Premier Construction Issue 17-3

Roma Publications

Volume 17 - Issue 3

Royal United Hospital

Crossrail

Creating links throughout the UK

Library of Birmingham

New library will bring culture back to Birmingham

State-of-the-art facility will provide care for sick and premature babies

Belfast Harbour

The UK’s first purpose-built facility for offshore wind logistics

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Contents PREMIER CONSTRUCTION

Volume 17 • Issue 3

Dear readers, This month our magazine focuses on the important links that are being made across the UK. Crossrail is a landmark project that is currently shaping the future of transport in the nation’s capital. As Europe’s largest civil engineering tunnel project, Crossrail is the most significant transportation development since the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. When it is completed in 2018, the service will connect routes throughout London and dramatically reduce congestion.

Further transport links include the improvements being made to the A19 carriageway from Dishforth to Tyne Tunnel and the new, fully operational New Tyne Crossing.

Links are also being made in our communities. The new Chestnut Grange care home in Burton upon Trent will ensure 24/7 care for the elderly community whilst providing exciting facilities such as a hairdressing salon and an IT suite. Over in Edinburgh, the £37 million refurbishment of the Royal Commonwealth Pool will allow the facility to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

International links are being made through the construction of hotels across the UK. In 2014, global chain Hotel Indigo will celebrate the opening of a new hotel in Newcastle. Internationally renowned developers Arora Hotels are also celebrating the recent completion of a new Premier Inn hotel at Heathrow Airport.

In Belfast, linking the past to the future has facilitated the creation of a new state-of-the-art college complex. The €44 million Belfast Metropolitan College Titanic Quarter Campus is located on the site where the infamous ship was built and will now invigorate and encourage students as they learn and develop skills that can be transferred to their everyday lives.

We now invite you, readers, to join us as we celebrate the projects that will link our future together.

Lead Focus Crossrail..............................................................................................................8

North West Salford City Stadium........................................................................................26 Walney Offshore Wind Farm............................................................................28

North East & Yorkshire Leeds Premier Inn............................................................................................33 New Tyne Crossing............................................................................................34 28 Bond Court...................................................................................................37

Midlands & East Anglia Library of Birmingham.....................................................................................43

South West Bridport Town Hall............................................................................................53 Crealy Adventure Park.....................................................................................54

London & South East Drayton Garden Village....................................................................................58 Premier Inn Heathrow.......................................................................................65

Wales Llangefni Town Hall...........................................................................................74

Scotland Midpark Hospital...............................................................................................79 Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre....................................................82 Royal Commonwealth Pool.............................................................................83 Cumberland Road............................................................................................87

Ireland Belfast Metropolitan College Titanic Quarter Campus..................................91 Munster Blackwater (Mallow South and West) Drainage Scheme...............94 ESB Carrickatane Wind Farm..........................................................................98

Overseas Saint Robert Bellarmin Wind Farm................................................................100

Managing Director: Marcus Howarth Editor: Charlotte Emily Brazier Assistant Editor: Alex Wiggan Production Manager: Nicola Owen Advert Co-ordinator: Joanne Murphy

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

© 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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All images copright Crossrail

Connecting the capital through Crossrail Crossrail Limited (CRL) is a subsidiary of Transport for London and is responsible for delivering the Crossrail project, which is Europe’s largest civil engineering tunnel project.

The company was set up in 2001 to develop vital commuter links for people and businesses throughout the southeast and supports regeneration projects throughout the region.

Crossrail is CRL’s most significant project since the Jubilee Line Extension and Channel Tunnel Rail Link and will see new Crossrail stations built along the central route of Paddington, Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street, Farringdon, Whitechapel, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf. The stations will link routes from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

The UK’s leading architects and engineers have worked on the design stages of the new Crossrail stations, with each stage promising a distinctive style that has taken inspiration from the local area. Additional architectural components will also be included throughout the tunnels and platforms in order to ensure that each station retains an individual identity throughout.

As part of the project, station platforms will be constructed to cater for the 200m-long trains that will operate from the stations.

Provision for future platform extensions will also be provided, enabling the Crossrail stations to cater for larger trains as the

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number of passengers using the service increases. Between Paddington and Whitechapel, up to 24 trains per hour will operate during peak periods.

It is predicted that the new route will increase the travel capacity of the capital by 10%. Once completed, an additional 1.5 million people will be within 45 minutes commuting distance of London’s key business areas.

Tunnelling is due to commence in March 2012 and it is estimated that a total of 21km of twin-bore tunnel will be constructed under London.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “This crucial project that I fought for will be of huge importance to the future of our city and these contracts will provide an immediate boost to employment in the UK.” Crossrail’s central section will be delivered in 2018 and a phased introduction of services along the Crossrail route will follow. It is expected that the Crossrail project will generate up to 14,000 jobs between 2013 and 2015.

In addition to the Crossrail project, the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) has been established in order to provide training for approximately 3,500 people throughout the lifetime of the project.

TUCA opened its doors in early 2012 and as well as providing a number of vocational training courses, one of its first

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courses will focus on the Tunnel Safety Card. This is a vital training course required for anyone working below ground on the Crossrail project.

Boris Johnson said: “I am a huge supporter of the aims of this academy and I am thrilled that it is now enrolling its first students. At the height of construction many thousands of people will be working on Crossrail, so our new academy in east London will be a vital resource. Crossrail is working closely with job centres along the route to ensure that as many local people as possible are able to learn the skills necessary to play a part in the largest construction project in the southeast for 50 years.”

Rail Minister, Theresa Villiers, added: “Investing in this Academy further emphasises the government’s commitment to rebalancing our economy and promoting the skills our young people need to help Britain compete in the world.

“This academy’s legacy will be a new generation of specialists able to help deliver important infrastructure projects to support growth here and anywhere across the globe.”

Students attending TUCA will include first time entrants to the industry as well as existing Crossrail contractors. In addition to teaching new skills to the next generation of industry workers, those already experienced in specific practices and procedures will be able to gain nationally recognised accreditations and NVQs alongside other training programmes. The academy is valued at £13 million and is one of only two dedicated training facilities in Europe, with the other academy based in Switzerland.

Liverpool Street and Whitechapel Located below London Underground’s existing Liverpool Street and Moorgate station, Liverpool Street Station will soon serve London’s major financial centre – the City of London.

Once the project is complete, the station will provide interchanges for Northern, Central, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines. In addition, there will be connections to Stansted airport and links to National Rail services.

A new ticket hall will be constructed in order to provide stepfree access from street level to Crossrail platforms, whilst a stairway will also be constructed directly beneath an existing escalator adjacent to the Northern Line. As a result of this, a connection will be provided between Crossrail and the Northern Line at Moorgate.

Other improvements include a replacement Communications Equipment Room, a new Powerlink substation and the creation of a number of switch rooms.

Mott Macdonald is the lead design consultant for the project and is responsible for mechanical and electrical systems, enabling, civil and structural works, passenger modelling, spaceproofing and architectural work.

The main construction contract for Liverpool Street Station will be awarded during 2012.

At Whitechapel, the new Crossrail station will be located to the north of the station and will use the existing Whitechapel Road

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entrance to the underground and overground stations.

In February 2011, the first phase of preparation work took place before construction of the station could begin. This involved a six-month operation to extend platforms and simplify the District Line. Additional track works took place on the District and Hammersmith & City lines and a site compound was set up in Durward Street to support the operation.

Following this phase, an 800 square metre protection deck in the Essex Wharf area off Durward Street was constructed. This deck was installed above the London Overground tracks and was constructed using two 130-tonne cranes and 433 tonnes of structural steel. Work was conducted each night during threehour windows when the railway was closed and in total involved over 90,000 man hours. Now that this section is complete, work is underway on the main access shafts at Whitechapel station.

Whitechapel Station Project Manager, John McGrath, said: “I am particularly proud of the efforts of our team during the construction of the new protection deck over the London Overground station platforms. This deck is vital to our programme and has allowed us to start piling and shaft construction at Durward Street on schedule.

“I also want to welcome our new contractors, Carillion, BAM Nuttall Kier Joint Venture and BBMV on board. These contractors bring a wealth of experience to Crossrail and I am confident that they will continue to work to the high standards that we expect.

“The majority of our utility and preparatory work is complete and our efforts are now focused on the construction of a station platform shaft and ventilation and emergency escape shafts around Whitechapel. These shafts are vital in Crossrail’s construction as they allow us to tunnel under the area and build the new Crossrail station safely.”

BAM Nuttall Kier Joint Venture will build the main access shafts, which are to be constructed using concrete and diaphragm walling. This phase will take place on Cambridge Heath Road and Essex Wharf off Durward Street.

Due to space constraints at the Durward Street site, the retaining wall to the rear of the southbound London Overground platform will be demolished in stages. This work will be conducted behind existing hoardings in order to ensure that the work will not disrupt train services.

Whitechapel is positioned along the central section of Crossrail’s route and as such the station is set to become an important interchange point for many commuters. During peak times there will be an increase in the number of trains arriving and leaving the station in order to ease overcrowding. In addition, a new ticket-hall will be created to provide step-free access to Crossrail, London Underground and London Overground.

The majority of Whitechapel Station will be above ground in order to reap the benefits of natural daylight and ventilation.

It will have an environmentally friendly concourse roof so that solar thermal heating and rainwater harvesting operations can

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be developed in the future. The height of the roof has also been designed to coordinate with surrounding fences and walls to make the appearance more aesthetically pleasing.

Thames Tunnel The Thames Tunnel will be built underneath the River Thames and will significantly improve journey times from south east London to central London. Thames Tunnel will be the only point on the Crossrail route where the route crosses the River Thames.

Built 15 metres below the existing river bed, the tunnel will be 2.6 kilometres long. Portals will be constructed at either end of the tunnel at North Woolwich and Plumstead and the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) will be launched in late 2012. Due to the chalk ground conditions in the surrounding area, slurry TBMs will be used on the Thames Tunnel.

Following construction work in 2011 on the Plumstead Portal, the North Woolwich Portal construction will begin in early 2012.

Hochtief Construction AG and J Murphy & Sons Ltd have been awarded the prestigious contract, whilst the two slurry TBMs that will dig Crossrail’s Thames Tunnel are being manufactured

by Herrenknecht AG, who also manufactured the first six TBMs used on the Crossrail project.

Amery Construction Ltd Established in 2000, Amery Construction Ltd is a railway civil engineering contractor that specialises in ground works and reinforced concrete works within the rail sector. The company executes all types of civil engineering activities, including platform extensions, shaft sinking, depot demolition works, embankment stabilisations, depot pit road reconstruction, train wash slab & drainage construction and station projects.

Each of the sites Amery Construction Ltd works on is overseen by both a site manager and supervisor and the company prides itself on having a very low accident rate.

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Amery Construction Ltd believes in value engineering during the early stage of a project in order to make substantial savings for its clients. The company has an annual turnover of £20 million and is always looking to forge partnerships within the industry. Previous clients include AMCO, BBMV, C Spencer Ltd, Birse Rail, Garrandale Ltd, London Underground Ltd and Network Rail.

Amery Construction Ltd Director, Martin Flannery, said: “Amery Construction Ltd is an experienced and very confident rail contractor with a safety record that we believe to be outstanding. With 12 years of experience we are more than capable of offering our clients the plans and resources to meet their individual requirements, and we are always mindful of safety and time constraints.”

On the Crossrail project, Amery Construction Ltd is undertaking a number of ongoing reinforced concrete activities that will continue until 2016.

Le a d Fo c u s - C ro s s r a i l DB Construction Ltd Established in 2005, DB Construction Ltd is a civil engineering contractor specialising in the Highways and Railway sectors.

The company delivers deep-drainage services, urban regeneration works and total groundwork packages in the south east of the UK. DB Construction Ltd is a process driven business with a particular emphasis on ISO standards – 9,001, 14,001 and 18,001 – which helps deliver accountable and transparent work to its clients.

On the Crossrail project DB Construction Ltd has conducted enabling works, sewer formatting and connections at Whitechapel as well as highway improvement works at Finsbury Circus.

DB Construction Ltd is presently involved in excavating trial pits for the positioning of highly sensitive acoustic and vibration monitoring equipment.

DB Construction Ltd QSHE Director, Jack Bowie, said: “We know that financially it’s still a tough time out there, so it’s more important than ever that we understand the requirements of our clients and offer them proven value for money. At DB Construction Ltd our aim is to always deliver more for less and that’s what we like to call smart civil engineering.”

Avondale Environmental Services Avondale is an established vegetation management and arboricultural specialist well known within the railway industry for providing high quality mechanised solutions.

With clients including the construction, rail, and highway sectors the company prides itself on market leading RIDDOR statistics and service levels.

Currently engaged by BBMV to ensure compliance with BS5837 on the Crossrail project, Avondale is providing ongoing vegetation management solutions.

At the Finsbury Circus site mature London plane trees with high amenity values could have been compromised by root damage leading to significant and costly project delays. Careful tree root mitigation works and a monitoring programme has enabled the project to proceed with minimal disruption.

Avondale believes in providing solutions rapidly, professionally and in harmony with nature.

Connecting Crossrail with the Royal Oak Portal A significant stage in the Crossrail project has been reached with the completion of the Royal Oak Portal.

Royal Oak Portal is the first of five new portals that will be constructed for Crossrail and acts as an entry point for tunnel boring machines (TBM) to create running tunnels to Farringdon.

Comprising a 285 metre long ramp that directs Crossrail tracks from ground level into the underground tunnels, the portal will see the launch of the first Earth Pressure Balance TBM during Q2 of 2012.

Work commenced in January 2010 and the project reached completion in September 2011. Capita Symonds designed the portal, which was constructed by Skanska and Costain.

Construction took place within a narrow corridor at Royal Oak, located between the A40 Westway and Hammersmith & City lines. During construction a barrier was erected to protect workers from the adjacent live railway and reduce noise during excavation work.

In order to enable the tracks to progress from ground level to

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Charter Security Plc Established in 1980, Charter Security Plc is a small-medium sized company that specialises in manned guard security within the private sector. The company provides security services for local government associations and local councils, as well as a number of high-profile clients.

Charter Security Plc Compliance and Support Services Manager, Matthew Hunt, said: “At Charter Security we can provide tailor made security packages that meet the needs of the individual client.”

On the Whitechapel and Liverpool Street project Charter Security Plc is carrying out all security requirements until 2016.

Windsor Waste Management Windsor Waste Management is an independent waste management company providing bespoke solutions to businesses across the UK. The company has built an experienced team and an extensive infrastructure, to enable it to provide a personal and well managed service to BBMV and its other clients.

With an extensive fleet of tracked and fully maintained vehicles, Windsor Waste Management collects and disposes of all types of waste. The company is accredited to ISO 9001, 14001 and OHSAS 18001 and is a verified supplier to the utilities sector through Achilles and Linkup accreditations.

Windsor Waste Management is providing waste management services to BBMV for Whitechapel and Finsbury Circus, including the provision and collection of skips and other containers for wood, metal, general waste, waste oil, oil tanks, batteries, absorbents, canteen waste and oil filters.

Windsor Waste Management also provides advice, clear signage and toolbox talk to help ensure good onsite practices. In the first six months, this helped achieve over 95% diversion from landfill on both sites. Through its knowledge of the industry, the company has since identified and secured innovative treatment processes, enabling it to offer 100% diversion from landfill to BBMV as of February 2012.

Jeff Letch, Windsor Waste Management, said: “We provide a complete waste management service. Our expertise, experience and ability to provide support and services nationwide enable us to provide our clients with a fully compliant response to any waste stream. As we say at Windsor Waste Management, anyone can take waste off your hands but we will also take it off your mind.” the tunnels, a process known as retained cutting was used on the site. This involved driving 125 sheet piles into the ground on each side of the tracks whilst excavation work took place in between. Following this, reinforced concrete diaphragm walls were installed.

The diaphragm walls were constructed using 8500m³ of concrete and were cut using a rig that slices overlapping slots into the ground. These slots were then filled with a thick sandy liquid called bentonite that stops the sides from collapsing inwards.

Following this, steel reinforcement cages were placed into the

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Le a d Fo c u s - C ro s s r a i l bentonite and then the slots were covered with concrete. The bentonite was then pushed out of the slot, leaving a reinforced concrete wall embedded into the ground.

To support the walls during the excavation, 54 steel and concrete props were used. An overhead gantry crane capable of lifting 25 tonnes was then enlisted to aid the installation.

Excavation work on a ramp took place in February 2011. Once this was completed, a 2700m³ concrete slab was used to provide the base for the new tracks. In total 25,000 cubic metres of material was excavated during the construction of the portal, with this material now being reused on other construction sites around London.

Additional work included the construction of a pump chamber for London Underground which was built to replace a pump chamber that previously operated at the site. The chamber comprises two shafts measuring 12 metres and 8 metres in depth, and it is connected by a tunnel measuring 40 metres in length and 1.2 metres in diameter.

The connecting tunnel has incorporated a series of pumps that will remove excess water from the Westbourne Park area and discharge it to a sewer on Alfred Road – making it the first tunnel of its kind to be built on the Crossrail project.

A headwall complete with a pair of tunnel eyes was also constructed alongside a lining wall. The tunnel eyes measure 7.24 metres in diameter and were fitted with steel rings. Providing support to TBM cutting heads as they pass through the tunnels, the tunnel eyes will mark the entry points for TBMs when they begin tunnelling.

During excavation works on the site, prehistoric animal bones were unearthed by archaeologists. The bones are of major scientific importance to the Natural History Museum and are now set to become part of the museum’s permanent collection.

Interestingly, additional excavation works in Westbourne Park also uncovered the foundations of a 19th Century house.

The Royal Oak Portal project also included the construction of a small head house which will contain mechanical and electrical plant equipment used in the running of the railway. A small amount of landscaping has also taken place.

Crossrail Central Section Delivery Director, Ailie MacAdam, said: “Crossrail has now reached its first tunnelling milestone with the completion of Royal Oak Portal and work is now underway to prepare for the arrival of the tunnel boring machines ahead of tunnelling during spring 2012.”

The TBMs that are to be launched from Royal Oak were manufactured and factory tested in November 2011 before being disassembled and shipped to London in December. The components were then transported to Westbourne Park in order to be reassembled.

With the portal now complete, joint venture tunnelling contractors BAM Nuttall Ltd, Ferrovial Agroman (UK) Ltd and Kier Construction Ltd have taken over the site in order to work on Contract C300 – Royal Oak Portal to Farringdon.

A E Clements & Co Ltd Established in 2006, A E Clements specialise in providing site set-ups and enabling works for a variety of main contractors. This involves the provision of temporary power supplies to all units within a site and past clients include Carillion and Network Rail.

On the Royal Oak Portal project, A E Clements installed electrical and water services to site offices and storage areas. The company were also responsible for providing lights and water supplies for plants and welfare units, enabling excavation works to proceed.

A E Clements & Co Ltd Director, Andy Clements, said: “At A E Clements we are very proud of working with major civil construction companies and have gained an excellent reputation within the industry. We continue to this day working with clients on a recommendation basis and this is a great achievement for us.”

Selwood Ltd

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For over 65 years Selwood Ltd has served the construction industry through the manufacture, hire and sale of pump plant.

The company is the UK’s largest privately owned leader in its field and exports 70% of its pump units abroad.

On the Crossrail Royal Oak Portal, Selwood Ltd is involved with the supply of pump plant equipment throughout the duration of the project.

Selwood Ltd Business Development Manager, Joseph Lee, said: “At Selwood Ltd our aim is to work in partnership with our customers to provide them with the best possible service that we can. We deliver a professional approach and this helps us to benefit from repeat business.”

G T Lifting Solutions Ltd Established in 2002 G T Lifting Solutions Ltd is a UK based

lifting specialist. The company provides conventional straight boom heavy lift telehandlers from 6 to 10 tonnes along with 360° rotating Merlo machines. All machinery includes an array of attachments such as the Panel Handler that can undertake operations that cranes would struggle with and its latest machine is the 24 metre 360° rotating Merlo telehandler, capable of lifting 6 tonnes.

G T Lifting Solutions Ltd also offer contract lifts which are planned, supervised and fully staffed to provide all of the tools required to complete the job.

G T Lifting Solutions Managing Director, Graham Trundell, said: “These machines can do exactly what a crane can do, except they’re much faster and more adaptable. They can carry out lifts in restricted areas and can reach heights of up to 25 metres.”

On the Royal Oak Portal G T Lifting Solutions Ltd provided lifting equipment to complete work being undertaken to raise a footbridge. The company is also involved on a number of other operations across the Crossrail project, including Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Canary Wharf.

Graham Trundell, added:“At G T Lifting Solutions we always strive to improve the service that we provide and we like to engage with customers as much as we can. In fact we’re a very customer led company and we recently gained ISO 9001 to demonstrate our commitment to our work.”

E & C Engineering (Yorkshire) Ltd Established in 1989, E & C Engineering (Yorkshire) Ltd specialise in the supply and installation of reconditioned cranes and lifting equipment for the construction industry. The company manages small to medium sized contracts which include crane and gantry installations, portal buildings, civil works and electrical and pipe work. E & C Enginnering (Yorkshire) Ltd also repair and maintain overhead cranes and the company has worked with a number of high profile businesses including EDF Energy and Skanska.

On the Royal Oak Portal, E & C Engineering (Yorkshire) Ltd supplied and installed a Goliath crane that aided in the construction of the portal.

E & C Engineering (Yorkshire) Ltd Managing Director, Eric Rands, said: “With years of experience in engineering we offer a unique and cost effective maintenance service for all types of overhead cranes and lifting equipment.

“By providing a great product at a competitive price, we always strive to be conscientious towards our customers and it’s the key to our continued success.”

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Le a d Fo c u s - C ro s s r a i l Force One Ltd Established in 2004, Force One Ltd specialises in vacuum excavations and is the largest operator of vacuum excavator machines in Europe.

On the Royal Oak Portal project, Force One Ltd excavated post holes for perimeter holdings around the site and also carried out tasks at a number of other locations on the Crossrail project, including Tottenham Court Road and Victoria Station.

Force One Ltd Business Development Manager, Sean Strohman, said: “At Force One Ltd we have a ‘can do’ approach and we pride ourselves on being the company that offers a safe approach to each task.”

Gane International

Time & Attendance and access control solutions for the construction industry. The company has worked with a number of large civil engineer companies, installing systems for such as Kier, Morgan Sindall, Skanska, Balfour Beatty and Carillion.

On the Royal Oak Portal, Gane International installed traffic barriers and turnstiles for site access, as well as providing the office access control system. They are working on a number of additional sites for Crossrail including Pudding Mill Lane, Whitechapel, Paddington, Finsbury Circus and Bond Street.

Gane International Managing Director, Paul Armitage, said: “At Gane International we offer great value for money by providing our clients with a quality product together with quality service.”

Established in 1986, Gane International specialise in providing

Crossrail goes west The Crossrail project includes a planned phase to cover the Western Running Tunnels.

The Western Running Tunnels phase covers Royal Oak to Farringdon west (Drive X) and the length of drive is approximately 6.4 kilometres. It is the first of five drives required to construct the Crossrail tunnelled section and will provide the access point for rail services from the west of the capital.

The first Crossrail Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) will be launched from Royal Oak in March 2012 and TBMs will pass through the stations at Bond Street, Paddington, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon east. At its final destination, the cutterheads will be removed from the TBM and the machines will be dismantled.

TBMS will be launched towards east of Farringdon and will pass under Bond Street, Paddington, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon stations - creating the running tunnels. Following

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this, the area surrounding the running tunnels will be enlarged.

As the main tunnelling works progress, Spray Concrete Lining (SCL) works will be implemented at Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road. As the TBMs pass Bond Street, a cross-over tunnel will be installed in order to allow this work to be completed.

Material that is excavated by TBM will be diverted through

one tunnel to allow for a SCL station at the other. This excavated material will be moved out through Royal Oak Portal and transported by rail to a transfer dock in order to be re-used on further development sites. This new strategy for tunnelling in the western section reduces the amount of material transported through London’s streets by over 85%.

Transport Advisor for the Mayor of London, Kulveer Ranger, said: “London is a step closer to making this all important railway a reality. With contracts in place we can begin burrowing beneath the city’s streets to forge the line which will make zipping from east to west even quicker and easier for Londoners, commuters and visitors.”

BAM Nuttall Ltd, Ferrovial Agroman (UK) Ltd and Kier Construction are the joint contractors and the phase is due to be completed in the third quarter of 2013.

VINCI wins starring role in Connaught Tunnel project Main contractor VINCI Construction UK Limited has been awarded the contract for the refurbishment of the Connaught Tunnel.

With a history that dates back to 1878, the Connaught Tunnel allowed the railway to be diverted under the Connaught Passage, a water link which connected the Royal Victoria Dock and Royal

Albert Dock. The tunnel came under the spotlight in 2008, when it was featured in Guy Ritchie’s film ‘RocknRolla’.

Unfortunately, the central sections of the Connaught Tunnel became weaker after the Royal Victoria Dock was deepened

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Le a d Fo c u s - C ro s s r a i l in 1935 in order to allow larger ships to enter the dock. As part of the works, the central section of the Connaught Tunnel was narrowed, the brickwork was removed and cast iron segments were installed. This resulted in the roof of the Connaught Tunnel below the dock being exposed.

The prestigious project will include enlarging the existing tunnel so that it can accommodate Crossrail trains and overhead line equipment. As sections of the existing tunnel are in poor structural condition, approximately 100 metres of tunnel wall will be removed and replaced with a new tunnel lining. In addition, the existing brick arches and part of the tunnel approaches will be retained and repaired.

Crossroads Project Manager, Linda Miller, said: “In 20 years of digging tunnels, this is the most fun and fantastic opportunity. It presents all sorts of problems but that’s what I love.

“There are some beautiful arches and the original plan was to take them away, to cut them out and to replace them with the modern equivalent but I’m happy to say that a decision was taken by Crossrail to preserve them and clean them up to bring them back to the way they looked 150 years ago.”

One of the first phases of work to be carried out is the reinforcement of the central section of the Connaught Tunnel, which lies at the bottom of the Royal Victoria Dock at the border with the Royal Albert Dock.

The reinforcement stage will include the installation of a large concrete base, which will in turn ensure the safety and stability of the tunnel. A wide passageway will be dredged between the Royal Albert Dock and Royal Victoria Dock and then a 1 metre thick reinforced concrete protection slab (measuring 100m³) will be installed on the bed of the passageway, which is located just west of the Connaught Road Bridge. This slab will be placed using marine pontoons and a team of specialist divers.

Following this phase, the cast iron linings in the Connaught Tunnel will be removed in stages. In order to ensure the integrity of the existing tunnel, the remainder of the brick-lined tunnel will be grouted and filled with a low strength foam concrete. These tunnels will subsequently be enlarged by boring through the foam to create binocular tunnels which are large enough to al-

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low Crossrail trains to pass. Precast concrete tunnel segments will then be installed in this section of the tunnel.

Piling and concrete works to construct the track slab at the west end are expected to be completed in July 2012, followed by the same process at the east end. The refurbishment of the tunnel itself will commence after July 2012 and is expected to be completed in October 2013.

Sol Data Ltd Sol Data is the world leader in geotechnical instrumentation and structural monitoring services, providing expertise to clients around the world. The company designs, implements and interprets monitoring systems that measure structural, geotechnical and environmental parameters. Using these systems the client is able to efficiently develop their project knowing that all risks are being managed.

On the Connaught Tunnel project Sol Data Ltd is providing the comprehensive monitoring services that allow the complex tunnel modifications to take place safely.

Sol Data Ltd Technical Manager, Quentin Arnaud, said: “At Sol Data Ltd we provide our clients with a first class detection and monitoring service and we can offer this for any sized engineering project. Our aim is to provide all of our clients with the necessary information they need, so that they do not encounter any problems during construction. We believe that if clients are equipped with the best tools for the job they will see their projects excel.”

Pudding Mill Lane Portal takes shape The ongoing construction of the Pudding Mill Lane Portal will prepare the site for the next stage of the exciting Crossrail project.

Pudding Mill Lane is Crossrail’s eastern tunnel portal and will see tunnel boring machines (TBM) launched from Stepney Green to Pudding Mill Lane (Drive Z) in 2014.

Work on Pudding Mill Lane Portal has included the construction of a 300 metre long tunnel, a 120 metre long approach ramp and two brand new bridges over the City Mill River for both Crossrail and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) lines. A large outdoor area will also be constructed on the site in order to provide passengers with access to local bus services.

Enabling works were completed on the site in late 2011 and diaphragm walls are currently being built and installed. Following this, piling work to the retaining walls of the DLR bridge will take place.

Due to the site’s close proximity to Olympic Park, work will be suspended on Pudding Mill Lane Portal during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Following the short break for the games, work will reconvene on the site.

Main contractor for the Pudding Mill Lane Portal project is Morgan Sindall Infrastructure Limited.

Due to the construction of the portal, the nearby DLR is being

relocated from its current location to a new site between the River Lea and City Mill River.

Planning permission for the new DLR was granted as part the Crossrail Act 2008, which also granted approval to the London Borough of Newham for the external look of the station. This included making decisions on which materials were to be used for fences, walls, lighting and boundary walls.

In July 2011, Newham’s Strategic Development Committee approved plans for the replacement Docklands Light Railway station at Pudding Mill Lane and construction commenced in the second half of 2011.

The purpose-built station has been designed by Weston Williamson and takes into account the future needs of the station, particularly the expected increase in passengers. As a result, measures have been taken to accommodate larger three-car DLR trains, whilst escalators will be incorporated in the scheme at a later date.

London Rail’s Chief Operating Officer, Howard Smith, said: “TfL welcomes the opportunity presented by Crossrail’s construction to provide DLR passengers with a brand new station at Pudding Mill Lane.

“The new station will be able to accommodate many more passengers than the existing station and it will support future development as well as the future use of the Olympic stadium.”

Once the Pudding Mill Lane Portal becomes fully operational, TBMs will arrive at the site in early 2014 in order to create tunnels to Stepney Green. The project is scheduled for completion in 2015.

itmsoil itmsoil specialises in the design, manufacture, installation and monitoring of structural and geotechnical instrumentation for use on a number of key civil engineering projects throughout the world. The company has worked on many high profile projects over the last 10 years, including the M6 and M74 Completion ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Le a d Fo c u s - C ro s s r a i l projects, Green Park Step Free-Access Project, Olympic Park and the Lower Lea Cable Tunnels. Current projects include the Victoria Station Upgrade for London Underground/ Taylor Woodrow-Bam Nuttall, Crossrail C701 (Crossrail) and Crossrail C300/C410 (BAM Nuttall/Ferrovial/Kier). itmsoil’s involvement with the Crossrail C701 contract includes the supply and installation of over 250 Leica TM30 Robotic Total Stations complete with thousands of Geodetic mini-prisms. These are designed to monitor a range of third party assets including London Underground, DLR and Network Rail Infrastructures. All data is presented on Crossrail’s Underground Construction Management System (UCIMS) which has been purpose built by itmsoil to manage the huge quantity of monitoring data. itmsoil C701 Project Manager, Brendon Oram, said: “We pride ourselves on working on some of the largest and most demanding structural and geotechnical projects in the world. Our instrumentation systems have formed a vital part of various projects’ success, providing high-quality data and assisting engineers in making timely decisions.”

Southdowns Environmental Consultants Ltd Established in 1996 Southdowns Environmental Consultants Ltd operates in a number of industry sectors providing specialist consultancy services on acoustics, noise and vibration.

On the Crossrail project Southdowns is providing a range of technical support services associated with construction noise vibration management. This includes the preparation of consent applications under Section 61 of the Control of Pollution Act

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1974 and the monitoring of noise and vibration compliance once works are underway. Southdowns is supporting a number of major civil contractors across the footprint of the project.

Southdowns Environmental Consultants Ltd Director, Rick Methold, said: “Southdowns has vast experience working alongside some of the world’s largest civil engineering contractors, so we understand the specific needs of our clients and can tailor our services accordingly. We are dealing with some challenging acoustical issues on this project ranging from the provision of giant enclosures around large worksites operating 24/7, to the deployment of monitoring equipment powered solely by hydrogen fuel cell technology.”

Tunnelling east with Crossrail Crossrail Limited will begin the East Running Tunnels phase of its Crossrail project in the third quarter of 2012.

The operation is divided into three sections: Limmo Peninsular to Farringdon east (Drive Y), Pudding Mill Lane to Stepney Green (Drive Z) and Limmo Peninsular to Victoria Dock (Drive G).

The first tunnel to be constructed will be the Limmo Peninsular to Farringdon section, which at 8.3km will be the longest tunnel drive for Crossrail. Two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) will be launched from the shaft at Limmo Peninsular and the TBMs will then move towards Farringdon east, through Canary Wharf, Whitechapel and Liverpool Street stations.

This section is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2014. Following this, the final sprayed concrete lining works at Whitechapel and Liverpool Street station will be implemented.

The next stage will see the boring of a 2.7km tunnel from Pudding Mill Lane to Stepney Green (Drive Z). TBM will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2013 and once the two TBMs from Drive Y pass Stepney Green, a separate pair of TBMs will move from Pudding Mill Lane Portal towards Stepney Green.

This section is due to be completed during the third quarter of 2014.

During the second quarter of 2014, TBM will launch at Limmo Peninsula to Victoria Dock. This section is expected to reach completion in the third quarter of 2014 and underground structures and station tunnels will be built prior to TBMs passing through locations.

Rail Minister, Theresa Villiers, said: “We have taken an important step forward in one of Europe’s biggest infrastructure projects. These tunnels will help boost rail capacity across London by 10 per cent, relieving overcrowding on the other hard-pressed services.

She added: “Crossrail is a critical project for this country which has the potential to generate up to £50bn in wider economic benefits for UK GDP and will allow the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.”

Joint contractors for the project are Dragados S.A and John Sisk & Sons (Holdings) Ltd.

On the Crossrail Rail Running Tunnels East project, Dew Piling Ltd installed a circular sheet pile cofferdam for an auxiliary shaft. This consisted of driving 18 meter long 152 PU28-1 sheet piles into the ground. Dew Piling Ltd will also be involved with additional sites across the Crossrail project.

Dew Piling Ltd General Manager, John Storry, said: “We’re a small yet experienced team that specialises in the sheet pile industry. We’re dedicated to what we do and between us we provide an expert service from design right through to installation.”

Dew Piling Ltd For over 70 years Dew Piling Ltd has specialised in steel sheet piling for use on temporary and permanent structures, creating retaining walls, cofferdams and access shafts. Over its operational life Dew Piling has worked with a number of high profile companies within the construction industry, including Morgan Sindall Group Plc, Balfour Beatty Plc, Costain, BAM Nuttall and Carillion Plc. ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Kicking off the new season in style Greater Manchester Super League rugby club, the Salford City Reds, are currently celebrating the opening of a new £16 million premier sporting and community stadium.

The 70-acre Salford City Stadium is located just eight miles from Manchester City Centre and serves as a purpose-built, fully licensed sports and entertainment hub for the local community. In addition to a pitch and changing rooms for regular rugby matches, the development also includes office, retail and events facilities.

Boasting a capacity of 12,000 people, the stadium was completed in December 2011 under a joint venture between Salford City Council and Peel Holdings. Main contractor Buckingham Group Contracting constructed the stadium on derelict land, whilst the project also included a new access route via Liverpool Road and the construction of a new traffic light junction off the A57.

Salford City Council and Peel Holdings will now maintain management duties for the stadium and will licence the premises for use by the Salford rugby club. This successful partnership has already seen a number of games played at the stadium grounds, the first of which took place in January 2012.

Salford City Council Leader, Councillor John Merry, said: “This development is another landmark in Salford’s regeneration, adding to an already impressive line-up nearby of The Lowry and MediaCityUK. The partnership approach that was adopted also means that the city will be part-owner of a major sporting and community asset.

“Sport is a big business these days and making suitable, stateof-the art facilities available for a successful club will bring economic benefits to the city. Our plan is about supporting sport in Salford.”

Salford City Council Deputy Leader, Councillor David Lancaster, added: “The construction of the stadium has provided new opportunities to promote Salford locally, regionally and nationally. Local people and sports fans can get behind its use and in turn, this will help boost recognition for Salford as a great city to live, work

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and invest in.”

The new stadium has been built to Super League requirements and includes a 122m x 86m fibre based grass pitch with automated irrigation, 12 ten-person executive boxes and a 60-seat function room with additional outside seating.

A 750-seat banqueting suite with pitch side views will be located in the West Stand and will include a mobile LED dance floor, a state-of-the-art PA system and automatic blackout blinds.

Additional facilities include on-site parking for over 600 cars, two public lifts, three kitchens, a pressroom for up to forty journalists and Wi-Fi throughout the stadium.

Buckingham Group Director, Tim Brown, said: “We are extremely delighted to have been awarded the Salford City Stadium construction. Not only does this exciting new development benefit the people of Salford, but it is a significant boost for the Salford City Reds and its fans as they begin their campaign for a new Super League licence.”

In addition to providing a home for the Salford City Reds, the new stadium also boasts a number of community sports facilities. These include a floodlit 3G artificial pitch that incorporates 3 seven-a-side pitches and a 118m x 86m recreational grass pitch. Four changing rooms for community use have also been created.

Salford City Council Leader, Councillor John Merry, said: “This stadium is very much about the community in Salford.

We wanted to create a set of facilities that would be accessible to everyone and really support local sport in the city.

“Even before it had opened, the stadium was named as one of the venues for the 2013 Rugby World Cup, which was great news for sport in the city. Having the Reds play at the stadium means more fans than ever will get to see their team play.”

Over the last decade, a substantial investment has been made in the regeneration of Salford. With Salford City Stadium now complete, the development joins Salford Quays and MediaCityUK in bringing greater economic prosperity to the region.

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Walney Offshore Wind Farm nears completion The second phase of one of the world’s largest wind farms is almost complete.

Walney 2 is the second phase of the Walney Offshore Wind Farm project, which has already seen the construction of one wind farm in the Irish Sea, 15km off Walney Island in Cumbria.

Both of the wind farms will comprise 51 Siemens turbines and the development will have a combined capacity of 367.2MW. When the second phase is complete, the 73km² Walney Offshore Wind Farm will provide energy to power 320,000 homes.

The scheme has been implemented through a combined partnership of DONG Energy, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and OPW, with DONG Energy acting as the leading construction and operations partner.

A 3-month installation operation for foundations and cabling took place in April 2011, closely followed by a 3-month installation for offshore substations and a 6-month installation operation for the 51 turbines in May 2011.

Whilst Walney 1 took a year to complete, Walney 2 was scheduled for completion in around half the time due to an overlapping construction schedule that was specifically designed to speed up the construction process.

Crane barges, tugs and jack-up vessels worked out of ports in the East Irish Sea during the early construction period, whilst a number of smaller support vessels provided personnel transfer services and conducted environmental monitoring.

DONG Energy CEO, Anders Eldrup, said: “Walney 2 is the world’s fastest installation of an offshore wind farm and underlines DONG Energy’s position as a strong market leader within offshore wind. We’ve developed our techniques for faster and more cost efficient installation methods and this is an important step in the continuing drive to reduce the construction costs of offshore wind farms.”

On 1st November 2011 Walney 2 began delivering CO2-free electricity via turbine F14, the first of its completed turbines.

Power was supplied to the national grid via the Stanah 132kV onshore substation near Blackpool and a further ten turbines began operation shortly afterwards.

SSE Chief Operating Officer, Colin Hood, said: “This was a major milestone in the development of the Walney Offshore Wind Farm and it demonstrated the excellent progress that is being made on the project.

“As the UK’s leading generator of electricity from renewable sources, SSE is committed to helping increase the amount of renewable electricity generation in the UK and the export of electricity at Walney is a step towards achieving this.”

Commission work was temporarily delayed in December 2011 when difficult weather conditions made site access impossible.

Although wind turbines are specifically installed in areas where they can benefit from high winds, if weather conditions deteriorate, work must be placed on hold for health and safety reasons.

Prior to the change in weather, array cables that connect the Walney 2 substation to the shore were successfully laid on the seabed. However, one cable still needed to be terminated once conditions improved.

Approximately 70,000 tonnes of stone has been supplied and delivered from the Stainton Quarry to provide scour protection for the turbine foundations. The stones will be placed along a 15 metre radius around the monopole in order to reduce sand and material erosion caused by the current.

DONG Site Manager, Lars Alber, said: “The first phase of the works went well and we are now looking forward to completing the second phase with the same success.”

Walney 1 Offshore Wind Farm was completed in 2010 and be-

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gan generating power on the 13th January 2011. In October 2011, Walney Windfarms Limited completed the sale of transmission assets of Walney 1 to Blue Transmission Walney 1 Limited for £105 million. Power for Walney 1 is supplied to the national grid through the onshore transformer station in Heysham, with an approximate annual net energy of 663GWh. With a power capacity set to increase to 600MW upon the completion of Walney 2, Walney Offshore Wind Farm will make a substantial contribution to the UK’s production of renewable energy in 2012.

Batt At Sea Ltd Batt At Sea Ltd is a specialist in wind farm support vessels.

It uses marine vehicles to transport technicians to off-shore turbine towers and to carry out diving support operations.

The company is also involved in Marine Mammal Observation (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) services to monitor wildlife in areas that surround wind farms. Batt At Sea Ltd is an equal opportunities employer, with as many female members of staff to male.

On the Walney Offshore Wind Farm project Batt At Sea Ltd provides a crew transfer service. Originally this involved transporting crews to the site for cabling works, but now Batt At Sea is the main transport vessel for each crew change. It has worked on the wind farm at Walney for 18 months.

Batt At Sea Ltd Managing Director, Terry Batt, said: “At Batt At Sea Ltd we like to view ourselves as the official guardian of the sea and our boats burn approximately a tenth of the fuel of any wind farm vessel in existence today.

“This means our fuel consumption is considerably less than any other wind farm support vessel and as the whole concept of wind farms is to offer a reduced carbon footprint through low emissions, we’re proud that our service fits in perfectly with this operation.”

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

In Northfield Hall we trust Local residents of Brackenhall and Ferndale will soon be welcoming an exciting new community building.

Northfield Hall is currently taking shape in Sheepridge, Huddersfield for the Brackenhall Community Trust. Work began in July 2011 and the aim of the project is to update and replace the area’s previous community facilities. The majority of the external works are now complete on the site and with the interior fit-out underway, Northfield Hall is due to be completed in April 2012.

Deighton and Brackenhall Initiative Limited (DBI) are providing funding for the project and Fresh Horizons will manage the building once it is operational. QSP Construction is the main contractor, whilst Watson Batty Architects Limited is the architect and CDM Health and safety co-ordinator. The project is being managed by William Saunders.

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Chair of the DBI Ltd Board, Councillor Jean Calvert, said: “A new community facility for the Brackenhall and Ferndale estates has been one of the DBI’s priorities since the very beginning and the time and commitment we have put into the project along with the Trust, not to mention the major funding DBI has invested, shows our intent to make sure that the community receives the best possible facility.

“We are aware of the need to ensure Northfield Hall is sustainable so it can serve the local community for years to come and that is why we are working closely with a wide range of partners to achieve this goal. The project is further proof of DBI’s commitment to developing better facilities and services within the area, with the aim of improving the quality of life for all its residents.”

Northfield Hall is divided into a number of internal areas, including a board room, an activity room, Jolly Rodger’s play gym

and a multi-purpose area that will become a home for meetings, training courses and after school clubs.

The building will also contain a large hall for functions and events as well as a café that will open during the day to serve sandwiches and hot food and can also double as a restaurant during the evenings. A multi-use games area (MUGA) and playing fields will also be part of the development.

In addition to serving the community, Brackenhall United Reformed Church (URC) will be using a purpose-built space on the site for their services and activities.

Watson Batty Architects Director, Richard Merrills, said: “Having been involved with the whole DBI regeneration project since 2000, Watson Batty Architects is delighted to see the Northfield Hall scheme come to fruition. We have worked closely with the DBI, Brackenhall Community Trust, Brackenhall

United Reform Church and the Local Authority to help deliver such an important local landmark.

“This new building is the culmination of a great team effort and represents how integrating a number of good ideas can ultimately create a terrific shared facility.”

Brackenhall Community Trust Chair, Joan Mallinson, added: “I am really excited that construction of Northfield Hall is nearing completion. After many years of hard work by many people, it now feels like the end is in sight and now the building has a name and identity it feels that little bit more real.

“As a Trust we are committed to ensuring that Northfield Hall will offer the best facilities and service possible for the local community now and for the future.”

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Barnsley Town Hall is as good as new Main contractor GRAHAM Construction has almost completed a challenging project to restore Barnsley Town Hall back to its former condition.

The intensive refurbishment project began in March 2011 and has included internal alterations and refurbishment, new windows to external elevations and structural repairs.

Barnsley Town Hall was hidden under a curtain of 700 square metres of scaffolding for eight months whilst essential work was carried out to the exterior. In total, the contractors removed almost eight years of accumulated dirt. This huge task included essential re-pointing of brickwork and the restoration of the fine stonework, which will ensure the longevity of the building for future generations.

Martin Flynn, GRAHAM Construction, said: “Old buildings are always interesting because they are an unknown quantity, whether that is to the designers of the contractors, until you get in there and open them up, you can’t be entirely sure what exactly it is that you are dealing with.

“It is always challenging to restore a building as close to the original condition as possible, and this project was certainly no exception. However, with the challenge comes a great sense of achievement and I can honestly say that this has been an extremely enjoyable for us as a company to work on.

“I am extremely pleased with the progress that has been made and hope to deliver Barnsley Town Hall back to the client in the condition that they are expecting to find it.”

Also included as part of the overall refurbishment scheme is

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the creation of ‘Experience Barnsley’, which will incorporate museum galleries, an archives centre, learning centre, workshops and a cafe. In addition to attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the town centre each year, the galleries will showcase the many attractions and heritage sites that the town of Barnsley has to offer.

Facilities for the borough’s heritage community will include training, specialist equipment and heritage workspace. Staff will also be on hand to help with activities and events.

Dr. Fiona Spiers, Regional Director of the Heritage Lottery Fund for Yorkshire and Humber, said: “The impressive restoration work undertaken means that once again Barnsley Town Hall stands proud.”

Councillor Steve Houghton added: “We look forward to Barnsley Town Hall reopening, when it will continue its role as

the civic and democratic heart for future generations, as well as welcoming and attracting new visitors to the town as the new museum and archive centre, Experience Barnsley.”

The transformation of a former office building in Leeds into a ten-storey Premier Inn hotel is almost complete.

The new Hepworth Point Premier Inn is located on the outskirts of the city, adjacent to the new Leeds Arena. Due to be completed by the end of February 2012, the hotel will house 131 bedrooms, a bar and restaurant, along with a reception area and additional ancillary rooms.

Property specialists Bruntwood Estates owns the building and has agreed to lease it to Whitbread for the purpose of running it as a Premier Inn hotel. The development will comprise a mixture of double, triple and quad bedrooms, with several rooms specifically designed to accommodate disabled guests.

Before work to transform the former office space could begin, all of the existing office elements including partitions and suspended ceilings had to be removed in order to leave just a concrete shell. Bedroom and corridor wall partitions were then installed and a new drain system was core drilled through the existing concrete floor slabs in order to meet drainage requirements.

Following this, new ceilings were installed and the number of

window openings was increased. All of the existing windows in the hotel have also been upgraded by the installation of secondary glazing. With the addition of insulation to the wall linings, the secondary glazing will allow the development to meet the thermal and acoustic requirements of the site.

Internal work has included the fit out of carpets and fixtures in bedrooms, whilst new glazed curtain walling has been introduced to the ground floor bar and restaurant areas.

External work has included the painting of the corrugated metal clad building and the installation of signage featuring the

GRAHAM Construction GRAHAM Construction dates back to 1798 and became incorporated as a limited company in 1955. Since then the company has successfully completed numerous landmark projects and has subsequently become a leading player in all areas of building, civil engineering and facilities management. Today, GRAHAM has more than 1,000 employees and operates from a network of regional offices across the UK and Ireland.

For more information on GRAHAM Construction, visit www. graham.co.uk.

Leeds welcomes new Premier Inn

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N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re Premier Inn logo.

An existing shared car park is located underneath the hotel and will provide parking spaces for disabled drivers. In addition, a small section of pavement outside of the hotel has been modified to create a taxi drop-off point for the site.

The architect for the conversion scheme is Allison Pike Partnership. Having already completed a number of Premier Inn conversions and new build projects for Whitbread, the company has worked closely with Bruntwood Estates in order to deliver this project.

Sanderson is the main contractor and Peter Hucks of Summit is the structural consultant. The project manager for Bruntwood Estates is James O’Keeffe, whilst the project manager for Whitbread is Aiden Lewis of Fletcher McNeil. Bruntwood Estates’ mechanical and electrical consultant is Andy Archer of Compas Energy, whilst Aaron Sutcliffe of Thornley & Lumb is the mechanical and electrical consultant for Whitbread.

Subcontractor mechanical works are being undertaken by Abbey Plumbing Limited and electrical subcontractor works are being undertaken by John Dawson Electrical.

Allison Pike Partnership Director, Chris Gill, said: “Having previously been a ten-storey office building on the outskirts of Leeds City centre, it’s great to see a building like this transformed into a new Premier Inn. This is made even more exciting by the fact that it is opposite such an exciting and high profile development as the new Leeds Arena.

“We’re putting in many of the standard elements that you’d find in the current generation of Premier Inns and this includes the new automatic check-in machines, which will enable guests to check in for themselves.”

He added: “All of the subcontractors and professional consultants involved on this project have previous experience working on Premier Inn sites and the whole team has worked very well together to produce this latest development.”

Transforming traffic with the New Tyne Crossing After almost four years, motorists in the North East are finally able to make use of the fully operational New Tyne Crossing.

The aim of the project was to dual the A19 beneath the Tyne by constructing a second road tunnel. The new road tunnel provides southbound traffic with two lanes, whilst the original refurbished tunnel consists of two lanes of traffic for northbound travellers.

Elected Mayor for North Tyneside, Mrs. Linda Arkley, said: “This is a pivotal event for North Tyneside, and for the region as a whole. Now that we have two vehicle tunnels carrying traffic under the Tyne supported by the initial improvements to the junction at Silverlink - we will see a transformation of traffic flow on the A19, making a huge difference for drivers who use the route.”

Linda added: “The TT2 project has provided us with an enviable link to the south of the region, which can only encourage more people to live, shop and do business here - which is fantastic news for the borough.”

As the flow of traffic has almost quadrupled from 24,000 vehicles to an estimated 80,000, the implementation of two road tunnels will help to reduce congestion dramatically. It is only the third project of its kind in Britain and has already saved motorists both time and money on their daily commute. This is welcome news for motorists, as a May 2011 Inrix Traffic Services survey previously identified the Tyne Tunnel as the fourth worst traffic hotspot in the UK. Chairman of the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority, Councillor David Wood, said: “I look forward to not hearing the Tyne Tunnels mentioned on every traffic bulletin as a pinch-point on the region’s roads!

“This milestone is the culmination of a lot of hard work by thousands of people. I pay tribute especially to the contribution made by the Concessionaire TT2, by the contractor Bouygues and all of its sub-contractors, and by the Transport Authority’s team in enabling the project to be delivered ahead of schedule.

“I also look forward to the tunnels contributing to the economic growth of the area and improving the links between people and job opportunities.”

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AECOM On the New Tyne Crossing project AECOM undertook design work on all aspects of highway and highway structures for main contractor Bouygues Travaux Publics SA. The primary elements of AECOM’s brief comprised of designs for the upgraded of A19 trunk road approaches on both the north and south banks of the river Tyne, together with local feeder roads, new toll plazas and associated highway structures.

Key to achieving the technically challenging designs was finding a way to accommodate the southern approach junction that was located within a heavily constrained residential area.

This was further compounded by the presence of Metro and industrial rail lines. AECOM solved this problem by developing the existing portal into a grade separated 4-arm junction that

utilised departures from geometric design standards, incorporated inlay/overlay pavement design and included an innovative lightweight structural polystyrene foundation. This was all undertaken to overcome complex ground conditions.

A hybrid design was then developed that incorporated the polystyrene structure within the envelope of an existing matrix of cellular reinforced concrete boxes. Using 3D surface and sub-surface modelling and a coordinated service routing strategy, this approach negated the costly removal of the structure in its entirety and assisted in minimising differential settlement beneath the highway.

AECOM’s coordinated design approach was integral to ensuring the timely delivery of this multi-disciplinary solution and its completion was critical to traffic management phasing and the completion of the southern tolling plaza.

Woodcock & Wilson Huddersfield based Woodcock & Wilson became involved with the New Tyne Crossing project around three years ago.

Richard Wilson, the company’s Service Director, said: “We were approached by the main contractors, French based Bouygues Travaux Publics, to tender for work on the tunnel exhaust system and were subsequently awarded the contract to remove, refurbish, reinstall and re-commission the fans deployed to maintain the quality of air in the tunnel.”

Commenting on the extensive work undertaken, Richard added: “We had a three month time-window to undertake complete refurbishment. I’m pleased to report that our engineers did a brilliant job, which allowed us to complete the project on time and to budget. Everyone at our company is delighted with this outcome.”

A spokesperson for Bouygues Travaux Publics commenting on the work undertaken by W&W said: “Everything that was required to meet the ambitious aims of this contract was completed to our entire satisfaction by the Woodcock & Wilson team.”

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

Call our news team on 01706 719972

Improving the route along the A19 Work is underway to upgrade the A19 carriageway from Dishforth to Tyne Tunnel.

The A19 Dishforth to Tyne Tunnel project is part of the Tranche 1A Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) programme. This scheme will see a number of improvements made along the route in order to provide a greater transport capacity for motorists and improve the safety of road users and local residents.

The project will include improvements for the A19/A168 Trunk Road between Dishforth and the Tyne Tunnel, the A174 between Parkway and Wilton, the A1053 and a small section of the A66 between the A19 and Teesside.

The A19 between Norton and Parkway will be widened in order to include the introduction of dual three and four-lane carriageways, with work taking place over a 7km stretch. The project will reduce congestion and accidents along the busy route and will see the construction of eighteen major structures. In addition, the widening project aims to reduce noise and air pollution in the surrounding area.

Improvements to the A19/A1058 Coast Road Junction will see work undertaken on the

A1058, 1.5 miles north of the Tyne Tunnel Crossing, where the junction crosses the A19.

In 2006 this scheme was viewed by the North East Regional Transport Board as a vital stage of overall improvement works to the A19. Approximately 69,000 vehicles pass through the junction each day, a number that is predicted to rise to 85,500 by 2031.

The A19/A168 Dishforth to Tyne Tunnel trunk road links Tyneside, Wearside and Teesside to the A1(M) and is approximately 73.32 miles in length.

The route is an important link for a high volume of traffic and connects the rural areas of North Yorkshire with the industrial sectors of eastern County Durham and the Teesside conurbation.

Autolink Concessionaries Ltd will operate and maintain the A19 Dishforth to Tyne Tunnel project as part of the 30-year ongoing maintenance contract awarded to the

www.romauk.net

company in 1996. The company is a consortium comprised of three companies: Sir Robert McAlpin, Taylor Woodrow and Amey.

The ongoing contract involves undertaking routine maintenance and delegating additional responsibilities under the Environmental Protection Act. The contract was first awarded to Autolink Concessionaries in 1996 and it is believed that it will be worth around £330 million over the 30-year period.

The initial construction of capital works, including the Norton to Parkway improvement scheme, is valued at £29.4 million.

Hotel Indigo is here to stay Newcastle is expected to benefit from a boost in tourism and the creation of approximately 60 jobs when the £14 million Hotel Indigo opens in spring 2012.

Hotel Indigo is a boutique concept by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) that offers guests the impressive luxury and individuality that is expected from a 4-star hotel. The concept includes a retail-inspired design concept that will change throughout the year and each property is designed to reflect the culture, character and history of the surrounding neighbourhood.

Situated on Fenkle Street, Hotel Indigo Newcastle is just a two-minute walk from Central Station and a ten-minute walk to Newcastle United Football Club. The Grainger town area is a hot-spot for cutting-edge architecture and is just a short stroll away from the city’s restaurants, shops, bars and business district.

Hotel Indigo Newcastle will offer 148 luxury bedrooms, a number of which will have their own balconies. Also included in the scheme is a 120-seat Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill.

Main contractor for the project is Denizen Contracts.

Nick Taplin, Managing Director of Sanguine Hospitality, said: “There’s a big gap in Newcastle for this type of hotel and a big gap in the market for the restaurant as well. We are going to make a mark in Newcastle and we are going to up the ante.

“The tourism it will bring into the city will be massive. Our link with Intercontinental means its customers will be coming to Newcastle and spending money here in the cafes, bars and shops. Fans of Marco Pierre White will also be coming to the city to go to his latest restaurant.

“It’s going to be the place to be.”

The architectural design of the hotel has been heavily influenced by its location within the historic Grainger Town area.

As a result, the development features bold geometric forms, classical proportions and repeating patterns that mimic the architecture and column rows that can be seen around the local

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neighbourhood.

Each of the 148 bedrooms will be individually styled and will feature oversized beds, spacious bathrooms and invigorating rainfall showers. Other luxuries include 24-hour room service, a complimentary mini-bar, air conditioning and an in-room safe.

Also included in the Hotel Indigo Newcastle package is the Grainger Lounge, free Wi-Fi, onsite car parking and a state-ofthe-art Fitness Room.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Hotel Indigo experience is the prestigious Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill, which will offer guests a place to enjoy world-class food in an environment that is casual, fun and inexpensive.

Each of the delicious dishes will be prepared onsite by the head chef, with each meal being made with food that is fresh, locally sourced and ethically sustained. Their special menus will boast a range of flavours, textures and tastes, with each plate offering something different from the last. Also included in the dining experience is an extensive wine list that features

full-bodied wines, champagnes, ports and ales.

Managing Director, Nick Taplin, said: “I used to come to Newcastle when I was growing up. My parents had good friends who lived in the city and I would come here in the school holidays. I’ve loved Newcastle from a young age.

“We looked at five sites in Newcastle but decided on Fenkle Street because of its great location. It was just perfect and it’s in a great location with Metro and railway links. It’s an up and

coming part of town and I think the hotel will lift the area.

“Marco was really keen to open here. It’s a big city for Marco and the one thing about Newcastle is that there has always been a great nightlife, so being part of that is the right thing to do.

Marco is all about cooking simple food with quality ingredients.

We will be using local suppliers.

“Our selling point is that we have unique story for each hotel and we take in its locality. As a result, all of the artwork will feature local landmarks such as the bridges and Grainger Town.”

Bond Court arrives Following a major refurbishment and modernisation operation, 28 Bond Court is now open for business.

The site, formerly known as Midland House, was brought by Wilton Developments in September 2010 and has since undergone a radical transformation in order to provide Leeds with a brand new office and retail development.

The six-storey site comprises 15,250 sq ft of Grade A office and retail space and includes a reception, changing rooms, storage areas, a 13 person lift, contemporary toilet facilities and a basement level bicycle rack. The building is also conveniently located close to the railway station and will offer occupiers the opportunity to lease office space in the heart of Leeds City centre.

Wilton Developments Development Manager, James Scott, said: “We saw a gap in the supply of true high-quality accommodation in Leeds for small to medium sized firms and that is where 28 Bond Court comes into its own.

“We have floor plates of 2,500 sq ft and we can offer occupiers small suites to meet the needs of their business. We have delivered the best in office design, without compromising on quality.”

Tolent Construction was the main contractor on the project and now complete Pudney Shuttleworth will market the ground floor retail space, whilst DTZ and Knight Frank will act as joint letting agent.

DTZ’s Office Agency Team Associate Director, Eamon Fox, said: “The property delivers individual suites of 1,000 sq ft upwards, which gives occupiers – in particular smaller companies – a quality alternative to expensive serviced accommodation.

“There is no shortage of Grade A accommodation within Leeds City Centre for larger occupiers. However, smaller occupiers are forced to either occupy serviced accommodation or in many cases occupy accommodation that is not reflective of their aspirations.

“28 Bond Court will offer wonderful alternative suites of an

exemplary standard in a prime location.”

Pudney Shuttleworth Director, Richard Shuttleworth, added: “We have set aside the ground floor of the building for retail use and, given current interest, it is envisaged that a high end coffee house or delicatessen will be secured shortly. There is excellent pedestrian footfall past this centrally located building and we are watching with interest as the development takes shape.”

Tolent Construction Limited Since 1983 Tolent Construction Limited has conducted a range of building and civil engineering works, throughout the public and private sector. The company has offices in Yorkshire, Manchester, London, Tyneside and Teeside and has handled contracts from £1,000 up to £60 million.

Tolent Construction Limited prides itself on its large workforce and sees this as a major factor in maintaining its excellent safety record whilst working across projects in the industrial, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, commercial, leisure and waste sectors.

Tolent Construction Limited is a subsidiary of Tolent Plc.

To Hull and back The site of a former silo in Hull has been given a new lease of life thanks to a new state-of-the-art insulated transit warehouse.

The £3.5 million warehouse at King George Dock in the Port of Hull was completed in December 2011. The project was funded

by Associated British Ports (ABP) Port of Hull and following the 21-week construction scheme, it is now the new base of operations for TransAtlantic along the Humber.

Work began on the construction of the 10-acre Design and Build terminal in July 2011 with Britcon as the main contractor.

The building features a steel framework with insulated cladding and it will be used to store steel coils.

In addition to the warehouse, the project also included the

refurbishment of a railway line that runs directly into the site.

The railway line is now fully operational and will be used by TransAtlantic up to three times a week to transport products out of the warehouse.

External works included the installation of a canopy fitted to the front of the building and external paving around the site, which incorporated materials recovered from a previous development.

Humidity controls and internal lighting were then installed inside the warehouse, followed by the relocation of two mobile harbor cranes.

With the warehouse now fully operational, TransAtlantic has relocated from its previous facility at the Port of Goole. The move was required due to an increase in the company’s trading output ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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to Sweden, which the Goole site was unfortunately no longer able to accommodate.

ABP Port Director for Hull & Goole, Matt Jukes, said: “After many successful years of operating at Goole, we were delighted to respond to TransAtlantic’s expansion plans through the investment at King George Dock, which will now further strengthen Hull’s role in Scandinavian trade.

“Although TransAtlantic has now left Goole, ABP is actively marketing its former terminal and we are in discussions with a number of companies who see Goole, the UK’s most inland port, as an exciting opportunity for new trade development.”

The Port of Hull is one of the UK’s leading foreign-trading ports and sees regular short-sea services operate to Europe, Scandinavia and the Baltic states. The port also benefits from worldwide deep-sea connections and is the only passenger port on the Humber, handling nearly one million passengers per year. TransAtlantic will now operate its Trans Pal Line service from the port, which will call at Amsterdam and the Swedish ports of Västerås, Oxelösund, Norrköping and Åhus.

TransAtlantic UK Ltd Managing Director, Nick Green, said: “This new modern terminal in Hull gives us operational advantages, which will result in improved service to our clients.”

Rederi AB TransAtlantic Senior Advisor, Marten Carlquist, added: “The Hull terminal creates a new platform for development of TransAtlantic and we are now looking forward to expanding our business in cooperation with ABP.” Associated British Ports is the UK’s leading port group and owns and operates 21 ports throughout the UK, handling approximately a quarter of its seaborne trade. The company’s property division ABP Group Property is responsible for managing the group’s extensive land and property assets, including

the site at King George Dock.

Britcon In conjunction with the project at King George Dock, Britcon redeveloped the existing facility at the site known as Shed 4 by improving access, constructing a gatehouse and conducting external works.

Throughout the company’s 21 year history Britcon have provided a customer focused approach to Port Operators having undertaken major projects at the majority of the east coast ports including Hull, Grimsby, Immingham, Goole, Ipswich and Kings Lynn.

Britcon Managing Director, Shaun Hunt, said: “Our expertise and knowledge of design and build at ports facilities coupled with Britcon’s diversification into emerging market sectors including Renewable Energy demonstrates our company’s long term commitment and strategy. We look forward to assisting Associated British Ports maintain a sustainable future throughout the development of the Humber Ports.”

The completion of works at King George Dock has crowned a highly successful period for Britcon which has seen significant growth within specific market sectors including the energy and renewables sector, rail infrastructure, retail and leisure industries.

Britcon is involved in many projects throughout the UK, but always takes greatest pleasure in working within the local community. Recently completed projects include a multi-million pound facility which turns food waste into energy at Doncaster and fire and rescue training facilities in Sheffield. The company’s Engineering Services also has a strong presence within the Rail Infrastructure sector.

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A little extra care for Chestnut Grange As the first development of its kind in Burton upon Trent, the new Chestnut Grange extra-care home provides 24/7 care for the elderly community.

Designed by Walker Troup Architects and part funded by the HCA, the £8.5 million project involved the construction of 67 units, comprising a mixture of one and two-bedroom apartments.

County Councillor, Matthew Ellis, said: “This is tremendous news for the Burton people and helps towards our commitment for more high quality lifestyle orientated developments across Staffordshire for those who have varying care needs, or are simply getting that bit older.

“Chestnut Grange is a great example of how people can live life to the full with greater independence and safe in the knowledge that there is 24/7 care and support available on demand as their health circumstances change.

“We pledged back in 2009 to raise the number of Extra/Flexi Care places available to buy or rent across Staffordshire from 430 and then to 1500 over 4 years. We are now on track for over 2000, meaning that even more people will be able to maintain active, flexible and enjoyable lives as they get older or their health needs change.”

Before the project could commence, two existing buildings on the site – Horace Pritchard House and Anglesey Court Sheltered Housing – had to be demolished. Following this, main contractor Bullock Construction began the construction of the extra-care scheme in May 2010.

Featuring brick and render with copper fins, a curved entrance

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and an atrium area, the modern development was designed to achieve ‘Lifetime Home Standards’, which provides for longterm adaptability and flexibility. The development was also built to BREEAM ‘Very Good’ standard and sustainable features include grey water recycling, rainwater harvesting and photovoltaic cells on the roof.

Landscaping has included the creation of a private rear garden, a sensory garden feature and a rear canopy over the patio area.

Another first within the design is an exclusive garden pavilion by Crown Pavilions, Hampden Court.

Steve McLoughlin, Project Manager for Trent & Dove Housing, said: “The project was not without its challenges. In order for construction to begin, two existing buildings had to be demolished and asbestos removal carried out. In addition, the main sewer that ran through the site had to be diverted and material had to be moved to and from the site whilst keeping the residents happy.

“However, the team managed to overcome all challenges and we’ve got exactly what we wanted out of the project.”

With the scheme now complete, exciting facilities available for residents include 24-hour care, communal rooms for activities, scooter stores and a media room. In addition, there is a hairdressing salon, a small shop and an IT suite.

£200 million centre is at the cutting edge of medical research The new flagship home for the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) has been completed at the newly established Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge.

Designed by RMJM Architects and carried out by main contractor BAM Construction, the development was built for the Medical Research Council (MRC) and replaces an older facility.

The new site will enable world-class researchers at the LMB and at the university’s Clinical School and Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to establish new links and work together in translating basic fundamental research.

Discoveries and inventions developed at the LMB – including DNA sequencing and determining the structure of proteins – have revolutionised all areas of biology.

Initial site works included the enlargement of an existing roundabout and the construction of a new length of carriageway with footways. This in turn facilitated the erection of the principal laboratory building and an attendant Energy Centre.

The footprint of the main building stands at around 165 metres long and 67 metres wide. The three floors of main workspace rise to a height of 19 metres, whilst the height increases to approximately 23 metres in order to accommodate the central atrium and rooftop restaurant. Rising above the main bulk of the building, the plant towers and associated flues reach a maximum height of 35.5 metres.

At ground floor level, the main entrance is located to the east of the building, whilst the first floor features a lecture theatre at the front and the second floor mimics the basic layout of the floors below.

The workspace on each of the floors is arranged in parallel blocks that twist at opposing ends to create an ‘X’ chromosome shaped footprint on an east-west axis. The workspaces are separated by a central atrium that is bridged internally and acts as a communal circulation space. On the third floor, there is a restaurant and coffee shop in the southwest corner, along with a terrace that runs along the southern and western edges of the roof.

Over each occupied floor is an interstitial floor. An interstitial floor is a floor level that specifically provides servicing and ventilation for the workspaces below. This facilitates the majority of maintenance outside scientific areas and increases the building’s adaptability.

The interstitial floors in turn feed into four external plant towers that supply and extract from the area. One of the advantages of this arrangement is that it removes the need to stack the plant on the roof and minimises the vibration above the research space. Additional four plant towers are located centrally at the

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Midlands & East Anglia top of the building and provide secondary and specialist air handling.

Externally, the workspace and interstitial floors feature a layer of single glazing. Behind this is another layer of double glazing for the workspace and metal panel cladding to the interstitial floors. The layered nature of the glazing creates a void that acts as a thermal flue, providing insulation in the winter and an escape for hot air in the summer.

Also included in the scheme is an Energy Centre, which will generate and distribute energy for the LMB. Located to the north of the development, the centre is separated from the main building by a service yard.

The Energy Centre is 95 metres long on the northern side and measures 27 metres at its widest point. It rises to a height of 13 metres and is finished with a mixture of precast concrete panels and metal grilles.

Out with the old and in with the new A huge refurbishment project has transformed a derelict building in Great Yarmouth into the state-of-the-art Phoenix House primary and community healthcare centre.

R.G Carter was the main contractor and Chaplin Farrant was the architect for the project, which was completed in September 2011.

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Unfortunately, the earlier 19th Century school house building on the site was destroyed in a fire in 1999 leaving a substantial external shell. This had become overgrown with vegetation over the following decade, so the building needed to be completely cleared of this and extensive fire-damaged materials before construction could commence. Once the building had been

cleared, an extra storey was built on top and a new roof was installed.

Although no landscaping has taken place given the close proximity of a large public car park, the development does feature a small courtyard with planters and bird boxes. In order to achieve the required BREEAM standard, an extensive programme of ecology research was carried out and the centre has also incorporated sustainable features such as photovoltaic cells on the roof.

Now operating as a fully functional primary healthcare centre, the development also features a walk-in facility that offers care from 8am to 8pm every day of the week, including Christmas Day. Gitte Kjeldsen Highland, Chaplin Farrant, said: “This was a challenging project as we had to respect the traditional style of the existing building whilst updating it in order to facilitate the change in use. We therefore tried to replicate some of the original features, such as the sash windows, whilst

adhering to modern requirements like insulation levels.

“Making sure that the building was structurally sound was an initial priority, particularly as it had fallen into such a state of disrepair. The building is also in a conservation area, so we had to make sure that it sat well within the existing surroundings.

“A particularly interesting aspect for us is the way in which we have been able to integrate a modern building within a traditional build. We ultimately chose not to follow the more common method of simply modernising an existing building and have instead combined the two eras.

“In general, the project progressed very well. There are always snags and the unexpected when working on a building but a collective team effort ensured that all challenges were overcome.

“This was a fun project to have been involved with and it was very exciting to see the finished building. Phoenix House will help to bring that part of Yarmouth back to life whilst serving an important community purpose.”

Mecanoo Architects read between the lines A thrilling project to create one of the largest public libraries in Europe is underway in Birmingham.

The new Library of Birmingham will replace the existing Birmingham Central Library, in the process setting a new standard for the 21st century and transforming the public perception of the city.

Birmingham Central Library opened in 1974 and houses an extremely valuable collection of archives, photography and rare printed books. However, the environmental conditions of the building are inherently unsuitable and have caused several of the irreplaceable collections to deteriorate. The new library will therefore provide a new home for the collections, safeguarding them for future generations and enabling improved access through purpose-built galleries and search rooms.

Located on Centenary Square between Baskerville House and the Birmingham Reparatory Theatre, the new library stands in the middle of the city’s cultural quarter. Meanwhile, the present library occupies a strategically important site which has been earmarked for development and expansion as part of Birmingham’s ‘Big City Plan’. It is hoped that the library project will both aid in the regeneration of the city and act as a landmark development in its own right.

The £193 million scheme was approved by Birmingham City Council in October 2007 and construction began in January 2010. Funding for the project has primarily been provided by the city council, whilst further funding will be raised from land sale, commercial sponsorship and private philanthropy.

Designed by Dutch-based architectural practice Mecanoo, the library comprises ten floors and covers 31,000 square metres of space. The development boasts a spacious entrance and foyer with mezzanine, a lower ground level with terraces, four further public levels and two outdoor garden terraces. In addition, there are two cafes on the first and third floors respectively, along with conference space.

Two of the levels will be occupied by a ‘golden box’ of secure archive storage with a new exhibition space that will allow public access to the collections for the first time. The golden box will be formed from gold coloured anodised aluminium panels and the metallic finish will change hue depending on the weather conditions.

A rooftop rotunda will house the Shakespeare Memorial Room and a viewing gallery, where visitors will be able to look down at the city below. In addition, a large outdoor amphitheatre will provide a performance space for music, drama, poetry reading and storytelling.

The concrete frame structure also features a unique frieze that covers the entirety of the library. Each section of the cladding is formed from 5.4m diameter black rings and 1.8m diameter silver rings, which according to architects Mecanoo is ‘inspired by the gasometers, tunnels, canals and viaducts which fuelled Birmingham’s industrial growth’.

Francine Houben, Mecanoo, said: “The circular pattern of the metal framework honours the city’s industrial heritage, in

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particular the craftsmanship in metal work. For me, the circles symbolise unity and relate well to the purpose of the metal frieze, unifying the different functions within the building with one gesture and expressing openness to the public.”

One of the most interesting features of the development is the inclusion of large external terraces, which will provide visitors with outdoor reading areas. This will allow the public to engage with both the library and the surrounding area, subsequently establishing the building within the community.

Brian Gambles, Project Director, explained: “One of the key messages that I gave to the design team was that I wanted the library to work very closely and effectively with the public realm. This is an extremely important public sector project and one of the largest cultural developments in this country, if not Europe.

“The project has not been without its challenges. We are working on a very restricted site in terms of size and accessibility and as a result the construction team has had to be imaginative in their efforts. Fortunately the Repertory Theatre and the library have some services in common and we have been able to inte-

RHWL Architects prepare to graduate with a first class hotel The University of Nottingham hotel will offer an exciting new space for conference delegates, university visitors, local businesses and the general public when it is completed later this year.

The £20m eco-friendly hotel is situated next to the East Midlands Conference Centre on University Park and will comprise 200 high quality bedrooms, along with executive rooms and meeting rooms, a restaurant and a gym.

Set amidst a beautiful orchard site, RHWL Architects have designed the building to nestle harmoniously within the surrounding hillside. The five-storey development consists of two bedroom blocks with a central glass atrium that houses the reception, lounge, library and bar. Interestingly, the bedroom floors rise from the regional natural stone bases in horizontal bands, echoing the natural strata seen in the surrounding rock formations.

Built to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards, the new hotel boasts several sustainable features. Structural adaptations include green roofs at high and low levels, high performance glazing that maximises natural daylight and a 45 metre timber canopy of curved Glulam beams and timber solar shading fins above the glass roof. In addition, the development has incorporated ground source heat pumps, combined heat and power (CHP)

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grate the two buildings. In addition, the underground space has been used effectively and natural light can now flow into this space as a result of the creative use of heights.

“Because we are in a very busy location in the city centre, Carillion has had to manage a large volume of vehicles that have brought materials to the site. Whilst this has resulted in partial road closure, the effects of construction have been minimised by close interaction with the local residents and businesses. It was very important that the construction team behaved as a considerate builder and I am pleased to say that Carillion have performed this role brilliantly.

“It gives me great pride to report that the project is currently both on programme and under budget. This is an extremely important development for the city of Birmingham and will allow us to transform the image of the region through the promotion of culture. Although the area already celebrates a large number of visitors, it is hoped that the new library will bring even more people to this wonderful city.”

The new Library of Birmingham is scheduled for completion in April 2013.

and photovoltaic cells.

Landscaping will include the creation of a stunning garden between the two bedroom blocks.

Corrie Jones, RHWL Architects, said: “The main idea behind this project was that we wanted to create an experience for visitors. When we first visited the site, we felt that it would be a pity to disrupt such a natural landscape and so we decided that we would make all of our public spaces as open and transparent as possible.

“One of our key objectives was to enhance the connection from the EMCC to the beautiful Millennium Gardens and the rest of the university to the east. We wanted visitors to be able to arrive at the front door and walk through the space and into the natural landscape beyond, almost without noticing that they had ever entered the building.”

BAM Construction was appointed as the main contractor in the summer of 2011. Funded by the University of Nottingham, the new hotel will complement the existing facilities provided by the EMCC, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010.

Professor David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, said: “The key aspect of the proposed design of the hotel is how well it nestles into the surrounding orchard hillside landscape and its environmental sustainability credentials.

“Although the hotel will complement the hugely successful EMCC on University Park, it will also generate an income in its own right, providing accommodation for the general public, local businesses and visitors to the University. I am sure that the hotel will prove to be a valuable asset for the future development of the University and further enhance its important contribution to the city.”

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A place to live, laugh and learn An exciting project that will deliver contemporary new accommodation for students is underway in Nottingham.

Located on Russell Street, the 210-unit development is situated on a former industrial site directly in between Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham. The £6.3 million development is being constructed by Ocon Construction and will comprise a mixture of studio apartments and en-suite study bedrooms arranged in four, five and six room clusters.

Each of the room types will have an associated kitchen/living/ dining space.

Other facilities include a reception area, common room and a laundry.

The building has been constructed in two four-storey blocks, one of which is L-shaped and the other is rectangular. The development features a lightweight steel frame with prefabricated brick panel cladding, which has ultimately removed the need for scaffolding.

External works will include limited car parking space and ample external secure bicycle storage.

Raj Shah, CATSUP Ltd, said: “This is a speculative development so we need to ensure that it is ready in plenty of time for the new student intake and that it will be of a quality standard that will appeal to students from both of Nottingham’s universities.

“Having already worked with Ocon Construction, we were confident that they had the expertise to deliver to these criteria and their experience of the sector and of Nottingham has already proved an immense help in securing planning for the development.”

Nigel Athorn, Ocon’s Project Manager, added: “This scheme is indicative of the solutions-driven approach we take to working with our clients, enabling a scheme to progress from site acquisition to completed building. We will be using the same team that we recently used on our successful Chettles Yard project and look forward to a similar positive outcome.”

As a company that specialises in fast track design and build schemes, Ocon have produced over 10,000 student rooms in the last five years and currently have a further 2000 in progress.

As a result, the company has accrued a formidable reputation within the student accommodation market. This extensive knowledge base has been diversified in order to focus on other room-based projects, including: hotels, residential schemes and care homes for both private and public sector clients.

(SUB) Baudet UK Limited (END SUB) Baudet is a leading supplier of prefabricated bathroom pods for use across the construction industry. In the UK the company supplies pods to university halls of residence, hotels, social housing facilities and the private sector.

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Baudet UK provide a complete bespoke service for its clients, including supply, delivery and installation and as the refurbishment market is a fast paced industry Baudet’s demountable pods can be inserted into existing buildings to reduce programme costs. In addition to this the company supplies spare parts within 24 hours across the UK. With over 300 employees across Europe, Baudet boasts a wealth of experience amongst its team and continually strives to meet the ever changing needs of its clients.

You can contact Baudet UK on 0845 475 0007 to discuss your requirements.

Fire station opens in Sheringham A new fire station in Sheringham will replace and upgrade the facilities of a former station in the town.

Located at Cromer Road, the new twostorey Sheringham Fire Station has been built adjacent to the site of the old station.

Sheringham’s latest headquarters is now fully operational and includes greatly im-

the country.

The station was designed with a shared usage plan in place so that local emergency services such as the police and ambulance services could operate from the site. A designated car parking space for an ambulance was also included in the design.

As part of improvements to the site, a brickwork training tower was built to replace the steel free-standing tower that was located at the previous site. The training tower allows crew members to practise ladder work and also includes a dry riser hydrant.

With the fire station now complete, the second phase of the project will commence in February 2012 with the construction of a community centre alongside the station. Once this six month phase is complete, the project will conclude with the construction of a brand new Tesco store on the site of the former station.

Tesco is funding the entire project and aims to have the new store open by the summer of 2013.

proved facilities for crew members.

Construction began on the ÂŁ1.25 million project in June 2011 and the building became operational in December 2011.

Following this, an official opening day took place in January 2012.

Main contractor for the project was Fisher Bullen and the architect was Paul Thurlby of Gordon White & Hood.

The new Sheringham Fire Station is a steel frame construction with cavity walls and concrete floors. In order to make the building more energy efficient, an air source heat pump was installed. The development features a brickwork exterior and landscaping to the front of the building, including a mulched area with additional shrubs and fencing.

The new station boasts two-bay stations to accommodate a second fire engine and will benefit from the arrival of a new offroad fire engine in March. The off-road vehicle will be able to work through severe conditions including forest fires, snow and flooding, and is one of ten rural engines being deployed across

New centre provides support to Bromsgrove A new centre that will provide support and assistance to stroke survivors has opened its doors in Bromsgrove.

The Life After Stroke Centre of Excellence on Church Lane is a brand new facility for the Stroke Association and will enable the non-profit organisation to have a more hands-on role within the community.

Refurbishment work commenced in July 2011, but as the build-

ing was formerly a concrete testing site all internal fixtures and fittings had to be completely removed before any work could be conducted. Once the removal work was completed, partitions were added to create office space and furniture recycled from three former Stroke Association offices was installed. A new two-storey fully glazed reception area was also constructed at the rear of the building in order to create a central hub for the facility.

External alterations have also been made to the front of house car park in order to improve accessibility for visitors and introduce four new disabled spaces. A courtyard to the rear of the building has been kept intact and will now be used as an important outdoor rehabilitation space for visitors.

Shaylor Special Projects Ltd was the main contractor for the project, which was designed by Davis Weatherill Partners.

Kendal was the mechanical and electrical consultant, whilst

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Midlands & East Anglia Mark Brock was the structural consultant.

Life After Stroke Centre Project Manager, Lyn Dunkley, said: “The introduction of the new reception area is a great addition to the building as it really opens up the site. The reception is a very modern example of architecture and it has been glazed to draw in as much natural light as possible, in the process creating a bright focal point for the centre.”

“As we are a disabled charity, we have put everything that we can think of into the building to make the Life After Stroke Centre of Excellence as user-friendly for our visitors as possible. This has included widening door frames and installing a platform lift to improve accessibility and fitting ramps, handrails, DDA toilets and showers. In addition, lighting and heating facilities have been upgraded.

“We have also worked with a conservation officer for the outside lighting and as the building is located on a blind bend, we have completed a travel plan to reduce congestion by identifying the amount of traffic that will be entering and exiting the site each day.”

“The goal of this centre is to assist stroke survivors as they regain their lives and now that it is open, we can help them get involved in everyday activities that they ordinarily wouldn’t get involved with.”

The £2.2 million project was completed in December 2011 and an official opening ceremony took place on 17th January 2012.

Marking the grand unveiling of the centre, the event allowed stakeholders, builders and neighbours to see the fruits of six months of hard work.

Although the centre is now open to the public, an official royal opening is due to take place in July 2012.

Lyn Dunkley added: “The Stroke Association has always had a vision of the service that we want to provide for both carers and stroke survivors and this centre will finally allow us to put that vision into practice. The centre will offer support, assistance and training to the local community of Bromsgrove and will hopefully be the first of many more facilities to come.”

Care Home construction is “a fantastic job” In a project where the contractors are described as “doing a fantastic job”, a new 34-bedroom care home for older people is under construction, adding to existing facilities on the Westerlands Care Home site at Elloughton Road, Brough, Humberside.

The project is being carried out for Prime Life Ltd by Main Contractors G.S. Kelsey Ltd; Architects are Corporate Architecture and Quantity Surveyors are ADM Surveyors.

“The contractors are doing a fantastic job, on programme and on budget and have overcome all challenges so far - including having to carry out the construction with the existing care facility in full operation. The residents have been able to see the new building take shape and have been involved in selecting the colours for the decor schemes. In the coming months we will be taking them round to see the new building inside” said Mr Simon Van Herrewege, Director of new developments for Prime Life.

Initial works on the scheme included the demolition of a day centre to make way for the new facility.

The new building, under construction on a tiered site, is of three storeys with lower ground floor, ground floor and first floor levels. All of the 34 bedrooms measure 15 sq m or more, with many having fitted furniture and all having full ensuite bathrooms including level access showers. All of the ground floor bedrooms will have patio doors leading onto private patio areas and overlooking secure landscaped gardens.

Communal facilities include a lounge and dining room, all fitted out to an extremely high standard, a hairdressing salon, fully fit-

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ted clinic areas, standard bathrooms with baths and fully fitted adapted bathrooms for assisted bathing incorporating jacuzzi spa functions.

The building will be served by Wi-Fi throughout and Sky satellite TV. Other facilities include care stations, staff meeting rooms and offices.

The building is of traditional load bearing construction with brickwork externally, incorporating stone and lead detailing, wooden framed windows and a pitched tiled roof.

Due to difficulty with sandy ground, and unusually high water retention on the site, it was necessary to install water storage tanks.

Other external works include extensive landscaping with block paving and feature focal points and lighting. The garden will be accessible to all, and will be fully secured to ensure the safety of clients with higher end needs.

“This scheme gives the whole site greater longevity. Where some care homes across the country have been designed to comply with older standards, this facility will meet people’s expectations in providing an environment that is comfortable and attractive to live in, but also fit for purpose for those who need varying levels of assistance. Modern facilities offer choice, ranging from the type and style of accommodation, to the wireless nurse call systems being installed, and all level access throughout with wider doors and corridors” said Mr Simon Van Herrewege. The accommodation will offer the comfort and

aesthetics older people deserve, but as importantly the care delivered will be able to cater for those with higher end clinical needs, where for some the alternative would be a hospital.

Currently the building is being decorated and the mechanical and electrical second fix is underway. The external works are soon to commence and have been left until now due to the shortage of space required for site welfare, parking and the storage of construction materials on the very tight site.

These are very exciting times for Prime Life’s new development activities with two new care villages - Phoenix Park in Scunthorpe, and Peaker Park in Market Harborough - having also been completed by the company.

These two new facilities provide much needed modern, spacious accommodation that will meet the expectations of stakeholders. They will cater for clients with a range of care needs and requirements, and enable individuals to feel they live in an attractive and comfortable setting where care and support is delivered to them, and they are not moved to suit the needs of others.

GS Kelsey Ltd has its roots in a family with a history of building in North Lincolnshire for over 100 years. Arthur Benjamin Kelsey, established a contracting company in Crowle, north Lincolnshire at the turn of the last century, working mainly for the district councils, the railway and local farmers.

Arthur Snowden Kelsey succeeded his father and continued the business until retirement in 1982 After working as a quantity surveyor for several years, his son Geoffrey Snowden Kelsey established the current company in 1996 with the intention of providing local authorities within the immediate vicinity of Scunthorpe with a small, professional contracting service, Today, G.S. Kelsey Limited has grown to become a small to medium sized company with an annual turnover of £8 million, operating throughout Humberside, Lincolnshire, south Yorkshire and north Nottinghamshire.

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Exciting Royal United Hospital project reaches end of gestation The newly completed Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care at the Royal United Hospital in Bath will provide vital care for 500 premature and sick babies every year.

Jointly funded by the charity ‘Forever Friends’ and the NHS, the £6.1 million project comprised two phases. Phase One was the construction of a new state-of-the-art NICU which houses the ward areas and 21 special and high dependency care cots, whilst Phase Two was the refurbishment of the old neonatal intensive units and the creation of parent accommodation, office space and staff changing areas.

Main contractor for the project was VINCI Construction and the architect was Fielden Clegg Bradley.

The single-storey, timber frame building comprises an impressive 1000 square metres of space and is linked to the existing 1980s building by an ‘umbilicus’ that houses refurbished offices and high specification parent accommodation. Built to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards, the development includes a children’s play area designed by Cornwall based Boex and specialist light control to provide darkness and light for the babies when required.

Landscaping has included the creation of a small courtyard garden between the two buildings, although external works have been kept to a minimum in order to allow the local ecology to establish itself over a period of time.

Steve Boxall, Head of Capital Projects for the RUH, said: “Parents spend quite a lot of time here, so accommodation is available for parents if they need to be near their babies. The rooms are designed to be comfortable and functional in order to ensure that the parents’ stay is as stress-free as possible.

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“For Fielden Clegg Bradley, the design brief was centred on two things: sustainability and the patient’s journey through a neonatal intensive care pathway, which can often be quite traumatic. The building is designed around patient experience, which may not necessarily be the case with regards to other

examples of NHS architecture.

“To create a sustainable building that meets BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards in a highly clinical environment has been a challenge to say the least. In order to meet this challenge, we had to think very hard about things like sources of energy, construction methods and running costs. Through hard work and clever design, I believe we have managed to successfully meet this challenge.

“Other difficulties included a tumultuous winter last year, during a period when we were installing the timber frames. In addition, a small amount of underground asbestos was discovered at the site, which caused a slight delay. However, the timber frame from KLH made it a relatively quick build and we were able to get the structure up very swiftly.

“This project has involved intense collaboration between the clinicians and us as a project team. The construction team and the architects have been absolutely fantastic and the parents have also been involved throughout the project, making it a true team effort from day one.”

Bridport welcomes a town hall for all Bridport Town Hall has reopened following the completion of a £1 million refurbishment project.

The Bridport Town Hall Heritage and Conservation project was implemented by Bridport Town Council and was designed to rejuvenate the building and improve accessibility. The hall officially opened in January 2012 and will now offer local residents full access to the building six days a week.

As a Grade I listed building, Bridport Town Hall is one of the most prominent features of the town centre. However, it had sadly become a building that was severely underused because of outdated entry and access points. This problem has now been rectified by the introduction of a number of key features, including improvements to the ground and first floors and the installation of a DDA compliant lift.

The refurbishment project began in January 2011 and included a number of remedial works that have served to improve structural support. Additional improvements included the construction of a new stone floor, the installation of new facilities and the creation of a new ground floor exhibition area. Heating and lighting systems were also replaced, whilst a new sound system was installed and general decorating work was undertaken for fixtures and fittings.

External work on the building included re-pointing brick work using lime mortar and repairs to the clock tower, weather vane and roof.

Framptons of Bridport, a local butcher that shares ground floor space with the Town Hall, remained open for trade throughout the refurbishment project.

One of the key features of Bridport Town Hall was a set of public toilets housed on the ground floor. However, it became necessary to remove these in order to make way for the new lift.

As the removal of the toilets was a particular concern for the local residents, Bridport Town Council came to an agreement with West Dorset District Council to replace the toilets with brand new facilities at another location in the town centre.

West Dorset District Council has provided funding for the new toilets and they will open in April 2012. Temporary toilets will be available in the meantime.

Main contractor for the project was Farnrise Construction, whilst Daryl Chambers MCIOB was the project manager and Jonathan Rhind was the architect. The electrical consultant was Slade Associates and the structural consultant was Brody

Forbes Partnership.

Bridport Town Council Town Clerk, Bob Gillis, said: “The refurbishment of the Town Hall and the need to make this Grade I listed building fully accessible had been a long standing objective of the Town Council and the local community.

“As part of the consultation process we got some great feedback from local groups and the general public about what they wanted to see and this then helped us to shape the end result.

“We have now opened up the rear of the building and introduced a lift in order to enable full public access to the Town Hall. This will allow people to enjoy the building and see the collection of Newbery paintings on the first floor and attend events and exhibitions throughout the building.”

He added: “We’ve only been able to achieve our goals thanks to the support of our partners, including West Dorset District Council and Dorset County Council. In particular, the Town Council extends its thanks to our main funder, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

“Now that the Town Hall is open, Bridport Town Council is committed to making sure that it continues to be used by local groups and local people. This project has been very important, both for opening up this historic building and for the essential structural work that will ensure the preservation of the Town Hall for the future.”

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Developing the heart of Hillworth Park A brand new multipurpose centre is being built in Devizes in order to create a meeting place for the local visitors of Hillworth Park.

Devizes Town Council is behind the £1.5 million project, which will see the construction of Hillworth Park Visitor Centre in an underused area of the park. The centre will act as a meeting hub for local visitors and will bring a sense of community back to the area.

Construction began in September 2011 and funding has been provided by the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) through its Parks for People Programme.

Works completed so far include the superstructure of the single-storey building and the installation of the waterproof pyramid roof.

The brick block cavity construction features a steel portal frame and a handmade brick finish exterior. Full length timber larch screen panels have been fitted to the exterior of the building as a security feature and will cover the

windows and doors during the evenings.

The screens can also be adjusted during the day in order to provide the centre with additional lighting.

Main contractor for the Hillworth Park Visitor Centre project is Gaiger Brothers Limited and the architect is DRA Architects. The landscape contractor is Blakedown and Neil Jones from RPS Planning & Development is the landscape architect.

DRA Architects Managing Director, Nigel Keen, said: “We are creating a visitor centre that will provide an important meeting place for many members of the community. The centre has been designed to blend in with the historic backdrop of the park, however we’re also creating a contemporary pavilion that reaches out to everyone, whether it’s young mums or school parties.”

Carry on glamping Cold nights spent shivering in a tent and fearing the ambush of creepy crawlies will be a thing of the past, thanks to a brand new caravan and camping site that is currently under construction at Crealy Adventure Park in Clyst St Mary, Devon.

An exciting new 11-acre development will provide rest and recreational facilities for the adjoining adventure park. The site will include two designated areas for caravans and tents and will be divided into 51 superior pitches and 69 standard pitches.

Two brand new toilet blocks complete with family washrooms will also be built, alongside retail units and a reception area. An on-site warden will also be in attendance once the site is open to the public.

Maximum Fun Group Chief Executive, Chris Down, said: “We have been running the adventure park for twenty-two years now and over this time we’ve built and expanded a number of the park’s facilities. However, for some time we’ve been looking for a way to accommodate overnight visitors.

“We conducted a very successful trial for campers during August 2011 and this is the first phase of putting that trial into operation. The development will offer a unique experience for visitors, enabling them to park their caravan next to our adventure park and then come and go as they please.

“We have themed tenting experiences, including a medieval tent and a safari tent. This helps to create a glamorous camping experience, or rather a ‘glamping’ experience, which has proved very popular with the pre-teen family market.”

He added: “This project is very important to us as we can continue to diversify the services that we can offer at Crealy Adventure Park. It is lovely to see how a popular demand has been met and how families can now spend valuable time together.”

Work began in October 2011 and funding has been provided

by Clydesdale Bank and Maximum Fun Group. Maximum Fun Devon Ltd is the main contractor for the £1.4 million project, whilst the architect is ARA Chartered Architects.

Works carried out so far include the installation of roads and electrical power units, along with the fitting of slate roofs for the

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www.romauk.net

He added: “Work is currently running to schedule and I’m pleased to say that this project has proved very rewarding for all those involved. This project has been a real team effort and has included input from an excellent client, a very helpful and proactive contractor and a very supportive local authority.”

Plastering work is now underway on the visitor centre and a programme of internal fit out works is set to follow.

Hillworth Park Visitor Centre will be completed in June 2012.

toilet blocks. The buildings feature a larch-clad timbre finish that gives an organic feel and the next stage will see fit-out works taking place on the toilet blocks.

Landscaping will include an extensive planting scheme that will introduce additional trees to the site in order to create the impression that the new site has always been a part of the adventure park.

To help achieve the Government’s 2020 carbon targets, a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme to provide hot water and heating for the toilet blocks has been implemented through the use of a biomass wood burner.

Chris Down said: “Originally we considered gas heating for the washroom areas, but because we wanted to provide our guests with good quality showering facilities the cost of gas and the amount of gas we would need to use was just too high. As a result, we have moved towards a greener alternative that also includes under-floor heating in the washrooms – a method which is far more efficient than using radiators.

“We’ve then continued the green theme by using recycled stone from a nearby site for the base of our roads and we also recycled railway signage to use on our sewer drainage systems.”

The Crealy Meadows Caravan and Camping Park project is scheduled for completion in April 2012.

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New community development takes off A brand new low carbon community is under construction on the site of a former air traffic control centre in West Drayton.

Drayton Garden Village is a 32-acre site that will consist of 773 residential properties, an 80-bedroom care home, a 10,000 square foot medical centre, a community centre and a 3,000 square feet energy centre with a combined heat and power station (CHP). The development will also include retail and office units, along with several public spaces.

A number of additional off-site highway improvements have also been incorporated, including new roads and upgraded traffic signals.

The community development is being constructed on the site of RAF West Drayton, formally the home of the National Air Traffic Services (NTAS). The site is located at Porters Way on land that was previously used for NTAS operated traffic control services for both civil and military aviation.

As the site will host a number of different facilities, construction work is being conducted in phases. The entire scheme is expected to be completed in 2016.

Inland Homes Plc purchased the site from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in December 2008 and immediately began preparation work for the planning application. This was followed by a strip-out and demolition operation throughout 2009, which involved the demolition of over half a million square feet of existing structures by Inland Homes Plc. The total cost of the Drayton Garden Village project is £75 million and funding has been provided by a combination of share holder investments, bank financing and third party funding. Architects for the project are London based architects Metropolis and Inland Homes Plc’s in-house Planning and Design Director, Mark Gilpin.

The main infrastructure contract for the residential properties is being managed by Inland Homes Plc associate, Howarth Homes. The company is responsible for project managing the delivery of all key infrastructures on the site, such as roads, open spaces, footways, pedestrian and cycle links.

The energy centre is a joint venture between Inland Homes Plc and E.ON and involves the construction of a combined heat and power energy centre that has been designed to provide heating and hot water to all properties and facilities across the scheme.

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Gold Care Homes has taken over the development of the 80-bedroom care home and construction will begin on this facility in early 2012. As of yet, no contractors have been appointed for the medical centre.

Inland Homes Plc Land Director, Paul Brett, said: “In terms of a text book site, Drayton Garden Village would probably be a prime example. In terms of size it is one of the largest Brownfield sites in the M25 and although Inland Homes Plc is involved with a number of other regeneration sites in the southeast, we regard this as our flagship site.

“In 2011 we received a Land Award at the Sustain Magazine Awards for our sustainability work on the site and we’re extremely proud to see this becoming a high-achieving development for us and everyone involved. Hopefully Drayton Garden Village will receive more accolades in the future.”

Phase One includes the construction of the first set of affordable housing on the site, with the homes being provided by Howarth Homes under a Design & Build contract for Catalyst Homes. Of the 59 houses that will be released in March 2012, 40 will be made available for rent, whilst the remaining 19 will be offered to shared-ownership purchasers.

The houses consist of three, four and five-bedroom units that have been traditionally constructed using load bearing brick and block work. Some of the houses have been built on piled foundations and others have been built on trench strip foundations, with the majority of the homes featuring a brickwork exterior.

The architect for the first phase of housing is Ashby Design, whilst engineering works are being conducted by MJA Consulting Engineers.

As part of Phase One, core infrastructure roads and services have been completed. In addition, landscaping and street lighting works have been carried out, along with the construction of a new state-of-the-art energy centre that will house a combined power and heat station. The power station will produce electricity on site, which will in turn be redirected back to the national grid. The heat that is produced will be captured on site and redistributed to the whole of Drayton Garden Village in order to provide heat and hot water for the residential and commercial units on the site.

The CHP system has been provided by E.ON and will reduce the carbon footprint of Drayton Garden Village. Through the

Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t utilisation of the CHP system and the installation of 700 square metres of PV solar panels, it is estimated that Drayton Garden Village will see a 43% carbon dioxide reduction each year.

Approximately 10 kilometres of highly insulated pipe work has been installed into the ground and is already providing heat to the first five houses.

In total, 773 homes will be built at Drayton Garden Village.

These homes will comprise a mixture of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, whilst a number of these homes will be wheelchair compliant. In addition, there will be a range of two, three, four and five-bedroom houses.

The majority of the homes will be constructed using traditional brick and render. However, once an area of land is sold to a third party developer, it is down to the developer to choose the materials for construction.

Howarth Homes Technical Director, Brian Nason, said: “Howarth Homes is carrying out a number of functions on the site, including project managing the on-site remediation and infrastructure works and building Drayton Garden Village’s energy centre.

“We worked closely with Inland Homes to provide and implement the initial design of the development and we installed the entire infrastructure for roads and services. This was to facilitate the division of the site into serviced plots so that all of the other developers could build different phases.

He added: “The main infrastructure has been designed with energy efficiency in mind and although all of the houses on Phase One have been built to Code 4 standards, the inclusion of the district heating system has made compliance relatively easy.”

As well as the inclusion of the CHP energy centre, a number of additional environmentally friendly practices are being introduced at Drayton Garden Village. These include a dedicated eco zone and the introduction of water conservation techniques.

In addition, Inland Homes Plc has set a zero waste target across the whole of the site and as a result only 0.3% of waste from Drayton Garden Village has gone to landfill. The rest of the on-site waste material has been reused and recycled during the construction work, which is the equivalent of taking 3,000 lorry loads of waste of off the local roads.

The zero waste target also applies to the bio-remediation work that Inland Homes Plc is conducting on the site.

When Inland Homes Plc took over the site, the company discovered that eight diesel generators which had previously provided electricity to the site had caused ground contamination to the northwest corner. This needed to be remediated before work could commence, therefore a strategy of bio-remediation was implemented. Bio remediation involves excavating a contaminated area of land and adding bacteria to the area to assist the natural breakdown of the hydrocarbons. This material can then become self-cleaning and be reused on the site.

A large proportion of the remediation work has already been conducted at Drayton Garden Village, the majority of which has involved the movement of thousands of cubic feet of material.

As this process can take up to six months to be completed,

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careful planning was undertaken in order for on-site staff to be able to manoeuvre around the site at all times.

With Phase One nearing completion, Phase Two is already underway with the construction of 89 private tenure houses from Weston Homes.

The remainder of Phase One includes the completion of pedestrian and cycle boulevards and the landscaping of one of two open areas.

In April 2012 the construction of the 80-bedroom nursing home is due to begin, and this will be followed in May by the medical and community centre. A new phase of 85 apartments will start construction during the second half of 2012, whilst further phases will begin when older phases near completion.

Howarth Homes Technical Director, Brian Nason, said: “A project like Drayton Garden Village is really where the partnership between Inland Homes Plc and Howarth Homes can excel, with each party playing to their particular strengths. The scheme has allowed Inland Homes to acquire a Brownfield site and revive its use, with Howarth Homes delivering the on-site expertise and management to make it happen.

“We’ve worked in conjunction with Inland on a number of projects like this and there’s a great sense of accomplishment as the planning and design and construction all comes together.

When Drayton Garden Village is completed, a very desirable environment for families will have been created from what was otherwise a derelict site.”

“An exemplary residential scheme”: Pan development is progressing well An exciting project that will contribute towards the ongoing regeneration and renewal of the Newport area is underway in the Isle of Wight.

The prestigious Pan Development Project will see Barratt redevelop an 18.8-hectare site to the north of the Island. The Isle of Wight Council and their partner Western Challenge Housing Association aim to market Pan as a united community in which people can live, work and invest for the future.

Located on the south and eastern fringe of the existing Pan estate, the site is within half a mile of the town centre. The western fringe of the extension is served by Furlongs (an adopted estate road that runs from Staplers Road to St. George’s Way)whilst travel to and from the island is made easy by up to 350 ferry crossings per day from several terminals.

It is hoped that the development will provide affordable housing to local people, attract significant inward investment for the Island’s local economy and promote sustainable technology.

In total, 846 housing units will be created, 254 of which will be affordable homes. Interestingly, the homes will be powered by an environmentally friendly and energy efficient biomass plant that burns woodchip primarily sourced from the Island.

Another element of the project is a new 10-hectare country park, which will include a ranger station and a visitor centre.

There will also be new recreation areas and play areas, new local recycling centres and improvements made to highways and local schools.

The scheme has released over £11 million from the Homes and Community Agency (HCA) and has generated a financial contribution of nearly £6m from the planning agreement with

Barratt. In addition, the project has brought £10 million of inward investment from Spectrum Housing Group, a member of Source Development Partnership.

Councillor Dawn Cousins said: “In what are difficult economic conditions I am delighted that work on this long-awaited scheme can now start. This development will bring so many benefits to the Island, its residents and its economy.

“This development serves as evidence that the council is taking a lead in addressing some of the issues of major concern to the residents, such as the provision of affordable housing to local people, stimulating the Island’s economy and leading by example when it comes to sustainable development.

“Just as we have shown with the Highways PFI, this council is very capable of progressing major schemes. By applying for planning permission ourselves and because of the way the work will be structured, the council will be able to ensure the houses are built to the very highest standards. The existing Pan community has helped to shape the nature of this development and I am sure they too will welcome this progress.”

Kevin Bourner, Head of Area at the HCA, said: “We are delighted that we have been able to help unlock this key site and we’re looking forward to working with Isle of Wight Council, Spectrum and Barratt in developing high quality and sustainable new homes for the Isle of Wight community.”

James Partner from Knight Frank handled the sale. He commented: “Barratt has been selected as the development partner for the scheme and it is hoped that their strong track record and supply

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t chain on the Island will deliver this important scheme for the Isle of Wight, whilst maximising the use of local suppliers and the local workforce.

“This deal represents the culmination of months of very hard work by the Council, its partners and advisers to secure land value, an exemplary residential scheme and much needed affordable housing on the Island.”

Ian Wallace, Managing Director of Barratt Southampton, added: “Our commitment to not only bringing vital quality housing to the Island but also creating environmentally friendly lifestyles is of paramount importance. The green credentials of this development, teamed with high specification homes, demonstrate that Barratt is building homes for the future.

“The Pan development will see us on site for several years, resulting in not only Barratt employing many Islanders directly, but also working with local suppliers to deliver this fantastic scheme. We will also be offering a Barratt Academy to train apprentices in the construction and assist in building their futures.”

Transforming London’s West End London’s world famous West End is currently undergoing a spectacular makeover in anticipation of an increase in visitors during the London 2012 Olympics.

New West End Company, Heart of London Business Alliance and Central London Business Improvement Districts are behind the £1 billion project. The programme will see the development of a casino, a number of brand new hotels and improved retail facilities for the area. In addition, the scheme will also see public areas in the West End benefit from the face-lift.

Main contractor for the prestigious project is SIAC. The first phase of the project was completed in September

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2011 with the £22 million redevelopment of Leicester Square’s Hippodrome. The site is seen as a key investment in the project and has witnessed the Hippodrome transform into a leisure casino, complete with bars, entertainment and dining facilities.

Further investment is being injected into the West End’s hotel sector in order to accommodate the expected influx of visitors to the capital, estimated to reach an additional one million people. This includes a £200 million development project to bring the UK’s first W Hotel to Leicester Square.

W Hotel is a ten-storey 194-room hotel that has been designed by architects Jestico + Whiles. A significant design feature of

the hotel will be its translucent glass ‘movie screen’ exterior that has been inspired by the glitz and glamour of Piccadilly Circus’ film and theatre culture.

Additional hotel developments include the £6.5 million refurbishment of St John’s Restaurant Hotel and the redevelopment of a new Grosvenor Hotel at 8 Balderton Street. The Grosvenor Hotel is being developed by Corbin & King Hotels Limited (CKHL) and will include 75 bedrooms, a spa, bar and restaurant. In total 820 brand new hotel beds will be ready and waiting when visitors arrive in London during summer 2012.

Heart of London Business Alliance CEO, Sarah Porter, said: “The investments in the hotel and leisure offering in London’s West End – typified by the innovative W Hotel development – will extend visitors’ Olympic experience.

“Visitors to London will enjoy a huge choice of world-class entertainment sites and accommodation from the world renowned Hippodrome, to the new boutique St John’s Hotel.”

To complete the transformation project, retailers and property owners in the West End are investing £430 million to improve retail units, whilst public areas are to receive £100 million via a union between Westminster City Council and Transport for London (TfL) and partners. As part of the retail improvements, the first M&M’s World store to trade outside of the US has already opened in Leicester Square.

Westminster City Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Built Environment, Councillor Robert Davis, said: “The West End is undergoing a huge transformation which will

ensure it acts as a showcase for the country and is fitting for its status as a world class destination.”

New West End Company CEO, Richard Dickinson, added: “London’s West End is the shop window to the world, and will be under particular scrutiny during the Olympic Games. These far-reaching multi-million pound refurbishments will ensure that the world’s most famous shopping district looks great when the eyes of the world are on London.”

CSB Environmental Ltd CSB Environmental Ltd provides surface cleaning services for a range of industrial and commercial sectors. The company has worked on projects ranging from brand new constructions through to town centre maintenance operations and previous clients include Balfour Beatty & Skanska.

On the Leicester Square Redevelopment project CBS Environment Ltd was involved in cleaning sections of Chinese granite that had been laid at the site. This required the use of mobile hot water pressure units and will be completed with a CYCLONE ride-on pressure washer that cleans and recycles water.

CSB Environmental Ltd Director Simon Bailey said: “We offer our clients a reliable and top quality service and with over 13 years of experience our clients know that if they have any cleaning needs they can come straight to us.”

Victorian lunatic asylum will receive intensive treatment

An exciting project to transform the Grade II listed Fair Mile Hospital into flats and houses is well underway in Cholsey, Oxfordshire.

The Fair Mile Hospital was originally opened in 1870 as the County Lunatic Asylum for Berkshire and the main hospital, lodge houses, chapel, and landscaped gardens are listed.

The plans by the landowner Homes and Community Agency (HCA) and developer Thomas Homes will transform the Victorian hospital into 95 residential units, 39 social units, 11 commercial units and 3 community spaces. In addition, 220 new build units are being built within the grounds by developer Linden Homes, which is part of the Galliford Try Group.

The staged project began at the start of this year and will continue over the next three to four years.

After extensive consultation with the landscape department, plans were drawn up to reinstate the walls, gardens and airing court, where patients of the former lunatic asylum would sit.

Wherever possible, period features such as windows and internal timber panelling have been kept and refurbished in order to respect the historical importance of the building.

The project is also highly sustainable and the units by Thomas Homes have achieved standards of Eco Homes Very Good and Building for Life Silver.

Paula Foxley, Technical Director of the Thomas Homes part of the project, said: “It is an extremely interesting project. The former hospital is in a beautiful setting, with landscaping right down to the River Thames. It has also been a challenge: in essence we are trying to convert and upgrade a very old building up to modern standards, which has made the project very unique.

“There has been extensive consultation with the local community throughout the process. The aim of the project is to bring the hospital back into the heart of the community and there are plans for the hall to hold community events, and the possibility of a crèche. There are also plans for commercial development, including cafes and restaurants in the old farm yard area.

“This is not a standalone project, the hospital is an intrinsic part of the village of Cholsey and we aim to bring it back to life.”

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Hamdon Gate goes global Hamdon Gate Developments has completed a £6 million bespoke building for a global healthcare company in Sittingbourne, Kent.

Main contractor for the project was Mitchell Design & Construct Ltd and the architect was Harrison Mutch Ltd. The building was constructed under Phase IV of the Eurolink scheme, which currently provides in excess of two million square feet of business accommodation over 200 acres of land.

Long established as one of Kent’s major business locations, Eurolink has created jobs for an estimated 6,250 personnel.

Phase IV of Eurolink serves to directly adjoin the route between Sittingbourne’s new Northern Distributor Road (NDR), which provides direct access to the A249 dual-carriageway and in turn the M2 and M20. In the longer term, the NDR will link to the east of Sittingbourne to the A2 at Bapchild.

Hamdon Gate undertook the development on behalf of the landlords before undertaking the management of the tenant’s fit out. The project began in November 2010 and was completed in December 2011, a month ahead of schedule.

Comprising around 75,000 square feet of office and distribution warehouse space, the development also features canteen facilities and a gymnasium for staff.

Matthew Small, Director of Hamdon Gate, said: “We were delighted to develop this site, which is one of the largest new facilities in Kent and among only handful in the South East constructed during the year. The building was completed a month ahead of schedule, thanks to the excellent work of Essex based contractor Mitchell Design and Build and the construction management of Brighton based Morgan Carn Partnership.

“It is a very well designed scheme with quality offices that are fitted out to the specification of any West End office. In addition,

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the building allows for further expansion space of circa 15,000 square feet.

“Although the project progressed extremely well, we did face some challenges along the way. This included the difficult weather conditions of winter 2010-11, which could potentially have posed some problems.

“However, thanks to a brilliant team effort, all challenges were overcome and we have managed to complete a building that we are all proud of.”

Sittingbourne is strategically located in the north of Kent, within close proximity to The Swale and the River Medway.

To date, the skilled labour force available in Sittingbourne has attracted a number of major employers including Scania, Floplast, Business Post, Powakaddy and RTC Europe.

Premier Inn Heathrow project lands ahead of schedule The Premier Inn Terminal 5 Heathrow project has been completed an impressive three months ahead of schedule.

Main contractor McAleer & Rushe and White Ink Architects delivered the Dexter Moren ÂŁ18m design for Arora Hotels. Practical completion of the project was achieved in 46 weeks, against a scheduled timeframe of 59 weeks. The three-star hotel will now be operated by Premier Inn, part of the leading hospitality and

leisure group Whitbread.

Arora Hotels was founded by Surinder Arora in 1999 and has since become the largest hotel company at the Heathrow and Gatwick airports, boasting over 1,000 employees. Their impressive portfolio comprises a range of luxury hotels across the UK, including the recently opened 605-bedroom Sofitel London Heathrow.

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Commenting on the early completion of the Premier Inn Heathrow project, Surinder Arora said: “It is very exciting that this project has been completed in just eleven months. I am extremely pleased with what has been achieved and would like to extend my thanks to all of those involved on the project.”

The new Premier Inn Heathrow is located north of Heathrow Airport and is bound by the A4 Colnbrook bypass to the north and Bath Road to the south, from which the site is accessed. A public right of way adjoins the site to the western side and the eastern boundary adjoins the neighbouring site of a McDonalds restaurant.

Comprising around 128,550 sq ft of space, the 400-bedroom hotel extends to five storeys and has incorporated an 18,000 sq ft bar/restaurant/coffee area. Landscaping has included the provision of 80 car parking spaces, soft landscaping to the site boundary and the creation of a courtyard.

Referring to the importance of quality control on such fasttracked programmes, Claude Maguire of White Ink Architects explained: “Quality control was paramount throughout and certain measures were put in place to ensure the workmanship by subcontractors was maintained at the highest standards.

“In particular, the cladding and window subcontractors were asked to construct a one-storey sample of the elevation. Once all parties were satisfied with the build ability, responsibility

and quality of the sample panel it was signed off and used as a measure against which the rest of the facade was judged acceptable.

“Inside the frame, a fully finished sample bedroom and section of corridor was constructed to specification. The sample room was then inspected, tested and signed off by Premier Inn before work proceeded within the other rooms. Within 16 weeks, the first of 400 fully finished bathroom pods were hoisted into place.”

In order to ensure that the development was sustainable, an energy strategy was developed by Caldwell Consulting. In addition, rainwater recycling was introduced and construction materials were chosen with the lifecycle cost in mind. As a result, the completed building has achieved a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’.

Other challenges included the discovery of contaminated soils, which ultimately required testing and management. Due to the site’s proximity to Heathrow Airport the development required careful detailing in order to meet the set acoustic regulations, whilst it was also necessary to work with the Local Authority, Highways Department and Transport for London to agree works required under Section 106.

As one of the UK’s leading hotel developer contractors, the company has completed in excess of 12,000 bedrooms for a range of leading investors and operators, with clients including Starwood, Accor, IHG, Jurys Inns Group and Premier Inn. ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Current projects include three further Premier Inn hotels for Arora Hotels including a flagship 630-bedroom hotel linked to Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal, a 182-bedroom Novotel and a 297-bedroom Ibis on Blackfriars Road.

Mark Elliot, Project Manager for McAleer & Rushe, said: “This 400-bed scheme at Heathrow is the first of over 2,000 rooms that we will be completing for Arora Hotels over the next two years.

“We are extremely pleased that the scheme was completed over three months ahead of schedule, which was due in no small part to an excellent working relationship with the client (Arora Hotels), Whitbread and all of the contractors on the site.

“The non-adversarial approach of McAleer & Rushe towards every project that we undertake creates a friendly yet professional atmosphere. Our ultimate aim is to complete a first class product for our client.”

McAleer & Rushe were appointed at the outline planning stage, allowing the firm’s design and build team to implement the amendments necessary to achieve a more efficient building.

Workmanship on the scheme also had to meet the standards demanded by Premier Inn, with these standards eventually proving to surpass the operator’s expectations.

The on-airport location led to some unique challenges and as a result, bespoke specifications were employed in order to meet the requirements of the scheme. Construction methods were devised in order to achieve the necessary acoustic quality, whilst careful consideration had to be given to landscaping, car parking and external lighting proposals.

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Martin Magee, Construction Director for McAleer & Rushe, commented: “This project is testament not only to the McAleer & Rushe team, but also to the seamless working relationship we have with Arora Hotels and Premier Inn. “With any project such as this, the end user requirements are paramount. Premier Inn has clearly defined brand standards and rigorous specifications to be achieved, but their straightforward approach combined with a clear brief from Arora Hotels has allowed us to deliver an efficient, high quality building.

“This has been the first of four buildings to be constructed on behalf of Arora Hotels and, after the success achieved on this project, we look forward with confidence to completing the other properties in the development programme in a similar fashion.

“We are very appreciative of the excellent relationship we have with Arora Hotels and hope that this relationship can be extended beyond the existing contracted properties.”

Sinead Hughes, Head of Developments at Arora Hotels, added: “We were delighted to work with McAleer & Rushe on this turnkey project. Completing the project to exacting standards, ahead of time and within budget augers well for the remaining properties in the development programme.”

For the design of the new Premier Inn, architects Dexter Moren Associates created a ‘doughnut’ form that is centred around an inner courtyard in order to provide an acoustic buffer zone from the busy roads that bound to the north and south. Public areas – including the main entrance, restaurant and bar – are located on the ground floor and the bedrooms are located on the four

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levels above.

The ground floor is a mix of glazed curtain walling and masonry construction, whilst the upper floors are clad in a colourful rainscreen skin. As a result, the building takes the form of a rainscreen coloured box that hovers on a glazed/solid masonry base. An array of colours has been carefully selected to create a dynamic and animated facade, with hues chosen in order to complement the proposed and landscaping. The strips of colour also serve to emphasise the verticality of the elevation, subsequently providing some relief from the horizontal form.

Although the new hotel is significantly larger than the average Premier Inn, it has been designed to make the most of the efficiencies provided by modular and other modern methods of construction.

Wan Yau, Director of Dexter Moren Associates, said: “The brief was for the design of an efficient and contemporary 400-bedroom Premier Inn Hotel incorporating a restaurant, bar and cafe on the site of the former Longford House office and associated car parking on Bath Road.

“With a number of other airport-site Premier Inns being designed concurrently, the efficiency of detailing and suitability for delivery using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) was an important aspect of the design brief.

“Through careful planning and consideration of all aspects, we have produced a design for an elegant, contemporary and robust hotel in an airport setting. We have created a calm and quiet environment in which guests can enjoy a good night’s sleep.

“Every site has its own unique set of challenges and the Premier Inn at Heathrow is no exception. One of these challenges was the acoustic conditions across the site. Accurate survey and extensive acoustic modelling of the proposed facades were undertaken to meet this challenges.

“However, proactive engagement with all stakeholders and a flexible approach to the design brief has allowed these challenges to inform and enrich the design brief. Dexter Moren Associates has completed several hotel developments within the confines of airports. This experience has enabled us to provide appropriate solutions to overcome design challenges and ensure that the guests’ experiences are maximised.”

In 2010, White Ink Architects were appointed by McAleer & Rushe to develop the outline plans by Dexter Moren in order to maximise the efficiency of the building and to develop construction details that responded to the technical challenges of constructing a hotel within 200 metres of a major UK airport.

Claude Maguire of White Ink Architects said: “White Ink’s initial task was to refine the design thus accumulating savings not only for the construction budget but also for the long-term management and running costs of the hotel.

“Having agreed design amendments with the local Council our primary challenge was to ensure that the hotel met the acoustic

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specification for Premier Inn, who guarantee their guests an undisturbed night’s sleep or no charge.

“Acoustic reports showed noise levels in excess of 90dB at the edge of the site and it initially seemed that the only solution was to construct a mechanically-ventilated building with a fully sealed envelope, secondary glazing and acoustic window units.

This would have resulted in a development that was expensive to construct, inefficient to run, costly to maintain and generally unsustainable.

“We, along with M&E engineers Caldwell Consulting, researched and developed a number of construction details to ensure that the completed building could be naturally ventilated whilst meeting the stringent acoustic requirements of Premier Inn. In the completed building, fresh air is drawn in through specially developed slots which are incorporated into the rainscreen facade panel. The fresh air is then directed through a sound attenuator and heat exchanger before being ducted into the en suite bathrooms. Stale air undergoes the reverse process before being exhausted through the facade.”

In addition, the team ensured that the dense concrete blockwork that supports the rainscreen facade was built to a very high specification. All of the joints were fully filled and sealed in order to eliminate air-gaps which would compromise the acoustic quality of the building envelope, whilst special attention was also paid to the joint between the blockwork and the window surrounds which were fully filled with acoustic insulation before they were sealed. The windows themselves were provided as a fully-sealed, acoustically-lined unit that incorporates secondary glazing.

Upon completion, comprehensive acoustic testing by independent consultants revealed that the building surpassed Premier Inn’s acoustic requirements, illustrating that the measures taken by the team during the design and construction periods were extremely effective and worthwhile.

McAleer & Rushe : helping the country ‘Sleep Tight’

The McAleer & Rushe Group was established in 1967 and is one of the leading privately-owned construction and property development companies in Northern Ireland.

With offices in Cookstown, Belfast and London, the company are well renowned for large scale mixed-use developments and have successfully completed projects for a range of clients throughout the UK and Ireland.

Key activities and achievements include the design and build construction of hotel and commercial buildings for retained clients and McAleer & Rushe Group Property companies and the development of commercial, residential, retail and mixed-use schemes. In addition, the company carries out property investment through the retention of completed developments and an active programme of new acquisitions.

McAleer & Rushe undertake all projects on a design and build basis. A highly experienced specialist team is in place to interpret operator requirements in order to ensure compliance with brand standards up until turnkey finish. Furthermore, all contracts are completed on a fixed programmed with a guaranteed maximum price.

The company have the requisite experience and capabilities to provide a one stop service for the procurement of hotels, an aptitude which has been proven time and time again.

Recent highlights have included the completion and subsequent sale of the Maldron Hotel in Central Cardiff (May 2011), Jury’s Inn Gateshead (August 2011) and the UK’s first ALOFT hotel.

Dexter Moren Dexter Moren Associates is regarded as one of London’s leading hotel and leisure architects and interior designers. In 2011, the company was recognised as the IHF (International Hotel Investment Forum) Hotel Architect/ Designer of the Year.

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The practice works across the entire spectrum, from limited service through to luxury hotels, conference venues, resorts and spas for leading brands such as Shangri La, Guoman, Intercontinental, Hilton, Accor and Marriott and Premier Inn along with developers and operators globally.

Current projects include the Shangri La Hotel at The Shard London, Westminster Intercontinental, Hilton Southbank and the redevelopment of Guoman Tower Bridge in London.

Dexter Moren Associates provide an individual approach to each project and have developed a reputation based on an ability to deliver intelligent and creative solutions which meld both developer and operator requirements.

White Ink Architects Belfast based White Ink Architects is an RIBA award winning practice which has a reputation for producing carefullycrafted, sustainable and innovative building designs. White Ink Architects pride themselves on their understanding of the technical aspects of buildings, their ability to produce efficient designs, their skill in unlocking the full development potential of difficult sites, their track-record of delivering within budget and programme and their practical approach to designing attractive buildings that surpass their client’s aspirations.

White Ink Architects have helped McAleer & Rushe deliver a number of exciting projects throughout the UK and Ireland including a 200-bedroom hotel in Watford for Jurys Hotel Group, a 216-bedroom hotel in Cardiff City Centre for Maldron Hotel Group and a Nursing Home in Malahide, Dublin.

Temperature Control Limited Temperature Control Limited has been established since 1926, when the company began under the name of E O Walker Refrigeration.

Since then the company has been at the forefront of the industry, from being one of the first Kelvinator dealers in the UK to recognising the growing commercial air conditioning market in the early 1980s, which ultimately led to the name change to Temperature Control Limited.

Steady growth throughout the 1980s and 1990s has established Temperature Control Limited as one of the leaders within the UK air conditioning contracting industry. This growth has been built on solid engineering principles; therefore it comes as no surprise that the company is still run by engineers.

Along with providing national coverage, the company has built solid business partnerships with leading companies such as McAleer & Rushe. This was illustrated by Temperature Control Limited’s close involvement on the Premier Inn T5 Heathrow project, which enabled the company to pass the impressive mark of having completed seven thousand air-conditioned bedrooms.

For future growth, Temperature Control Limited anticipated the expanding R22 replacement market and therefore invested company resources into research and development on R22 replacement. As a result of this, Temperature Control Limited is now one of the leading companies in this field. This impressive

foresight is also being applied to their Sustainable Environment and Data Centre divisions, subsequently securing the company’s future for another 80 years.

Hasco Europe Limited Against the background of the CDM Regulations, Hasco Europe Limited was established in 1995 to provide an independent service of planning supervision, later to become CDM coordination.

All of the firms’ principles are registered members of the Association for Project Safety and the company has provided CDM coordination / planning supervision / PSDP&CS services for more than 750 projects, ranging from complex public works (hospitals, schools, universities etc) to industrial, commercial, retail and housing projects throughout the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

Hasco have undertaken over 100 consultancy assignments for clients and principal contractors, providing site audits, designer CDM audits, tenant packs and digital building manuals.

AirconMech “AirconMech was delighted to partner the McAleer & Rushe Group on this particular project. Following on from a number of previous projects with the Group, we have established a name that is synonymous with quality, safety and professionalism.

Our capacity to handle large projects comes from 16 years of operation across a range of industries; from specialist works on pharmaceuticals to food production right through to hotels and large-scale retail developments. Within AirconMech we adopt a culture of learning from previous projects and identifying where new processes can be used across other industries / sectors.

This gives us a competitive edge in designing engineering solutions that work and create value for our clients. We look forward to working with McAleer & Rushe again in the near future and wish them all the best in the future.”

Seamus Murphy M.D. AirconMech UK

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Breathing new life into a grand old building An exciting project that has seen the transformation of Llangefni Town Hall into a sustainable hub for start-up companies and social enterprises is almost complete.

The Town Hall has been a landmark feature in Llangefni on the Isle of Anglesey since 1871. Partial refurbishment following fire damage in the late 1980s saw the building fall into disrepair in the 1990s and it remained largely unoccupied for more than a decade.

Menter Môn Ltd aims to bring the old Town Hall back into the heart of the community by substantially upgrading the interior and providing facilities for the local community and businesses in the heart of Anglesey. The development will promote the role of the third sector projects and emphasis has also been placed on producing a viable business plan from a mix of short and long term rental incomes.

The refurbishment scheme began on site in November 2010 and is due to be completed in a matter of weeks. In addition to creating facilities for community groups and the local town market, the refurbished building will offer opportunities for local organisations and groups to develop.

As the 2400m² Town Hall is a Grade II listed building, it was imperative that the original design of the building was respected throughout the construction process. Architectural features such as the old balcony and various masonry and stone details have been carefully retained and the building is expected to achieve BREEAM ‘Good’ Standard.

The works included a complete internal strip out and refurbishment of the windows, whilst external works have included re-

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pairs to the listed masonry walls. Landscaping has comprised the extension of an existing footpath.

Although the project has progressed well, challenges have included dealing with unforeseen structural works, maintaining access to the adjoining Bull Hotel and accommodating the local town market in the adjacent public car park twice a week.

Funding for the £2 million project has been provided by the Isle of Anglesey County Council’s ‘Three Towns Initiative’ (primarily ERDF) and Property Environment Grants. The Welsh Assembly Government’s ‘Môn and Menai’ Scheme, the Big Lottery Fund and of course the client Menter Môn Ltd are further contributors to the scheme. The main contractor for the project is Dawnus Construction and the architect is Dewis Consultants.

Ian Williams, MD of Advent Project Management Ltd, the Project and Cost Managers and CDM Coordinators for the scheme, said: “This landmark building will become a focal point for businesses and the local community. It is a fantastic opportunity for Llangefni. The ‘Social Enterprise Centre’ will be a valuable asset for start-up companies and will also aid in the socio-economic growth of the Island.”

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Northcare and One Architecture partnership will bring care back to the community An important project that will provide vital care facilities for elderly people is almost complete in Cathcart, Glasgow.

Northcare (Scotland) Ltd is carrying out the £4.4m project, which began in June 2011 and is scheduled for completion in May 2012.

The Three Bridges Care Home has been designed by One Architecture and comprises 72 bedrooms over two floors, with two wings located on each of the floors. Each wing contains a dedicated day dining room measuring approximately 90 square metres and a dedicated quiet room to the far end of each of the wings. In addition, an external balcony on the first floor provides external recreational space.

Along with special care for high dependency residents – including those with dementia and Alzheimer’s – there is also a range of exciting facilities available for residents. These include a hair salon, beauty parlour and a cafe that is also open to the public.

All of the day rooms have been carefully designed to allow maximum daylight through a predominantly glazed facade. The corridors also benefit from natural light and a wall of double doors that are held open in order to prevent the building from feeling institutional.

Landscaping has included the creation of an attractive garden to the south, which provides residents with an array of spaces and activities. Included within the green space is a bowling and putting green, various seated areas for relaxing, raised planter

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beds, wander paths and a large barbeque and patio area.

The superstructure of the building comprises a Metsec structural framing system with cast-in-situ concrete floors, therefore making the building extremely robust. Sustainable features include air source heating and the care home features contemporary finishes throughout.

Working together to create a future Northcare (Scotland) Ltd has been established as a family run business for over 20 years. The company owns care homes in the South Lanarkshire region and will expand to Glasgow in the spring of 2012.

As one of the few privately owned care homes in the central belt to have been awarded with a Customer Service Excellence award, the company is committed to operating their homes as a home in every sense of the word.

Clients are encouraged to achieve independence and inclusion within the community, whilst any disabilities are recognised and honoured through the provision of a variety of methods of support to suit the individual concerned. With all care undertaken in an environment that is safe and secure, the client will be given the opportunity to work in partnership with the care staff in order to maximise their quality of life.

All of Northcare’s care homes provide menus that are reviewed

by Diet Scotland in order to ensure that clients are offered nutritious and well balanced meals. Other important provisions

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include activities programmes, outings and regular entertainment.

Northcare (Scotland) Ltd pride themselves on their participation strategy. The company holds monthly forums where residents, families and staff make decisions in the running of the homes and the future direction of Northcare. Margaret Sawers, Northcare Director, holds monthly surgeries in each of the homes in order to enable residents and families to raise any concerns or suggestions that they might have in a confidential environment.

If requested, the company is willing to email families an update of their relative’s wellbeing. The homes also boast a Skype facility, which enables families who are unable to visit often to see and speak to their relative on a regular basis.

Northcare (Scotland) Ltd and One Architecture have enjoyed a successful working relationship for approximately ten years.

Their mutual respect is largely based on One Architecture’s belief that their client’s aspirations are as important as the users of the development.

As a result, One Architecture has worked with Northcare (Scotland) Ltd on a number of projects throughout the years, including the Carmunnock Road scheme. The company has stated that it is very proud to be associated with Northcare Scotland) Ltd and it looks forward to continued involvement with them as the architect and lead consultant in future projects.

One Architecture One Architecture was established in 2007 and is located in Central Glasgow at 145 St. Vincent Street. The company specialises in several sectors across the construction industry, including: healthcare, residential, care homes, hotels, commercial, commercial refurbishment, residential refurbishment and retail.

As a young, dynamic practice of chartered architects, One

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Architecture service clients and projects across the UK.

Pulse Electrical Established in 2006, Pulse Electrical is a dynamic electrical services contractor that specialises in the supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of a wide variety of electrical services. We undertake projects across the commercial, industrial, retail and residential sectors and have successfully done so both directly for the client and/or as nominated subcontractors.

Pulse Electrical has built and maintained a strong relationship with Northcare Developers over the past four years and were delighted when offered the role of Electrical Subcontractor, project managing the electrical installation including fire, data/ telecom, TV and nurse call of the new Carmunnock Care Home.

With our focus on complete client satisfaction, we look forward to future developments and projects with Northcare Developers Ltd.

Providing care for all Midpark Hospital opened for patients on 9th January 2012 to glowing responses from patients, relatives, carers and staff.

Built in response to the NHS Board’s redevelopment of mental health services, the £26.3 million acute mental health service facility will serve the entire Dumfries and Galloway region.

Often described as one of the grandest of Scotland’s Royal Asylums, the Crichton Royal Hospital was founded in Dumfries in 1839 by Elizabeth Crichton (17791862), a wealthy local widow. Her initial intention to found a university was blocked by the existing Scottish universities and as a result the site therefore became a Lunatic Asylum.

Although the 120-bed psychiatric hospital was mainly designed for paying clients, there was also ample space for the poor. Elizabeth Crichton persuaded William A . F Browne to take up the position of physician superintendent and implement his innovative ideas of occupational therapy and art therapy, which led to the facility being considered amongst the best Mental Health facilities in Europe during the 19th century.

By the end of World War II, the site had expanded to accommodate 1300 patients and in 1948 it relinquished its private status to join the newly formed National Health Service.

Following a 2004 review of facilities and services over the whole site, it was determined that the main shortcomings of the site were the lack of space, poor fabric and outdated design. In addition, there were no local intensive care or high care facilities and nurse, psychological and occupational therapy staffing levels were inadequate.

As a result of the findings, the Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board decided that a new hospital would be needed on the site in order to meet inpatient needs.

The 21-month project began in April 2010, finishing approximately three months ahead of schedule and around £1 million under budget thanks to the impressive efforts of the NHS Board project team and main contractor Laing O’Rourke.

The development is one of the first within Framework Scotland – a process whereby all parties (the commissioning body, the builders, architects, landscape designers, NHS managers, patients, families and service providers) combine efforts to design the hospital. Throughout all consultation with the public and those with more specific interests in mental health, there has been consistent feedback on a range of issues such as the light, space and the environment.

In total, Midpark Hospital comprises 85 beds, 34 of which are Adult Acute beds in two wards containing 17 beds. There are also 6 Psychiatric Intensive Care beds (IPCU), 15 Acute beds for older adults with functional mental illness (FMI), 16 Acute beds for adults with dementia or an organic illness and 14 beds for rehabilitation. The innovative design was created by architects for the project, Archial.

Through discussion, the concept of ‘Learning to Live’ was developed, which has resulted in the wards being arranged

like colleges within a campus environment. The concept aims to create an environment in which patients can develop the life skills required to live as independently as possible.

The idea of natural progression from public entrance to private space was explored through the placement of the Intensive Psychiatric Care ward and the Adult Acute wards furthest into the site. The Elderly Acute and Organic wards are in turn on the main entrance level in order to facilitate visiting by elderly relatives, whilst the Rehabilitation unit at the lowest level on the site is most closely linked to the site entrance and the community beyond.

The Hub accommodation is split between the different levels and comprises a mixture of office admin spaces, along with a central social cafe space and Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy spaces. In addition, provisions have been made for facilities management, domestic services and catering spaces.

A feature two-storey element gives definition to the entrance whilst forming the entrance point and defining the internal ‘street’ that links the ward ‘colleges’ in a clear and logical manner. In order to ensure that it is easy for patients to find their way, the entrance to the four main wards has been kept as simple and as intuitive as possible.

One of the most interesting features of the new Midpark Hospital is the embedded concept of ‘Healing Spaces’, which is an innovative research-based approach to enhancing the arts for the lasting positive benefit of staff, patients and carers. Creative professionals have therefore worked with staff, patients, carers and community groups to develop permanent integrated artworks for the enhancement of the internal and external spaces for users and staff.

Research into the psychology of colours was carried out in order to assist in the selection of naturally calming colours for both internal and external finishes. Significant use has been made of the local Locharbriggs sandstone cladding, subsequently linking the development to the old Crichton Royal Hospital.

The windows are specially designed for mental health accommodation and feature sliding openers that are protected with a coloured perforated panel. A dark grey single ply membrane was selected for the low profile dual pitched roof in order to give the appearance of traditional seamed lead roofs whilst respondROMA PUBLICATIONS

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S c otl a n d ing to maintenance and cost issues. In addition, a low parapet wall removes the need for chunky anti-climb guttering and lends a sleeker finish to the elevations.

On the north side of the development, there are three enclosed courtyards that form private spaces for the users of the facility. The grounds of the Crichton Royal Hospital are as beautiful today as they were two centuries ago, thanks to generations of gardeners’ skills and loving care.

Commenting on the completion of the development, Stephen Howie, Dumfries and Galloway NHS, said: “The building is tiered down a hill on three levels, which was quite a challenge for the designers and the contractors. As a result, the layout had to bear in mind the changes in level, which has ultimately allowed the team to create interesting views from all of the different levels.

“It is a lovely rural setting with surrounding woods and hills and the project has aimed to make the most of the green setting. The grounds have now become part of the therapeutic space and we have also had the support of an internationally

renowned architect, who has kindly designed a sculpture for the front of the hospital free charge.

“The team has been very innovative in their use of colour throughout the building, particularly with regards to the bright colours in the cladding panels. Another interesting feature is the excellent paths of observation within the wards, which has subsequently eradicated the need for CCTV. “We are bringing an Intensive Care Psychiatric Unit to the area, which is a facility that has not been available until now. Patients had to go out of the area, which was obviously inconvenient for both the patients and their families. However, the new unit will allow patients to be treated much closer to home and facilitate visits from friends and family.

“The team has performed brilliantly and everyone is very pleased with the progress that has been made. I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that we are very excited to be able to release this state-of-the-art facility for use in the local community.”

A sports build to remember Work is progressing well on the new Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre in Glenrothes, Fife.

The £21 million centre was named in honour of a late former councillor from the Glenrothes area. Members of the Glenrothes Area Committee decided to dedicate the new Sports and Leisure Centre to Councillor Michael Woods after residents and users of the existing centre were invited to put forward their own suggestions for the new build.

Councillor Peter Grant explained: “Michael Woods played a major role in securing the future of the sports centre and for everyone who knew him and the new build will be an apt reminder of the immense contribution he made to Glenrothes and to Fife as a whole.”

The project started in May 2011 and is part of Fife Council’s wider investment plans in the enhancement of Sports and Leisure opportunities in Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline.

The new facility will be operated and managed by the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust on behalf of Fife Council.

Main contractor for the project is GRAHAM and the architect is Cre8 Architecture.

The Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre will host a range of exciting facilities, including a 25m x 17m eight-lane competition pool with a spectator gallery for 250 people. In addition, there will be a 20m x 10m training pool with movable flooring and an 11m x 5m teaching and remedial pool with an adjoining health suite. Dry-side facilities include a new larger scale gymnasium with 80 stations, a purpose-built aerobics studio, a badminton sports hall and two squash courts.

Outdoor facilities will be significantly enhanced by a full-size synthetic turf pitch, three football specific five-a-side and one seven-a-side 3G synthetic turf pitches and a tennis court. The

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existing athletics track will also be upgraded.

Councillor Brian Goodall recently visited the site with Michael Graham, Chief Executive of GRAHAM Group. Speaking after the event, he said: “It was great to be able to visit the site and see firsthand the work that has already been done. The first phase of the steel structure has now been built, which is a significant step for this project and shows that the new facility is really coming together.

“Added to the fact that such good progress is being made on the site, I was also delighted to meet with new recruits who have gained employment with GRAHAM through the Fife Works project.”

Edward Bill, Contracts Manager for GRAHAM Construction, added: “The centre is really starting to take shape and the steel struc-

ture of the dry-side facility – which includes the sports hall and changing villages – is now in place. Precast floor slabs have been fitted on the first and second levels and the concrete swimming pool structure is complete.

“The GRAHAM team is looking forward to installing the steel

structure for the wet-side facility towards the end of this month before beginning construction of the roof and external building envelope in around six weeks’ time.”

The state-of-the-art centre is scheduled for completion in April 2013.

Commie Pool is set to make a splash Following an extensive two-year renovation and refurbishment programme, Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool is nearing completion.

The refurbishment programme at the Commonwealth Pool, known locally as ‘Commie Pool’, began in 2010 when work began to transform the centre into a 21st Century sporting facility.

The £37 million Royal Commonwealth project is being implemented by The City of Edinburgh Council ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which will be hosted at the centre.

Due to the building’s Grade A status, all work conducted on the site is being undertaken with the full consultation of Historic Scotland. Efforts are therefore being made to retain a number of the site’s original features, including the windows that surround the perimeter of the building. In addition, the Iroko ceilings and the Terrazzo floors located within foyer and reception areas are also being retained.

However, although a number of features will remain the same, extensive internal demolition works are taking place to upgrade the existing pool facilities.

GRAHAM Construction is the main contractor for the project, whilst S&P Architects is the architect and Buro Happold is the consulting engineer.

The first difference visitors will see when they visit Royal Commonwealth Pool is the division of the site’s main pool. The 50 metre pool has been extended by 1.5 metres and divided by a special boom in order to create two separate 25 metre pools.

Meanwhile, the diving area is being completely overhauled to create four platforms spanning 10 metres in height that reside alongside a ‘dry dive’ training area for competitors. Two temporary springboards are also included as part of the works.

All of the swimming pools at Commie Pool will contain ‘moving floors’ so that depth levels can be adjusted to accommodate a range of sports such as water polo, synchronised swimming, infant paddling and diving competitions.

Additional features include the introduction of a Clambers children’s soft play area, a revamped cafe and a new pool water treatment filtration unit. Three new fitness studios are also under construction and the gym is being expanded to include 70 pieces of new equipment.

Further improvements will be made to poolside showers, whilst changing facilities and office and conference areas will also be upgraded.

The Royal Commonwealth Pool will open in spring 2012.

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Building a beacon for Greenock A brand new arts centre described as a ‘cultural hub’ is currently underway in Greenock, Inverclyde.

The Beacon is a brand new development taking shape along the riverside at East India Dock and will relocate Greenock Arts Guild Theatre Ltd from its current premises in Campbell Street to a more central location.

LDN Architects designed the £9.4m centre and construction began in October 2010. Main contractor for the scheme is Graham Construction, whilst the project manager is Faithful+Gould and the quantity surveyor is Thomson Bethune.

The project has been funded by Creative Scotland, Inverclyde Council, Riverside Inverclyde, Big Lottery and Greenock Arts Guild Ltd. The Beacon is being built on what was previously a mix of open land and the Lamont’s dry dock, beside the Customs House on the open shore waterfront. The steel and concrete construction has metal decked floors, concrete roof coverings and perimeter masonry walls. Reglit Glass cladding surrounds the majority of the external concrete, which may be illuminated to alter the colour.

Internally the Beacon will include a 500-seat theatre with a fly tower and orchestra pit. Provisions for visitors will include a glazed bistro bar with function and rehearsal rooms above, whilst there will also be an additional 130-seat studio theatre with flexible seating.

Public and backstage access will be divided over two floors.

The upstairs features rooms with north face glazing from floor to ceiling, however architect Alex Liddell has cleverly angled the roof to allow illumination to enter from the south. Interestingly, the main foyer overlooks the River Clyde.

The theatre box office will be based at the site and its operating hours will include weekends. In addition, the building will provide better access for disabled visitors through disabled parking bays and ramped access. Full access throughout the

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new facility will be provided by internal lifts.

The centre is fitted with sprinkler and alarm systems, including security lighting and CCTV. Greenock Arts Guild Ltd Artistic Director, Julie Ellen, said: “The existing building was built in 1950 and would need electrical rewiring as well as plumbing and heating work, as it is no longer compliant with today’s standards. In 2006, the Arts Guild raised the money for a design consultancy to look at upgrading the existing building in Campbell Street.

“After much consideration, the team concluded that the most effective and affordable way forward would be to construct a new building instead of attempting to refurbish this one. This gives us the opportunity to move from a residential area to a more central site, where we can create a landmark project for the region in the process.”

An early difficulty involved unexpected water ingress in the foundations; however this was dealt with quickly and did not cause further disruptions. Extreme weather conditions experienced in December 2011 also hampered some activities.

By developing a state-of-the-art centre it is believed that the Beacon will attract a much broader cross section of the Inverclyde community.

Julie Ellen said: “It’s a rare treat to open a new arts centre in Scotland, so it is a testament to all the partners and directors who have come together to provide a public facility of this kind.

The Beacon is aimed at everybody and we have a number of initiatives in place to provide more for the young people of Inverclyde.

“A project like this is a landmark development in Greenock and we hope that the building creates a huge impact once it opens.”

Work is progressing well on the site, with the project due to reach completion in July 2012.

A gold star for Robertson Construction means, including open days, working with local apprentices and events such as today. It is great that the pupils who will ultimately use the school get an opportunity to understand how their school is built.”

Monsignor Ken McCaffrey said: “The Diocese of Dunkeld is pleased to have been involved in this new development, the first of two shared site schools in our city. We have had the fullest co-operation from Dundee City Council and they have accepted all of the guidelines from the Catholic Education Commission for such projects.

“I am sure that the children will benefit with these state of the art facilities and the diocese looks forward to continuing this partnership working with Dundee City Council.”

Late last year, nursery and primary pupils were given the chance to see how construction is progressing at their new shared schools site in Dundee, Fife.

The existing Park Place Nursery and Primary and St. Joseph’s Primary buildings are being replaced as part of a Dundee City Council initiative costing a total of just over £9.6 million. Main contractor Robertson Construction (Eastern) is carrying out the scheme, which is expected to be completed this autumn.

The shared site schools will contain twenty classrooms, a nursery and a gym hall. In addition, there will be a dining/assembly hall and a multipurpose room that can be used for drama and music.

Representatives from the local authority joined Councillor Elizabeth Fordyce, Monsignor Ken McCaffrey and the Robertson Construction team to celebrate with the children at the event in October 2011.

Speaking at the event, Councillor Elizabeth Fordyce said: “There has been a considerable amount of progress made over the summer and everyone from the schools will be excited to see this new development taking shape. We are pleased that our efforts to consult with parents and the Diocese of Dunkeld have helped to bring forward the plans to this stage.

“I am delighted that pupils can be here today to see for themselves what the new building is looking like. This investment will help to benefit pupils from Park Place and St Joseph’s in the future and we are all looking forward to the completion of the project.”

Sean O’Callaghan, Robertson Construction, added: “We’re delighted to be joined on site today by our very special guests to view the progress of the new West End Primary school.

“At Robertson we’re committed to actively engaging with the communities where we work. We do this through a variety of ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Pickaquoy Centre project is progressing swimmingly A new state-of-the-art swimming pool is about to be completed at the Pickaquoy Centre in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands.

The existing development has been extended onto part of the car park and the project has utilised the site of an existing all weather pitch, which has in turn been relocated to the outer playing fields behind the centre. New facilities will include a six-lane competition pool, leisure pool and toddlers’ pool, along with a spectator area and viewing galleries. In addition, there will be a health suite, a multi-purpose area and squash courts.

Morrison Construction is the design and build contractor for the scheme, for Orkney Islands Council.

Interestingly, the development has been designed to incorporate a certain degree of transparency. The use of translucent insulated sandwich panels will allow external visitors to view the activities taking place within the centre, whilst the development also features a glazed feature frontage with a northerly aspect.

The 25 metre six-lane competition pool will have a 25 metre moveable floor. With depths ranging from 0 metres to 2 metres, the pool will be suitable for a variety of activities including swimming lessons, basic diving, recreational swimming and competition training. The pool will also benefit from a 140-seat spectator gallery, which will allow full viewing of the main competition pool.

A freeform leisure pool with a beach area and minor leisure enhancements will also be provided. The depth will vary from 0 metres to 0.9 metres and the water will be slightly warmer than that of the main competition pool.

Also included in the scheme is a separate toddlers’ pool, which will provide an area for young people to gain confidence in the water.

Additional facilities include a new health suite, which will incorporate a sauna, steam

room and Jacuzzi. Three new squash courts will also be provided, along with an additional viewing space and a social area for squash competitors. Due to the clever layout of the facility, walls can be moved to create a multifunctional space for use in doubles events, subsequently making it possible to play other sports such as basketball and table tennis if desired.

The 60-week project is due to be completed in July 2012.

Diageo extends its drinks production in Fife A new bottling plant under construction in Leven will extend the operational facilities of one of the world’s largest drinks producers.

Scottish based company Diageo is one of the world’s largest drinks producers, with offices in over 80 countries worldwide.

Its brands include Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Captain Morgan and Guinness.

Funded by Diageo, Project Prairie will see the company relocate its facility to the town of Leven in Fife. This follows the highprofile closure of its former bottling plant in Kilmarnock. Work commenced on the project in April 2010 and the first bottling line was installed and made operational in June 2011.

The brand new plant will house seven bottling lines and includes the relocation of a new filling operation and an on-site disgourging unit which empties casks of whiskey. New bulk storage tank farms and a tank loading bay are also being installed, along with associated infrastructure.

The main facility has been constructed purely for bottling and is a single storey building which measures 203m x 64m.The south elevation comprises two storeys with offices and a welfare facility, whilst on the north elevation of the building, there is a two-storey ancillary area that has been designed to house the spirit processing facilities.

The building is a steel frame construction with a standing seam roof. The exterior finish of the building is composite self-spanning insulated cladding wall panels with brick work and glazing.

A number of green processes have been implemented during the project. These include lime stabilisation to retain the existing materials on site, grey water harvesting for toilet facilities and wind catchers for ventilation in the welfare facilities.

Ground Developments Ltd (GDL) is also working on the project to introduce a cut and fill ground stabilising operation. As a specialist in enabling works that use traditional soil stabilisation and

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solidification processes, GDL’s process minimises the need for external materials, resulting in an ecologically friendly and cost effective process.

As part of the project, a new site entrance that incorporates a roundabout was created. Temporary traffic lights were also installed and managed in order to keep disruptions to a minimum.

In addition, a new gatehouse and car park were created.

In November 2011 groundwork commenced and new trees were planted around the parameter of the site, with additional trees then being planted internally. This phase of the operation suffered a few delays due to temperamental weather conditions towards the end of 2011.

Blyth and Blyth Ltd was the lead consultant for the construction work and the development was designed by architects Jacobsen French. Although Rok Plc was the original contractor for the project, international construction services company ISG took over when the company went into administration in 2010.

Blyth and Blyth Ltd Managing Director, Mike Horner, said: “The administration of Rok halfway through the construction process was an early set back. Fortunately with ISG’s help we managed to get the site back up and running within five and six

weeks, which was a fantastic achievement.

“We held a meeting with ISG and made alterations to the work sequence to rearrange any work that didn’t affect production in order to ensure that the project continued without any further delays.

“It was all about prioritising what was needed for production so that everything could go live according to the original dates.”

Unfortunately this wasn’t the only incident encountered during the project. In August 2011 there was an on-site fatality with the death of a construction worker.

Mike Horner added: “We have a good working relationship with Diageo and have worked with the company for the past fifteen to twenty years. It is always good to work in partnership with Diageo and the other team members in order to deliver another successful project.”

All of the building and infrastructure on the project is now complete, along with the installation of all processing equipment.

Three bottling lines are currently in place, with the remaining lines being moved from the Kilmarnock site in early 2012.

The plant is scheduled to be fully operational in March 2012.

Cumberland Road takes shape A brand new housing development is on the horizon in South West Greenock.

The project will see up to 126 units built in the Larkfield area.

Constructed on behalf of River Clyde Homes as part of its ‘new build programme’, the two-storey houses will replace existing properties in the area and will comprise a mixture of terrace and semi-detached houses.

Work began on the £12 million project in September 2011 and funding has been provided by a Scottish Government’s Housing Association Grant and private financing secured by River Clyde Homes. Main contractor for the scheme is Cruden Building and Renewals Limited and FBN Architects is the architect.

The project forms part of the South West Greenock development, which will also include new housing units at Westmorland Road and Stafford Road.

Constructed from timber frame and brick skin cladding, the houses at Cumberland Road will also include decorative render panels. All of the homes are ‘Housing for Varying Needs’ compliant and the units will be constructed to be extremely thermally efficient, which will greatly reduce tenants’ fuel costs.

Cumberland Road will include paved courtyards to provide a safe and open area for residents and additional landscaping will include the planting of trees and shrubs in order to enhance the local biodiversity.

A number of roads will be closed and timed demolitions will take place to remove the existing properties from the site.

During the second phase of the project, residents will relocate to newly completed houses.

As Cumberland Road was previously a Brownfield site, radar

surveys have been conducted in order to monitor existing services and eliminate any unforeseen problems. A feasibility study for the site was also conducted by FBN Architects prior to any work commencing on the project. Importantly, this study took place in consultation with the local community, which allowed them to have a say in the matter.

James Smith, FBN Architects, said: “As part of River Clyde Homes’ stock replacement programme, these units will provide a welcome addition to their fully accessible terraced housing provision in the Greenock area.”

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S c otl a n d The Cumberland Road project is scheduled for completion in 2013.

River Clyde Homes River Clyde Homes is one of the largest social landlords in Scotland. The company is a not-for-profit organisation that comprises a board of 15 members that is monitored by the Scottish Housing Regulator.

To date, River Clyde Homes has invested £83 million into housing stock and is working towards the provision of hundreds of new homes by 2015. The aim of River Clyde Homes is to manage housing to the best interests of its tenants and as a result, the company conducts an annual business plan that reflects its key commitments.

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Building a future for the children of East Ayrshire A brand new state-of-the-art primary school is under construction in Kilmarnock.

Gargieston Primary School and Nursery is being built on Dundonald Road and will replace the former Gargieston learning facility on the site. Construction began on the multi-million pound project in May 2011 and the project is currently on target to reach completion in summer 2012, just in time for the new term in August.

Main contractor Dawn Construction has already completed extensive grouting works and is now installing windows and external doors. The next stage of the project will see the installation of sheeting for internal walls and partitions.

External landscaping will include provision for outdoor activities.

East Ayrshire Council Leader, Douglas Reid, said: “The Gargieston project is proceeding according to programme and the contractors

are working well with both the council and the community to deliver a successful outcome.

“We will see a well planned and sustainable modern school, with facilities that address all of the issues that were of concern to the Gargieston School community in the previous building. The East Ayrshire project is jointly funded by the Scottish Government with the Scottish Futures Trust as advisors and facilitators, and it is the first such project of its kind for the council.”

During the construction process, pupils have been moved to nearby sites at Grange Campus, Shortlees, Bellfield and Crosshouse in order to continue their schooling. However, students have been kept up to date with the construction programme and a number of pupils and their head teacher have visited the site to see how work is progressing. Two pupils were also involved in the burial of an on-site time capsule that contained mementos from the former school.

The Council’s Lifelong Learning Spokesperson, Councillor Hugh Ross, said: “I wish to pay particular tribute to Gargieston staff, parents and children for their support.

This would not have been possible without the very positive attitude that has prevailed throughout this project and it won’t be long

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now till they are able to enjoy their new school!”

Dawn Group Chairman, Alan Macdonald, added: “The construction of this multi-million pound state-of-the-art school is coming along well and the team is on budget and on schedule to complete it this summer, as planned.

“With our reputation as one of Scotland’s leading independent construction specialists, we are proud to be involved in delivering this brand new facility alongside our partners. This will provide a fantastic learning hub for those who will attend over the years.”

In addition to working on the Gargieston Primary School and Nursery Class project, Dawn Construction has worked on a number of other projects in Ayrshire, including new student accommodation for the University of the West of Scotland and the North Ayrshire Community Hospital in Irvine.

Early success for Parliament House The second phase of the Parliament House project has been praised after it was completed six months ahead of schedule.

Referred to as ‘first class’ by Parliament House’s Lord President, the early completion of Phase Two is a significant step forward in the redevelopment of the historic building, which is currently undergoing a process of modernisation.

The £18.5 million Phase Two operation began in October 2009 and saw development work focus primarily on the mid-section of Parliament House. In particular, redevelopment work was concentrated on the site’s Reid Building.

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Like the first phase of the project, works involved upgrading services and systems. Further improvements were made to jury and witness facilities, judicial chambers, office accommodation and security building links. Court rooms two and three were also refurbished as part of the programme.

Interserve is the main contractor for Parliament House and Aedas Architect Ltd is the architect. The project is being funded entirely by the Scottish Government and in total comprises three phases over a five-year period.

Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Services, Eleanor Emberson, said:

“Parliament House is both a working court building and an important part of Scotland’s heritage. The second phase is the most substantial as it equips the building to deal with the modern requirements of civil court business and assures its future within this world heritage site.”

Located in the centre of Edinburgh, Parliament House comprises of a collection of buildings which house the Supreme Courts of Scotland. The buildings are a prominent feature of the Scottish judicial system with the oldest, Parliament Hall, dating back over 400 years. The £63 million Parliament House project will update facilities and maintain the unique history of the site in order to ensure that it remains a central feature for Edinburgh in the years to come.

A previous attempt was made in 1999 to redevelop Parliament House; however, the project was abandoned due to the fear of spiralling costs. The current contract has reduced these costs and timescales considerably.

Phase One began in February 2008 and was completed in October 2009. The £12.3 million project included a variety of maintenance and improvement works to replace and upgrade essential services with work undertaken for electrical wiring, water pipes, heating, cooling and ventilation units, fire systems and lifts.

Two civil courtrooms also benefited from an upgrade in IT facilities, whilst additional courtrooms received improvements to jury and witness facilities and office accommodation.

Due to the location of the building and its historic importance in Scotland, a number of restrictions and special considerations are being taken. In particular, working hours are being restricted.

With the first two phases now complete, Phase Three is currently underway. This phase comprises the refurbishment of additional courts and artwork and statues in the historic Parliament Hall are being removed to enable rewiring, plasterwork repairs and fire alarm upgrades to take place.

The Parliament House project is due to be completed in 2013.

Constructing Rutherford Castle Work is complete on a new housing development in West Linton that will bring luxurious living to a desirable area of Scotland.

Rutherford Castle is an exclusive ten-house development located alongside West Linton Golf Club. The site comprises a mixture of six brand new three and four-bedroom detached houses, alongside four existing properties that have been converted into modern homes.

The houses are stone-built structures set around a village green, with each property including such notable features as luxury en-suite bedrooms, a dining room, utility room, study, kitchen and landscaped gardens. An additional highlight for a number of the houses is the uninterrupted view of the greens that form part of the 120-year old golf course.

Manor Kingdom was the main contractor on the development and completed the project on behalf of Bett Homes Scotland.

Together the two companies have successfully created a small rural community that is situated a short commutable distance to Edinburgh. The project has already caught the eye of many in the industry and recently received the Gold Award for Best Luxury Development at the What House 2011 awards.

Rutherford Castle has proved so popular that by the end of 2011 only two of the ten properties remained unsold. Indeed, only the four-bedroom Diplomat and the three-bedroom Linton did not have an owner.

Following the completion of the Rutherford Castle project, Bett Homes Scotland is continuing to develop its land holdings portfolio and currently has additional developments under construction throughout Scotland. These developments include the Devonshire Row project in the West End of Glasgow, 99 new homes at Leddach Grange in Elrick, and 39 homes at Sidlaw

Fields in Dundee.

Bett Homes’ Managing Director, Norman Yardley, said: “The success of our current land programme is a testament to Bett Homes’ commitment to growth and our focussed attention in the areas across Scotland where our customers are seeking the delivery of high quality new homes.

“We have already enjoyed considerable success since launching these new developments and with work due to start soon on several more projects during the coming months we expect this trend to continue.

“Our plans going forward are to continue to increase the extent of our geographical and market coverage to meet the requirements of our customers in Scotland.”

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Belfast leads the way for renewable energy The UK’s first purpose built offshore wind logistics facility is under construction at Belfast Harbour.

The Belfast Harbour D1 development consists of a 480 metre deepwater quay supported by a 50-acre hinterland.

The £50 million project is entirely self-funded by Belfast Harbour Commissioners, the port authority which manages and operates Belfast Harbour. The leading Danish Utility, DONG Energy, will then use the facility to assemble turbines and foundations for use in a number of its wind farm projects in the Irish Sea. The first of these projects is the West of Dutton Sands Offshore Wind Farm, located off the coast of Cumbria.

Main contractor Farrans Construction is carrying out the Belfast Harbour D1 project, which was designed by Doran Consulting. Construction began in August 2011 and is scheduled for completion in October 2012.

Belfast Harbour Commissioners Commercial Manager, Michael Robinson, said: “The offshore wind industry has two key requirements when looking for new sites: large areas of land and immediate access to an unrestricted deep water shipping channel. Belfast Harbour D1 is one of the few sites in the whole of the British Isles that ticks both of these boxes and DONG Energy quickly saw that we had a huge advantage over other highly competitive sites across the UK even though geographically we’re not the closest to its wind farm locations.”

He added: “We were also able to demonstrate to DONG Energy that we had a very streamlined planning process with a number of existing stakeholder relationships already in place.

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As a result, we were able to turn the planning element of the project around within six months.”

Approximately 1 million tonnes of aggregate is being used on the site to create the hinterland section of the development that will store wind turbine components. The aggregate will be placed on top of a layer of geogrid, which is a geosynthetic material that is used to reinforce soils and materials and provide load bearing capacity. A stone base has also been constructed on the seabed to offer protection to quay structure when the installation vessels jack up at the quay.

Michael Robinson said: “The turbines and components that we are handling are huge in size and weight, so the loading requirements of the quayside relieving slab are substantial. A standard quay at most harbours would have a loading capacity of approximately 5 tonnes per square metre; however the D1 relieving slab will support loads of up to 15 tonnes per square metre, three times the strength of a usual dockside.”

He added: “With so many projects in the Irish Seas within the D1 site’s natural catchment area, we have great aspirations for this development and with DONG Energy being the world’s number one offshore wind developer, we couldn’t be working with anyone better to realise those aspirations.

“The work taking place here includes a number of firsts for the industry, meaning that Belfast is now well positioned to become a leading hub in the UK for renewable energy.”

Raising the profile of the Titanic Quarter A state-of-the-art college has opened in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.

The Belfast Metropolitan College Titanic Quarter Campus on Queen’s Road is a completely new learning facility for the city and has been built to replace and consolidate two former college campuses in the area.

Belfast Metropolitan College is located on the site of the former shipping yard where the famous Titanic was constructed. With the capacity to cater for 2,500 full time students, the campus is also available for commercial hire.

The exciting new Titanic Quarter Campus consists of a fivestorey building with a central courtyard and covers an area of 22,000 square metres. A walkway bridge is attached to the rear of the college and in a clever nod to the location, the campus has been constructed in the shape of a ship.

The building was constructed using a steel frame and comprises a fully licensed restaurant, a lecture theatre, conference facilities, a board room and a learning resource centre. In addition, there are staff rooms, I.T areas, classrooms and eight kitchens complete with viewing galleries.

Other facilities include commercial hairdressing salons, four beauty salons, a Jacuzzi, a steam room, a sauna, a tanning booth, a gym, a student cafeteria and free Wi-Fi throughout the campus. The external central courtyard features four ponds and is situated directly above a 326-space basement car park.

Construction commenced on the site in April 2009 and was completed in August 2011, with the building now open and fully operational. Funding for the €44 million project was provided by

the Department for Education and Learning (DEL).

Main contractor for the project was the Patton Group and the architect was Todd Architects. The campus will be maintained and operated by Amey on behalf of Ivywood Colleges Ltd. Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry, said: “This new state-of-the-art facility is the largest single further education campus in Northern Ireland and is additional evidence of my department’s commitment to the further education sector and to the young people and adults using its facilities.

“The imaginative design draws on the rich history of shipbuilding at the location and the quality of the construction has

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resulted in a very special place of learning - not only for the local community but for businesses and individuals from across Northern Ireland, and indeed further afield.”

Estate Facilities Manager for Belfast Metropolitan College, Peter Kane, said: “Our location in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter is ideal as we are in an area of the city where everything is happening, yet at the same time with so much to offer on campus we’re very much like a small community down here.

“The learning environment that has been created really invigorates and encourages students to get involved with all aspects of college life and all of the equipment and facilities have been designed to the highest standards, so students love it!”

Improving the service in Tullamore Waste water facilities in Tullamore are being upgraded in order to provide additional capacity and meet the requirements of the Wastewater Discharge Licence.

Offaly County Council are behind the project to construct a new waste water treatment plant (WWTP) for Tullamore town and a sludge treatment centre (STC) to service the entire county.

The council purchased an additional 5 ½ acres of Greenfield land adjacent to the existing treatment plant site in order to accommodate the new facilities. The site is located close to the town, adjacent to a nearby railway embankment and Tullamore River.

When the project is complete, the fully licensed plant will meet the required effluent discharge standards of 8 milligrams per litre biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), 125 milligrams per litre chemical oxygen demand (COD) and a total phosphorous limit

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of 5 milligrams per litre.

The existing plant was designed to provide water treatment services for a population equivalent (PE) of 16,000 but is currently having to provide treatment for up to 25,000 PE. The new plant will provide waste water treatment capacity of 45,000 PE in a modular design that can accommodate expansion to 60,000 PE if required in the future. Boasting the capacity to provide for 80,000 PE, the new sludge treatment centre will cover the requirements of the entire county of Offaly.

Construction work began on the site in May 2010 under a Design Build and Operate (DBO) contract with the DB element worth €20 million. The contractor is a joint of venture of SIAC Construction Ltd and EPS Pumping and Treatment Systems, whilst the consulting engineer is T J O’Connor & Associates.

Once the site has been commissioned, EPS Pumping and

Treatment Systems will take over the operation of the plant under a 20-year operate contract valued at €17 million.

Work has included the construction of a new two-storey preliminary treatment works building and an administration building. The inlet works building is constructed of reinforced concrete with a structural steel roof; the administration building is constructed of block work and both buildings are clad with Kingspan insulated panels.

Preliminary treatment consists of mechanical screening, grit removal and grease removal. Primary settlement is then provided by two 25.4m diameter circular tanks, constructed with precast concrete and post tensioned sections. The tanks are covered to facilitate odour removal and contain rotating half bridges with bottom scrapers and sludge removal pipe work.

Following primary treatment, the wastewater is discharged to a reinforced concrete tank containing three aeration lanes, each of circa 1900m3 volume, with an operating depth of 5m. Diffused air is provided through proprietary plate diffusers, rather than the more common dome type diffusers, to provide a more efficient system. Storm storage of 3,600m3 is provided by the construction of two reinforced concrete tanks adjacent to the aeration tanks with shared end walls.

The storm tanks are also covered to facilitate odour removal.

Final settlement of the wastewater is provided via two circular concrete tanks of 27.8m diameter, with rotating half bridges, bottom scrapers and sludge removal pipe work. A proprietary

filtration system is also being used to provide tertiary treatment.

The STC is a structural steel frame building clad with Kingspan insulated panels. The WWTP will process waste sludge to the STC, which will also have facilities to accept imported cake and liquid sludge from other plants in the county. Imported and indigenous sludge is blended and thickened in preparation for final treatment, which consists of Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion followed by a process of thermal drying.

Comprehensive odour control measures have been included throughout the plant to meet the employers’ requirements in respect of the odour concentration at the site boundary.

Improvements have also been made to inlet sewers in order to upgrade the influent entry system for the plant. On the existing site, influent entered via a single sewer inlet under a railway embankment, with a diameter of 750mm. However, this has now been replaced with a 1200mm diameter sewer which was pipe jacked under the railway embankment close to the existing inlet sewer. A second 450mm diameter inlet sewer has been provided in the northern boundary of the site whilst a third 900mm diameter inlet sewer has been constructed under the Tullamore River. For this third sewer inlet to be constructed, the flow of water from the Tullamore River had to be diverted until the construction was complete.

Offaly County Council Senior Engineer for Water Services, Tom Shanahan said: “A project like this is very important for the future development of Tullamore as not only does it provide more than adequate facilities for waste water treatment, but the inclusion of a sludge treatment centre enables us to dispose of all our sludge in an environmentally acceptable manner.”

The existing plant will be completely decommissioned but Offaly County Council will maintain the buildings for storage and general usage, meaning the former facility will not go to waste.

Civil and mechanical works are now almost complete and the plant is currently in the stages of process proving and commissioning.

Landscaping will include the planting of indigenous trees and hedges, whilst an earth mound will be used to help screen the facility.

The waste water treatment plant and sludge treatment centre will be fully operational by July 2012.

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New scheme will defend Mallow A flood alleviation scheme is being implemented in Mallow in order to reduce the risk of flooding from the Blackwater River.

The Munster Blackwater (Mallow South and West) Drainage Scheme will introduce a number of flood defence measures to the area, including the construction of pumping stations, defence walls and embankments, along with upgrades to the current drainage systems. Control structures are also being constructed on tributary streams in order to reduce the risk of flooding.

Mallow is situated in North Cork and is a busy commuter town at the crossing point of a number of major routes in the Munster region. The Blackwater River cuts straight through the town, and due to the profile of its floodplain, the town is historically prone to flooding.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) has worked with Cork County Council and Mallow Town Council since 2002 to introduce a flood protection scheme and flood warning system in the area. In 2004, Arup, the scheme’s designers, identified three geographical locations for flood defence mechanisms and these areas were then divided into two phases.

Munster Blackwater (Mallow North) was the first phase. Now complete, the phase has already defended the town from the threat of heavy flooding during a significant flood event in November 2009.

The second phase began in September 2010 and has combined the south and west areas of Mallow to form the Munster Blackwater (Mallow South and West) phase. This phase was originally scheduled for completion in January 2012 however this date has now been pushed back to June 2012 due to a number of delays, including the discovery of a number of ar-

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chaeological findings.

The project has a contract value €6.1 million and has been funded by the Office of Public Works (OPW) for the Irish Government under a National Development Plan (2007 to 2013).

The project is currently 60% complete.

One of the notable features of the scheme is a large clay embankment located in the west of Mallow which is now almost complete. The robust embankment measures approximately 800 metres in length, 5 metres in height, 40 metres in width and consists of 46,000 cubic metres of material.

Main contractor for the Munster Blackwater (Mallow South and West) project is BAM Civil Ltd. Arup’s Resident Engineer on behalf of the Office of Public Works, Feargal O’Sullivan, said: “Due to the nature of implementing a scheme within a town environment, we are constantly interfacing with the public. This means we have to consider many factors and constraints, including how we move construction vehicles in and out of various sites across the town and when and where we can close roads.

“Furthermore, much of the works are underground in deep or shallow excavations, in close proximity to water bodies.

All of these considerations have to be taken into account so that health and safety remains at the forefront of the Munster Blackwater (Mallow South and West) Drainage Scheme.”

Raising standards in Monaghan A multi-use education campus is currently under construction in Monaghan to provide learning facilities for students at primary, post-primary and further education levels.

The €35 million Monaghan Education Campus is being carried out on the site of a former military barracks and will consist of three educational facilities housed within a 20-acre campus.

The project is currently the largest school campus to take shape in Ireland and will comprise a 16-classroom all Irish primary school for Gaelscoil Ultain, a 400-pupil all Irish post-primary school for Gaelcholáiste Oiriall, and a 700-student institute for further education.

As part of the construction of the campus a sports hall, playing pitches and a car park will be included to provide additional facilities for staff and students.

A new theatre will also be constructed in order to replace the existing PLC College and Theatre. The building will become the new home of the Garage Theatre and will receive €3.3 million in grant-aided funding from the Department of Education & Skills and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltact.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, championed the construction of the theatre and referred to it as ‘an important addition to the arts and the cultural infrastructure in the border region’.

In November 2009 education authority County Monaghan VEC was selected to oversee and manage the procurement, planning and building of the campus. Monaghan VEC is the first education authority to be chosen by the Department of Education and Skills to manage a project like this and aims to provide students with courses that will eventually generate exciting new industries in Ireland.

The construction of Monaghan Education Campus is also being hailed as an important step forward for education in Ireland by education officials who believe that the facility’s name will quickly become world recognised brand of excellence.

Once complete, the campus will fall in line with the govern-

ment’s view that shared campuses are the preferred model for the educational infrastructure in areas of demographic growth.

Minister for Education & Skills, Ruairí Quinn, said: “I want to congratulate Co. Monaghan Vocational Education Committee on the tremendous work involved in bringing this project to construction.

“This is a shining example of where the local VEC has worked closely with my department and the Gaelscoil to ensure delivery of a state of the art education campus for the benefit of all in the Monaghan area.

“The benefits of working with the people on a local level are clear in relation to the timeframes achieved with this project.”

Monaghan Education Campus will be completed in September 2012 in time for the Winter Term.

John Sisk & Son Ltd is the main contractor on the campus, whilst Stephen Oppermann of Oppermann and Associates is the architect.

O’Connell Mahon wheels out yet another successful project Kerry General Hospital is preparing to celebrate the upcoming practical completion of a new Emergency Department (ED) at their existing site in County Kerry.

As the second largest of the Health Service Executive South’s seven acute hospitals, the hospital provides services to the population of County Kerry and a proportion of the populations of West Limerick and North Cork.

Phase one began in November 2010 and has consisted of the construction of a new 1500 square metres Emergency Department. Phase Two will comprise the refurbishment of the existing Emergency Department, which will subsequently connect the two departments and facilitate the expansion of the Acute Medical Assessment Unit (AMAU).

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I re l a n d features include a large cantilevered ambulance canopy to the south and a large glazed waiting area at the entrance to the north.

Landscaping has included the creation of paved areas and the planting of trees to the east of the development.

Donnacha Murphy, O’Connell Mahon, said: “Despite the challenges of working on the site of an existing hospital, the project has progressed well. Any potential disruptions were mitigated by the careful phasing of enabling works and arranging road access well in advance.

Given the close adjacency of the existing Emergency Department, the main contractor is carrying out weekly monitoring reports pertaining dust, traffic and services.

“This project will bring important health facilities to the local area.”

O’Connell Mahon

tion of the second phase in June 2012.

Covering two floors, the new department will provide several vital emergency services including a large treatment and observation area, examination cubicles, an X-ray room and a resuscitation room.

The exterior of the building comprises cream limestone, red sandstone and timber cladding. Although the modern new build is in contrast to the existing 1960s development, the two buildings share a common language of colour. Other interesting

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O’Connell Mahon Architects is amongst Ireland’s most established architectural practices and to this day the company continues to provide their clients with an extensive range of knowledge, skills and experience.

Recognised as preeminent in specialist healthcare and design, O’Connell Mahon works hard to establish durable relationships with clients, colleagues and partners. The company has a highly professional approach, which has enabled them to deliver major projects in both the private and public sectors.

The work of the company is celebrated not only by repeat business but by an impressive range of awards, including ‘Best Health Building’ at the RIAI Architecture Awards 2009 and the ‘Art in Architecture’ award at the Bank of Ireland OPUS Architecture & Construction Awards in 2007.

For more information on O’Connell Mahon, visit www.oconnellmahon.ie

Team effort will benefit Belfast community The first phase of a project to provide vital health services is nearing completion at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

As part of a major capital programme to improve health provision across Northern Ireland, the new twelve-storey criticalcare unit (CCU) will provide essential medical facilities including critical care theatres, accident and emergency treatment and maternity accommodation.

Planning permission was granted in March 2007 and the project began at the end of 2008. With the help of Envirowise, main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey established a supply chain project to work with local suppliers such as Warwick Engineering Ltd, Blackbourne Integrated M&E and McMullen Architects in order to identify areas for improved resource efficiency and environmental performance.

Designed by established architects URS in conjunction with Capita Architecture, the £110 million centre will have the capacity to treat up to 80,000 attendees each year. Almost two-thirds of the Northern Ireland population live within forty minutes travel of the hospital, which is situated only a few minutes drive from Belfast city centre.

Built on a Brownfield site that once belonged to the former Quinn House, the site is surrounded by an eight-storey building that comprises the Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat (EENT) department, a maternity department and an A-block containing wards and theatres.

The highly modern build features a range of interesting features, including ceramic tiling and extensive glazing.

Charles Stokes, URS, said: “The design reflects the high-tech nature of the internal clinical functions and the sterile environment that we are trying to create. On levels five and six where the critical care areas are located, an external corridor separates the patients’ families from the staff, therefore reducing the risk of cross contamination.

“We have had to introduce and change three floors of the building from one function to another whilst the building was being constructed, which was obviously a challenge. Although this affected the project somewhat, all problems have been overcome by the hard work of the construction team.

“URS is extremely proud to have been involved in this project, which will bring cost-efficient and high quality health services to the population of Belfast – in the process setting precedence for the rest of Northern Ireland.”

The new CCU also features an innovative new curtain walling system. The aluminum composite panels have a metallic silver finish and are fixed within an extruded aluminum frame. This

innovative method of construction allows for the creation of a stunning flush-glazed facade to the building.

McLaughlin & Harvey are committed to the promotion of sustainable projects and as a result, the development has incorporated a range of eco friendly features such as photovoltaic cells and a CHP. Sam McCloskey, Envirowise Regional Manager for Northern Ireland, said: “McLaughlin & Harvey is a great example of a company looking at not only its direct impact on the environment, but also the ways in which working with suppliers can reduce the carbon footprint of the entire site and cut costs for all concerned.

Sharing ideas and best practice in this way not only boosts the bottom line for the companies involved, but will also help to forge strong business relationships for future years.”

Breathing life into a hospital and its patients The site of the derelict Wexford General Hospital is to be transformed by a new 50-bed Community Nursing Unit (CNU). Main contractor for the exciting project is Glenbeigh Construction and the architect is Coady Partnerships Architects.

Formerly a union workhouse, the hospital was built in the early 1840s before being converted for use as a hospital in the 1920s.

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I re l a n d 19th century built heritage of Wexford town ’it has unfortunately ‘fallen into an advanced state of disrepair’.

Although the £8m Farnogue Healthcare Unit will be built on the site of the old development, it is thought that Wexford General Hospital will remain untouched. Comprising 3,600 square metres of space, the unit will contain two ‘households’ of 20 and 30 beds, along with a central therapy module and related community spaces.

Contained in the HSE’s South Regional Service Plan, the mental health services component of the CNU is part of ongoing plans for mental health services in the south east. These plans have also included the closure of St. Senan’s Psychiatric Hospital in Enniscorthy. However, unlike St. Senan’s Psychiatric Hospital, Farnogue Healthcare Unit will not provide inpatient care. This will only be available in Waterford and Wicklow once the closure of the Enniscorthy hospital is complete.

The HSE hope that the hospital ‘will see the vast majority of patients and clients being treated in the community by building on existing community health teams, outpatient clinics, hostels and day services, with only a small number requiring care in an acute impatient setting’.

Other provisions will include the creation of a new entrance off the existing northern boundary on the Old Hospital Road and car parking space for 40 vehicles. In addition, provision is being made for a goods delivery area, waste management facilities and LPG storage tanks.

Landscaping will include new boundary fencing to the perimeter of the site, whilst attractive garden spaces will frame the new unit and aid in the rehabilitation of the patients.

Interestingly, several discoveries have been unearthed during the construction works, including old bottles and bone fragments.

Councillor George Lawlor said: “The new community nursing unit will be a very welcome addition to the healthcare in Wexford.”

ESB powers ahead Construction on the Carrickatane Wind Farm continues to progress well for leading energy utility company ESB. Work commenced on the Northern Ireland site in late 2011 and with everything running to schedule Carrickatane Wind Farm is due to be completed by the end of 2012.

The site at Carrickatane was selected due to its financial viability and the availability of good wind speeds, grid connection and accessibility. When fully operational it will boast 9 turbines with a combined capacity of 20.7MW and will generate power for approximately 9000 homes. The energy will be supplied to Electric Ireland.

As part of the initial construction works on Carrickatane, access roads to the site have been modified to allow large machinery to safely access the site. The turbines that are being installed will be Siemens SWT 2.3-93 and will have a hub height of 63.5m, a blade tip of 110m and a rotor diameter of 93m.

Carrickatane Wind Farm is just one of a number of wind farms in ESB’s extensive portfolio, which also includes Curryfree Wind Farm in Northern Ireland, Grouse Lodge Wind Farm in Ireland, and Crockagarran and Hunters Hill in Co. Tyrone.

Recent additions to ESB’s portfolio include England’s largest wind farm at Fullabrook in North Devon, and the 59.5MW Derrybrien Wind Farm in Co. Galway.

The company’s most recent UK acquisition is the Myndd Y Betws project in south Wales. The project was acquired from Welsh developer Eco2 in 2010 and is currently under construction with commercial operation planned for early 2013.

ESB’s business interests include the generation, transmission, distribution and supply of energy and its business strategy involves the decarbonisation of its power generation activities by

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2035. It is estimated that one third of ESB’s electricity will be generated from renewable sources by 2020.

In order to facilitate sustainability targets and economic growth, ESB is developing an advanced smart networks system and sees the future of the Irish and British energy markets as one integrated trading market. For this reason ESB has constructed generation plants in both Northern Ireland and Britain and at the end of 2010, it acquired Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) - a company with a regulated asset base of €1.2 billion.

Within its portfolio, ESB owns ESB International (ESBI) - a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy specialising in the electricity sector. The company has acted as project manager, engineer and CDMC/PSDP for all ESB-constructed wind farm projects.

Making roads safer in Belturbet A new road improvement scheme will reduce the number of road traffic fatalities in Belturbet.

The N3 Butlersbridge to Belturbet Road Improvement Scheme comprises the construction of a single road carriageway that measures approximately 6.7 kilometres.

Cavan County Council and the National Roads Authority are responsible for the scheme, which will see important improvements made along the Belturbet Town bypass in order to make the route safer for road users. Once completed, the main road will be 7.3 metres wide with 2m x 2.5m hard shoulders and 3 metre wide verges.

The existing route is an important transport link for the area but has seen a number of serious injuries and fatalities over the last ten years.

Cavan County Council Project Manager, Brendan Jennings, said: “I’ve worked locally around the area of Belturbet for years and I have had to deal with a number of fatalities along the route.

Hopefully the scheme will reduce the number of accidents and make the area a much safer route.”

Work commenced on the €23 million Design and Build project in May 2011 in a joint venture between main contractors Ferrovial Agroman Ireland and PT McWilliams.

As the site crosses through a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a number of environmental concerns have arisen during the project. In particular, two large bogs – Putiaghan Bog and Aghnaguig Bog – are within close proximity to the ongoing construction work.

An extensive amount of planning work has taken place over the last 10 years in order to preserve the area. A bridge will be constructed over the Putiaghan bog, whilst special considerations will be taken for the Aghnaguig Bog. Also included in the project is the construction of a separate

bridge over the River Erne. The structure is a three-span bridge that measures approximately 141 metres long and has a central span of 69 metres, with two side spans each measuring 36 metres. The bridge will be the first of its kind in the UK and Ireland when it is completed.

A testing process is currently taking place on the cables that will be used to support the structure and the next stage of the project will see a large number of excavation works taking place across the scheme. Public lighting will also be installed in order to renew and replace existing facilities.

Brendan Jennings added: “The biggest issues we have experienced concern the environmental aspects of the project and so we are making sure that we comply with every procedure that has been set out as part of the original contract.

“We have several environmental specialists on site, including ecologists, hydrologists and hydrogeologists. Each of these specialists is involved in monitoring every inch of the scheme, with an example of this being the work that is underway at the Aghnaguig Bog. “The ground water and surface water at the bog are very low in nutrients and this is something that has to be maintained, especially when piling working is being conducted. There is a risk that when puncturing through the separate layers of the bog the different types of water could mix, so numerous trials are taking place to stop this from happening.

“We’ve been involved with schemes like this before, but in terms of the different elements that are involved here it is a very unique project.”

The N3 Butlersbridge to Bulterbet Road Improvement Scheme is scheduled for completion in April 2013.

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Saint Robert Bellarmin Wind Farm on its way Main contractor Borea Construction is building a new wind farm in Canada.

The Saint Robert Bellarmin Wind Farm is located just two hours away from Quebec City in the Saint Robert Bellarmin area, just north of the American border. Comprising 40 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 80MW, the completed wind farm will provide enough power for 20,000 homes.

The scheme is valued at £127m (approximately $200m) and has been funded by EDF EN Canada. The energy created will be managed by EDF EN Canada, however maintenance operations will be conducted by their sister company, Enxco Services Canada. During the course of the project over 100 jobs are being created, including five permanent operation and maintenance jobs.

Hydro-Quebec began tendering the project for 2000 MW of wind power energy in 2007 and EDF EN Canada was announced as the winner in 2009. Following the announcement, EDF EN Canada selected the Saint Robert Bellarmin site and conducted an impact study to address any environmental issues. The study took into account the impact the project would have on fauna, indigenous wildlife and river crossings and then presented the results to the local government. Following a successful study, authorisation was then given for EDF EN Canada to proceed with the project.

Before construction could begin, it was necessary to conduct a small amount of preparation work. As the wind farm is being constructed atop a mountain, a small amount of tree felling was required in order to clear the site. Minor modifications were then made to roads to improve access for the transportation of materials to and from the site.

A number of infrastructure roads were built on the development using locally sourced materials, such as rock recovered from the site. These materials were then used to reduce the amount of vehicles required to transport material to and from the site.

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As the Saint Robert Bellarmin Wind Farm is located near to a large maple syrup producer, arrangements were made to reduce the impact that the construction work would have on the company’s production schedule.

Construction of the turbines began with the erection of the first five turbines in December 2011, which allowed EDF EN Canada to eliminate any problems that could occur before full scale construction began in 2012.

Narrow cranes weighing 700 tonnes and measuring 4 metres wide will be used to install the turbines. Most of the components will be lifted mid-May 2012 and erection will begin in early June.

The turbines are being manufactured by REpower Systems and were chosen because they are robust, therefore making them ideal for operating throughout Quebec’s varying weather conditions. The turbines are MM92 models and stand at a hub height of 80 metres high, with a diameter of 92 metres and a power capacity of 2MW. Foundations are being constructed using concrete and rebar.

EDF EN Canada Programme Manager, David Gallagher, said: “It’s very important for us at EDF EN to get a project like this underway and we’re very proud of our accomplishments so far.

Saint Robert Bellarmin Wind Farm promises to bring amazing returns to the local community, who we’ve had a lot of support from. Our aim is to make sure that this wind farm is built on time and to the requirements set out by Hydro-Quebec.”

EDF EN Canada Inc Vice President, Stéphane Boyer, added: “The reception and support from the community of Saint Robert Bellarmin and the MRC du Granit have largely contributed to the success of this project. We extended our gratitude to the Quebec Government departments for their diligence to develop this project in an ‘accelerated’ mode, allowing the Saint Robert Bellarmin wind project to achieve commercial operation in early 2012.”

Heritage

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 Heritage is the government’s statutory adviser on the historic environment. Officially known as the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, English Heritage is an executive non-departmental public body that is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

The powers and responsibilities of English Heritage are set out in the National Heritage Act (1983) and today they report to Parliament through the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Although sponsored by DCMS, English Heritage works with a range of government departments, notably CLG and Defra, to help realise the potential of the historic environment.

English Heritage is funded in part by the government, and is also part funded from revenue earned from their historic properties and other services. In 2008/09 the organisation’s public funding was worth £132.7m, and income from other sources was £48.1m.

English Heritage works in partnership with central government departments, local authorities, voluntary bodies and the private sector to conserve and enhance the historic environment, broaden public access to the heritage and increase people’s understanding of the past.

The organisation meets these responsibilities by: acting as a national and international champion for the heritage; giving grants for the conservation of historic buildings, monuments and landscapes; maintaining registers of England’s most significant historic buildings, monuments and landscapes; and advising on the preservation of the historic environment.

English Heritage also encourages broader public involvement with the heritage, promotes heritage-related education and research, cares for Stonehenge and over 400 other historic properties on behalf of the nation, maintains the National Monuments Record as the public archive of the heritage and generates income for the benefit of the historic environment.

English Heritage is currently running a five-year investment

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programme for its properties. Based on an audit of all the organisation’s properties, £30m is being targeted at those sites with the most commercial potential, in order to make as many sites as possible self-financing. Projects range from major refurbishment and restoration works at Kenilworth Castle to relatively small but significant improvements to exhibitions and interpretation, catering and retail facilities.

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

English Heritage has also published research demonstrating the shortage of craft skills across the country and a Skills Action Plan which they are now implementing. This includes raising the profile of vocational training and the built heritage construction sector and attracting more young people to pursue careers within it.

The plan is also geared towards encouraging the use of suitably skilled and qualified people, and developing qualifications to ensure that traditional building knowledge and skills can be attained from GCSE to Master Craft level.

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

Meet the conservation specialists Mike and Gary Simpson, a father and son team, run a specialist conservation firm called Heritage Consolidation from their base in Northumberland. Their specialities include stonemasonry and lime-based mortars, along with plastering and render. Recent years have seen them take the admirable and, some would say, bold decision to focus entirely on heritage restoration work.

The duo have done restoration work with both English Heritage and Natural England. Their experiences have helped them to reach the conclusion that not only is a conservation-focused business an extremely viable enterprise, but that their traditional skills are lacking across the UK. And that’s without mentioning their love for the work.

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Hidden cost of lead thefts threatening our heritage Ray Robertson, Secretary, Lead Contractors Association – Stealing lead from a church roof is no longer the victimless crime traditionally portrayed. Record metal prices have resulted in regional / national organised gangs that methodically strip vulnerable sites, with the lead easily distributed through the UK network of metals reclamation merchants.

Increasing demand world wide for lead acid batteries has also spawned large scale thefts by the container load to be shipped directly abroad from UK ports.

More often than not the ‘vulnerable sites’ are church properties in remote locations where access is open and visitors are encouraged. This has meant the repeat targeting of some churches with the thieves simply waiting for the lead sheet to be replaced before stripping it off again.

Although perhaps involving relatively few people directly, the damage caused to the external building structure and internal decoration, as well as its precious, often irreplaceable contents is heartbreaking to those locals affected.

It is reported that between January and August 2011, the cost of lead stripped from ecclesiastical properties had exceeded £3.5M - more then the whole of 2010. More than 5,000 churches in the UK have now suffered from a theft of lead and this is not a problem which is going away.

Although lead thefts have been escalating chronically over the past three or four years, it affects relatively few. Ironically it has been the recent increase in the theft of copper cable and resulting massive inconvenience to thousands of rail commuters and cost to transport, power and communication companies (and their insurers) which has dramatically raised the public awareness of ‘metal thefts’ and led to demands for action.

Now there are investigations into security systems, alarms, lighting and lead theft deterrents such as Smartwater and Led-Lok. Neighbourhood watch schemes such as Church Care and National Church Watch have quickly become a focal point for the community. The entire UK metals reclamation network (colloquially “scrap metal merchants”) has come under the microscope, with calls for changes to legislation, stricter regulation, licensing, banning of cash scales, improved identification procedures, record keeping, Certificates of Origin, etc.

Demands for the skills of the experienced lead craftsmen increased to the extent where LCA members undertook to work to an agreed schedule of rates and an organised system approved

by Ecclesiastical Insurance which meant the rapid response by a leadwork specialist when a theft occurred. It also meant an installation carried out in accordance with the UK Code of

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Practice (BS6915) and which was sympathetic with the demands of the original roof design.

In the hands of a skilled and experienced craftsman, lead sheet can be shaped by hand to fit the most complex and ornate details which are found on our historic properties, in order to provide comprehensive and maintenance free weather protection that (untouched) will consistently perform for more than 100 years.

Because it is a soft metal, lead sheet reacts to temperature changes by expanding and contracting. The specialist leadworker knows exactly how to allow for this thermal movement in the sizing and fixing of each individual detail. However also because it is a soft metal which moves, lead cannot be sealed down on all sides and still perform, so increasing its vulnerability to theft.

Installing lead sheet properly is therefore a specialist craft that requires a degree of skill and knowledge which the general roofing contractor is unlikely to have, regardless of their competence in other materials.

When a lead theft occurs there is an increasing temptation to change materials. Even when lead sheet is re-installed, there is the mistaken belief that money can be saved by using a non specialist.

These two consequences of lead theft have resulted in a sharp fall in demand for the services of the specialist leadworker, at a time when the entire UK construction industry continues to suffer from the economic downturn.

When metal prices ease (as they will), when lead thefts decline (as they will), when demand for lead sheet revives (as it undoubtedly will because of its unrivalled long term maintenance free performance), where will the specialists be to make sure it is fitted with the skill, knowledge and careful attention to detail it deserves?

For more information on the Lead Contractors Association: www.lca.gb.com

A s s o c i ati o n s

Expo strikes back The world’s largest event for sustainable design and construction is returning to the UK for a seventh year.

The Ecobuild 2012 Expo will take place at London’s ExCel from Tuesday 20th March to Thursday 22nd March and will showcase the largest selection of sustainable construction products in the world. Over 1,500 suppliers will exhibit at the event, with leading names such as BASF Construction Chemicals, Saint-Gobain, Kingspan and Worcester Bosch in attendance.

There will be an expansive seminar and conference programme running throughout the three day event, as well as a number of additional special interest features and attractions. In addition, the world’s largest green building will also be exhibited.

During the course of the event, Ecobuild’s seminar programme will conduct over 130 sessions covering such hot topics as Energy & Innovation in Buildings, Future Energy and Sustainable

by Design.

A session on the 2012 Olympics will also be part of the programme and will be hosted by the Construction Products Association and BRE. This session will focus on the lessons that have been learnt from the delivery of the Olympic Park and how they can be put to use in other developments. The Olympics lasting legacy will also be discussed, including how it will increase the UK’s reputation for sustainable design and construction.

Highlights of Ecobuild 2012 Expo include a three-day, threestream conference sponsored by the UK Green Building Council, with commentary from the likes of Janet Street Porter, Greg Dyke and Sir John Beddington. The riveting Renewable Heat Focus will showcase the latest working models for solar thermal energy, biomass and heat pumps alongside daily talks

on how to benefit from the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

On the exhibition floor, Renew will provide practical advice on achieving an air-tight, highly insulated and energy efficient building, with demonstrations focusing on how to upgrade cavity walls and insulate internal walls, lofts and floors. One of the UK’s leading testing bodies, Chiltern Dynamics will also be on hand to promote the impact changes that Approved Document L (ADL) has had on air tightness requirements for all new buildings.

In addition, Chiltern Dynamics will discuss additional services

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including pre-completion sound testing, thermal modelling and energy assessments, including SAP, BREAM, EPC, SBEM and Code for Sustainable Homes.

The Ecobuild event will also have a Solar Hub in order to demonstrate how the installation of PV can still offer attractive rates of return via the UK Feed-in Tariff, despite adjustments to the Government’s incentive scheme. Here visitors will receive practical guidance on how to choose the most appropriate system for the best results, whilst learning how to reduce carbon emissions, mitigate rising energy costs and maximise return on investment.

Additional highlights include demonstrations for cob wall building, carpentry techniques and straw bale construction.

Experts will also be on hand at the event to conduct daily talks, provide one-to-one advice and demonstrate the latest technology in action.

Lightning Conductors & Lightning Protection Systems SLPTG (Steeplejack & Lightning Protection Training Group) can provide clients or customers with all the necessary information on specialist lightning protection companies regarding training, qualifications and experience.

This will ensure that any contractor or sub-contractor they are considering working with can demonstrate that they and their workforce are competent and have the correct qualifications, knowledge and experience to carry out tasks on their lightning conductors or lightning protection systems.

Under the HASAW Act you have to provide a ‘Duty of Care’.

In order to ensure that operatives can provide proof of competence and demonstrate the experience and knowledge required to carry out a task, a Photo ID CSCS Smartcard is a simple yet very effective way to check that someone working on or testing your lightning conductor or lightning protection system is fully qualified.

To prove this, check the card matches the operative; on the rear of the card it clearly states that they are either NVQ II or NVQ III Lightning Conductor Engineers. If they cannot provide this, do not let them continue until they or the company can demonstrate competency to your satisfaction - after all, if something were to happen it may eventually come back to you. This simple but very effective measure is there to assist.

Throughout 2009 and 2010, there were Two Day lightning protection test and inspection courses available through accredited learning centres. Certain companies have used this to include the testing and inspection of lightning conductors to their range

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of services, and this is only one of many official training units or certificates that are required for a lightning protection engineer to gain their specialist NVQ qualification.

Indeed, this unit/certificate does not provide the operative with the experience and knowledge, it is merely a certificate of training. Do not accept this as proof of competence on its own, as the minimum requirements you should be looking for is an in date Photo ID CSCS Smartcard that states clearly on the rear they are NVQ II or NVQ III Lightning Conductor Engineers.

Protect yourself and check the Photo ID CSCS Smartcard.

A s s o c i ati o n s Understanding training Working closely with National Specialist Accredited Centre (NSAC) and the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) and Construction Skills at the National Construction College (NCC, Bircham Newton, Norfolk), the SLPTG has formulated and developed the lightning conductor engineer national apprenticeship scheme, along with adult learning opportunities.

Colin Sanders, SLPTG, says: “The SLPTG demonstrates that we fully understand the commitment and consequent investment that is required for training because adaptable, skilled people are vital to the success of our industry. We also aim to provide our clients with the confidence that the training, experience and skills given to our operatives can demonstrate the competence required to enable them to carry out their tasks.”

Richard Diment, Director General of the Federation of Master Builders, says: “The FMB, as the leading trade association representing SMEs in the British construction sector, supports and promotes all aspects of craft management and health and safety training. It recognises CSCS as a vital means by which its members can record and provide proof of the skills and competency of their workforce and sub-contractors.”

Julia Evans, chief executive of the National Federation of Builders, says: “CSCS provides a base line standard which is broadly accepted by the majority of the construction industry.

It enables workers to demonstrate important proficiencies and companies to demonstrate a commitment to safe and efficient working.”

Alan Ritchie, Construction Union, says: “A fully carded workforce is a safer and better trained workforce”.

Full information on the on the above statements and the CSCS Card Scheme can be found at www.cscs.uk.com The SLPTG needs to continue to develop training for our industry by working closely with clients and customers, main contractors, training providers and members in order to ensure

Apprentices needed as construction sector faces potential retirement time bomb It has been announced that problems could arise in the construction industry due to an ageing workforce and a ‘limited injection of new blood’.

Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for the construction industry, said: “When you look at the age profile demographics across the whole construction industry, there is a tendency towards older employees. Indeed, a significant number are coming up to retirement age in the next five to ten years.

“Fewer people are coming through behind them because of the recession in the early 1990s. During this difficult time, the industry lost many people who never returned.

“Statistics indicate that in the next 10 years there will be around half a million fewer 16 - 24 year olds in the country as a whole, and this at a time when firms are starting to fight hard for young apprentices or undergraduates to come into their sectors. As a result, the construction industry does have a fight on its hands; it has to make sure that it accesses good quality people from a significantly smaller pooler of talent.”

He added: “The sectors’ ageing workforce will need replacing; therefore one of our main focuses is promoting the entry of new talent into the industry and driving young people to us for training.”

CITB-ConstructionSkills has organised a series of events which have successfully increased the take-up of apprentices by 47%.

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that the training delivered to our workers is improving the quality of our workforce in all areas. This will require the introduction of more dynamic forms of training, which will serve to elevate the industry.

Please remember: if an operative cannot provide a CSCS card which states their NVQ II or NVQ III qualifications for on the rear, do not let them carry out the works!

For further information, contact Lynne Fletcher (GTO) on 01625 664500, e-mail info@slptraininggroup.org.uk or visit the website at www.slptraininggroup.org.uk

The events were run as part of the CITB-ConstructionSkills Positive Image campaign and led to 65 employers signing up to get their hands on the UK’s best young talent.

With over 200 employers now committed to offering apprenticeships in areas ranging from carpentry to craft masonry, CITB-ConstructionSkills calls on companies to follow suit and invest in the skills today that will drive future growth.

CITB-ConstructionSkills ran a programme of employer breakfast meetings, construction challenges, careers events and oneto-ones with its staff and staff from the National Construction College (NCC) as part of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW).

The event brought employers face-to-face with over 600 young people interested in the sector.

Well over a quarter of the employers who attended an event committed to take on apprenticeships.

One employer who attended the event, CMC Ltd’s Martyn Price, said: “I was delighted to be associated with National Apprenticeship Week to support the benefits that apprentices can bring to any business. The pledge demonstrated our ongoing commitment which we anticipate will continue to benefit our business for many future years. The Positive Image campaign’s drive to recruit the brightest and best talent has really paid off.”

CITB-ConstructionSkills’ Mark Farrar added: “The events helped show employers the wealth of keen young people who were eager to work in the construction sector. We were delighted to see so many firms sign up to offer apprenticeships.

“However, there was an opportunity for many more employers to get involved and leave a lasting legacy for the construction industry. It’s only by investing in the workforce of tomorrow that we will survive.”

In July 2011 research indicated that employers felt there were significant gaps in their employees’ skills, which seriously limited the potential for growth in the industry. In a CITB survey of 1450 employers in the sector, specific gaps in skills that were

identified included understanding the implications of green issues (43%), identifying potential new business (39%) and not having sufficient IT skills (43%). A further 32% also stated that their management team’s ability to identify the training needs of staff was an area that needed improvement.

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Taking measures to protect you from asbestos Employers of building maintenance and repair workers are required to carry out a risk assessment before undertaking any work which exposes, or is liable to expose, employees to asbestos. They must take the appropriate steps required by the Asbestos Regulations to prevent or reduce these risks.

However, in many cases, the employers and their workers have little or no information about the premises where they will undertake work and are not aware if materials containing asbestos are present. Consequently, it is difficult for them to consider the risks, or decide if precautions may be needed.

A duty to manage the risk from asbestos in non-domestic premises was therefore added to the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations in 2002 to address this issue. These requirements have since been brought forward unchanged in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 as Regulation 4.

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Those who own, occupy, manage or have responsibilities for premises that may contain asbestos, will either have: A legal duty to manage the risk from asbestos material; or A legal duty to co-operate with whoever manages that risk They will be required to manage the risk from asbestos by: • • •

• •

Finding out if there is asbestos in the premises, its extent and what condition it is in Presuming the materials contain asbestos, unless you have strong evidence that they do not Making and keeping up to date a record of the location and condition of the ACM’s or presumed ACM’s in their premises Assessing the risk from the material Preparing a plan that sets out in detail how they are going

• •

•

to manage the risk from this material Taking the steps needed to put their plan into action Reviewing and monitoring their plan and the arrangements made to put it in place; and Providing information on the location and condition of the material to anyone who is liable to work or disturb it

In the United Kingdom, work on asbestos has by law to be carried out by a contractor who holds a licence under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, although there are exceptions. Normally, nonlicensed work includes work on asbestoscontaining textured coatings, asbestos cement and certain work of short duration on asbestos insulating board.

The duties imposed by regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 supplement the provisions of some of the duties imposed by other sets of regulations, in particular the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 which require the client to provide designers and contractors who may be bidding for the work or who they intend to engage, with the project’s specific health and safety information needed to identify hazards and risks associated with the design and construction work.

Asbestos awareness training is a legal requirement for most employees and supervisors working in the construction industry. In addition to initial training, the Approved Code of Practice which accompanies the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 also states that refresher training should be given at least every year. Therefore, there is an ongoing annual legal requirement for

refresher training to be carried out for the identified employees.

ARCA is the leading supplier of asbestos awareness training aimed at building and maintenance workers. To find out more or to arrange a no obligation meeting to discuss your employees asbestos awareness training needs, please contact ARCA on 01283 531126.

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Simon says ISO Certification is the way forward As a company that has established itself in the field of tree and landscaping contracts, Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd recognises the benefits that accreditation brings to the industry. In 2008, company director Simon Rotherham decided to obtain a number of external certifications used by CHAS and Arboricultural Association (AA) approved contractors, including ISO certification.

In order for Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd to meet the requirements needed for accreditation the company undertook a business assessment and became AA approved within just five months. This process involved Simon spending just one day per month being coached on how to implement and operate the required systems and controls. As a result, the company is now certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 levels.

Certifications like these are internationally recognised and holding them demonstrates that a company is up to date on administrative efficiency, customer service, health and safety management and environmental management.

Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd hold additional certification for the National Highways Sector Scheme 18 (NHSS18), which is the standard that pre-qualifies a company for highways vegetation management.

Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd Director, Simon Rotheram, said: “AA approved assessment was a tough day, but very useful none the less and I would thoroughly recommend that anyone wishing to be taken seriously in the arboricultural industry tests themselves against it.”

Simon values the time spent working towards accreditation and appreciates the benefits that they bring to his company as well as the industry as a whole.

After consolidating systems in order to assess the impact that

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the certificates and accreditation would have on the company’s tendering processes, he decided to look into the company’s environmental interface and health and safety arrangements.

Simon said: “It took us another three days over a two month period to build on our systems in order to achieve ISO9001 and we were assessed by SGS UK Ltd who are UKAS accredited.

The same two day audit checked us off for NHSS18 so it was a completely painless experience.

“So far, the pay back has outweighed the outlay and that is without factoring in the benefits from added efficiency and a reduction in minor incidents.”

He added: “There are rogue traders operating in the certification market so be very careful that you make sure that their assistance or certification will take you to where you need to be. The UK standard setting organisation for certification bodies is United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS). This is important to remember if you intend to work on the highways or railways because the specific procurement checks for those industries only recognise certificates from UKAS accredited certification companies.”

Acquiring industry recognised accreditation allows companies to be seen as a provider of an integrated management system.

Simon Rotheram believes that if businesses double their efforts to improve standards, it will benefit individual companies as well as injecting a huge boost into the industry. Despite facing a tough year throughout 2011, Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd has continued to move forward whilst many in the industry have suffered from setbacks.

Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd Director, Simon Rotheram, said: “I am convinced that there is still plenty of work out there.

This opinion is born by the almost continual stream of contract

notices that are showing up on tender notification websites, on Linkedin and Twitter and we have remained consistently busy despite the consensus that 2011 was the toughest year for decades.

“What is also very clear is that client expectations are far higher than before the recession hit hardest. Clients can be choosy whilst all of the service providers compete for work, so

it is crucial to make sure that companies are on top of the pile and able to respond to opportunities properly once they arise.

“As well as doing a great job, we are also good at demonstrating that we have a sophisticated approach to health and safety, environmental management, employment, equality and diversity and that is what really counts these days.”

Arboricultural show is a resounding success The 2011 ARB show was heralded as a huge success when it was held at its new showground on the Bathurst Estate in Circenster in early June.

The exciting new venue offered a variety of superb trees to host the practical demonstrations and the popular 3ATC tree climbing competition that has proved so popular with visitors.

Run by the Arboricultural Association, the show’s fresh, inspiring and varied demonstration program offers something for everyone - from the absolute novice to the most experienced practitioner. Show visitors were also able to get advice on anything from climbing and work techniques to the latest products and climbing kit from over 70 trade stands.

The arbjobs.com sponsored 3ATC (Arboricultural Association Arborist Tree Challenge) was another popular attraction that ran this year. Open to all levels of competitor, the 3ATC was divided into three categories of competition, from novice through to expert and premier climber.

This year’s practical demonstration sessions included the safe configuration of rigging equipment and dismantling techniques.

The workshop sessions included the design of arborists’ hardware, competent hand splicing, the ARB Approved Contractor scheme and exploring Borneo’s rainforest canopy. Another interesting feature was the launch of the new Stihl MS201 T chainsaw and the Tree Climbers’ forum.

Another major event in the arboricultural world was the association’s 45th National Amenity ARB Conference 2011, which was held at the University of Warwick from Sunday 18th to Tuesday 20th September 2011.

As the largest and most established annual conference dedicated to arboriculture, this event is the focal gathering of amenity arboriculture managers, consultants, local government managers, contractors and educators in the UK. With new regulations and standards directly relevant to arboriculture appearing more frequently, Arboricultural Association conferences provide vital information to help those attending keep ahead - including formal lectures and seminars, networking and a great social environment.

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About the Arboricultural Association Since 1964, the Arboricultural Association has been the national body in the UK and Ireland for the amenity tree care professional in either civic or commercial employment - at craft, technical, supervisory, managerial or consultancy level.

There are currently 2,000 members of the Arboricultural Association in a variety of membership classes. The objectives of the Arboricultural Association are to: advance the study of arboriculture; raise the standards of its practice; foster interest in trees through publications, exhibitions and the stimulation of research or experiment; assist in the training of students in disciplines where arboriculture is a major subject and to cooperate with other bodies having similar aims.

People able to care for trees are generally either consultants (tree advisors or arboriculturists) or contractors (tree surgeons or arborists).

Consultants provide specialist opinions on tree health, safety, preservation, trees and buildings, planning and other law.

Subjects on which arboricultural consultants will commonly advise include: • • •

•

• •

Assessing trees for hazard and where appropriate specifying remedial work Investigating cases where trees are alleged to be involved in structural damage to buildings Providing advice in relation to tree preservation law and where necessary, expert evidence to the planning inspectorate Providing advice in relation to trees and development and when necessary, expert evidence to the planning inspectorate Formulating tree and woodland management plans Investigating accidents caused by tree failure

Services typically required of an arboricultural contractor are: •

Tree maintenance (pruning, bracing or fertilising operations) to a relevant British Standard • Tree felling including dismantling of dangerous trees or trees in confined spaces.

• Pest and disease identification and control.

• Advice on the above.

• For further details, see the Arboricultural Association’s web site: www.trees.org.uk ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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