick, however, the vast majority of our travellers are holid aymakers who visit very infre quently. It’s much e asier to get lost or confuse d in a new pla c e, and that’s why we re cognise that it’s more important here than at other airports to cre ate clarity in the way the buildings are laid out, esp e cially when you re me mb er that we’re the busiest single runway in the world. There is a lot we c an do to improve the set-up at G atwick and my hop e is that, onc e all these improve ments are complete, it will b e difficult to imagine exa ctly how counter-intuitive the airport was b efore!”

VINCI

VIN CI C onstruction U K have continue d a 12-ye ar relationship at G atwick with their re c ent work at the airport. Re c ently, the group ha d und ertaken the Pier 2 upgra d e at the South Terminal in a contra ct worth £33.5m. Starting in S e pte mb er 2009, the VIN CI te am have nowa chieve d all thre e of the Pier 2 handovers, where new buildings, gate rooms, aircraft stands and infrastructure have b e en put into op eration.

VIN CI have also complete d the re -d evelopment of the South Terminal shuttle station. The £8m re -d evelopment sche me was complete d in mid-2010 and has a c c ess to the station with a new ‘fa c e lift’ and station re -fit.

Ad ding to the long list of servic es that VIN CI have b e en providing for G atwick over the last 12 months is the construction of the new G atwick South Terminal C onsolid ate d S e curity S e arch fa cility, a £45m se curity d evelopment which will re -d evelop a signific ant p art of the south terminal to provid e improve d p assenger proc essing c a p a city and new retail. The work b e gan on site in July 2010 and has suc c essfully p asse d the initial d e molition work so that the first are as c an b e hand e d over for retail fit-out. The works also involve thre a ding new esc alators through the existing b aggage hall and through terminal floor sla bs.

M e anwhile, further proje cts have re a che d initial construction phases. The South Terminal Fore court re -d evelopment will provid e a £24m upgra d e of the terminal’s entranc e. Diversion R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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London & South E ast works to move existing high voltage c a bles are und er way and found ation works have commenc e d.

Jason Griffiths, production dire ctor at VIN CI air division, spoke to Pre mier C onstruction of his ha p piness to have VIN CI involve d in the re generation of G atwick, highlighting in p articular an outstanding safety a chieve ment: “The VIN CI air te am have suc c essfully d elivere d 3 million man hours with no re porta ble a c cid ents, a re cord of which they are very proud”.

In previous ye ars, a signific ant portion of the improve ments to G atwick have b e en down to VIN CI, including construction of the South Terminal’s Pier 3 and Pier 2 se gre gation proje cts, the refurbishment and extension of the International D e p arture Lounge, and the construction of the goods in and waste away fa cility for the South Terminal international d e p artures lounge.

VIN CI also und ertook the re pla c e ment of 28 p assenger loa ding bridges and the installation of the gate guid anc e syste m. In the last ye ar, VIN CI have also constructe d a te mporary b aggage fa cility as p art of the ena bling works for the new South Terminal syste m, d e molishe d H angar 5 and the old customs house and also complete d duties as the programme inte grator for the South Terminal c a pital programme.

Andrew Ridley- B arker, op erational dire ctor of VIN CI’s air division, spoke to Pre mier C onstruction “ O ur exp erienc e at G atwick is what allows us to get things done: we know the environment - its constraints and its interd e p end encies - and we know what to do to overcome challenges to the proje cts.

Aske d what makes for a suc c essful airport proje ct, Andrew got straight to the point: “You have to ke e p things se p arate. You c an’t turn an airport into a construction site; you have to find a solution that lets both airport staff and construction workers get on with their jobs.

“I’m ple ase d to say we’ve done that, and our exp erienc e with things such as p assenger se gre gation and construction logistics

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at the airport a d ds to our know-how in that are a. We’ve b e en a ble to ke e p d elivering on our promises without bringing the airport to a halt”.

Willmott Dixon Willmott Dixon’s role at G atwick involves thre e proje cts a cross both terminals: the N orth Terminal O nward Travel Fa cility, the South Terminal Immigration H all refurbishment and the C oncourse flooring, previously referre d to by Ste phen James.

The contra ctor’s op erations manager, Ya zdi Shroff, talke d Pre mier C onstruction through the works he is overse eing: “ B e ginning with the work on the South Terminal Immigration H all, we commenc e d construction in mid N ove mb er 2010 and work will b e going on until July 2011. An important p art of our role is to communic ate closely with the U K B ord er Agency, who are relying on us for a fa cility that improves their working environment and op eration and that doesn’t disrupt the m during construction. “ N ext is the flooring in the South Terminal C oncourse. I’d agre e with Ste phen James’ comments a bout the logistic al sid e of the works but, just like any airport contra ct, we have a p proa che d this with a commitment to organisation and und erstanding of the client’s ne e ds. That ensures that the complexity of the proje ct doesn’t b e come an obsta cle. We’ve und ertaken extensive trials to d etermine the b est flooring typ e to use and the b est way of phasing the works. We’ll b e gin on site in January 2011 and we plan to complete the following July. “ Finally, we have just b e en award e d our first N orth Terminal proje ct, the new O nward Travel Fa cility, which is currently a te mporary set-up on the top level of M S C P 5. O ur proje ct is to cre ate a new p ermanent fa cility within the terminal building. It is essentially a fit-out contra ct – we install the new M&E servic e conne ctions, floors, walls, c eilings and so on. “ With all our proje cts, we try to d eliver the b est value solutions for

our clients and their stakehold ers. F e e d b a ck from stakehold ers has b e en encouraging, so long may it continue!�

Target Site Services Esta blishe d in 1989, Target Site S ervic es has an exc ellent re cord, for over twenty two ye ars. O ffering engine ering servic es of the highest quality. Providing ele ctric al and me chanic al engine ering exp ertise, and associate d servic e skills to customers for whom infrastructure quality, efficiency safety and relia bility are critic al.

They have esta blishe d highly suc c essful training and a p prentic eship programmes. Priding the mselves on the time and resourc es d e dic ate d to producing highly skille d op eratives to take the industry forward for future generations. This fa ct was re cognise d by our former Prime Minister G ordon Brown in a letter sent to Richard Frost M.D. congratulating him on twenty suc c essful ye ars. A copy of which c an b e se en on the comp any we bsite.

Rob A p ple by me chanic al dire ctor says, “It is an exciting time to b e working at G atwick Airport and Target Site S ervic es is well positione d for continue d grow th. We have an exc ellent and well d eserve d re putation for d elivering proje cts of high quality on time, safely and within budget�.

Target Site S ervic es are proud of the relationship esta blishe d with their clients. Two proje cts re c ently commenc e d at G atwick includ e South Terminal Immigration for Willmott Dixon and South Terminal B aggage for M a c e.

C o n s tru c tio n N e w s

C a ll o ur n e w s t e a m o n 0170 6 719 972

Vibrant new neighbourhood rises on formerly run down estates Geared to creating a revitalised, attractive, vibrant and sustainable new neighbourhood through the regeneration of formerly run-down housing, is a project at the Stonegrove and Spur Road Estates in the London Borough of Barnet.

The scheme is being carried out by lead developers Barratt Homes, in partnership with the London Borough of Barnet and Family Mosaic Housing Association. Sprunt Architects developed a master plan for the regeneration., which aims to provide new high quality suburban homes to meet the Decent Homes Standard and transform the estates.

The estates were built in the 1960s and 1970s, and comprise a mixture of 11-storey tower blocks and four-storey maisonette blocks which were deemed not suitable for improvement.

On completion of the regeneration programme, all 603 of the original properties will have been demolished and replaced by a new, balanced community. There will be a

series of linked, mix tenure areas with a range of different household sizes, which will be attractive to both existing and new residents alike.

The construction programme is being carried out in phases, with old properties being demolished and replaced in sequence.

The new properties will be a mixture of houses, ats and maisonettes, with about a third being for rent, half for sale and the remainder for low-cost home ownership. All the new homes will be designed and built to high standards (including Code 3 Level for Sustainable Homes), with residents from the old estates being given preference for re-housing. All of the properties will be of concrete frame construction and the new homes will be served by a district heating system.

The rst phase of the regeneration scheme was completed in June last year and consisted of the construction of houses, ats and

w w w.ro m a u k . n e t

maisonettes ranging in size from one to four bedrooms, with all the houses having gardens and the ats having large balconies and access to communal spaces.

The second phase of the development is currently underway and comprises the construction of one- two- and three-bedroom ats.

The ats are being constructed in ve blocks on the site of old ats which were demolished.

Completion of this phase is due in September 2011.

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The UK plays host to the world’s largest offshore wind farm under construction Greater Gabbard wind farm is a joint venture between Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and RWE npower renewables and is the world’s largest wind farm currently under construction.

The wind farm is b eing d evelop e d in a combine d und ertaking b etwe en Fluor International Limite d and Airtricity, the renewa ble energy d evelopment division of S S E, and will includ e the installation of 140 Sie mens 3.6 MW wind turbines loc ate d around two sand b anks known as Inner G a b b ard and the G allop er in the N orth S e a 25km off the Suffolk C oast.

U pon completion, the wind farm will have a total c a p a city of a p proximately 500MW which will generate power to an estimate d numb er of 530,000 households, e quivalent to the domestic d e mand in Suffolk.

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Prior to re c eiving the engine ering, procure ment and construction contra ct, Fluor’s d evelopment responsibilities includ e d the manage ment of environmental studies, site surveys and engine ering that culminate d in the submission of an Environmental Imp a ct State ment. Fluor also leverage d its sup ply chain knowle dge and exp erienc e to sup port the joint venture in se curing the proje ct’s conne ction to the U K’s national grid, the sup ply of the turbines, he avy ste el structures and other critic al sup ply chain ele ments re quire d for timely construction.

Fluor and Airtricity worke d closely with the loc al authorities, community and conservation bodies in the d evelopment of the proje ct and, in p articular, the sighting of the onshore substation.

Fluor re cognises and a p pre ciates the communic ations, sup port and coop eration of the loc al communities and intends to maintain

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a high level of engage ment throughout the construction phase.

Work b e gan on the onshore sub station signific antly prior to the first phase of offshore construction, which b e gan in August 2009, and the entire proje ct is due for completion and op eration in 2012.

The installation of the offshore transformer platform found ation loc ate d in the outer Thames Estuary is on sche dule and the ere ction of the first turbines, in line with the b e ginning of the installation of thre e c a bles to export power from the site, b e gan toward the end of 2009.

U pon completion, the wind turbines will b e mounte d on ste el monopiles and transition pie c es in water d e pths b etwe en 24 and 34m and is exp e cte d to have a loa d fa ctor of over 40% b ase d on site -sp e cific met mast d ata colle cte d sinc e 2005 and S cottish Southern Ele ctrics will take 50% of the output with RW E npower renewa bles re c eiving the other half.

The wind turbines will b e conne cte d to the grid through an onshore substation at Sizewell in Suffolk. B urie d c a bles will conne ct the turbines to the substation, while und erground c a bles owne d by N ational Grid Ele ctricity Transmission will conne ct the sub -station to the N ational Grid.

As of N ove mb er 2010: all 140 turbine found ations have b e en installe d 55 turbines are now in pla c e two out of thre e export c a bles have b e en installe d the first export c a ble has b e en energise d the op erations b ase at Lowestoft is now op erational the wind farm re mains on sche dule for completion in 2012 The entire d evelopment of the proje ct, excluding the conne ction to the ele ctricity grid, is exp e cte d to a c quire a cost of around £1.3bn. “ Gre ater G a b b ard is a major d evelopment in every sense,” Ian M archant, chief exe cutive of S S E, commente d, “and its signific anc e is und erline d by the huge investment pla c e d in it. O ur priority is to make sure construction work proc e e ds in an efficient and timely manner, so that it c an b e gin to play its

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important p art in me eting the U K’s energy ne e ds as soon as possible”.

M anaging dire ctor of RW E npower renewa bles, Paul C owling, e choe d these positive sentiments.

“This a c quisition is a p erfe ct a d dition to npower renewa bles’ existing offshore portfolio,” he said. “ We are d elighte d to b e working with S S E on this proje ct and, combine d with our financial input, we are ple ase d to offer our exp erienc e of d eveloping, building and op erating offshore wind farms in the U K ”.

Cables The scop e of the contra ct award e d to c a ble sp e cialists JDR C a ble Syste ms includ es over 200km of inter-array subse a power c a bles and associate d terminations which will provid e the essential links b etwe en the 3.6MW turbine generators and the G a b b ard and G allop er offshore substations. The c a bles e a ch comprise 3 phase 18/30(36)kV power cores and fibre optic communic ations.

The Gre ater G a b b ard c a bles are engine ere d to give the smallest diameter whilst still maintaining the strength and weight re quire d to suit the field installation and servic e conditions. The phase conductors will b e insulate d with XLPe and a triple extrusion proc ess use d for simultane ous a p plic ation of the conductor scre en, insulation and metallic scre en. JDR will provid e flexible pull-in terminations and hang-offs. JDR also provid e exp erienc e d and c ertifie d te chnicians to terminate the c a bles and fibre -optics offshore during the installation phase.

Transport A 24-hour d evelopment ne e ds a relia ble 24-hour sup port crew, which is exa ctly what Europ e an marine sup port sp e cialists Enviro-serve provid e at Gre ater G a b b ard. With ‘S e a B e aver’ and ‘S e a We asel’ sup porting Suboc e an’s c a ble laying and ‘S e a F erret’ providing sup port for Fluor, it’s hard to miss Enviroserve on site. O p erational manager B en Ste b bing says, “ We’re availa ble 24/7, with d e dic ate d crews of true se afarers who c an live a board for over a we ek at a time”.

Enviro-serve sp e cialise in flexible marine sup port for the

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offshore industries. The comp any was found e d in 2003 by entre preneur and former fisherman Paul Lines, who has sinc e ste ere d it through a variety of prestigious contra cts. These includ e S croby S ands and Kentish Flats wind farms, survey sup port for the propose d Atlantic Array and even transport for B B C and Discovery C hannel filming in the N orth S e a.

Thre e new vessels are b eing a d d e d to Enviro-serve’s existing nine -strong fle et starting in 2011 (“ We’re building new vessels as fast as we possibly c an!” says B en), so visit w w w.enviro-serve. com to ke e p up with the news.

CHUBB FIRE OFFSHORE KEEPS THE WIND IN THE SAILS C hub b Fire O ffshore is servicing and maintaining hundre ds of fire extinguishers at Gre ater G a b b ard. Fire safety has b e en one of the primary consid erations in planning the new construction, and thre e C hub b extinguishers – a combination of dry powd er and C O 2 – have b e en installe d on e a ch of the proje ct’s 144 found ation monopiles.

As James Moran, engine ering sup port for S S E at S e p am, explains, “ Fire extinguishers form an important p art of our safety.

C hub b has a re putation for innovation and is one of the few fire safety provid ers to work to sp e cific offshore re gulations - we have not b e en disa p pointe d with the work c arrie d out”.

John N ew ton, branch manager at C hub b Fire A b erd e en, says offshore energy production is a field in which C hub b has many ye ars of exp erienc e: “ Wind farms, like oil rigs, ne e d exp ert fire syste ms in pla c e to ensure the safety of staff, the surroundings and the e quipment. E xtinguishers form one of the first lines of d efenc e against the thre at of fire”.

C hub b is a business of U T C Fire & S e curity, a unit of Unite d Te chnologies C orp. (N YS E:U T X).

R7M celebrate Greater Gabbard contract and safety success U K sp e cialist diving and marine construction comp any Re d7M arine (R7M) is just a few months from suc c essfully completing a major contra ct for Fluor at the world’s largest offshore windfarm.

It’s me ant ne ar non-stop 24/7 op erations at the Gre ater G a b b ard site off the E ast C oast for more than 18 months and p articular prid e for R7M in re c eiving an award from Fluor for its imp e c c a ble safety re cord in a contra ct which has alre a dy clocke d up more than 1700 dives.

R7M diving and subse a dire ctor Mike Jones b elieves it has d e monstrate d to the marine offshore industry the versatility of the comp any and its attention to quality and safety stand ards, p articularly working outsid e the 12-mile limit.

“There are very few comp anies like ours which c an und ertake

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such a range of a ctivities, owning and op erating our own e quipment and using a fully-e mploye d workforc e”, he said.

At Gre ater G a b b ard, R7M work has includ e d c a ble d e -trenching, dre dging and installation sup port work, mattressing, monopile J-tub es, messenger wires, out-of-servic e c a ble re covery and a range of other high-level sup port servic es.

It’s their first contra ct with Fluor and they are d elighte d at plaudits re c eive d – attributing much to the b enefit of working with the sophistic ate d D PII vessel Relume.

An extra bonus was the award from Fluor for its safety re cord after 1500 dives – one of only thre e awards hand e d out, the others going to Relume’s owners M enas and to C onsortium Und erwater Engine ering.

“It’s a tribute to everyone at R7M from manage ment through to our shift te ams of 25 divers and on-site sup port workers”, said Mr Jones.

The proje ct is the latest fe ather in the c a p of R7M, born thre e ye ars ago from a merger b etwe en diving comp any Anglian M arine S ervic es and H aven Ports (M arine and C onstructions M anagement) to cre ate a one -stop shop for international marine and subse a work. Diving constitutes 50% of the turnover with the comp any also sp e cialising in a full range of surfa c e construction work and even ‘at height’ proje cts such as a c c ess for turbine transition pie c es.

In the thre e ye ars, it has risen from a £6m turnover comp any e mploying 45 to a £21m+ turnover business with a 125-strong workforc e, plus 60 sub -contra ct divers. N ow it is chasing glob al business in the offshore oil and gas and renewa bles field and in power and tele coms c a ble installation.

H e a d quartere d at M anningtre e, the comp any has a diving and subse a division at Gre at Yarmouth and other strate gic b ases at Ipswich, N orthfle et and E xeter.

For more information: conta ct Mike Jones on 01493 441454 or at mike.jones@r7m.co.uk. Alternatively, visit w w w.re d7marine. co.uk .

Green centre promotes local heritage Construction of a new £1.2m visitor facility at Wat Tyler Country Park in Basildon has started. Work to renovate half of the existing motorboat museum into a new green centre will be completed by Spring 2011 under main contractor Forest Gate Construction. The project will be financed from £1 million of funding from the government’s Thames Gateway Parklands scheme and £200,000 from the Veolia Pitsea Marshes Trust.

The the me of the c entre will focus visitors on sustaina bility within a B asildon District, p ast, present and gre en future context. It will incorporate the ge ologic al and social history of the district and illustrate how it has evolve d from its rural b e ginnings, to market towns through to new town d evelopment and b eyond. Digitise d loc al history and photogra phs will also b e availa ble through a ‘living archive’.

It will also look to the future as the district grows, how this could affe ct energy consumption and how this might b e sustaine d through energy efficiencies, lifestyle changes and low c arbon te chnologies.

There will b e fun intera ctive displays entertaining and e duc ating visitors a bout low c arbon living, e mphasising the ne e d to re duc e mankind’s c arbon footprint on the world and how this c an b e a chieve d and me asure d loc ally to b enefit the p e ople of the district. There are also proposals for an Innovation-L a b (I-L a b) that could also b e use d for training, events, me etings and tra d e shows.

C ouncillor Kevin Blake, c a binet me mb er for leisure and the arts, says, “I am d elighte d that work has starte d as the Gre en C entre will continue to raise Wat Tyler C ountry Park’s re putation as a truly first class visitor attra ction for the whole of Essex, and will provid e yet another re ason for p e ople to visit the p ark.

“It will b e another re gional example of sustaina ble refurbishment of an old building at Wat Tyler and will again make use of biomass he ating, water re cycling, solar gain, re cycle d and responsiblysourc e d building materials and high levels of insulation.

“I am also very ple ase d that the construction is b eing c arrie d out by a loc al comp any, me aning that this government funding re mains within the loc al e conomy. Forest G ate did a fantastic job on the Wat Tyler C entre, and I have every confid enc e that they will b e giving us the same level of professionalism and exc ellenc e on this proje ct”.

Wat Tyler C ountry Park sits within the South Essex M arshes which are ste e p e d in history from the e arliest p eriods – a landsc a p e cre ate d over many c enturies through the intera ction of human communities and the natural environment.

The p ark shares the historic al signific anc e of the surrounding

marsh are a but it has a signific ant history in its own right.

The fe atures of its landsc a p e such as gra zing me a dows, ancient he dgerows, blast mounds, tid al waterways, se a walls and field bound aries are evid enc e of the way p e ople use d the are a. There are also structures such as pill boxes, roa d ways, MoD buildings that all provid e an insight into the history of the p ark.

Forest Gate Construction Forest G ate C onstruction is a B asildon b ase d comp any responsible for the re c ent suc c essful renovation of a former munitions fa ctory into the new Wat Tyler C entre.

Esta blishe d in 1948, they combine their strong building heritage with extensive contra cts exp erienc e to d eliver the te chnic al skills and manage ment comp etenc e d e mand e d a proje ct such as the Wat Tyler Gre en C entre.

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High tech pool provides ‘sensory theatre’ for disabled children David and Samantha Cameron recently officially opened a new hydrotherapy pool at a London school for disabled children that their son, Ivan, attended.

Mr. and Mrs. C ameron were guests of honour at the op ening c ere mony of the brand-new pool at Ja ck Tiz ard S chool in South Afric a Roa d, White City, She pherds B ush, which c aters for pupils age d 2-19 with severe le arning difficulties and disa bilities.

D esigne d to help children d evelop communic ation, interp ersonal, cognitive and physic al skills, the £1.2m state of-the -art fa cility is the first of its kind in the borough, and was installe d in a proje ct c arrie d out by A pollo E duc ation and fund e d jointly by H ammersmith and Fulham C ouncil and N H S H ammersmith and Fulham. Archite cts for the sche me were S prunt Archite cts.

The pool provid es a state -of the -art sensory environment b enefiting from wire -fre e te chnology and e quipment that ma ximises p articip ation op portunities for children with sp e cial ne e ds.

The hydrothera py pool and its multi-sensory e quipment ena ble Ja ck Tiz ard stud ents to encounter, d evelop and intera ct with endless new environments, extending their topic work and enhancing their curriculum. As well as d eveloping communic ation, interp ersonal, cognitive and physic al skills, the hydrothera py pool offers numerous b enefits to their sensory awareness At the touch of a switch a ‘sensory the atre’ c an b e cre ate d for the children, ranging from a c alm, rela xing le arning environment to surroundings full of lights. S p e cialist p ainting and d e corating c ame courtesy of H ertfordshire -b ase d firm C ornell.

The fa cility is like a blank she et of p a p er upon which the school c an cre ate unique, exciting, e duc ational environments of vid e o proje ction, sound and ever-changing colour in se conds to suit e a ch individual’s ne e ds. This c an b e use d to improve switching skills, motor skills, colour, numb er and sha p e re cognition, d evelop c ause effe ct and social intera ction skills, stimulate through a variety of forms or just simply rela x. It c an b e b ase d on the N ational C urriculum or use d solely for rela xation.

S p e aking of the new fa cility, Mr. C ameron said, “These sp e cial schools play such an important role and I know that so many p arents are incre dibly grateful for the work that they do. When Ivan was here Ja ck Tiz ard was such a huge sup port and I am d elighte d to b e here on such a sp e cial d ay”.

H e a d te a cher C athy Welsh said, “ We are d elighte d a bout the pool and to have S amantha’s sup port. Hydrothera py offers our stud ents new ways of le arning and of d eveloping their communic ation and physic al skills”.

Ja ck Tiz ard is a d ay school for pupils with a range of severe le arning difficulties (SLD) including profound and multiple le arning difficulties (PMLD). The school serves the community of H ammersmith and Fulham and a c c e pts pupils from a range of other boroughs. Pupils attending Ja ck Tiz ard S chool either have a state ment of sp e cial e duc ational ne e ds and re c eive annual reviews or attend on an assessment pla c ement. The school population consists of pupils from a range of social, cultural and ethnic b a ckgrounds.

The architects In 2004, when the school was first re -loc ate d to its current site from an old Victorian building, S prunt were b ehind the striking

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Picture cre dit H&F C ouncil – Le e Q uinell

new building’s d esign. Particularly struck was former S e cretary of State for E duc ation C harles Clarke, who said, “This school contains fe atures I have never se en b efore”.

At that time, a la ck of funds prohibite d the a d dition of the hydrothera py pool. H owever, S prunt’s original suc c ess, which combine d the firm’s sp e cial exp ertise in both sp e cial e duc ation ne e ds fa cilities and tight, urb an sites, put the m at the top of the list for future improve ments.

E xe cutive chairman Rob ert S prunt says, “ We took it as a gre at compliment to b e aske d b a ck, not to mention the exciting prosp e ct of completing what we set out to do: we always felt it was a shame not to have b e en a ble to d esign in the pool when the school first move d”.

Discussing the site conditions, Rob ert explains, “It’s a very tight site. In the 20 ye ars sinc e I set up the comp any, during which time I’ve overse en work on a numb er of similar fa cilities, this is the first school of its typ e I’ve se en that ha d to b e d esigne d over two storeys”.

The availa bility of sp a c e at Ja ck Tiz ard went some way to inspiring the new pool’s d esign, as Rob ert explains: “ We knew that there simply wasn’t enough room for a straight, gentle ramp, and that a cre ative a p proa ch to the building’s sha p e would b e ne c essary. We also wante d to d esign something that the children would find interesting to look at and exciting to use. We combine d those two ways of thinking and this is the suc c essful result”.

Sinc e Rob ert d esigne d his first sp e cial ne e ds building in 1972, S prunt has b e come a le a ding d esign pra ctic e of archite cts, landsc a p e archite cts and urb an d esigners b ase d in c entral London and South Afric a and counting he alth and sp e cial ne e ds buildings amongst several sp e cialities. Visit their a p propriately sle ek we bsite, w w w.sprunt.net, to find out more.

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Southwark development rescued to provide 90 new London homes Local residents have been delighted of late to see progress on The Ropewalk, a new 90-home development on Maltby Street in Southwark, which is heading towards a completion date in July 2011 after long delays in construction.

The building overlooks a railway via duct and sp ans seven levels, including a b ase ment c ar p ark, and fe atures a mix of one -, two-, and thre e -b e droom a p artments with an average floor sp a c e of 49m2, 60 m2 and 95 m2 resp e ctively. While 23 of the a p artments – 11 one -b e d and 12 two-b e d – are to b e p asse d on to Southern H ousing Group, the rest are for private sale.

A concrete frame sup ports the structure up to the first floor, a bove which a timb er frame has b e en use d. E xternally, the building is cla d in brick and rend er with timb er d e cking around the top floor, where the 6 thre e -b e droom p enthouses are loc ate d.

A commercial unit completes the building at ground floor level.

M ain contra ctor Ardmore C onstruction is on site after taking over a proje ct which ha d b e en left half-complete d by previous contra ctor Gilma c, a comp any which has now gone into re c eivership. The building stood untouche d for two ye ars b efore the current completion contra ct, worth around £7 million, was signe d.

Tim S c andrett, of archite cts Mountford Pigott Partnership, told Pre mier C onstruction, “This has b e en a challenging proje ct as it hasn’t b e en a simple c ase of picking up work where the previous contra ctor left off – there were several complic ations.

O ne example is that the previous contra ctor ha d b e en building to 1.5m taller than we ha d planning p ermission for, and ha d

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intend e d to re -a p ply for p ermission during the construction p eriod. The first thing we ha d to do was to se cure p ermission for the building to go on with modific ations”.

H e continue d, “D espite the complic ations, however, the proje ct is now sha ping up well and should b e complete in July 2011”.

The d evelo p m e nt is pre dicte d to b e c om e hot pro p erty on the Lond on m arket, with its lo c ation an im p ortant fa ctor. It sits within walking distanc e of Lond on Brid g e (on the Jubile e and N orthern und erground line s a s well a s an over-ground m ainline station) and B ermondsey (Jubile e Line); num erous buse s p a ss along ne arby Tower Brid g e Ro a d, providing goo d c onne ctions to the C ity.

About the contractor Ardmore C onstruction, b ase d in Enfield, Mid dlesex, is a le a ding build er of high rise resid ential d evelopments, often on tight city c entre and waterfront sites, and c an count most national house build ers and many d evelop ers as clients.

The firm sp e cialises in in-house provision and has a plant fle et of 400 exc avators, dump trucks, telehandlers, concrete pumps and associate d ma chinery b ase d out of 9 nationwid e d e pots, as well as thre e fa ctories producing joinery, archite ctural metal work and prefa bric ate d b athrooms.

About the architects Active sinc e the 1940s and b ase d in N ew M ald en, Surrey,, Mountford Pigott sp e cialise in a wid e range of proje cts – from retail, leisure and resid ential proje cts to large -sc ale urb an d evelopment.

The pra ctic e has re c ently won planning a p proval for the landmark Brewers Q uay building in Weymouth. The whole gra d e II liste d complex is to b e refurbishe d, re mod elle d and extend e d to provid e 25,000 sq ft of shops and restaurants, an 85 b e d hotel, 13 high quality resid ential a p artments, new fa cilities for Weymouth Museum and further tourist fa cilities.

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

Pha se 2, which is curre ntly on site, is the im prove m e nt of the A 299 b et w e e n Minster round a b out a nd the Lord of the M a nor junc tion, a s w ell a s im prove m e nt of the A 256 b et w e e n Lord of the M a nor junc tion a nd c onne c ting with pha se 1 at the old Richb orough p ow er station site.

Phase 1 was the e arlier improve ment of the A 256 southwards to c onne ct to S and wich byp ass, including a link roa d around the south sid e of the Pfizer c omplex.

The purpose of the sche me is to improve a c c essibility and safety.

A c c ording to Kent C ounty C ouncil, it will help sup port the e c onomy of e ast Kent and c onne ct the ports of D over and Ra msgate and Kent International Airport. This will c omplete improve ments of the A 299 Thanet Way and A 256 that were starte d in the 1980s.

Phase 2 is an improve ment to dual c arriageway stand ard. F e atures includ e taking the roa d in an und erp ass b ene ath F oa ds Hill and the railway at Cliffsend, and over the railway at C ottington L ane.

It was not possible to improve the existing A 299. H ouses at Cliffsend would have ne e d e d d e molishing and it would have re a che d into Pe gwell B ay, which is an internationally re c ognise d site of environmental importanc e.

Phase 2 e arthworks are ne aring c ompletion, and a c ouncil spokesp erson has re c ently d e clare d, “ We re main c onfid ent that the sche me will b e op ene d to traffic in autumn 2012 as we are currently running slightly ahe a d of that d ate”.

Funding was a p prove d by the D e p artment for Transport in August 2009. The total c ost of the sche me is £87 million. The D e p artment for Transport is providing £81.25 million and Kent C ounty C ouncil the

re maining £5.75 million.

A c ontra ct for c onstruction of the roa d was award e d to a joint-venture of Volker Fitz p atrick and H ochtief on 27th August 2009.

Kent’s biggest archa e ologic al dig along the route of the new roa d is c omplete. During the p ast ye ar, the dig has reve ale d how p e ople were living on the Isle of Thanet from e arliest times. A mong 10,000 finds were t wo gold Bronze Age bra c elets. O ther re marka ble disc overies includ e d the re mains of prehistoric burial monuments, Iron Age enclosures and a village which would have watche d the Roman invasion, S a xon c e meteries, tra cks and the re mains of a shellfish proc essing site.

Portal Power An important p art of the proje ct is a pre -use d G oliath crane sup plie d

by Portal Power, sp e cialists in both new and pre -use d cranes and buildings. The crane is b eing use d to servic e the c onstruction of bridge se ctions for the Cliffsend Und erp ass, offering c ontrolle d pla c e ment of the 10t re b ar c ages.

Portal Power’s D avid Rose says, “ O ften, p e ople don’t c onsid er se c ond-hand when they re quire cranes or buildings. Tod ay, our servic es offer two a dvantages: first, we c an save proje cts money and offer buyb a ck options; se c ond, using refurbishe d cranes and buildings is the most environmentally-friendly option as it eliminates all the raw material extra ction, smelting and transportation around the world during the manufa cturing proc ess. B e c ause of our a p proa ch Portal Power has a p proval from the C arbon Trust”.

Portal Power is serious a bout its gre en cre d entials, working with professional bodies to promote gre en attitud es in the market pla c e.

B uyers will save money using refurbishe d cranes and buildings, but more importantly they will, Like Volker Fitz p atrick H ochtief, b e promoting their c omp any’s image and helping to re duc e glob al pollution.

Visit the we bsite at w w w.portal-power.c o.uk to find out what the c omp any c an do for you.

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New heights in construction with London’s tallest building

The Pinnacle, under construction at Bishopsgate and Crosby Square, forms the apex of the emerging cluster of tall buildings in the City. It will rise higher than nearby Heron Tower and will briefly hold the title of tallest building in London if it is completed before The Shard.

The original design for the Tower put its height at 307m, but following concerns from the Civil Aviation Authority in relation to the flight path from London City Airport, the design was scaled back to the current height.

The proje ct, b eing c arrie d und er the dire ction of managing agents Ara b Investments, is und er construction by Brookfield Europ e and d esigne d by the international archite cts K P F (Kohn Pe d erson Fox Archite cts). As of January 2011, the building is b e ginning to rise out of the ‘hole in the ground’ on Bishopsgate (an alternative name for the building is ‘Bishopsgate Tower’), and has re a che d its ninth floor.

Ac cording to the plans, the 947,000 sq ft offic e building spirals from its b ase to a height of 288 metres. Its ge ometry is compose d of simple she are d cones filleting to ta p ere d planes.

The d evelopment makes a substantial contribution to the public re alm, by op ening the ground level to p e d estrians and linking a numb er of important urb an sp a c es along Bishopsgate and St. M ary A xe.

A c anopy is forme d by pulling the snakeskin gla zing away from the building, marking the p assage entranc e from Bishopsgate and ‘grounding’ the tall form, relating in sc ale to the smaller buildings op posite. Its sha p e was extensively teste d and re configure d to mitigate wind for p e d estrian comfort. The twisting d esign of the roof, and the curling p atterns in the fa c a d e, are b ase d on various twisty things in nature - such as arma dillos, mushrooms and se ashells.

Sustaina ble syste ms are inte gral to the archite ctural d esign.

The a erodynamic sha p e improves the p erformanc e of the naturally ventilating fa ç a d e with its snakeskin d esign. The outer layer of glass prote cts the sun-sha ding which re duc es he at gain. The glass fa ç a d e allows ample natural light, re ducing the amount of artificial light re quire d. Photovoltaic c ells along the

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spiral collar further re duc e energy consumption. A B R E E A M pre diction assessment indic ates that The Pinna cle will a chieve an ‘exc ellent’ rating.

The Pinna cle will contain more solar p anelling than any other building in the U K , with 2,000 square metres (21,500 sq ft) of photovoltaic solar c ells, generating up to 200 kilowatts of ele ctricity. The building’s double -layere d skin will allow it to respond dynamic ally to climatic changes and to utilise effe ctive climate control with low energy consumption.

In late M ay 2008, a mobile crane and piling rig were on site, pre p aring the site for construction. Ste el re b ar c ages inserte d into the ground, form p art of the piles that hold the weight of the tower.

In N ove mb er 2008 another piling rig c ame into use on the site, as well as huge ste el plates for the piles. O n 30 M arch 2009, the largest ever piles in the U K to d ate ha d b e en laid. The piles are sunk 48.5m b elow se a level, and 65.5m b elow the site.

In the summer of 2009, piling ha d b e en complete d and workers b e gan exc avating d e e p down, re a dy to b e gin constructing the b ase ments.

Some of the up p er floors of the building have alre a dy b e en le ase d to The Wolseley, one of London’s most suc c essful restaurants. Rex Restaurants Associates Limite d (“RexR A”) has agre e d to take 13,000 sq fe et of sp a c e for a new restaurant and cocktail b ar. The restaurant will b e op en to the general public, as well as the offic e tenants in The Pinna cle, with a c c ess via the main ground floor re c e ption are a. RexR A is owne d and manage d by restaurateurs C hris C orbin and Jere my King and includ es The Wolseley in Pic c a dilly and St Alb an in Re gent Stre et. C orbin and King were the former proprietors of Le C a pric e, The Ivy and J. She ekey.

At the top, the public will have fre e and dire ct a c c ess to a public viewing gallery where they will have unrivale d and unobstructe d 360 º views of London and b eyond.

K halid Affara, managing dire ctor of Ara b Investments, said, “I am d elighte d to have re a che d agre e ment with Rex Restaurants Associates to provid e the sort of high quality restaurant which

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London & South E ast The Pinna cle and its tenants exp e ct and d eserve. C orbin and King and their a dvisor, D avid C offer of D avis C offer Lyons, have b e en working with us and our a dvisers, S avills, over the last six months to come up with a brand new conc e pt which will work well with the offic es b elow and with full public a c c ess. We look forward to the m cre ating what will b e one of the b est restaurants in Europ e as p art of a truly iconic a d dition to the London sk yline”.

A spokesp erson for RexR A said, “The Pinna cle provid es the most sp e cta cular, ground-bre aking setting for a London restaurant and we are d elighte d to b e the restaurant op erator for this exc e ptional building”.

Argus Fire A multi million contra ct vital to The Pinna cle’s eventual smooth running is the d esign, sup ply, installation, testing and commissioning of the sprinkler and wet hydrant syste ms exp ertly handle d by Argus Fire. Argus’ systems cover all levels of the building and rely on two se p arate pump houses to maintain se curity and inte grity as well as managing the high pressures inherent in high rise d esign.

M atthew G w ynne, Argus’ proje ct manager, takes his te am to site in F e bruary 2011 after initial d esign work is complete d re motely. H e exp e cts to b e involve d in the proje ct until 2014.

H e told Pre mier C onstruction, “ We’re looking forward to getting stuck into what is not only a big workloa d but also a logistic challenge. The nature of the site me ans that we c an store only one we ek’s worth of materials on site, and the limitations of the hoists use d to move those materials me ans that we are restricte d with the length and size of e quipment. That’s to b e exp e cte d with high-rise buildings, however, and I’m confid ent my te am will c arry out the contra ct pre cisely and suc c essfully”.

N ow a p proa ching its 30th anniversary, the comp any has b e come the U K’s le a ding ind e p end ent d esigner and installer of fixe d fire prote ction and d ete ction syste ms, including alarms, gas d ete ction and a variety of mist, spray and foam systems/

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sp e cial risks, all b a cke d up by full maintenanc e and servicing c a p a bilities.

Previous contra cts complete d includ e Westfield London and the N ational Footb all Sta dium, while current contra cts includ e Birmingham C entral Library, Warner Brothers Studios Watford and Park H ouse London.

Find out more at w w w.argusfire.co.uk

Oakwood Engineering E xp erts in large and complex proje cts, O ak wood’s contribution to The Pinna cle has id entifie d numerous potential savings. O ne arm of the comp any, which is chiefly staffe d by civil engine ers, sp e cialises in 4D building information mod elling (BIM), se quenc e d evelopment, construction animations and 3D printing. The Pinna cle te am have use d the 4D mod el extensively to aid planning, co-ordinate tra d es, solve key issues and allow live tra cking of progress on site.

O ak wood co-dire ctor C hris Brown says, “ We were e arly investors in the 3D environment and relate d tools: our grow th from purely providing structural d esign d evelop e d as we quickly b e c ame C A D exp erts in the e arly nineties. N ow we’ve grown into market le a d ers and are currently putting our 30 ye ars’ exp erienc e into many large builds in London, including The Pinna cle. “ O ne of the keys is a p plying our engine ering knowle dge to the cre ation of the mod els. This often helps fine tune methodologies in a d dition to finding physic al and logistic al clashes. The aim is to re duc e our client’s exposure to risk and ensure that there are no surprises along the way”.

From b ases in M anchester and D arlington, the comp any has fa cilitate d a host of prestigious proje cts a cross the glob e, including We mbley Sta dium, The Shard, London Bridge, and the H ong Kong C onferenc e and E xhibition C entre.

Find out more at w w w.oak wood engine ering.co.uk

London’s Shard of Glass smashes UK skyline record The Shard of Glass, London’s new landmark mixeduse building, has become the UK’s tallest building as construction of its 72-storey central core completed recently. As a result, the current structure is now over 244 metres high and has already become an exciting addition to the Capital’s skyline.

O n completion, the Shard will have risen to the e quivalent of 87 storeys at 310 metres (1,016 ft) and b e Europ e’s tallest commercial building as well as the continent’s only truly mixe duse d evelopment.

The Renzo Piano d esigne d building will comprise 595,000 sq ft of offic e sp a c e, a colle ction of high quality restaurants and b ars oc cupying thre e floors at the mid levels, a five star d e -luxe Shangri-L a hotel and sp a, exclusive resid enc es and a high level viewing gallery.

Sinc e construction commenc e d in M arch 2009, the Shard has esta blishe d a series of ’firsts‘ for a U K building. This includ es Renzo Piano’s first U K commission, a pione ering “top -down” construction strate gy ena bling the substructure and the sup erstructure to get und erway simultane ously, “jump -lifting” the c entral core, London’s largest ever continuous concrete pour at 5,500 m3 (d elivere d and poure d over a 36 hour p eriod) and U K’s tallest crane, which currently stands at 255 metres high.

The milestone was complete early De cember when the 69th floor was complete d, taking the Shard to 236 metres high, compare d to O ne C anada Square’s 235.1 metres. The occasion was marke d

by Mayor of London B oris Johnson being taken to the very top of the building, accompanie d by James Sellar, C E O of Sellar Group, which is developing the scheme on behalf of LB Q Ltd.

B oris Johnson said, “If you want a symbol of how London is powering its way out of the glob al re c ession, the Shard is it, rising confid ently up to the he avens. O nc e complete, this huge engine ering fe at will b e the tallest building in Europ e, and is d estine d to b e come as iconic a landmark on London’s cherishe d sk yline as the G herkin, St Paul’s or Big B en”.

Ste phen P ycroft, chairman and C E O of M a c e, the princip al contra ctor b ehind the sche me, commente d, “ From a standing start 20 months ago we are making strong progress on the build programme with the concrete core alre a dy at its complete d height of 72 storeys, the ste el frame up to level 40, and 3,500 of the 11,000 p anes of glass alre a dy installe d.

“There is a lot of hard work to do but the sp e e d with which the Shard has risen out of the ground and the quality of the construction is testimony to the d etermination, innovation and te am spirit of all those working on the proje ct”.

C ompletion of the entire London Bridge Q uarter d evelopment is anticip ate d during the first quarter of 2013.

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New £6 million outpatients department adds state of the art facilities to Wimbledon’s only private hospital Parkside Hospital, a private facility owned and operated

by Aspen Healthcare, has now opened a new purpose built outpatient department. The new building of three floors accommodates 21 spacious consulting room suites and boasts cutting edge design and functionality for the new outpatient, pathology, pharmacy and radiology departments.

Patients c an now re c eive their outp atient c are all und er one roof in a rela xe d and welcoming setting. In ord er to allow p atients e asy a c c ess to the Parksid e C ampus, the c ar p ark has also b e en re d esigne d and extend e d from 111 sp a c es to 132 as p art of the d evelopment. This incre ase, together with sche mes initiate d by the H ospital’s Travel Plan, is to ensure that the a d ditional p arking cre ate d by the extra visitors does not imp a ct on p arking in the surrounding roa ds B uilding work for the outp atient d e p artment b e gan in spring 2009 on the site of a former prop erty situate d at the re ar of the current hospital site. The building proje ct, including the subse quent re configuration of the existing hospital building to cre ate a d ditional b e drooms, has b e en d esigne d by Peter Town C onsulting. The proje ct was manage d and cost controlle d by B ernard Williams Associates (B WA) with a client d esign te am that includ e d servic e engine ers C & W Partners Ltd., structural engine ers Richter Associates, and landsc a p e archite cts Anthony Stiff Associates. Britannic G ard en Furniture sup plie d planters and outsid e se ating. The construction work was c arrie d out,

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und er a d esign and build contra ct, by Killby & G ayford Ltd. Proje ct manager Jere my C owling, of B WA , told Pre mier C onstruction, “The fa cility was d esigne d with minimum internal structure. This provid es the H ospital with the flexibility in the future to alter floor layouts and servic e installations to respond to changes and a dvanc es in diagnostic te chnology and e quipment.

The change in ground levels provid es disa ble d a c c ess from all p arts of the site dire ctly into the mid dle floor there by minimising p atient move ment within the building to one floor only”.

The new fa cility, which is p art of an £11.5m investment, is the latest d evelopment in Parksid e’s exp ansion programme that has re c ently includ e d a major the atre upgra d e, the op ening of a state of the art endoscopy suite and a new extension for the 11 b e d d ay surgery unit.

Hild a Bra d bury, hospital dire ctor, said, “I am d elighte d that this exp ansion has provid e d us with such sp a cious and well d esigne d fa cilities. As well as gre atly improving our outp atient servic es this will also allow us to a d d a d ditional inp atient b e drooms in the main hospital and extend our high d e p end ency unit in ord er to manage the growing d e mand”.

Parksid e H ospital has b e en esta blishe d for over 25 ye ars and e mploys over 300 staff, many of whom live loc ally. C onsultants from St G e orge’s H ospital and Kingston H ospital, as well as some inner London hospitals, continue to tre at their private p atients at Parksid e.

C o n s tru c tio n N e w s

C a ll o ur n e w s t e a m o n 0170 6 719 972

Expert artisans complete restoration project St. George’s Church, in Hanover Square, Westminster, has recently been restored to glory after a restoration programme that has recently closed the church for 26 weeks. The work was necessary to revitalise and rejuvenate the church and preserve its fabric for years to

come. Costing £1.5 million, the conservation was carried out with the utmost respect for the original work, yet is also sensitive to the subsequent additions.

Contractor Holloway White Allom, a specialist in the renovation of listed heritage buildings, had the challenging task of carrying out the work. “A big proportion of the job was cleaning every inch of the fabric of the church right back

to its bare bones”, said Scott Rodell, project manager for Holloway White Allom. “It took 3 ½ weeks just to put up the scaffold because there is so much surface area to cover and in one area alone we removed 17 coats of paint”.

The other important part of the renovation was updating a building which desperately needed reproo ng, an alarm system, modern lighting and sound; all are critical needs for a church which is often used for musical performances. He added, “The new lighting will allow for ambient dimming in particular areas of the church that will be controlled from a single panel and the chandelier will be ooded with light through a newly installed glass panel in the roof”.

There were also more fundamental aspects to the renovation. Critical problems were unearthed during works, ranging from a roof that needed re-strengthening to major water damage. The high moisture content of the

w w w.ro m a u k . n e t

lobby walls meant that the decorating was held up until all the surfaces could be properly dried out.

“Where there was lots of aking, we used an alkaline resistant primer to keep the air from the rough edges, so we could paint over seamlessly”, explains Scott. “And, in many areas, the brous plaster was crushed or collapsing so this meant we had to recreate the original reverse squeeze moulds to make up entirely new sections”.

Latest Barking development on the way Barking Riverside Ltd – a joint venture between the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Bellway Homes plc – is preparing serviced development plots for the first 350 homes of its regeneration scheme for Barking. A start on the first two housing plots is underway by Bellway Essex and the London and Thames Gateway Development Corporation. The Rivergate Centre, which includes a primary school and church as well as community facilities, is also being built as part of this first phase.

Working closely with the London B orough of B arking and D agenham, B arking Riversid e Ltd is sp e arhe a ding the cre ation of a major extension to the borough b ase d on strong environmental principles, with a high proportion of larger homes fe aturing thre e or more b e drooms. In July last 2010, B arking Riversid e scoop e d a prestigious H ousing D esign Award for B uz z ards Mouth C ourt, one of the first two phases which includ es houses built sp e cific ally with families in mind.

D avid Lunts, London dire ctor for the H C A , said, “This sche me is massively important to the borough and our investment is maintaining d elivery and ensuring the right mix of homes. The quality of the community fa cilities and housing, together with the c arefully consid ere d public re alm and landsc a ping, will make B arking Riversid e an exciting pla c e to live, work and visit”.

Cllr Mick M c C arthy, B arking and D agenham C ouncil’s c a binet me mb er for re generation, said, “Things are re ally moving at B arking Riversid e. It’s gre at to se e that building work is starting on the first houses. With the Rivergate C ommunity C entre progressing well, 2011 promises to b e an exciting ye ar for the R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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London & South E ast whole d evelopment”.

The joint venture has also entere d into a £10m contra ct with Found ation D evelopments Limite d to d eliver major roa ds and drainage networks for the first four housing plots and Rivergate C ommunity C entre, which includ es the new primary school.

G avin Hunt, B arking Riversid e re generation manager for Found ation D evelopments Limite d, said, “Phase one of the infrastructure works are now well und erway with the majority of the bulk e arthworks, bridge a butment piling and ground sta bilisation complete b efore C hristmas. We are on target to d eliver the infrastructure in sup port of the school op ening and first oc cup ations. This has b e en a chieve d by fully e mbra cing the p artnership a p proa ch with B arking Riversid e Ltd”.

The Rivergate C entre is also on tra ck to op en in time for the start of the new school ye ar in S e pte mb er. The c entre, which includ es a community church, he althc are servic es, social enterprise units and a public square, will ensure future resid ents of the new d evelopment have essential fa cilities on their doorste p from d ay one.

It will b e op en to all me mb ers of the loc al community and the use of sustaina ble materials during its construction is in ke e ping with the high environmental stand ards set for B arking Riversid e

as a whole. The new school will have 630 pla c es for pupils age d 4-11 and 78 p art-time nursery pla c es.

DF Clark Contractors C ontinuing a suc c essful ten-ye ar relationship with B ellway H omes, D F Clark has c arrie d out landsc a p e d esign and e cologic al surveys with a p ermanent e cologist on site. The contra ctor is also responsible for both hard and soft landsc a ping to both public are as and roa dsid es and has esta blishe d a sub b ase on site to refle ct the size of the contra ct.

Found e d in 1968, the Essex-b ase d firm op erates a cross southern England and offers a wid e range of servic es. These includ e: tre e surgery; landsc a p e construction; fencing d esign and construction; gard en d esign; tre e a dvic e and c are; maintenanc e; and woodland planting.

Sister comp any D F Clark Bionomique builds on this exp ertise, sp e cialising in prote cte d sp e cies surveys, E co H omes / C od e for Sustaina bility complianc e, B S5837:2005 tre e survey re gulations, tre e ha z ard assessment, method state ments, site sup ervision, TP O a p plic ations and landsc a p e d esign.

Visit w w w.dfclark.co.uk to find out more

Challenging major school project powers smoothly towards completion A challenging major project to provide a complete new building for the City of London Academy (formerly the Islington Green School), together with new facilities for the Richard Cloudesley School on the same site, is progressing smoothly towards completion in Islington.

The proje ct is b eing c arrie d out for the City of London C orporation by main contra ctors G alliford Try. Archite cts are S wanke H ayd en M c C onnell; servic es and structural engine ers are B uro H a p pold; cost consultants are E C H arris and S ponsors and Proje ct M anagers are the City of London.

The a c a d e my is a se cond ary school and sixth form c entre loc ate d on a constraine d inner city site, which has resulte d in phase d construction, allowing the a c a d e my to op erate whilst building works take pla c e.

The Richard Cloud esley S chool (a sp e cial ne e ds se cond ary school), is b eing co-loc ate d on the same site as the a c a d e my and will b e a c commod ate d in a refurbishe d building. The whole a c a d e my site is inte grate d with the Richard Cloud esley S chool.

The new a p proximately 8,000sq m a c a d e my building, which was complete d in S e pte mb er 2009, comprises thre e p arts: a sports hall and a ctivity suite with changing rooms; a classroom block, and an are a known as the marketpla c e (a thre e storey atrium ringe d on thre e sid es with op en walk ways and classrooms). The various ele ments of the building were constructe d on former playgrounds, with the old buildings b eing d e molishe d in phases as construction of the new a c a d e my progresse d.

C urrently the re maind er of the old school has b e en d e molishe d and landsc a ping work is in progress, including the cre ation of several all-we ather pitches and playgrounds and a large bus p arking are a, together with a small c ar p ark - all to serve both schools. C ompletion of this ele ment of the scheme is due in S e pte mb er 2011.

The proje ct commenc e d in 2008, with the a c a d e my sports hall ele ment b eing constructe d in the first phase of d evelopment. The sports hall is a single storey four b a dminton court-size d timb er c assette building, with external elevations in brick and rend er.

The thre e storey a c a d e my building, complete d in the next phase, incorporates all associate d changing are as and showers for the sports hall.

The building incorporates a full height atrium (a multi use are a known as the marketpla c e) with an a dja c ent large drama hall.

O ther fa cilities includ e a dining are a, classrooms and staff are as and a sixth form c entre.

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The building is structure d around a concrete frame with external elevations in a combination of materials including various colours of brick, rend er, and small are as of cla d ding p anels. Windows are in powd er coate d aluminium frames and the building has a single ply me mbrane flat roof.

D evelopment of the Richard Cloud esley S chool is und erway, having commenc e d in A pril last ye ar. The school will b e

a c commod ate d within a thre e storey re d brick former board school, which is b eing refurbishe d and extend e d, and is due to b e complete d in June 2011.

The thre e storey extension is constructe d around a ste el frame with external elevations in the same materials as the a c a d e my and fe atures powd er coate d aluminium frame d windows and a flat roof.

Works to the original building includ e d strip ping out, with only structural ele ments b eing retaine d. The interior has b e en re configure d to cre ate the large op en plan sp a c es ne e d e d by the pupils who are all in whe elchairs. N ew internal p artitions,

doors, floors c eilings and building servic es are b eing installe d, with expose d soffits b eing fe ature d in some are as. N ew timb er frame d sash windows are also b eing installe d.

The building will b e he ate d ind e p end ently from the a c a d e my, via a biomass boiler syste m. The school is due to op en in S e pte mb er 2011, marking the end of the overall proje ct.

“The contra ctors have done very well, d espite working in numerous phases on a difficult site with the a c a d e my in full op eration”, said proje ct manager M ark Lowman of the City of London C orporation.

Rydon has been awarded a 52 week, £1.25m refurbishment contract by the London Borough of Wandsworth for major refurbishment works including window replacement with residents in their homes at Badric Court in Clapham, for both the council tenants and leaseholders.

exp e ct, whether it b e a small or large contra ct. This is due to our very high stand ard of tra d esmen we e mploy and all training is of the highest stand ard.

“Asmatt has gone from strength to strength, a d ding a d ditional servic es to our scop es of works which ena ble the customer to have a more complete job without having to e mploy other tra d es.

A newly op ene d building division has b e en op ene d this summer which ena bles us to offer a complete p a ckage of refurbishment works to our clients as well as our esta blishe d Asb estos Re moval and Surveying arm of the comp any”.

Rydon takes on Wandsworth window challenge The proje ct will involve re moving existing wood en frame d and asb estos p anelle d windows and re pla cing the m with new PVC tilt and turn windows. The contra ct also includ es door re pla c e ments, ele ctric al upgra d es to communal are as and minor structural re p airs to the building. There are 171 units at B a dric C ourt re quiring new windows and the work is exp e cte d to b e complete by the end of M arch 2011. All of the units are la b elle d ‘maisonettes’ and are intend e d for general use.

The pilot at was complete d rst, with works on the re maining units starting in e arly A pril 2010. Andrew Sharp, Pre C onstruction M anager at Rydon, comments, “Rydon is currently und ertaking a numb er of refurbishment and maintenanc e contra cts a cross London and the South E ast. Winning this contra ct with this new client further strengthens our position as one of the le a ding sp e cialists in refurbishment works on prop erties with resid ents in their homes”.

Adrian S pink is the proje ct manager for the London borough of Wandsworth. H e took time out of his busy sche dule to sp e ak to Pre mier C onstruction, saying, “This was originally intend e d to b e a contra ct running from M arch to M arch, but it is possible that the work will b e done ahe a d of sche dule”.

Re c ently, Wandsworth C ouncil organise d an event in colla boration with the polic e, London Fire Briga d e and energy ef ciency grant sup plier Warm Front, which aime d to help improve the housing conditions for p e ople living in poor quality privately rente d a c commod ation. The plan was to offer a dvic e and sup port to p e ople on issues ranging from overcrowding, re p airs and unsuita ble conditions to d angerous gas and ele ctric al servic es, d ampness and ina d e quate re pre c autions.

Warm Front discusse d energy ef ciency at home and offere d information to both landlords and tenants on a numb er of government grant sche mes worth up to £3,500 for improving insulation and c entral he ating syste ms.

Asmatt Pre mier C onstruction spoke to Kim Francis of the proje ct’s asb estos sp e cialist, Asmatt. Kim said, “Tra ding sinc e 2004, Asmatt Limite d has always ‘put the customer rst’. “ H aving esta blishe d rm working relationships with many long existing customers, it has prove d its a bility to sustain the same working ethics and stand ards for over six ye ars.

“All clients re c eive the same high quality stand ard of work they R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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Award-winning development graces London’s riverside An exclusive new £50 million riverside development located on the south bank of the River Thames, Bridges Wharf is the product of collaboration between Weston Homes and architects Kay Elliott. The development features 267 one and two bedroom luxury apartments and penthouses, all of which have now been sold.

Striking construction fe atures includ e a concrete frame that eliminate d the ne e d for a d ditional structural linings: this ensures fire inte grity, and also ena ble d the cre ation of attra ctive ra dii corners on sla bs, terra c es and curve d roofs at Bridges Wharf.

Small c eiling voids ke e p storey heights low and re duc e d concrete usage; pressure relief holes at b ase ment level me ant that tensile piles and relate d reinforc e ments were unne c essary.

Bridges Wharf also utilises an innovative ‘c assette wall syste m’ that weighs only 44kg p er m², which comp ares favoura bly with block work c avity walling averaging 250kg to 300kg p er m².

C ombine these figures with the fa ct that less energy is use d in its construction, and the c assette syste m is a p proximately 85% more efficient. Stainless ste el b alustra ding for a p artments allows for uninterrupte d views and gla zing is he at-soak toughene d – this prevents he at stress and re duc es the risk of glass failure.

Weston H omes took p ains to ensure that Bridges Wharf was sc ale d in a c cord anc e with other, lower riversid e d evelopments in the loc ale. Functional points of interest includ e attra ctive terra c es and b alconies and double -height colonna d es a bove entranc e doors – these ensure that the riversid e walk b esid e the buildings is utilise d, and provid e covere d outdoor are as where commercial a ctivities c an continue.

Altura D esigne d as a trophy prop erty within Bridges Wharf, the awardwinning Altura Penthouse oc cupies the 12th floor of the Altura Tower, a striking tower that houses H oteliers, the first five -star hotel south of the Thames op erate d by the renowne d von Essen group. This resid enc e offers the ultimate in lateral riversid e living over 198m², with finishings of the highest stand ard and wond erful views of the Thames and C entral London from a landsc a p e d terra c e and unique winter gard ens.

Visitors who ste p through the p enthouse’s striking lob by doors in A meric an walnut will imme diately b e struck by the polishe d marble floors of the living room with its vaulte d c eiling, dining and kitchen are as. O pulent fixtures are evid ent throughout, and

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an op en plan kitchen showc ases high-gloss finishe d wall and b ase units, granite work surfa c es and d esigner a p plianc es that includ e a N eff wine fridge.

Two opulent b e droom suites possess inte grate d sound syste ms and fitte d wardrob es, whilst the master b e droom boasts a 50” plasma television and an impressive en suite with an air/water massage b ath and a ste am shower room.

The luxury p enthouse also includ es comfort cooling/he ating to all rooms, a c c ess to the Falconbrook S p a, use of all hotel amenities and thre e se cure, alloc ate d und erground p arking sp a c es.24 concierge servic es are provid e d, and se curity syste ms includ e C C T V, a p assive infra-re d alarm and a vid e o entry syste m.

Coinford Construction C oinford assiste d the client and their consultants in value engine ering the d esign to its optimum for suita bility and costs. The firm was subse quently suc c essful in a c quiring the ground works and R.C . Frame contra cts worth around £11m. This includ e d exc avation and construction of a 3 storey b ase ment construction next to the River Thames and then 3 concrete frames of 12 to 15 storeys along with externals to complete this stunning d evelopment.

The site was situate d right next to the London H eliport at B atterse a, which pose d some unique proble ms: stop ping dust and p articles b eing lifte d into the air when a helicopter is either taking off or landing, as this c an c ause d amage to the rotors of the helicopter. C oinford use d a H arsco ‘S afescre en’ with gaskets b etwe en the se ctions, which together dramatic ally re duc e d the amount dust entering the heliport.

C oinford’s exp erienc e with Weston H omes has b e en close and co-op erative, and has built up a massive trust b etwe en the comp anies, which has help e d both to survive this difficult tra ding time.

C oinford are a progressive comp any and a re al ‘te am player’ in all their working relationships. Forme d in 1981, the comp any works a cross the south e ast of England and provid es a complete servic e to clients for the principle contra ctor role, re me diation, exc avations, re pla c e ment concrete piling, she et piling, tower cranes, R.C . b ase ment, sub and sup er structure construction, along with d e dic ate d gangs to c arry out the external works.

Find out more at w w w.coinford.co.uk

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London & South E ast C o n s tru c tio n N e w s

C a ll o ur n e w s t e a m o n 0170 6 719 972

Top notch lab under construction in Kent Work is well under way to build a new multi-million pound state-of-the-art lab at Maidstone Hospital in Kent.

Cardy Construction are working with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

(MTW) and WSP Integrated Building Services to extend the hospital’s existing microbiology department to make way for a £7.8 million cellular pathology laboratory, which has been designed by Devereux Architects.

Cellular pathology is an important diagnostic discipline using high-powered microscopes and

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other techniques to identify diseases at an early stage by looking at changes in cells.

The new lab will replace old ones at Preston Hall Hospital in Aylesford, Pembury Hospital and Kent and Sussex Hospital, and will also allow the trust to continue to provide a histology service to Medway Hospital Trusts and Medway PCT. MTW trust chief executive Glenn Douglas said: “This is very good news. It means that in just over a year we will have some of the most modern and well equipped cellular pathology facilities in the country.

“This is part of a £64 million programme of developments over the next ve years to create a centre of excellence at Maidstone Hospital which will bring big bene ts to our patients and to the local community”.

The building, which stands three storeys high including the top-level plant room, is to house

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80 full time hospital staff.

Project of ce Mark Chapman told Premier Construction, “The project is going well, and we're in line for a 'very good' BREEAM rating.

As of late J anuary, we have full water-tightness and all scaffolding and hoarding is down.

Power is currently being connected and we’re all very excited to see the nished project”.

The project has been on site since February 2010, and work is on schedule for handover in late March 2011.

Wales

Project will take hospital patient care to a new level The new £170 million state-of-the-art Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr hospital will take patient care to a new level in the Rhymney Valley, when it opens in October 2011, health bosses claim.

Located on the outskirts of Ystrad Mynach, the hospital is being constructed for the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, by main contractor BAM. The hospital will serve Caerphilly County Borough and its 170,000 population and replace all hospitals in the area, including the Caerphilly Miners’ Hospital.

And like its sister hospital the Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan, which opened its doors on The Works site in Ebbw Vale in O ctober last year, it will enable all patients to receive one-on-one care in single-patient rooms.

The site is located on a ood plain - the River Rhymney is close by - which inspired a design that sees much of the hospital supported on columns, with more than 600 car parking spaces provided underneath, at ground level.

The hospital is built on three levels and the external elevations of the building are peppered with coloured panels which will correspond to speci c areas. The scheme has been carefully designed to give a feeling of “outdoor/indoors”, with

landscaping features piercing through the structure to create intimate courtyard gardens.

The hospital is being constructed to meet the environmental targets set by the Welsh Assembly Government and is employing a at pack construction technique, with much of the building comprising modular units, enabling faster construction.

BAM Construction has worked closely with the Environment Agency to implement an environmental plan for the protection of fauna and ora in the area – including the sh stock in the nearby River Rhymney. A ood protection plan has also been implemented.

The new 269 single ensuite bedroom hospital will include four general x-ray rooms, a CT scanner, and a MRI machine, an integrated care centre providing intensive rehabilitation and an adult and older people’s mental health unit. A midwifery-led maternity unit will include two birthing pools for low-risk expectant mums, plus a hydrotherapy unit.

O ther facilities on site will include non-critical local emergency care centre including inpatient care to help reduce pressure on neighbouring A&E departments; routine planned day-case and inpatient operations areas, including general surgery, gynaecology and urology,

and a com munal area so patients can come out of their rooms and socialise.

Simon Davies, project manager for the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, believes the new facility will take patient care to a new level in the Valleys: “We’ve been campaigning for a new hospital for over 40 years”, he said. “There are hospitals at the head of the valleys, in Cardiff and the Prince Charles in Merthyr, but nothing like this here. It’s about bringing as many services to residents locally, and preventing them travelling long distances”.

He continued, “It is unique in that its main concourse is on the rst oor, above a car park, which will minimise long walks to and from the car park.

“And single patient rooms will improve com munication with patients, with no distractions from outpatients. O ur designs have been based around that. We really want to make sure that provide privacy for patients and minimise the spread of hospital infections. “ Generally, we have looked at improving the whole patient experience when going to hospital.

"It's been a challenging project to work on, but a rewarding one too. A great deal of consultation and preparation went into this before building began, and it is great to see it taking shape”.

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Wales

Rhondda Life’s plans turning into progress Ferndale is a small town set amidst the outstanding mountain scenery of the Rhondda Valleys of South Wales. The former coal-mining town occupies a ledge above the valley floor looking out across to its suburb of Blaenllechau high on the opposite slope. Although only 24 miles from Cardiff City Centre, it has an isolated and self-reliant feel, with a bustling high street and a lively sense of community.

Two ye ars ago, thre e loc al organisations (F ernd ale Rugby Club, C ôr M eibion Morlais (the loc al male voic e choir) and Bla enlle chau C ommunity Re generation) c ame together to form a comp any Rhond d a Life Ltd - to c arry forward their various plans for future d evelopment.

The rugby club’s premises were the former S alisbury H otel, a thre e -storey building with extensive grounds - the club ha d never b e en a ble to raise sufficient c a pital to d evelop the building and now ne e d e d major funding for renovation work. M e anwhile, C ôr M eibion Morlais wishe d to refurbish its own building, the Morlais H all, a former cha p el d ating from 1881 which the choir ha d a c quire d in 1982 as rehe arsal premises and now wishe d to transform into a museum c ele brating the music al tra ditions of the Rhond d a. Bla enlle chau C ommunity Re generation brought to these proje cts the offer of any surplus from the sale of its building, the B ell C entre, on condition that the new comp any would work a ctively for the re generation of the are a.

So, a plan was forme d. The rugby club ma d e over its land and buildings to Rhond d a Life and plans were drawn up for the d emolition of the S alisbury H otel and the ere ction of a new complex of buildings in thre e phases. The thre e very different organisations then worke d together to se cure £1.4 million of funding from the Welsh Assembly’s ‘H e a ds of the Valleys’ initiative, thus allowing the first phase of work on the rugby club site to proc e e d as well as the restoration of the Morlais H all to its original Victorian glory.

Phase 1 at the rugby club site will includ e a large sports b ar d estine d to b e H Q for F ernd ale R F C as well as other sports clubs in the loc ality, a restaurant and a Sir Stanley B aker Lounge d e dic ate d to the memory of one of F ernd ale’s most famous sons. Through the generosity of the B aker family, the lounge will contain exhibits relating to the a ctor’s life and work, and will b e linke d to the exhibitions at the Morlais H all as p art of a tourism trail. To b e built later, Phase 2 will consist of a community hall and further sp a c e for the extensive colle ctions of loc al historic al exhibits which currently have no home, and Phase 3 will b e a 20 b e droom hotel, a vital asset in an are a with very few b e ds for visitors. The d esign by C W Archite cts of all thre e phases gaine d planning p ermission in 2009 and is of high quality, incorporating not only the environmentally friendly fe atures to a chieve a high B R E E A M rating, but also ke e ping tra ditional fe atures such as re using the Pennant stone from the old S alisbury H otel.

M e anwhile, Rhond d a Life worke d with the Welsh Assembly’s Jobmatch scheme to train future employe es, and is now employing a total of sixte en loc al p e ople, all working hard to ensure a smooth op ening of the new premises in the spring.

Paul Tambini of T C C onsult spoke to Premier C onstruction, saying, “ Working on this proje ct for Rhond d a Life Ltd as their proje ct manager and cost consultant has b e en interesting and challenging. We ha d a limite d budget to work within, the site ha d numerous constraints, and id e as and input of community memb ers ha d to b e c arefully consid ere d. The end result is a fantastic looking building, constructe d using the stone from the original S alisbury H otel, which embodies the hard work community spirit put into the scheme. We are very proud to b e

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involve d with this prestigious scheme”.

Rhond d a Life C hairman John Asquith is looking forward to the completion of the new building: " We will b e op ening for business in A pril", he said. " We are thrille d to se e a sup erb building with high quality fa cilities taking sha p e, and all Premier C onstruction re a d ers will b e assure d of a warm welcome if they c are to come and se e what has b e en cre ate d here ".

Eco-friendly installations contribute to Welsh economic recovery Arbed, the initiative designed to bring environmental, social and economic benefits to Wales, is nearing completion of its first phase of investment. The Arbed scheme was established in 2009 and will coordinate investment into the energy performance of Welsh homes. It is the largest programme of its type underway in the UK. The Welsh Asse mbly G overnment (WA G) is investing £30m into the first phase of Arb e d. This involves working with social housing provid ers to make communities in d e prive d are as of Wales more energy efficient. This is b eing a chieve d by retro-fitting homes with innovative me asures including solid wall insulation and renewa ble te chnologies such as solar p anels and he at pumps.

O ver the nex t d e c a d e, inve stm e nt into the se ctor in Wale s will also c om e from: the H om e Energy Efficie ncy S che m e; the Welsh H ousing Q uality Stand ard; F e e d In Tariffs; and e nergy sup plier o blig ations.

In total, around £350m over the next thre e ye ars, or £1bn over the next d e c a d e, is likely to b e investe d into the energy p erformanc e of Welsh homes. The se ctor is highly la bour intensive, cre ating skille d loc al jobs for loc al p e ople.

In M arch 2010, it was announc e d that up to £34 million of Europ e an funding is b eing alloc ate d to sup port energy efficiency and renewa ble energy generation me asures in existing housing.

The WA G is in discussions with the Welsh Europ e an Funding O ffic e re garding the use of this funding in the se cond phase of the programme.

Sharp Manufacturing Company UK Sharp solar PV modules are the product of choic e for many of the housing associations d elivering Arb e d proje cts. The PV modules, manufa cture d in Wales, provid e sup ply chain and logistics a dvantages couple d with a low overall C O 2 footprint.

The firm has b e en producing solar PV modules for over 50 ye ars and for the last 7 ye ars has manufa cture d modules in N orth Wales, using both polycrystalline and monocrystalline silicon in modules varying in output power from 180W to 245W. The annual c a p a city for Sharp in Wales is currently 500M W (over 2.5m modules), following a re c ent £30M investment in the firm’s Welsh production b ase.

Re c ently the WA G visite d Sharp to tour the fa ctory and new Solar E duc ation C entre. Sharp’s discussions with the WA G also covere d job cre ation within Wales with the op ening of the Sharp Renewa ble Energy Ac a d e my.

To find out more, and to se e Sharp’s full range of solar products, visit w w w.sharpmanufa cturing.co.uk

Evans Wilson and Evans Ltd Esta blishe d in 1980, Evans Wilson & Evans have ste a dily exp and e d over the last 30 ye ars, c arrying out contra cts for both the private and the public se ctor with contra cts ranging from council house refurbishment sche mes to refurbishment sche mes for the private se ctor.

Dire ctor William Evans says, “ Evans Wilson & Evans are ple ase d to b e involve d in the Arb e d scheme where installing insulating rend er is a key p art of the works. As a p prove d We b er E WI a p plic ators with six full time te ams, they are completing these contra cts efficiently and to a high stand ard.

“The training and d evelopment of its 64 e mploye es is a core strength of the comp any, sourcing e mploye es from the loc al are a wherever possible with the e mphasis on p ermanent e mployment and continue d training and d evelopment.

“The Arb e d sche me has ena ble d us to provid e this typ e of e mployment where loc al p e ople are a ble to renovate loc al houses for the b enefit of the community”.

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Precise infrastructure supports hospital enlargement Brook eld Construction UK has been awarded the contract to design and construct the new adults’ and children’s hospitals at Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, which is the largest single NHS hospital build project in Scotland. The project will result in a new £840 million New South Glasgow Hospitals Campus.

The project includes the expansion of the

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existing maternity hospital on the site (now completed), together with the construction of a 1,109 bed adult hospital alongside a 256 bed children’s hospital, providing maternity, paediatric and acute services on a single site in Govan. The site will have the biggest critical care complex and one of the biggest emergency departments in Scotland.

The 14- oor adult hospital will have state of the art emergency, acute receiving, critical care, theatres and diagnostic services. The facility will offer acute specialist inpatient care, medical day case services and also outpatient clinics servicing the local population.

The atrium of the new hospital will house shops and a coffee shop. There will also be a large restaurant/coffee area on the rst oor of the hospital, with a balcony and views

out onto the landscaped area in front of the hospital.

The ve storey children’s hospital, with a separate identity and entrance, adjoins the adult hospital and will provide a large number of specialist services for the west of Scotland and the wider population of Scotland, in addition to the full range of secondary care services for the people of Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Specialist services include cardiology and cardiac surgery and renal and bone marrow transplantation. The children’s hospital will be the sole provider in Scotland for a number of these specialised services.

All bedrooms will be light and airy with large windows offering views to the outside world. The bedrooms will provide a therapeutic and healing patient environment that is safe, clean, private, quiet and comfortable. The design will also provide areas for patients to meet and socialise, and the ward will have security entry to maximise security and safety.

Within the new laboratory and facilities management building, the central laboratory forms a horseshoe shape, wrapping around a central service yard with a dedicated of ce 'pod', which is

connected to the main lab block by an atrium. At the ground oor level of the atrium is a main entrance and social meeting area within a triple height space naturally lit from above.

The construction of a new laboratory and facilities management building is also part of the project, together with four new multi storey car parks.

The works carried out by Barr Construction in collaboration with Brook eld began in April 2010 and comprise the erection of a new ve storey car park (the rst of four car parks to be built during the program me), complete with all surrounding infrastructure and services. The car park provides parking for 693 vehicles, with piled foundations supporting a concrete frame with pre-cast columns and contractor designed post tensioned concrete slabs.

The external fascia has highest quality nishes with ashlar stone walls to the ground oor, stainless steel mesh panels alternate with panels of horizontal timber louvers to the parking decks and vertical timber cladding to the vehicle ramps. Three planar glazed steel framed stair enclosures contain quality nished pre-cast stairs and slabs with two passenger lifts providing excellent pedestrian access.

McLoughlin Flooring Uk Ltd are applying a specialist ‘Sika’ resin decking system to the intermediate and top decks of the car park. The intermediate deck will received a decorative slip resistant epoxy system, while the exposed top deck will receive a fully waterproof elastomeric system. Mcloughlin Flooring UK Ltd are specialist applicators of these systems and have complete numerous car parks throughout the UK. The Southern General Hospital is a large teaching hospital with an acute operational bed complement of approximately 900 beds. The hospital is situated in the south-west of Glasgow and provides a comprehensive range of acute and related clinical services.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said upon unveiling the project, “This project will transform the future of healthcare in Glasgow for patients and staff alike. But the economic bene ts start now. This major building project is entirely publicly-funded and will deliver a huge shot in the arm for the construction industry at a time when the nation faces signi cant economic challenges. This project has the potential to regenerate and breathe new life into Glasgow’s economy and indeed the wider Scottish com munity”.

Construction of the new laboratory and facilities management building com menced in the rst quarter of 2010, with the construction of the adult and children’s hospitals com mencing in the rst quarter of 2011.

The laboratory and facilities management building is due to be completed in the rst quarter of 2012, with the adult and children’s hospitals scheduled for completion in 2015.

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High quality refurbished offices will house NHS staff A development to refurbish a building which was formerly the Glasgow headquarters of the Scottish Executive, to provide office accommodation primarily for NHS National Services Scotland, is underway at Meridian Court, Glasgow.

The b ase ment, ground and first to fourth floors of the 5,887 sq m building will b e oc cupie d by N H S N ational S ervic es S cotland (a sp e cialist organisation within N H S S cotland), and will a c commod ate around 500 staff who will b e reloc ating from other offic es, in Glasgow. The re maining two floors of the building are also b eing refurbishe d re a dy for future oc cup ants.

The eight month proje ct is b eing c arrie d out for N H S N ational S ervic es S cotland by main contra ctors Sharkey. proje ct a dvisors are Turner & Townsend; archite cts are cre8archite cture and me chanic al and ele ctric al consultants are Walla c e Whittle.

Works includ e the strip out of the entire building to shell state; the re pla c e ment or refurbishment of the building servic es and the installation of new internal walls, susp end e d c eilings, lighting and raise d a c c ess floors, as well as complete re -d e coration and the laying of new c arp eting.

B alfour B e atty Engine ering S ervic es are c arrying the me chanic al and ele ctric al fit-out, including low imp a ct installations such as d aylight linking lighting controls, se asonal commissioning and inverter-driven motors.

M any of the installations are prefa bric ate d modules, and pre flexe d luminaires are includ e d in the sche me. For incre ase d efficiency, existing switchge ar and boiler house plant will b e retaine d and re -use d along with sub -mains c a bling and pip e work in the main risers.

In a d dition, the first to fourth floors are b eing fitte d out to the p articular op erational re quire ments of N H S N ational S ervic es S cotland. Their offic es will b e largely op en plan, with p artitione d are as including me eting rooms, quiet rooms, training rooms, bre ak out are as, te a points and ‘hot’ offic es. A new re c e ption are a, a suite of me eting rooms and a staff c atering fa cility is b eing cre ate d on the ground floor and the b ase ment will includ e

a c ar p arking are a and storage fa cilities. The building is also b eing ma d e fully D DA compliant, including the installation of a ste p lift at the re c e ption are a and the installation of toilets for disa ble d p e ople (as well as general W C s) on all floors.

All of the building syste ms are d esigne d to b e environmentally sustaina ble, including a chille d b e am low energy, low cost and low maintenanc e cooling syste m.

Sharkey are now a p proximately half way through the proje ct, with the building sche dule d to b e oc cupie d in M ay 2011.

H aving N H S N ational S ervic es S cotland as oc cup ants of the building is in line with the S cottish government policy of re using surplus S cottish government sp a c e to the b enefit of the ta xp ayer, as op pose d to the commercial market.

A family business e mploying over 150 professionals, G e orge Sharkey starte d as a sole tra d er of Joinery S ervic es in 1969. B oth sons, S cott and Ste phen joine d the comp any in the e arly eighties where they worke d their way up through the ranks starting as a p prentic e joiners.

In 1998, they b e c ame joint managing dire ctors and ra pidly exp and e d the comp any. They have now split their joint roles, with S cott op erating as C E O and Ste phen as group managing dire ctor, with the sup port of the exp erienc e d and dynamic manage ment te am.

Sharkey has grown signific antly over its 40 ye ar history to b e come a le a ding sp e cialist in interior fit out and refurbishment.

The group dire ctly e mploys over 200 professionals, c arrying out more than ÂŁ50 million worth of proje cts throughout the U K and in some c ases, Europ e.

The b a ckground of the manage ment te am is no different to that of the workforc e as a whole. C ore skills have b e en d evelop e d internally, with a chieve ment b eing re cognise d and reward e d as the comp any focus on retaining and promoting from within.

The te am has b e en complimente d over re c ent ye ars by re cruiting staff with a d ditional skills and exp erienc e to allow continuous improvement for the comp any in all are as of the business.

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Former Orkney poor house now being converted to flats for general let Andersquoy Court, a redevelopment of the former Orkney poor house in Kirkwall, is currently being completed by main contractor O'Brien Construction after design work

by Pentarq. Once complete – by February 2011 – the development will add 18 homes to Orkney's general let market.

The building was, until re c ently, use d for sheltere d housing. It ha d also b e en use d as homeless a c commod ation briefly b efore the renovation work starte d.

As the building is b eing re d evelop e d, some d e molition of existing p arts of the building has taken pla c e. Annexes that ha d b e en a d d e d to the original building have b e en remove d and the original roof has also b e en taken off to allow a se cond storey to b e a d d e d.

The overall layout comprises 18 flats split over 2 levels: 11 on the first floor and 7 on the se cond. Thre e of the flats are split a cross storey, while the rest are single storey. Most of the flats have individual a c c ess, but a few share an a c c ess route (a common stair well).

The re d evelopment has maintaine d the original stone frontage and a d d e d a a se cond floor fronte d in larch. This me ans that the original outline of the building is still visible and the a d ditional storey a d ds to it rather than taking away.

The building is on a tight site on which there were issues with a c c ess b eing re quire d p ast the site to the neighbouring resid ential c are home. There is another resid ential fa cility imme diately a dja c ent to the building that also re quire d a c c ess to b e maintaine d.

The S cottish G overnment gave Kickstart funding of £450,000 to the proje ct, which has b e en subje ct to a budget of £1.4 million. It is exp e cte d that tenancies will b e gin in M arch 2011.

About the architects Pentarq c ame into b eing on the 1st M ay 2000 with the incorporation of the firms Stockan & Sloan and Sinclair M a c donald. The tra ding name is b ase d on the PE N Tland Firth, a cross which the firm does business, and the disciplines of A Rchite cture and Q uantity Surveying. The loc ations of Pentarq’s two offic es (he a d offic e in Kirk wall, Orkney and a branch offic e in Thurso, C aithness) ena ble coverage of Orkney, Shetland and the north of S cotland, including the Western Isles.

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The pra ctic e’s roots stretch b a ck as far as 1875 when Sinclair M a c donald starte d his archite ctural pra ctic e in Thurso. Stockan and Sloan, a firm of chartere d quantity surveyors, was found e d in 1980 by Ian Sloan and John Stockan.

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Scotland taking Stepps to connect its roads Transport Scotland, an agency of the Scottish government, has been handed the responsibility of delivering an upgrade of the A80 Glasgow to Stirling Trunk Road between Stepps and Haggs to motorway standard.

The DBFO contract is between the Scottish ministers and the appointed consortium, HMC (Highway Management Construction), which is a joint venture between John Graham ltd, Farrans ltd, and Bil nger Berger AG civil. The company has employed BEAR to take on the operation and maintenance; the project is currently being site managed by J acobs Engineering.

The upgrade will see approximately 8km of new motorway through green eld sites and

10km of upgrade work on the existing A80.

The Stepps and Haggs route will connect via the Auchenkilns grade separated junction, an existing section of road that was built prior to the new contract and opened in 2006. The junction was designed under a separate design and build contract and has served to mitigate the traf c disruption caused by the current work.

The M80 contract is valued at approximately £320 million, which includes a 30 year road maintenance plan.

Progress so far Development of the A80 road upgrades has made signi cant progress in the past three months with a spokesperson from Transport Scotland stating, “The scheme is progressing well and works are on target to [be] completed on time”. The Hornshill Junction (Stepps) to Mollinsburn was completed in November 2010. Following suit in completion are the new Hornshill Junction over-bridge, Lindsaybeg road over-bridge, the Auchengeich road over-bridge, the Mollinsburn to Gartferry link road

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over-bridge and the North road over-bridge to name a few. All have been completed in the second half of 2010, meeting their assessed schedules, and are now open to traf c.

Still in progress is the Mollinsburn Interchange, the Dullatar road under-bridge, Forest Road under-bridge and Kilsyth road under-bridge will all be due to be completed by March 2011 and open to traf c shortly after.

Overall, work is being approached in phases, of ine and online, which are being completed simultaneously. An existing section of the A80 must be de-trunked once the of ine phase has been complete.

Aberdeen seeks to grab a share of the growing shipping industry Aberdeen Harbour Board has awarded a £14 million contract to construction company McLaughlin & Harvey for the first phase of the Torry Quay redevelopment.

The N orthern Irish firm will und ertake works on the initial stage of a thre e -phase proje ct worth £30 million, which got und er way in A pril 2010.

The first phase, which will take a total of 18 months to complete, includ es the d e molition of the existing wharves at Torry Q uay and re pla cing the m with 300 metres of re aligne d, d e e p water quays constructe d from ste el piles and reinforc e d concrete. These new quays are d esigne d to b e more suita ble for mod ern, d e e p draughte d ships and he avy c argoes, such as Subse a 7’s new 145m long and 26m wid e diving sup port vessel, S even Atlantic, which last ye ar ma d e its first official visit to A b erd e en H arbour.

The d evelopment will provid e stronger quays for he avy lifts and cre ate more room in the River D e e for vessels to navigate. Future uses of the new fa cility could includ e a sup port b ase for oil and gas customers and the handling of e quipment for offshore renewa ble energy installations.

M cL aughlin & H arvey has engage d ste el giant Arc elorMittal to sup ply a range of found ation products for the proje ct including hot rolle d A Z she et piles, tubular piles, H se ction b e ams, and tie rods through their p artner Anker S chroe d er, which together form R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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O n completion, the proje ct, which is p art of A b erd e en H arbour B oard's £65 million d evelopment strate gy, will result in over 500 metres of new d e e p water b erths and more than seven he ctares of b a ck up land on the south sid e of the River D e e.

Ken Reilly, engine ering dire ctor of A b erd e en H arbour, said, “ We are d elighte d that work is und erway on this re d evelopment.

A b erd e en H arbour is an inte gral p art of the north-e ast's e conomy and it is essential that we offer port users new and improve d fa cilities as vessels incre ase in size.

“Substantial consultation has taken pla c e with all the stakehold ers in the are a to ensure the works are c arrie d out without disturb anc e to the environment, p articularly prote cte d sp e cies of salmon and dolphin that fre quently visit the harbour.

“Throughout the proje ct, we will continue to consult with our customers and wid er stakehold ers, ensuring there is as little imp a ct on re gular op erations as possible. As one of the busiest ports in the U K , it is essential we continue to further d evelop the harbour to sup port the re quire ments of the diverse range of existing and potential port users”.

Ac cording to the board’s latest financial re port, for the se cond conse cutive ye ar the port has witnesse d signific ant grow th in p assenger numb ers using the re gular ferry link to the N orthern Isles. O ver 149,000 p e ople travelle d b etwe en A b erd e en, Shetland and Orkney b etwe en January and June, against 146,000 over the same time the previous ye ar.

C olin Parker, chief exe cutive of A b erd e en H arbour, said, “The 2010 results have b e en extre mely promising and we are d elighte d to have exc e e d e d our fore c ast for the se cond quarter.

We have maintaine d busy glob al links through our re gular sche dule d international ship ping servic es and incre ase d the numb er of p assengers using the port. This highlights the re gional importanc e of the harbour's role within the north-e ast.

“D espite this very positive situation, we are not compla c ent and continue to invest in new port infrastructure, such as the

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Torry Q uay re d evelopment and C ommercial Q uay E ast [a strengthening and d e e p ening proje ct]. This ongoing investment in the port provid es our customers with cost effe ctive and fit for purpose fa cilities ena bling us to maintain our position as one of the U K's busiest ports”.

Activity in the energy se ctor continues to incre ase following a slight d e cline in oil and gas relate d traffic during 2009 and the port has maintaine d its re gular sche dule d links to West Afric a.

G eneral c argo including, scra p metal, salmon fe e d and grain exports were in line with proje ctions.

A b erd e en H arbour handles around 4.5 million tonnes of c argo p er ye ar, value d at £1.5 billion, and is se eing growing levels of ship ping for a wid e range of industries. With more than £200 million investe d by the board in the last 30 ye ars, the port is one of the most mod ern in Europ e.

With versatile fa cilities, comp etitive charges and diversity of traffic, it serves S cotland's third city and an extensive hinterland.

C entre of a ctivity for the offshore oil and gas industry's marine

sup port op erations in N orth-west Europ e, it is also: • The princip al commercial port in N orthern S cotland • An international port for general c argo, roll-on/roll-off and container traffic • The princip al mainland port for freight, p assenger, vehicle and livestock servic es to Orkney and Shetland • A gateway for agricultural products and sup plies • A marshalling point for glob al exports of oilfield e quipment • A port of c all for cruise ships • O ne of the busiest Trust Ports in Britain

Glasgow driving in the right direction Glasgow’s East End Regeneration Route, which will connect the M74 motorway at Polmadie through the east end of Glasgow to the M80/M8 junction at Provan Road, is on site and progressing well under main contractors Farrans and I & H Brown, who have been engaged under a design and build contract.

McLaughlin & Harvey The N orthern Irish firm op erates a cross the U K and has over 100 ye ars exp erienc e in the d esign and construction of new ports and working within existing live commercial harbours. Torry Q uay is one of many re c ent proje cts und ertaken by the firm and is also one of the largest, alongsid e similar works at B elfast H arbour.

As well as exp ertise in marine engine ering, the comp any counts industrial buildings, renewa ble energy engine ering and roa d and railway infrastructure amongst its civil engine ering profile.

Elsewhere, M cL aughlin & H arvey sp e cialises in construction, sp e cialist joinery, fa cilities manage ment and framework contra cts.

in the E ast End, by making it more attra ctive for businesses to move here and op ening up gre ater e mployment op portunities for loc al p e ople”.

Phase 1, from Polma die to Shaw eld, was complete d in M ay 2010. C urrently on site is Phase 2, which takes the route from Rutherglen Bridge to Biggar Stre et and is due for completion in late 2011. The work on the third phase of the route will b e gin after 2014, subje ct to the availa bility of funding.

M74 Works The construction contra ct for the simultane ous M74 proje ct was award e d to the Interlink M74 Joint Venture (a joint venture comprising Morrison C onstruction, B alfour B e atty, Morgan Sind all and Sir Rob ert M c Alpine) in e arly M arch 2008 for a xe d

The d evelopment of this roa d complements the simultane ous M74 completion proje ct. D evelop ers hop e it will fa cilitate the re generation of d erelict land; improve p e d estrian routes; improve vehicular a c c ess and p arking to the Forge shop ping c entre and retail p ark and C eltic Park; relieve traf c congestion; and improve roa d safety and re duc e roa d a c cid ents. The new urb an roa d will b e built to dual c arriageway width and will includ e a combine d footp ath and cycleway. The extensive a c commod ation works includ e a new coa ch p ark for C eltic F C , whose ground lies a dja c ent to the proje ct.

Ac cording to Alex S almond, the man in charge of the S cottish government, the route will “will help to transform a substantial p art of the fa bric of the Glasgow e conomy”. C ouncillor Archie Graham, who is involve d with the 2014 commonwe alth games, b etter transport links will “encourage e conomic re generation R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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S c otla n d pric e of just und er £445 million, plus a £12 million allowanc e for possible mine workings along the route. A bout £200 million has alre a dy b e en sp ent on land and a dvanc e d works. The S cottish government will p ay the largest share at 87.35% . Glasgow City, South L anarkshire and Renfrewshire councils will me et the b alanc e.

Starting ne ar C armyle in the south e ast, the motorway will cross mainly brown eld and industrial sites in C ambuslang, Rutherglen, Polma die and Eglinton b efore linking with the M8 at Tra d eston.

Financ e S e cretary John S winney re c ently announc e d that the contra ctor has con rme d that the sche me will op en in June, almost nine months ahe a d of the proje ct’s contra ctual d e a dline d ate of F e bruary 2012 and b e ating the contra ctor’s own target of an August op ening.

H e claime d, “The M74 C ompletion is the biggest infrastructure proje ct on the ground in S cotland and is providing vital jobs and investment for the hard presse d construction industry now.

The fa ct that this route, which will b e vital to the future grow th of S cotland’s e conomy, will op en so many months ahe a d of sche dule will b e welcome d by all who will b ene t from using it”.

Wates in Balgrayhill residential project Wates are carrying forward Glasgow Housing’s maintenance and repair commitments with a contract to carry out external alterations on a set of tower blocks at Viewpioint Place in Balgrayhill.

The work includ es a p plic ation of insulation with rend er over the top, as well as new insulation to the roof and external refurbishment to the towers.

O ne of thre e site managers currently on the job, Wates’ Ja ckie Walla c e spoke to Pre mier C onstruction with a progress re port: “The planne d completion d ate was originally M ay 2011, but we’re confid ent we c an finish e arlier than that. We’ve b e en making quick progress sinc e we starte d on site in D e c e mb er 2009. When you consid er there are around 300 flats in the towers we’re working on, that’s pretty impressive. “ We’ve b e en re moving old tin cla d ding and re pla cing it with new cla d ding and rend er with insulation to 4 inches. O n the roof, we’re b asic ally starting all over again – rip ping up the roof and putting down new sla bs and felt cla d ding. “ We’re also upgra ding the T V syste m and the lightning conductors, as well as putting in a curtain walling syste m on two of the towers”.

Wates has a large te am on the job, with the intention of completing quickly as well as professionally. Originally, there were four site managers involve d in the proje ct – one for e a ch tower – but the workloa d is now share d b etwe en Ja ckie, his two fellow site managers and the proje ct manager. Wates also have a te am of ‘gate men’ on site, and Ja ckie says, “ We don’t always hire gate men, but this job has ha d a larger workforc e on it than you might exp e ct, with a view to b e ating the agre e d completion d ate. There have b e en at le ast 65 of us, including sub -contra ctors, on site on any given d ay”.

Aske d what ha d b e en done to avoid disruption to resid ents, Ja ckie re plie d, “ We’ve manage d to avoid moving p e ople out of their homes – the only disruption was that some p e ople have ha d to move their c ars te mporarily out of the c ar p ark.

High rise in Glasgow The four towers at View point pla c e, which re a ch as high as 25 storeys, d ate from the 1960s and are some of the tallest buildings in Glasgow. Fa c e d with crip pling housing shortages in the imme diate post-war p eriod, the city und ertook the building

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of multi-storey housing in tower blocks in the 1960s and e arly 1970s on a grand sc ale, which le d to Glasgow b e coming the first truly high-rise city in Britain. H owever, many of these " sche mes", as they are known, were poorly planne d, or b a dly d esigne d and che a ply constructe d, which le d to many of the blocks b e coming insanitary magnets for crime and d e privation.

It would not b e until 1988 that high rises were built in the city onc e again. From the e arly 1990s, Glasgow City C ouncil and its suc c essor, the Glasgow H ousing Association, have run a programme of d e molishing the worst of the resid ential tower blocks, including the G orb als blocks in 1993. O thers, such as View point Pla c e, have b e en d e e me d worthy of maintenanc e.

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Kilmarnock makes the right connection “Connecting Places”, Kilmarnock town centre’s £1.4 million regeneration project, has recently been completed in a project which has made Kilmarnock town centre more pleasant and accessible to pedestrians. Main contractors for the scheme were Luddon Construction.

The project was geared to greatly improving the environment and pedestrian connections between Kilmarnock railway station and the core retailing area. This was achieved through the introduction of high quality environmental and streetscape improvements, with improved surfaces, lighting, signage and street furniture connecting the railway station to John Finnie Street, Portland Street, Strand Street, Bank Street and King Street.

East Ayrshire Council implemented the work, with the majority of funding from the Scottish government’s Town Centre Regeneration Fund and support from Scottish Enterprise and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Councillor Douglas Reid, leader of East Ayrshire Council, said, ”Connecting Places has made a real difference to Kilmarnock’s town centre with improved lighting and paving, linking up all the main thoroughfares and

making the streets more inviting. Town centres everywhere are competing to attract people into their towns.

The quality of the shopping environment is one of the most important factors. The more attractive the town centre is physically, the more attractive it becomes for shops and for shoppers, making shopping a more pleasant experience for everyone”.

Martin O’Rourke, a native of Kilmarnock who has overseen the works in his role as project of cer for Kilmarnock’s Townscape Heritage Initiative Partnership, is proud of his team’s achievements. He told Premier Construction, “In the face of dif culties – not only the winter weather but also a few delays in procuring certain materials – we have managed to complete the project ahead of schedule. One way in which we saved time was to abandon the original plan to work location by location and instead allow the contractor to have more

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than one active zone of work.

“We secured an agreement from the contractor to appoint a specialist liaison of cer to inform and advise businesses and members of the public – that and the responsiveness of the contractors and the design team is behind our success.

“As a local resident myself, I shared the view that, in the long term, the brief disruption of these improvements would bring a lot of bene ts to the town”.

Now watertight – Gowkthrapple’s new hub soon to be completed The first brick of the internal street in the new £2.6million Gowkthrapple Community Hub at Wishaw was laid in December 2010 by Motherwell and Wishaw MP Frank Roy and Councillor John Pentland. The ceremony was an important milestone for all of the partners involved in the construction of the new hub as it marked the building being confirmed as watertight by main contractor McTaggart.

Frank Roy said, “I’m d elighte d that the community hub is on target for completion in M arch 2011. It will provid e a muchne e d e d fa cility for the whole of the G owkthra p ple community”.

As well as b eing a venue for a variety of loc al groups, the hub will also have a c afe, convenienc e store, offic e sp a c e and me eting rooms. In a d dition, an a p plic ation has b e en submitte d to situate a pharma cy in the pre mises and it is hop e d that, if a p prove d, this will op en soon after the hub b e comes op erational.

When building work b e gan a ye ar ago, it was envisage d that the hub would op en in January 2011. H owever, some initial proble ms me ant that work ha d to b e d elaye d. John Mulholland, dire ctor of the G arrion Pe ople’s H ousing C o-op erative, said,: “ Unfortunately, we hit some proble ms re garding high voltage c a bles which me ant that the plans ha d to b e slightly a djuste d.

“Subse quently, this knocke d our sche dule b a ck a bit but we’ve manage d to pull some of the lost time b a ck and it isn’t a major issue and we’re d elighte d with the way the new community hub is commencing. It will b e come the he art of the community and will

b e an exc ellent me eting point for the resid ents of G owkthra p ple”.

“In a d dition to the existing plans for the hub we are in discussions with Motherwell C olle ge for stud ents to use the fa cility as a training suite”.

A grant of £835,000 from Big Lottery's growing community assets fund was re c eive d for the proje ct, with other funding sup plie d by the loc al council, G PH C and the S cottish government's va c ant and d erelict land fund.

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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.

Works on the building, which is more a c curately d escrib e d as two venues joine d together, includ e a whole host of improve ments. To b e gin with, there will soon b e a d e dic ate d box offic e at the entranc e to the the atre, allowing the council to save money onc e the current selling point – a loc ation in the c entre of town – has b e en re -d e ploye d.

Elsewhere, work to the building’s infrastructure involve a new ra diator he ating syste m to re pla c e the old syste m, which relie d on pip es in the c eilings. A full ele ctric al re -wire will sup port £1 million worth of new sound and lighting e quipment, while a programme of asb estos re moval will allow a previously disuse d te chnic al are a to b e re -op ene d. Double gla zing is b eing installe d to provid e a huge energy saving, which is to b e top p e d up by a new, efficient ventilation syste m b a cke d by a new plant room.

The whole building will b e monitore d by a new B M S. Nick Parr, venues manager at N orth L anarkshire C ouncil, has b e en c amp aigning enthusiastic ally for the improve ments in re c ent ye ars. H e share d his d elight at the ra pidly-d eveloping proje ct with Pre mier C onstruction: “ We’re all excite d at the op portunities this proje ct will bring us. It’s difficult to convey how much some of the changes, which se e m small to some, will improve what we c an do with the building. The new box offic e, for example, re pla c es the old set-up we ha d on site which involve d having a hid d en sid e door as p art of the entranc e. That alone is much more inviting to the public and should encourage more visitors.

“Although a lot is b eing sp ent on some top -quality sound and lighting e quipment, one of the most important differenc es is in the simple fa ct that we will soon have dimma ble, flexible lighting in the non-p erformanc e public are as. That will allow us to arrange the lighting b ase d on the p erformanc e we’re hosting and, of course save some energy when not all the lights are set to ‘full power’. We use d to say here that the lighting was like a hospital ward – good enough to se e cle arly but not inviting enough for this kind of loc ation. “ N ow, the oretic ally, we will b e a ble to extend the range of shows we c an offer. There is improve d vehicle a c c ess so that we c an bring in more ela borate installations and the venue should b e more attra ctive to c ertain a cts such as touring b ands”.

Nick conclud e d, “ B arr, the contra ctors, have b e en p articularly

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good to work with. It’s b e en nic e to have b e en consulte d so extensively on d esign. E qually, it felt like a lot of hard work ha d p aid off when the council kindly agre e d to the funding. We ha d pre p are d proposals that showe d what we could a chieve with his level of investment comp are d to a minimal investment and, sinc e they were a ble to se e the importanc e of the venue and re cognise the return that the whole are a will eventually get from it, they agre e d that we should make the most possible out of the proje ct”.

Ire l a n d

£270 million hospital will rede ne the provision of healthcare Rede ning the provision of hospital care in the UK and Ireland and achieving new standards for hospital design and amenity, a new acute hospital for the South West of Northern Ireland is under construction in a £270 million project at Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.

The building complex is almost one million square feet in area and is located on a 60-acre site overlooking Wolf Lough on the O magh road out of Enniskillen.

The N orthern Ireland Health Group (NIHG) consortium were appointed as preferred bidder by the Western Health and Social Care Trust to design, construct, nance and manage the new acute hospital. The consortium has four stakeholders - FC C Construction SA, Allied Irish Bank Plc., Interserve Investments and P. Elliott & Co. Construction is being carried out by P. Elliott & Co in their largest ever contract and they are working in unison with FC C Construction from Spain.

The new 312 bed hospital will provide essential health and social care for the people living in the western trust area and will offer services including acute medicine, accident and emergency, day and elective surgery, children's and older people care services, critical care,

imagining, diagnostics and consultant-led maternity services.

Geotechnically, the site is very challenging. The adjacent Wolf Lough and woodlands area is prone to land slip, and the foundation condition resembled tooth paste. The bulk of the site is built up from over 3,500 double auger drive piles onto which a 400m m thick transfer slab is constructed and the site up lled. With a policy of ‘ N o excavated material to be taken off site’, the earthworks were a complex exercise of identifying and using existing competent material for up ll, and lime stabilizing other material to the required CBR’s for piling mats.

The new hospital campus is a threestorey complex for the most part with some areas having four stories. The entrance to the hospital will run through a wet land area and will feature a bridge.

The hospital will include bright spacious single private bedrooms and a hospital street, which essentially is an internal courtyard running right through the building. The single patient rooms all bene t from striking views of either the adjacent Wolf Lough and woodlands, or the beautiful internal ‘linear garden‘. The hospital will also incorporate a full restaurant, cafe, shop and hairdressers and there will even be an ATM machine and crèche.

The hospital comprises a series of well

designed and considered departments and public spaces that are animated by sunshine and daylight with continuous views of landscape and rural surroundings.

The environment will be reassuringly un-institutional and yet provide an exemplary and exible clinical facility.

Organic in form, the buildings sit naturally in their landscape, nestling the contours and breaking the skyline with their shallow sloping roof planes.

N orthern Ireland health minister Michael McGimpsey said, “The new hospital will offer a wide range of invaluable services including 24/7 A&E, inpatient services including medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, day case surgery and day procedures. It will also offer a comprehensive range of diagnostics, including radiology and laboratory tests and a wide range of outpatient services.

“This new state of the art health care facility for the people of Enniskillen and the surrounding areas represents a signi cant investment by my department.

Despite forced budget cuts and huge nancial pressures, this new hospital remains on course for completion and will be a vital facility for the South West region”.

The project is due for completion by 2012 and has over 650 construction operatives and 65 staff on site.

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Award-winning design for a truly ‘giant’ world-class attraction Under construction to an award-winning design on a World Heritage Site containing Northern Ireland’s top tourist attraction, is the new Giant’s Causeway visitor centre in County Antrim.

The Giant’s C auseway lies in N orthern Ireland’s C auseway C oast World H eritage Site, in a loc ation where the landsc a p e fe atures cliffs forme d by hexagonal b asalt stones, agricultural land and cliffsid e walks. The c auseway itself fe atures over 38,000 hexagonal columns of b asalt and is visite d annually by over 600,000 p e ople from a cross the world.

The £9.4 million contra ct to build the new visitor c entre is b eing c arrie d out for the N ational Trust by main contra ctors Gilb ertAsh. Archite cts hene ghan p eng’s d esign for the new c entre was chosen from entrants in an international comp etition. Structural consultants are Arup; building servic es consultants are B ennett Rob ertson; civil engine ering consultants are White Young Gre en and quantity surveyors and proje ct managers are E dmond Shipway.

As the site is continuing to re main op en throughout the contra ct, a numb er of ena bling works were re quire d and have b e en c arrie d out by F P M c C ann with a fit out by Gilb ert-Ash. These works includ e the construction of te mporary kiosks and

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the transformation of the ne arby C auseway H otel’s function room to a c commod ate the N ational Trust's shop to provid e for visitors during the construction works, The C auseway H otel itself is providing c atering, and a te mporary roa d now guid es visitors via the front of the hotel to the stones.

O ther ena bling works includ e extending the c ar p ark in front of the C auseway H otel, changing the use of Innisfre e Farm to b e come an a d ditional c ar p ark, installing a series of varia ble message signs in the wid er c auseway are a, and relining the c ar p ark at Dund arave in B ushmills to allow for a p ark and rid e servic e.

C urrently the ena bling works are b eing complete d and construction of the new visitor c entre has commenc e d.

The d esign of the new single storey visitor c entre utilises the large differenc e in level a cross the site, where two folds are cre ate d in the landsc a p e. O ne of these, extending the line of a ridge, will a c commod ate the building. The se cond, extending the level of a roa d, will scre en the building’s new c ar p ark from view.

The new 1,815 sq m state -of-the art building is structure d around a ste el frame with elevations in loc ally sourc e d b asalt cla d ding, incorporating a gla ze d frontage which will ensure that p e ople with disa bilities who may not b e a ble to walk on the site

will b e a ble to enjoy the sp e cta cular coastal views. The building will also b e slightly sunken into the ground, and will have a grass roof to restore the natural ridgeline of the surrounding landsc a p e and provid e a ha bitat for wildlife.

The c entre will includ e an interpretation are a, a shop, an 80-cover c afe serving light refreshments, toilets and b a by changing fa cilities and a tourist information c entre providing guid anc e on the C auseway C oast and N orthern Ireland.

E xternally, a new c ar p ark will b e constructe d to the e ast of the building, trail p aths will b e upgra d e d and new p aths cre ate d.

John D avis, contra cts manager for Gilb ert Ash, said, “ O bviously we were d elighte d to have b e en chosen b e c ause it's such a landmark sche me. It's going to b e a world-renowne d visitor c entre and it’s fantastic to b e p art of that ", he a d d e d.

Associate d C A D Solutions Ltd. was taske d with the responsibility of providing 3D building information mod elling (BIM) servic es for the proje ct.

The servic es of A C S were engage d dire ctly by the main contra ctor Gilb ert Ash, sp e cific ally to cre ate a 3D BIM mod el from the archite cts and engine ers’ 2D drawings during the pre construction d esign phase. The 3D BIM mod el was use d as a tool to id entify potential d esign conflicts b etwe en the various d esign disciplines during the pre -construction d esign phase, and there by minimise the potential time loss and imp a ct of costly d esign changes during construction.

The 3D BIM mod el provid e d the sp e cialist sub -contra ctors with the sp e cific ge ometry of the building and also a visual aid from which they could progress their construction d esign d etails.

Following on from the pre -construction d esign phase, the 3D mod el was further d evelop e d to provid e the construction te am with various cross-se ctions through the building for set-out onsite, and also fa bric ation and production drawings for off-site

Henderson Foodservice soon to centralise in multi-million property investment Henderson Foodservice, the market leading foodservice business in Northern Ireland and a division of the Henderson Group, has announced an investment of approximately £14million in new warehousing and office accommodation on the company’s 23.5 acre site at Hightown Avenue, Mallusk.

The move is in response to sales grow th in exc ess of 30% sinc e 2007, and ongoing exp ansion which will se e all warehousing and distribution servic es c entralise d at M allusk in a d e molition-re build proje ct. H end erson Foodservic e currently op erates two d e pots, one loc ate d at Finvoy Roa d, B allymoney, employing 52 staff, and the other at a M allusk site where 101 p e ople are e mploye d. B oth d e pots will move to the new purpose -built fa cility in e arly 2011.

All staff working in B allymoney will b e given the op portunity to transfer to M allusk or b e offere d suita ble alternative roles within the comp any.

The d evelopment work is b eing und ertaken by Patton C onstruction, who are b ase d in B allymena; the contra ct has provid e d e mployment for 120 p e ople during the construction of the fa cility.

D amien B arrett, managing dire ctor of H end erson Foodservic e, explains, “ H end erson Foodservic e has enjoye d a very he althy p eriod of grow th winning a numb er of signi c ant long-term contra cts with both the public and private se ctors. In ord er to

maintain that level of ye ar-on-ye ar grow th we have c arefully reviewe d our current business pra ctic es to ensure ma ximum ef ciencies.

C onsolid ating distribution to one b ase ena bles us to stre amline the business, share resourc es and re duc e running costs in general. The £14 million investment will provid e a 130,000 sq ft state -of-the -art frozen, ambient and chille d warehousing as well as a suite of new of c es”. “ We have a well-motivate d and highly-skille d workforc e at B allymoney and it is our intention that they will all either reloc ate to M allusk or b e given the op portunity to take up a different role within the comp any. O ver the next numb er of months we will b e consulting all of these staff to discuss optimum transfer timings and options. We will b e maintaining current e mployment levels as a result of the d e pot changes and ind e e d as we continue to exp and further, re cruitment will b e come an important p art of our business plan”.

“It is our aim that this new fa cility will d eliver a fully inte grate d op eration c a p a ble of serving our customers throughout Ireland ef ciently whilst providing b est value for money. In so doing, H end erson Foodservic e c an look forward to maintaining its position as the market le a ding foodservic e business in N orthern Ireland”, conclud e d Mr. B arrett.

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Ecobuild 2011 – the future of design, construction and the built environment Plans are taking shape for this year’s Ecobuild which, having outgrown its former venue, will be taking place at London’s ExCeL on Tuesday 01 – Thursday 03 March.

Against the b a ckground of e conomic unc ertainty over the last few ye ars, and the current sp ending cuts, E cobuild re presents the construction se ctor’s most important challenge, and its gre atest op portunity, that of cre ating a sustaina ble built environment.

And the se ctor me ets that challenge - and that op portunity - with ever-growing enthusiasm. O ver 1,300 exhibitors, 600 sp e akers and 50,000 visitors are exp e cte d to attend E cobuild 2011, exc e e ding the re cord attend anc e at the 2010 event.

M any exhibitors have taken a dvantage of the extra sp a c e at E x C eL to exp and the range of sustaina ble construction products and materials they’ll b e displaying at the exhibition. Re gular exhibitors D aikin, S aint- G ob ain, S chue co, Id e al Stand ard, Tre mco Illbruck, Interfa c e, Velux, L afarge, Fronius, Forbo Flooring Syste ms, A C O Te chnologies, E.O N, and ICI Paints are just some of the internationally re cognise d names you’ll se e at E cobuild next ye ar, along with hundre ds of sup pliers exhibiting for the first time, including Dorma, Arc elorMittal, IB C Solar, E dgete ch, C R L awrenc e, Roto Frank, U PM, LG Ele ctronics, Hyund ai, Stora Enso and Pilkington B uilding Products.

E cobuild is the platform for major launches including, for 2011, Bill Dunster’s straw house, Stramit Z E D. It’s the very latest in his e co housing sta ble - a straw board home that c an b e built for £135,000; £20,000 less than the normal cost of constructing a cod e level 6 house. The Stramit Z E D house is a joint venture b etwe en Z E Dfa ctory and Stramit Te chnology Group. The straw boards are combine d with timb er and insulation from re cycle d newsp a p er and ma d e into c assettes to build the homes. They will b e markete d to d evelop ers, housing associations and selfbuild ers.

Mod c ell will b e launching their Renewa ble Retail solution which aims to resolve the he at energy b attle b eing fought in sup ermarkets, to ke e p customers warm and produc e cool. Using prefa bric ate d p anels fa bric ate d from straw b ales to build sup erinsulate d, high-p erformanc e and low energy ‘p assive’ buildings, Mod C ell’s Renewa ble Retail d elivers a turnkey building solution

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that re duc es energy, saves money and c arbon e missions, and allows shorter build times.

Le a ding the line up in E cobuild’s fre e conferenc e are he a dliners C hief C onstruction Advisor, Paul Morrell, C onstruction Minister, M ark Prisk, Sir Terry Farrell, B aroness Susan Gre enfield, Tim Smit of the E d en Proje ct, Bianc a Jagger and Professor A C Grayling taking on subje cts as diverse as The ra dic alism of loc alism, The age of unre ason: the psychology of climate change and Ending our love affair with more.

The 2011 se minar programme, also fre e to attend, is E cobuild’s biggest ever, with over a dozen stre ams and more than 130 se minars covering the most pressing conc erns for built environment professionals: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

future energy energy in buildings re gulations reve ale d simplifying stand ards guid es and tools refurbishing Britain sustaina bility and the city sustaina ble by d esign sustaina ble small proje cts from grey to gre en sustaina ble archite cture & d esign b eyond construction installer business installer skills

S e minars are brought to life through a series of intera ctive attra ctions and live d e monstrations taking pla c e on the exhibition floor, from how to install a solar p anel or a gre en roof, to timb er frame construction and a p plying exterior wall insulation.

Highly topic al is E cobuild’s Solar hub which will explain the fund amentals of photovoltaic syste ms – how they work, what components they includ e, and how and where to install the m, with d aily d e monstrations and talks on building inte grate d

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photovoltaic tiles (BIPV), photovoltaic syste ms (PV), b enefitting from the fe e d in tariff.

Renew provid es pra ctic al a dvic e on a chieving one of the most important asp e cts of an energy efficient building – a highly insulate d, air tight building envelop e – with d aily live d e monstrations of internal and external insulation for solid walls, loft insulation, insulate d floor b ases and gla zing solutions.

The enormously popular Citysc a p e returns in 2011 to focus on the gre ening of the built environment, and the encourage ment of biodiversity. C omprising live d emonstration are as and a variety of c ase studies and installations explaining the pra ctic alities of gre ening and enhancing biodiversity, it will take the le arning from E cobuild’s From grey to gre en and Sustaina bility and the city se minars and help visitors gain exp erienc e of the pra ctic al skills re quire d.

N ew for 2011, E cobuild’s Water wise will b e bring visitors up to d ate on the changes to Part G of building re gulations, und erstanding the water efficient systems and a p plianc es that c an now b e installe d into buildings. It will also explain the me asures that c an b e put in pla c e to signific antly re duc e our water footprints by fixing le aks, using water efficient white goods and other water-saving te chnologies, as well as imple menting simple but effe ctive b ehavioural changes, and d e monstrate that not only does a re duction in water consumption save energy and c arbon, but that it brings financial savings for businesses, the public se ctor and consumers too.

Elsewhere, the a esthetic qualities of glulam are d e monstrate d in E xtre me timb er. A hyp erbolic p ara boloid with two large curve d and twisting glulam structures, one of which is inverte d to form a roof, d e monstrates the extre me d esign possibilities of engine ere d timb er for sp e cta cular and sustaina ble structures.

Another favourite with re gular visitors to E cobuild is the N atural, tra ditional….sustaina ble attra ction, where d aily intera ctive d e monstrations will cover a we alth of natural materials and tra ditional te chniques including dry stone walling, straw b ale construction, ramme d e arth, cob brick making, tra ditional c arp entry and lime rend ering.

C ertain to provoke interest is C a pita Symonds’ C ool Worksp a c e attra ction which showc ases le a ding-e dge materials, te chnologies and d esign solutions, d e monstrating how they c an help provid e low-cost, low-c arbon, but high imp a ct solutions to a d a pt and re -use sp a c e and materials to cre ate a flexible, a d a pta ble and ultimately more sustaina ble work pla c e. C onstructe d using phase change wall p anels and c eilings which store and rele ase he at a c cording to the internal and external temp eratures, C ool Workspsa c e will fe ature he at re covery ventilation syste ms, smart meters, oc cup ancy d ete cting lighting controls, smart

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phone te chnology and energy usage monitoring syste ms. It will b e fitte d out using re cycle d c arp ets and surfa c es, and furnishe d with environmentally responsible offic e furniture.

And of course it wouldn’t b e E cobuild without a whole host of new and surprising events, and the 2011 event c ertainly won’t disa p point. O n Tuesd ay, 02 M arch ‘Rock star physicist’ Professor Brian C ox will b e presenting an award to the winner of the CIO B’s Inner S p a c e 2050 comp etition for stud ents age d 11 – 12 ye ars to d esign sustaina ble work and living sp a c es in orbit.

B a ck in the exhibition, visitors will b e invite d to sink their te eth into some B R E Bites, a series of 10 minute ‘tasters’ on a range of topics including B R E E A M In Use, Passivhaus, and F e e d in Tariffs taking pla c e d aily on the B R E stand, and the E cobuild Fringe is ge aring up to d eliver an e cle ctic programme again in 2011.

An innovation that’s bound to b e popular for E cobuild 2011 is the introduction of an online itinerary planner which allows visitors to plan their visit in a dvanc e, including the times and loc ations of conferenc e and se minar sessions, and live d e monstrations, as well as listing exhibitors and products of interest. The exhibition will b e organise d in te chnology zones, with similar products, relevant se minars and attra ctions, all loc ate d in the same are a.

G etting around E cobuild 2011 will b e e asier still at the new venue of course. E x C eL’s straightforward layout, with se minars taking pla c e in rooms along the p erimeter of the exhibition halls, and the conferenc e loc ate d off the c entral boulevard, is simple to navigate.

And getting there is e asy too. E x C eL is e asily a c c essible by public transport, offers fre e cycle p arking and has ample c ar p arking on site. The ne arest rail station is C ustom H ouse for E x C eL, a p proximately 10 minutes from C anary Wharf. Key interchanges for the DLR are B ank, Tower Hill, C anning Town and Sha d well. During E cobuild shuttle buses will run from the Thames Clip p er river ta xi stop at C anary Wharf (10 minutes) and from London City Airport (5 minutes).

G et your fre e ticket now at w w w.e cobuild.co.uk

The Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment continues to build for the future With a need to safeguard future skills provisions within the construction industry, the Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment (C&BE) is proving that it can nurture a new generation of construction professionals who can face the challenges of tomorrow.

With several large players in the industry alre a dy re a ping the b ene ts of such programmes, CIT B - C onstructionSkills is continuing to bolster sup port for the quali c ation during 2011.

The Diploma in C&B E which has b e en overse en and d evelop e d

by CIT B - C onstructionSkills in its c a p a city as a S e ctor Skills C ouncil, and has b e en taught in schools and colle ges sinc e S e pte mb er 2008, has provid e d the p erfe ct quali c ation to help the U K’s construction industry pre p are for the future and to ke e p it at the cutting e dge.

In August 2010, more than 350 bright, young stud ents a chieve d the diploma. This rst cohort of diploma stud ents would a chieve a quali c ation which has e quip p e d them with the knowle dge and pra ctic al a bility to do gre at things in an industry which d e mands continual evolution and innovation.

Ind e e d, many le a ding construction comp anies are se eing the b ene ts and continuing to sup port the quali c ation. O ne such diploma d evote e is industry stalwart G J S e d don, who have alre a dy b a cke d around 60 diploma stud ents throughout the N orth West. Along with S e d don’s, giants such as Wates and B alfour B e atty are also sup porting the diploma to help d evelop skills that b ene t both their own organisations, and the industry as a whole.

O ffering a quali c ation e quivalent to G C S Es and A Levels, the diploma has prove d to b e a sophistic ate d and mod ern quali c ation, with a mix of a c a d e mic and pra ctic al le arning, c a p a ble of producing stud ents who are re a dy to me et the challenges of tod ay’s construction and the built environment se ctor.

In a d dition to the 350 diploma a chievers, 1,100 extra stud ents have also suc c essfully complete d the Principle Le arning Q uali c ation, which is a component of the diploma and is, in itself, e quivalent to ve G C S Es at the higher level and two A Levels at a dvanc e d level. All of these young p e ople have picke d up skills that me an they c an ‘hit the ground running’, this b eing an obvious a dvantage for any construction e mployer.

Importantly, the diploma has also allowe d knowle dge to b e imp arte d to the next generation of workers. With new construction methods and te chnologies b eing d evelop e d at a ra pid rate, it is crucial for individuals to le arn these skills at an e arly stage of their c are ers. The government’s e mphasis on sustaina bility and low-c arbon te chnology are two are as that the U K’s construction and the built environment industry ne e ds to b e at the forefront of over the next few ye ars. The diploma c ertainly provid es the op portunities to give 14-19 ye ar olds a solid grounding in these elds.

In ord er to build on the promising results so far, CIT B C onstructionSkills is urging industry as a whole to b e come more involve d in helping to d eliver the quali c ation. Nick G ood erson, he a d of e duc ation, training and quali c ations at CIT B - C onstructionSkills, says, “The Diploma in C&B E was d evelop e d for the industry, by the industry, and is c a p a ble of helping to d eliver a very bright future, but ne e ds the sup port of everybody to continue its suc c ess in 2011 and b eyond. The future of the industry is very much in our own hands. “ We should not se e the Diploma as the preserve of the large industry players: it also ne e ds the involve ment of smaller rms.

B y incre asing the numb er of e mployers getting involve d, we c an

ensure that re cognition of the quali c ation is incre ase d among the entire industry. Without this broa d sup port, it will b e hard er for us all to avoid the skill shortages that plague d the industry after the 1990’s re c ession”.

Although times may b e tough for the industry now, it will b e vital for the industry to have the right new, young talent going forwards in ord er to make the most of the re covery. With the right industry sup port, the diploma is id e ally pla c e d to b e a ble to do this – continuing to inspire young p e ople a bout a future in construction.

Cutting Carbon Chief executive of CITB- ConstructionSkills, Mark Farrar, explains how the Cut the Carbon campaign will support business growth opportunities for small and medium sized employers, as well as helping them to comply with carbon reduction legislation.

Small and me dium size d construction businesses must a ct now to up -skill if they want to take a dvantage of the growing d e mand for low c arbon construction. Forward thinking S M E contra ctors have alre a dy a d a pte d their business mod els to the drive for a low c arbon built environment, and are winning work as a result. B ut not everyone is pre p are d for the industry’s low c arbon future and re a dy to translate awareness into a ction.

The governm e nt’s ‘ G re e n D e al' in England c ould cre ate 100,000 jo bs by funding the im prove m e nt of insulation and air-tightne ss a cross 26 million hom e s in the U K . S m all and m e dium-siz e d (S M E) c ontra ctors must not miss out on this crucial o p p ortunity to win work. At a tim e whe n m any sm all busine sse s a cross the U K are b attling with the im p a ct of the re c e ssion, the prosp e ct of ne w work in the c onstruction se ctor c ouldn't c om e at a b etter tim e.

Meeting clients’ needs It is not just the Gre en D e al that is generating op portunities for contra ctors, but also the changing exp e ctations of their clients, from the public se ctor to private organisations and home owners.

For clients, the re c ession has not halte d the drive to cut c arbon e missions – not le ast b e c ause there are re al cost and business b ene ts to b e se cure d.

During our rese arch into the attitud es of S M E contra ctors’ clients towards c arbon re duction, 95% of the clients we aske d exp e cte d c arbon re duction to b e come ‘essential and business critic al’, ‘very important’ or ‘quite important’ for their organisation within the next ve ye ars. We also found that 57% of home owners have und ertaken work, or are planning to und ertake work over the next ve ye ars, to improve the c arbon ef ciency of their homes.

For contra ctors willing to engage with this potential client b ase and d eliver on their low c arbon re quirements, the op portunities are huge.

S M E contra ctors c an sup port clients in all se ctors by id entifying the most cost effe ctive ways of providing the m with low c arbon solutions (and the resulting cost savings). And with the majority of the clients we surveye d also stating that low c arbon skills have a dire ct in uenc e upon their procure ment d e cisions, it is cle ar that contra ctors with the skills to d eliver low c arbon solutions will have a strong comp etitive a dvantage over those without the m.

Targets H owever, it is not just the op portunity to win work that me ans R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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drive to cut c arbon is set to grow and grow and it is cle ar that there are crucial op portunities to win work on the b a ck of this grow th. The sup port is in pla c e through the C ut the C arbon c amp aign – it is now up to the contra ctors to ensure they se cure the b ene ts that are on offer.

For further information a bout the C ut the C arbon c amp aign, visit w w w.cskills.org/cutc arbon

Heritage Skills H eritage Craft Allianc e (H C A) Ltd is an a c cre dite d training and assessment provid er d e dic ate d to our built heritage. H C A’s Glenn Young explaine d the rm’s value to C onstructionSkills: “The rm’s main business is the training and assessment for our a dult heritage skills workforc e. We und erstand that it is critic al to the wellb eing of the se ctor that we c an improve the se ctor’s status through a c cre ditation and ensure that tra ditional skills are und erstood and maintaine d by our workforc e.

“The long-term survival of our historic buildings is in the hands of a shrinking numb er of exp ert craftsmen and conservators. The availa bility of these skills is statistic ally d e cre asing ye ar on ye ar due to retire ment of tra ditional craftsp e ople. There has b e en a skills ga p d eveloping from the 1970s which has le d to a major d e cit in the heritage skills workforc e.

“M any of the craftsmen and contra ctors we work with re quire the heritage C S C S c ard in ord er to contra ct within the se ctor.

C ontra ctors, prop erty owners, English H eritage and others are b e coming more stringent with their contra ctor engage ment strate gies.

“Through assessment for heritage skills level 3 diplomas and conservation quali c ations, we are a ble to pre p are craftsmen and managers to a p ply for the c ard. O nc e you have the a p propriate quali c ation and have sat your he alth and safety online G O L A test, your a p plic ation for your heritage C S C S c ard is a c c e pte d”.

S M E contra ctors should b e pre p are d for the industry’s low c arbon future. The c arbon re duction targets set by government, industry and clients are ambitious and a chieving the m will re quire a colla borative effort from industry and it is crucial that S M E contra ctors have the knowle dge and skills to play their p art. Take for example the changes to Part L in O ctob er 2010: without und erstanding how to a chieve the new energy ef ciency re quire ments, contra ctors are expose d to the d anger of hefty nes and their a bility to win work is crip ple d.

Delivering low carbon solutions The new C ut the C arbon c amp aign was launche d in O ctob er 2010 to sup port S M E contra ctors in a c c essing the business op portunities on offer by a c quiring low c arbon exp ertise. A p artnership b etwe en CIT B - C onstructionSkills, the F e d eration of M aster B uild ers and the N ational S p e cialist C ontra ctors C ouncil, the c amp aign focuses sp e ci c ally on the skills ne e d e d for d elivering the low-c arbon future that clients want and that le gislation d e mands. It will build on the work of other industry bodies that are sup porting the low c arbon drive such as the C arbon Trust and the Z ero C arbon Hub. The c amp aign will dire ctly sup port S M Es, helping the m und erstand what the new c arbon le gislation will me an for the m and e quip ping the m with a tangible mix of knowle dge and skills to respond to incre ase d client d e mand.

The C ut the C arbon c amp aign points to a numb er of upskilling options for S M E businesses looking to improve their e mploye es’ c arbon re duction knowle dge and skills – d etails c an b e found at w w w.cskills.org/cutc arbon. Investing in training is one of these options, and CIT B - C onstructionSkills sup ports this proc ess through the training grants it makes availa ble to the industry.

The construction industry a c counts for almost half of the U K’s c arbon e missions – our se ctor, therefore, has a responsibility to re duc e energy consumption and help ta ckle climate change.

Incre asingly prominent in le gislation and clients’ contra cts, the R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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The Steeplejack and Lightning Protection Training Group (SLPTG) SLPTG (the Steeplejack & Lightning Protection Training Group) can provide clients or customers with all the necessary information regarding training, qualifications and experience to ensure that any contractors or sub contractors they are considering working with can demonstrate that they and their workforce have the correct qualifications and experience in lightning protection.

Ac cording to the chairman of the SLP TG , “If an op erative c annot produc e a C S C S c ard stating that he is a quali e d lightning conductor tter NVQ II or NVQ III, then do not let him c arry out work on your lightning prote ction syste m.

Likewise, as all lightning prote ction work is covere d und er S C O PE, any comp any working on your lightning prote ction syste ms should b e re gistere d with the C onstruction Industry Levy S che me. If not, do not let the m c arry out work. We have se en, over the p ast few ye ars, an incre ase in other industries and unquali e d p ersonnel offering lightning prote ction servic es without the corre ct training, knowle dge and exp erienc e”.

Working closely with ATL AS (the Industry F e d eration), CIT B (C onstruction Industry Training B oard) and C onstruction Skills at the N ational C onstruction C olle ge (in Bircham N ew ton, N orfolk), the SLP TG has formulate d a national a p prentic eship scheme and continues to exp and training availa bility for this sp e cialist industry.

Ac cording to the SLP TG’s C olin S and ers, “The SLP TG d e monstrates that we fully und erstand the commitment and conse quent investment that is re quire d for training b e c ause a d a pta ble, skille d p e ople are vital to the suc c ess of our industry”.

Alan Ritchie, several se cretary of the C onstruction Union, says, “

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“A fully c ard e d workforc e is a safer and b etter traine d workforc e”.

Richard Diment, dire ctor general of the F e d eration of M aster B uild ers, says, “The F M B, as the le a ding tra d e association re presenting S M Es in the British construction se ctor, sup ports and promotes all asp e cts of craft manage ment and he alth and safety training. It re cognises C S C S as a vital me ans by which its me mb ers c an re cord and provid e proof of the skills and comp etency of their workforc e and sub -contra ctors”.

Julia Evans, chief exe cutive of the N ational F e d eration of B uild ers, says, “ C S C S provid es a b ase line stand ard which is broa dly a c c e pte d by the majority of the construction industry. It ena bles workers to d e monstrate important pro ciencies and comp anies to d e monstrate a commitment to safe and ef cient working”.

Full information on the on the a bove state ments and the C S C S C ard S che me c an b e found at w w w.cscs.uk.com The SLP TG ne e ds to d evelop training for our industry by working closely with clients and customers, main contra ctors, training provid ers and our me mb ers to ensure that the training d elivere d to our workers is improving the quality of our workforc e in all are as. This will me an the introduction of more dynamic forms of training, which will elevate the industry.

Ple ase re me mb er: if an op erative c annot provid e a C S C S c ard which states his NVQ II or NVQ III quali c ations for on the re ar, do not let him c arry out the works!

For further information, conta ct Lynne Fletcher (G T O) on 01625 664500, e -mail info@slptraininggroup.org.uk or visit the we bsite at w w w.slptraininggroup.org.uk

The New ‘3 Rs’ – how do they sound?

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 re c ent d e cimation of funding for public se ctor proje cts, schools have b e en p articularly hard hit. Whilst many a c a d e mies have come away unsc athe d, B uilding S chools for the Future has b e en scra p p e d, with many live school proje cts b eing c anc elle d and LE Ps b eing disb and e d.

D espite the huge cut in sp ending, schools still ne e d to b e brought up to scratch, with much of the existing stock b eing well b elow even the minimum stand ards set out in the S chool Pre mises Re gulations.

R is for Refurbishment Refurbishment of schools is nothing new. This has always b e en the le ast costly method of bre athing new life into the existing school stock and, in a lot of c ases, is p erfe ctly a d e quate.

H owever, this does rely on the existing building b eing in a re asona ble condition and of a d e c ent stand ard to start with.

When it comes to complianc e with B uilding B ulletin 93 (B B 93), there a p p e ars to b e a wildly varying a p proa ch for refurbishments.

In the ory, as soon as works that re quire a B uilding Re gulations a p plic ation are c arrie d out, Part E should b e invoke d and, as a me ans of complianc e with Part E, B B 93 should come into forc e. H owever, wording within B B 93 is often not strong enough and contain such phrases as ‘it is d esira ble’ and ‘should aim to me et’; these phrases hold little or no contra ctual obligation to upgra d e the a coustics of schools sp a c es through refurbishment.

S a dly therefore, B B 93 is often ‘d erogate d’ from refurbishment proje cts. B udgets are often so low that it is simply not possible to bring existing buildings up to the latest a coustic, thermal, ventilation etc. stand ards and tough d e cisions ne e d to b e ma d e.

In these situations, there are thre e main options, as follows:

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C hoose which asp e cts get upgra d e d (e.g. a coustics, thermal etc.) and sp end the money conc entrating on these, to the exclusion of other asp e cts Rather than refurbish the whole school, d etermine what proportion could b e upgra d e d ‘prop erly’ and set a bout doing this. The school then have the option to manage and timeta ble te a ching a c cordingly B ase d on full surveys of the existing building, make an informe d choic e as to how far e a ch asp e ct (e.g. a coustics, thermal etc.) c an re alistic ally b e upgra d e d with the given budget and make incre mental improve ments. The risk here is that, whilst improve ments could b e ma d e, if the starting point is p articularly poor then, even after refurbishment the school still not b e suita ble for its intend e d use

R is also for Remodel In a similar vein to Refurbishment, Re mod elling involves working within the con nes of the existing building. H owever, inste a d of making improve ments to existing ele ments (e.g. walls, doors etc.) there will b e a re moval of existing ele ments and construction of new ones to suit the re quire d te a ching styles and op erational policies of the school.

When introducing new walls and doors within an existing school shell, it would b e very dif cult to argue that these should not me et with B B 93 targets. The complic ation comes, however, when the existing shell c an not a d e quately control anking of sound. In these c ases, although a new p artition or oor may b e c a p a ble of a chieving B B 93 targets in isolation, the we aknesses of the existing building would prompt a failure; in these instanc es this should b e highlighte d as a risk and includ e d in the Alternative Performanc e Stand ard re gister.

In a d dition to new ‘hard’ construction ele ments to control sound insulation, use of a bsorb ent nishes to optimise reverb eration times will also ne e d to b e consid ere d. C areful d esign will b e re quire d to se e that any new a bsorption me asures will not interfere with d aylighting, natural ventilation or thermal mass re quire ments. Although the most cost effe ctive solution is often to use a susp end e d c eiling, the numb ers of schools taking this a p proa ch is d e cre asing, with wall p anels and susp end e d b af es/ rafts b e coming incre asingly popular.

And R is for Re-Use So, how do we turn a former fa ctory or B&Q into a school?

Looking at many of the a c a d e mies d esigne d and constructe d in re c ent ye ars, there has b e en a trend towards large, voluminous shells with c ellular sp a c es constructe d around c entral op en

are as. This same principle c an b e e asily re plic ate d in a portal frame she d; grante d, the external a p p e aranc e may not win many awards but the internal environment (argua bly the most important asp e ct) c an b e just as good.

In ord er to a chieve good sound insulation b etwe en sp a c es, we ne e d to b e looking at modular (off-site) constructions, S F S or timb er frame buildings-within-buildings and se cond ary structures. If d esigne d corre ctly and complimente d with good drilining and internal gla zing a sup erb quality environment c an b e a chieve d, matching and even b ettering that normally exp e cte d from more tra ditional constructions.

Within c ellular te a ching/le arning sp a c es, the same principles to reverb eration control as in a ‘stand ard’ classroom c an b e a dopte d, e.g. c eilings, susp end e d a bsorb ers, wall p anels etc.

The challenge comes in the large op en sp a c es. Whilst many of these will b e utilise d for dining, circulation and LR C s, they are also likely to b e use d for te a ching/ le arning. High oor to c eiling heights will invaria bly c ause proble ms with long reverb eration times, poor sp e e ch intelligibility and signi c ant build-up of noise. We therefore ne e d to investigate ways of comb ating this, which may includ e susp end e d a bsorb ers (e.g. tra ditional b af es and rafts, or fe ature sha p es); one a p proa ch use d in large c all c entres is to cre ate ‘Acoustic Piñatas’ forme d by susp ending large a coustic ally a bsorb ent obje cts within netting or a c age. Alternatively, a bsorb ent c anopies could b e susp end e d from the roof over sensitive sp a c es. C areful sele ction of F F&E ite ms will also ne e d to b e ma d e to assist in the overall a coustic environment.

Summary We c an not exp e ct to d esign and construct schools in the same we have b e en and ne e d to a d a pt to new nancial and building stock constraints. We must tre at this as a challenge, not a proble m, though. There is signi c ant scop e to make tomorrow’s schools exciting proje cts to work on and environments suita ble for their intend e d use..

SRS use Rainbow to Solve Acoustic Problem in School When the pupils and te a ching staff were suffering due to poor room a coustics at Stanley Roa d S chool in Worc ester, they took a dvantage of the fre e site visit, a dvic e and re port currently on offer to all U K schools from the Sound Re duction Syste ms Ltd. SRS te chnic al sales manager Richard Sherwood comments, “The dining hall at Stanley Roa d was one of most reverb erant halls that I ha d visite d in some time. H aving mod elle d the sp a c e, it was evid ent that it was esp e cially poor in the sp e e ch fre quency range. It was no wond er that the pupils and staff struggle d to use the sp a c e”.

To solve the proble m, SRS propose d the use of Sonata, their high p erformanc e a coustic a bsorb er range. Sonata Vario p anels were susp end e d a cross the c eiling and Sonata Aurio was xe d on the walls to ensure good, even a bsorption a cross all fre quencies. The children, consulte d for their opinions, c ertainly gave SRS a challenge when they re queste d a rainbow d esign, but the sp e cialists were d elighte d to help make it ha p p en.

The Sonata a bsorb ers were installe d by Floorsc an Acoustics Ltd and fe e d b a ck has b e en very positive so far. Anne Potter, the he a d te a cher, comments, “ O ur hall is now a more ple asant pla c e to b e, the differenc e was notic e a ble from the very rst d ay, and we have asse mblies, lunches and PE und er our very own rainbow”.

For further d etails, c all 01204 380074, e mail info@ soundre duction.co.uk or visit w w w.soundre duction.co.uk.

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Futureproofing with Fabric First With its endless sustainability credentials it’s no wonder timber frame is immensely popular. With the obvious ‘green’ argument won, Joe Martoccia, director of the UK Timber Frame Association, explains why the emphasis of any self build should be on putting the fabric first.

For many it’s a long-term dre am and the chanc e to own their ‘forever home’; for others it’s a sound investment and a fast tra ck way to climb the prop erty la d d er. Little wond er that more and more p e ople are turning to self build with timb er frame fast b e coming the preferre d construction method of choic e, thanks to its many proven a dvantages.

H owever, self build ers constructing their dre am homes want somewhere to live for the rest of their lives. O nc e they have move d in, they c ertainly don’t want to b e hit with high energy bills and ongoing maintenanc e costs – it’s got to b e manage a ble, not just for now but also for the future. When it comes to timb er it’s time to think a bout how it works in re al world situations (its thermal p erformanc e, the financial b enefits, and its installation time) if we are to truly und erstand why timb er frame is not just the future of the self-build industry, but the here and now.

The C od e for Sustaina ble H omes (C fS H), a compulsory environmental imp a ct rating syste m for housing in England, which includ es self-builds, is helping to sha p e this agend a thanks to the government’s target to se e all new homes re a ch C od e level 6 by 2016 – the zero c arbon home.

For self build ers, the d e cisions they make when sele cting their build method will b e pivotal in minimising on going energy consumption. Luckily the answer is timb er frame and it’s something that c an b e proven with hard, cold, indisputa ble

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fa cts. A two ye ar continuous assessment of timb er frame homes built at the B R E Innovation Park has shown une quivoc ally that timb er frames homes are id e ally suite d to the C fS H. It is no surprise that the first homes re a ching C od e level 6 were timb er frame buildings.

With its inherent thermal efficiency, timb er frame is a p erfe ct fit with the low c arbon agend a. N ot only is it much e asier to a chieve very high insulation levels, it also has fewer d efe cts and incre ase d air tightness, all with extre mely low e mbodie d energy.

To a chieve cod e complianc e, the priority is getting the fa bric of a building right first and fore most, which is gre at news for timb er frame. Forget a bout sourcing fancy renewa ble energy systems to bolt onto le ak y, poorly built buildings with high-e mbodie d c arbon - the e mphasis should b e on putting the fa bric first.

B y using timb er within the fa bric of your building, you c an not only re duc e energy consumption, but also a chieve a gre ater return on investment by incre asing your home’s a p p e al to d esign and environmental conscious buyers in the future – that’s if you ever want to sell it, of course. Let’s also not forget the wid er implic ations for the glob al community and the ne e d to focus all our efforts on using sustaina ble building products for the b enefit of the entire planet. It’s time to think fa bric first.

Advising clients about Site Waste Management The introduction of the Site Waste Management Plan Regulations 2008 has brought to the fore a number of issues relating to Construction Waste Management, Site Waste Management and the UK sustainability agenda.

For some time clients have b e en d e manding that their proje ct te ams consid er, re duc e and manage site waste, sometimes to re duc e costs of waste to land ll and sometimes to se cure ratings or complianc e with sche mes that ne c essitate consid eration of Site Waste M anage ment – ind e e d there are now consultants who have ma d e this arena their sp e cialisation. B ut now the new re gulations in England (and B est Pra ctic e G uid anc e in other p arts of the Unite d Kingdom) have ma d e it ne c essary for many more clients, who may have differing p ersp e ctives on sustaina bility and Site Waste M anage ment, to gra p ple with d e mands ma d e of the m by these re gulations and B est Pra ctic e G uid anc e. The Site Waste M anage ment Re gulations 2008 do not, however, offer any guid anc e or assistanc e for clients. Clients are therefore asking their proje ct consultants to tell the m what is re quire d of the m – and asking for help in d e aling with the re gulations.

Whilst there is no re quire ment in the re gulations for anyone to a dvise clients, (or anybody else involve d in a proje ct), a bout Site Waste M anage ment, there is cle arly a ne e d for this to ha p p en and a cle ar business op portunity for some one to provid e such a servic e.

A consultant’s guid e to the provision of servic es relating to the Site Waste M anage ment Plans Re gulations 2008 and B est Pra ctic e G uid anc e has now b e en publishe d by the Association for Proje ct S afety and is availa ble for those who wish to offer the a d ditional servic e of ‘Site Waste M anage ment Plan Client Adviser’ to their clients or who wish to know more a bout the whole subje ct of Site Waste M anage ment.

“Advising clients a bout Site Waste M anage ment” provid es consultants with information and proc e dures that they c an use to help clients and d esign te ams me et the challenges of effe ctive site waste manage ment on proje cts. The guid e: • Gives a concise b a ckground to Site Waste M anage ment • O utlines the costs of site waste and the environmental b ene ts of Site Waste M anage ment Plans and planning • to incre ase re covery, re cycling, and re -use of materials and to re duc e site waste • Provid es an overview of the Site Waste M anage ment Plans Re gulations 2008 and B est Pra ctic e G uid anc e • E xplains the implic ations of the Re gulations and B est Pra ctic e G uid anc e • O utlines “who does what” in different p arts of the Unite d Kingdom • Suggests servic es that consultants c an provid e to help clients and d esign te ams d e al with their Site Waste • M anagement obligations • D e monstrates the synergies b etwe en these servic es and C D M proc esses and re quire ments • Provid es a ste p -by-ste p guid e to working as a client a dviser d e aling with Site Waste M anage ment Plan issues This ‘Advise and Assist’ proc ess often p arallels the duties of the C D M co-ordinator und er the C onstruction (D esign and M anage ment) Re gulations 2007. The Association for Proje ct S afety, which has in-d e pth knowle dge and exp erienc e of C D M co-ordination pra ctic e, has use d its exp erienc e to help d evelop this ‘ste p -by-ste p’ guid e so that this a d ditional servic e to clients c an b e offere d by C D M co-ordinators, as well as other consultants. They will then b e a cting as an a dviser to clients on

Site Waste M anage ment - a ‘Site Waste M anage ment Plan Client Adviser’ - a clumsy term but it says exa ctly what is in the tin!

B e c ause the Site Waste M anage ment Plans Re gulations and B est Pra ctic e G uid anc e also dire ctly, or indire ctly, re quire clients to make sure that others c arry out c ertain duties, clients will exp e ct assistanc e from d esigners and c ertainly d esigners will ne e d to consid er their obligations in sup plying the information re quire d in the Re gulations. It is cle ar that in many instanc es clients will ne e d a sp e ci c a dviser to ensure that their duties are prop erly discharge d and that all p arties work together to comply with these new Re gulations (in England) or the B est Pra ctic e re commend e d in other p arts of the Unite d Kingdom. The C D M co-ordinator, who, for most construction proje cts value d at £300,000 or more will alre a dy have b e en a p pointe d, is in an a dmira ble position to provid e ef cient and targete d a dvic e to the client on all of these matters and this is the b asic pre mise upon which this guid anc e is b ase d. O n the other hand consultants R O MA PU BLI C ATI O N S

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A sso ciations who wish to provid e a se p arate a dvic e servic e to clients will also nd that this guid e helps the m d eliver that servic e consistently and effe ctively.

“Advising Clients a bout Site Waste M anage ment” shows that there are simple ways of harnessing the b ene ts of the Site Waste M anage ment Plans Re gulations 2008 (and Site Waste M anage ment B est Pra ctic e) that will help clients with their obligations and duties, assist them in re ducing the costs of

proje ct waste and ena ble the m to ma ximise environmental gains – all of which c an b e comp elling conc erns in conte mporary proje ct re alisation.

C opies of the G uid e, pric e d at £34.00 incl P&P for me mb ers and £44.00 incl P&P for non-me mb ers, c an b e obtaine d by conta cting the Association for Proje ct S afety, Stanhop e H ouse, 12 Stanhop e Pla c e, E dinburgh, E H12 5H H, T: 08456 121 290, E: info@a ps.org.uk, w w w.a ps.org.uk

Sustainable developments – getting focussed on a mission

By Terry Nash, a director of the UK Sustainable Development Association (UK-SDA), and managing director of the award-winning Gusto Group of companies The mission of the U K-S DA is to respond to the well-re cognise d ne e d to make b etter use of the e arth’s resourc es to avoid their pre mature d e pletion and the changes to climate that results.

Although a p p arently straightforward and wholly b enign, this mod est ambition c an nevertheless b e contentious, p articularly if the main focus is on climate -change which sc e ptics claim is an unfound e d the ory. What surely c annot b e dispute d, however, is that fossil fuels are finite, and sooner or later man will ne e d to le arn to live either without the m, or use the m at a substantially re duc e d rate. If that outcome also suits climate -change protagonists, so much the b etter.

M e anwhile, the public at large c an b e e asily confuse d by the pros and cons of the climate -change d e b ate, p articularly when it is sometimes hard to distinguish solid well-found e d argument from a veste d interest. What is sorely ne e d e d is the bringing of a new focus to the topic, e qually a c c essible to the general public, industry, politicians and scientists alike.

Climate Week – 2011 All this serves to make the plan to d esignate the seven d ays commencing 21st M arch 2011 “ Climate We ek” p articularly welcome.

Sup porte d by commercial sponsors such as Aviva, R B S, Kellogg’s and e df Energy, this landmark event is also endorse d by luminaries such as Kofi Annan, D avid C ameron and Nick Cle gg, and Al G ore.

The aim of the we ek is to shine a spotlight on the ne e d for every individual and enterprise to re duc e their consumption of fossil fuels (or put another way help to prevent climate change), by making changes at work, mobilising their communities and e duc ating p e ople to find new ways of doing things.

A wid e range of organisations will b e taking p art in the a ctivities of the we ek, including individual businesses, charities, government bodies, public servic es, unions, schools, c amp aign groups, loc al authorities, faith networks, and me mb ership associations such as the U K-S DA .

National activities The Climate We ek C hallenge will involve thousands of p e ople all over the U K ta ckling the same task on the same d ay. The challenge will b e reve ale d on-line on the first morning of the we ek. Particip ation will b e fre e, and will b e aime d at te ams of four to six p e ople.

Employers or e duc ation esta blishments will b e a ble to enter any numb er of te ams, with no prior pre p aration ne e d e d a p art from having a ta ble at which to work. The challenge will b e c ate gorise d by age, with different levels of sophistic ation assuring that everyone from primary pupils to senior managers is given the same core challenge.

Q uite a p art from anything else, the challenge will b e a truly national share d event and Britain’s biggest-ever live environmental comp etition, with the national winners b eing announc e d later in the we ek.

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Alongsid e the challenge, the Climate Awards will re cognise exe mplary work that helps to ta ckle climate change. N ominations c an b e ma d e on b ehalf of your own proje ct or organisation, or on b ehalf of some one else. Entries will then b e evaluate d by e minent p anels of judges who will make the awards a cross a wid e range of c ate gories.

For more information on Climate We ek, conta ct info@ climatewe ek.com.

Young leadworker of the year award The Lead Sheet Association and Lead Contractors Association are jointly promoting a ‘Young Leadworker of the Year’ competition among LCA members for 2011.

The only entry criteria for the comp etition is that entrants should b e 25 or und er by the closing d ate for entries (which is 31st M arch 2011) and b e e mploye d by a me mb er of the Le a d C ontra ctors Association.

All entrants will b e re quire d to submit photogra phs of work they have c arrie d out together with d etails of the various proje cts they have worke d on and the typ e of work done.

Their work may b e dire ctly insp e cte d by an L C A vetting offic er, either on site or by attending a convenient re gional loc ation where a series of pra ctic al tests will b e c arrie d out. All pra ctic al assessments will b e complete d by August 2011.

Six finalists will then b e sele cte d by a judging p anel which will consist of M e mb ers of the L C A C ouncil, LS A te chnic al offic ers and Nigel Johnston, general manager of the LS A .

The six finalists will then attend a finals d ay at the Le a d She et Association roof training c entre in Kent, where they will b e set a series of tasks over id entic al mod el roof se ctions, to b e complete d within a given time limit. O n conclusion of the pra ctic al sid e of the final, the judges will then discuss d esign the ory and working pra ctic es in ord er to test the knowle dge of e a ch finalist The judges will examine e a ch mod el roof se ction and, taking a c count of the responses during the the ory discussion, will then d etermine the overall winner of the ‘Young Le a d worker of the Ye ar’ award for 2011.

The winner will re c eive £500 in le a d work tools, a copy of the Le a d She et M anual and a training bursary worth £3,500 towards

a formal le a d work national voc ational qualific ation.

E a ch of the other finalists will re c eive a le a d she et manual and thre e d ays p ersonalise d le a d work d evelopment training from the LS A .

In launching the award, LS A C hairman Joss C amp b ell said “ We want to encourage and promote all young le a d workers that re present the future of our industry and hop e this award will provid e a signific ant re cognition of the sp e cialist individual skills that we know are b eing d evelop e d within the Le a d C ontra ctors Association”

Lead Contractors Association Forme d in 1984, the L C A aim to prioritise quality stand ards in all manors of le a d work.

The L C A now comprises of over 100 sp e cialist contra ctors committe d to providing quality craftsmanship for their clients, sup porte d by 15 associate me mb ers sup plying materials and ancillary servic es.

The L C A have exp and e d in re c ent ye ars, incre asing their offic es b ases throughout the country as well as overse as. The L C A now op erate in every re gion of the U K and have contra ctors loc ate d in Europ e.

In a state ment, chairman of L C A D ave M artin refle cts on the current status of L C A: “I am proud to look around the current L C A C ouncil and consid er the we alth of knowle dge and exp erienc e availa ble to our me mb ers and the industry for the forese e a ble future”.

For further information re garding the L C A , d etails c an b e found on their we bsite at w w w.le a d contra ctorsassociation.com

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A sso ciations

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.

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The association is the le a ding, ind e p end ent professional voic e of this very sp e cialist se ctor and argua bly one of the most proa ctive tra d e associations in op eration, driven by the goal of sharing and promoting sp e cialist knowle dge and exp ertise.

ATL AS end e avours to set professional stand ards, sup port professional d evelopment and re present the interests of the profession. Its 60-strong memb ership a c counts for the majority of the U K’s professional industry workloa d and me mb ers’ exp ertise are b e coming incre asingly re cognise d in Europ e and the Far E ast.

ATL AS also provid es a sup erb op en forum for the discussion and resolution of industry issues that c ause conc ern to me mb ers.

M e mb ers c an discuss issues of common interest, share their exp erienc e and find solutions to common proble ms. M any me mb ers find this op en forum one of the most valua ble b enefits that ATL AS has brought to the industry, as it fa cilitates dialogue b etwe en me mb ers, organisations, industry and government.

ATL AS me mb ers also b enefit from the promotion and exposure of common interests and common complaints and over the ye ars have se en a series of improve ments ma d e to the quality of servic es offere d, he alth and safety stand ards, training, and te chnic al stand ards.

The safety of op eratives is a huge priority for ATL AS which prid es itself as a pione er in this are a.

Atlas has b e en involve d at the forefront of industry topics for many ye ars and has b e en providing exp ert comment and fe e d b a ck on important issues that effe ct sp e cialist construction industries. Ad d e d to this, ATL AS works tirelessly to improve and enhanc e industry te chnic al and safety pra ctic es and this ena bles me mb er comp anies to ke e p up to d ate with all enhanc e ments and d evelopments.

M e mb ership of ATL AS re quires all comp anies to a dhere to the stand ards set by the association at all times and strict enforc e ment of these stand ards is a key pillar of the association.

Due to this, strict me mb ership criterion must b e met to maintain association cre dibility at all times.

Atlas me mb ers have a p prove d a written C od e of C onduct, thus setting a professional b enchmark for me mb ers’ b ehavior and a minimum level of servic e clients c an exp e ct. Atlas and its me mb ers are ever striving to offer and d eliver the b est professional servic e to the ste e pleja ck and lightning prote ction industry.

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ATLAS Code of Conduct M e mb ership of ATL AS is not given automatic ally.

O n a p plic ation, e a ch comp any is re quire d to sup ply thre e referenc es.

A p plic ants are visite d by the association’s me mb ership committe e to ensure they me et re quire ments.

These includ e a comprehensive he alth and safety policy, public lia bility insuranc e and re cords of a c cid ents and training given.

Full me mb ers must have b e en tra ding for minimum of two ye ars and are aske d to comply with the following cod e of conduct:

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C onduct their business law fully, comply with all relevant le gislation and tra d e fairly and responsibly Give assuranc e of the b est possible servic e to all customers O ffer products and servic es within relevant British, Europ e an and international stand ards Give assuranc es of fully traine d staff and op eratives within the business Give assuranc es that a dvertising/sales promotions/public relations should comply with current a dvertising stand ards Display Information relating to products, servic es and pric es in an e asy to und erstand form, complying with current pric e le gislation

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7.

Give assuranc es that all information given to customers should a c curate, truthful and b ase d on full product knowle dge 8. C arry out all work to the b est of their a bility, a dvising the customer of any d elays or proble ms 9. Provid e an assuranc e that servic es should b e und ertaken at an agre e d time and d ate 10. Give customers a d e quate guid anc e on the use, c are and maintenanc e of products 11. D e al quickly and courte ously with any complaints from customers

Leadership ATL AS is fronte d by figures who have built up ye ars, if not d e c a d es, of industry exp erienc e, and who all share a b elief and willingness to work for the b enefit and b etterment of the industry.

The association’s presid ency is currently held by Gra e me Fisher. Gra e me joine d the esta blishe d ste e pleja ck and lightning prote ction comp any A .W. Elliott in 1974, and through the ye ars held positions as contra cts sup ervisor, contra cts manager, contra cts dire ctor, managing dire ctor, and comp any chairman until 2004, when the business assets were sold to O me ga Re d Group.

Gra e me has b e en an a ctive me mb er of ATL AS sinc e the 1980s, b e coming he avily involve d in lightning prote ction matters and re presenting ATL AS on B SI te chnic al committe es for lightning prote ction and e arthing for over 20 ye ars.

Find out more To find out how your comp any or organisation c an b enefit from ATL AS me mb ership, visit w w w.atlas.org.uk

REA – The United Voice of the Renewables Industry Caroline Podsiad of the REA explains what her association contributes to the construction industry The Renewable Energy Association represents the UK’s renewable energy industry, covering all renewable sectors across power, heat, transport and renewable gas. The REA is a not-for-profit industry association established in 2001 and has grown rapidly to become the largest renewables industry association with over 600 corporate members, uniquely representing all forms and scales of renewable technologies.

We have a proven tra ck re cord of a cting on b ehalf of all our me mb ers to a chieve bre akthroughs in U K renewa bles policy and le gislation. R E A prid es itself on its ‘one me mb er one vote’ ethos, its co-op erative a p proa ch and its coherent p ersp e ctive a cross the whole field of renewa ble energy. O ur me mb ers comprise a wid e variety of organisations including generators, proje ct d evelop ers, fuel and power sup pliers, e quipment produc ers and servic e provid ers. M e mb ers range in size from major multinationals to small installation comp anies.

The R E A’s mission is to bring renewa bles into the mainstre am. We se ek to do that with the urgency ne c essary to safe guard national energy se curity, and to help ensure glob al climate sta bility.

R E A’s imme diate obje ctive is to ensure the U K me ets its 15% renewa ble energy target by 2020. O ur work is therefore a bout se curing the b est le gislative and re gulatory framework for exp anding renewa ble energy production in the U K .

B enefits of me mb ership and our a ctivities includ e: Policy d evelopment: The she er quantity of new renewa bles

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policy me ans it c an b e almost impossible to ke e p on top of it all.

R E A policy sp e cialists, who are often U K le a d ers in their field, provid e a dvic e to me mb ers on a d aily b asis to save our me mb ers time and money. The R E A re gularly lob bies G overnment, its D e p artments, their agencies and Parliamentarians, through policy d evelopment and pro-a ctive c amp aigns.

S e curing Action: We work colla boratively with Parliamentarians, N G O s, think-tanks, and others to se cure G overnment and E U a ction on renewa ble te chnologies.

C ommunic ations: The R E A runs R E A N ews, a bi-annual maga zine which fe atures industry news, topic al articles and interviews. Every we ek the R E A e mails out a me mb er newsletter, containing must-know information, key diary d ates and a ta ble

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d etailing the status various consultations. M e mb ers re c eive an individual listing on our we bsite - w w w.r-e -a.net, and in the winter e dition of R E A N ews.

Events: We run a numb er of set-pie c e events throughout the ye ar, including the R E A’s Annual Renewa ble Energy Awards and G ala Dinner, Bioenergy C onferenc e and WAT Ts (our wave and tid al energy conferenc e).

Training: We also run a programme of tailore d workshops, covering the Renewa bles O bligation, Renewa ble H e at Inc entive and F e e d-in Tariffs

Consumer Protection: The Association sponsors the R E AL Assuranc e S che me, which sets high stand ards for sup pliers and installers of renewa ble and low c arbon energy for consumers. The R E AL Assuranc e mark is a symbol that consumers c an look for to id entify re puta ble businesses. Visit w w w.re alassuranc e.org.uk.

Energy Now Energy N ow E xpo is a two d ay (16th and 17th F e bruary 2011) exhibition and conferenc e showc asing the latest renewa ble energy te chnologies and servic es availa ble to farmers and landowners.

The event is d esigne d to help farmers and landowners explore and further und erstand the op portunities availa ble to the m in wind, biomass, biofuels, biogas, ground sourc e he ating, hydro and solar energy.

All farmers and landowners have valua ble resourc es at their

disposal, including crops, wood, waterways and land. M a ximising the b enefits of these resourc es through renewa ble energy is not only financially sensible but d e monstrates environmental responsibility.

Exhibition The exhibition is fre e to attend if you re gister b eforehand or there is a £5 entranc e fe e on the d ay. The exhibition will provid e pra ctic al d e monstrations of products and servic es and will fe ature 80+ exhibitors, including: Ae olus Power Ltd, C ountry wid e, E co Angus Ltd, E D P Energy Renewa bles, Ener- G N atural Power, Envite c Biogas U K Ltd, Fisher G erman, H arp er Ad ams University C olle ge and Kirk Environmental. The full exhibitor list c an b e found on the event we b site d etaile d b elow.

Conference The conferenc e will focus on all asp e cts of renewa ble energy including: financial inc entives, planning, c arbon footprint and selling your energy. The sp e aker programme will fe ature a numb er of high profile sp e akers including: M ervyn B owd en, H e a d of Energy M anage ment, M arks & S p enc er, Lucy H opwood, L and & Agriculture M anager, N ational N on- Food Crop C entre, Richard C ollins, Group Biomass M anager, C ountry wid e, Jonathan S curlock, Renewa ble Energy Advisor, N F U and the C L A’s C hief Surveyor Oliver H arwood.

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